Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
par Jane Anson le 19/07/2022
I have long been a fan of this wine, and am happy to see it getting a wider distribution. An excellent example of dense but soft tannins, billowy, brushed velvet, beautifully bright and sappy damson and black cherry fruits, gentle cocoa bean, white pepper and sage spices. Fragrant floral edges, well integrated oak, clear freshness. Luc Morlet is one of the more restrained winemakers in Napa, and you see his European sensibilities with this wine, as you often do with the Morlet range of multiple single-plot vineyards. Picked in small crates of 10kilos, arriving to the cellar by 7am in the morning. Delicate but expansive, elegant, clear precision. I rarely say this, but you truly can't feel the high alcohols (drinking at a slightly cool temperature helps). 600l oak casks for 2/3 of ageing, with the rest in stainless steel. This is their biggest site in terms of production, around 10ha of their own vines in Oakville, with the estate crossed by To Kalon creek, planted to Cabernet Franc (2 blocks) and Cabernet Sauvingon (4 blocks), currently bottling around half of it to the Coeur de Vallée bottling. Great stuff.