Château Lyonnat Lussac-Saint-Émilion 2016, Bordeaux, France

Wine has been produced at Château Lyonnat for centuries. From generation to generation, the techniques used by the resident viticultural team have been refined to maximize the terroir. The vineyard is 79 acres, planted 90% to Merlot and 10% to Cabernet Sauvignon, and blessed with a southern exposure and a soil rich in limestone. Other factors that contribute to the quality of the vineyard include several parcels of very old vines, and yield reduction techniques such as severe winter pruning and green harvesting in the summer. At harvest, the grapes are sorted to eliminate any undesirable berries, fully destemmed and crushed into temperature controlled vats. Natural yeasts initiate fermentation, which generally lasts 10 days. A long maceration of typically three weeks follows, The resulting wine is full of character, medium to deep cherry red with an intense nose of marinated plums, black cherries and complex, tertiary aromas. Medium to full bodied, with depth, structure, well-integrated oak, and a certain elegance that contrasts with the power of the wine, this strikes an excellent balance between fruit and tannin and a long finish. extracting rich color, flavors and tannins. The wine is then racked into new oak barrels (Demptos, Seguin Moreau) for malolactic fermentation and aged for 18 months. Fining is with egg whites and because the wine is racked clear, there is only a light filtration.