Chateau Croix-Mouton 2019, Bordeaux Supérieur, France

Average age of the vineyard: 39 yrs. Soil: clayey and alluvial. Total surface of 70 ha: 97% Merlot / 2.5% Cabernet Sauvignon / 0.5% Petit Verdot. Density of plantation: 3600 to 6000 plants/ha. Château Croix Mouton comes from a vineyard west of Saint-Émilion, on the right bank in Bordeaux, close to the Dordogne River, next to Lugon. The Gallo-Romains remains found in its soil are proof of an ancient Bordeaux wine producing past. The area offers excellent soil, and an easy access by the river as well as by the road. Jean-Philippe Janoueix does everything right to try making these value wines the best Bordeaux wines possible. Cultural Methods: Ploughing of the soil, controlled deliberate grass growth. One cluster thinning at the beginning of veraison. Merlot leaves were thinned out at rising sun side and Cabernet Franc once on both sides. Yield 2018: 37hl/ha (plots unfrozen) Winemaking: Sorting of the crop. Vinification in concrete and stainless steel vats widely open at 140cm for pigeages. Punching of the caps 6 times a day until 1070 of density, twice a day until 1030, once a day until 1010 than 1 pumping over a day till the end of the alcoholic fermentation and maceration. Vatting Period: 24-30 days for Merlot, 20-30 days for Cabernet. Malolactic fermentation in barrels and in vats with staves. Maturing on lees 3-4 months, 25% in barrels and 75% in tanks with or without wood. Final blend: 96% Merlot / 2.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Malbec. Production: 285,000 bottles. Nose: Concentrated scents of enveloping ripe fruit, pleasant notes of redcurrant, blackcurrant, wild strawberry. Mouth: Structured tannins and intense aromas of slightly spicy black fruits, combined with floral notes of rose, violet, and finishing on a nice finish.