The first few months of the year were characterised by high rainfall. Flowering went well, during an opportune, clement window of opportunity, confirming our initial hopes spurred by bud break in April. Fortunately, we avoided the hailstorms in May, which hit some of the vineyards on the right bank. Mild spring temperatures, coupled with high levels of humidity, placed us under serious pressure. The impending threat of mildew caused us to increase our vigilance in the vines. The return of very sunny weather gave hope to our teams, who had not relinquished their efforts to protect the vines, and adhering to environmentally- conscious protocols.

Hot and sunny, summer boosted ripening in the grapes. Significant water reserves accumulated at the start of the year protected the vines from excessive stress. We approached the relatively early harvests in a total state of calm, picking by hand and tailoring our schedules to individual rows. The grapes were exceptional in terms of ripeness and quality. We rolled out densimetric sorting across the vineyard, a practice introduced in 2016. This is followed by a final sort by hand to eliminate the last remaining MOG.

GRAPE VARIETIES

Merlot 65 %

Cabernet Franc 35 %

Château Le Boscq features among the great classics of the Saint-Estèphe appellation. The first wine, Chateau le Boscq Cru Bourgeois, is a St-Estephe wine bursting with character, which elegantly combines the power of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, with the Merlot’s finesse, which is unusual for the appellation. Delicate and well-balanced, it has great ageing potential.

Incredibly deep, and still almost black in appearance. The intense and complex bouquet imparts lovely fruit intensity to notes of cedar, spice and precious wood. The wonderfully supple palate gradually gains in intensity. Densely-packed, silky and very fine-grained tannic structure underpins generous richness on the palate, and is coated with spice and ripe fruit flavours. Smooth and concentrated, the wine culminates in a notably long, lingering finish, characterised by freshness and spice.

• The second wine of Margaux’s second Grand Cru Classé
• The Ch. Lascombes team strives to continually improve the quality of this second wine, while respecting the tradition of a history and a glorious past.
• Director of the property: Dominique Befve (previously Ch. Lafite-Rothschild and L’Evangile)
• Restructuring of the vineyard in order to respect the diversity of soils and to express the quintessence of the terroir
• Cuvier at the forefront of technology to work by gravity and in parcel vinification

The 2011 Connetable Talbot 50cl : a red wine from Saint-Julien produced by Château Talbot based on petit verdot, merlot and cabernet sauvignon of 2011. According to Drinks&Co users, this red wine earns 4 out of 5 points.