Clos Cantenac AOC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, 2018

Made from Merlot grapes from Clos Cantenac’s older vines, 2018 has brambly fruits, spices, vanilla and cooked raspberry aromas. Delicious when young, this wine is elegant with a rich concentrated palate and succulent blackberry and black cherry fruits balanced by a juicy acidity, with a good cellaring potential. Grapes were picked over an eight-day period in the early mornings late in September. After a cold soak at 7°C to 8°C for a day, the juice was fermented at 26°C with regular pumping over, followed by a further seven days of maceration. The wine was put into barrels for malolactic and matured for 12 months with 50% in new barrels, and 50% in one-year-old barrels.