Wine Advisor
La Clotte 2014
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Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Château la Clotte 2014 is the first vintage under the Vauthier family, although Pauline told me that they only purchased it on September 1, 2014, so they had no control in the vineyard. As a consequence, Pauline sees the 2015 as the first "official" vintage. The 2014 is a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc picked October 3-15 and aged in 85% new oak. It has quite a powerful bouquet with plush raspberry, blackberry and crushed rose petal scents. The palate is medium-bodied with plush ripe tannin, a light marine influence tincturing the red berry fruit with impressive structure on the finish. There is great potential here–one to clearly look out for once the Vauthier's start to "polish the stone."
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
As I wrote when I tasted this 2014 La Clotte from barrel, Pauline Vauthier regards this as the first official vintage of the wine now part of the the family's portfolio. It was raised in the same cooperages as Ausone with a very low toasting. The bouquet is very precise and focused with vivacious, very focused, mineral-laden red fruit, whilst retaining a sense of elegance and translating the terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, again, very elegant yet intense and full of energy. It has a slightly chalky texture, the finish precise and persistent in the mouth. This is a very impressive debut that surpasses my expectation from barrel. Though unknown on the market, I suspect that this will not be the case for too much longer.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2014 La Clotte is a striking wine that hints at the potential the Vauthier family will likely be able to coax from this site. Punchy red stone fruit, pomegranate, blood orange, spice and menthol are front and center. Supple and pliant, with terrific underlying structure, the wine is absolutely gorgeous. Bright mineral notes and Cabernet Franc aromatics infuse the finish in a super-expressive Saint-Émilion endowed with real class. The 2014 is a transition vintage for La Clotte. The Vauthier family (owners of Ausone and several other châteaux) purchased La Clotte in September 2014, just before harvest. The wine was made by consulting winemaker Jean-Philippe Fort, but Pauline Vauthier has since taken over. I would not be surprised if in a few years' time, La Clotte sits only behind Ausone in the Vauthier range. This is a very special site. In 2014 the blend is 80 % Merlot, 10 % Cabernet Franc and 10 % Cabernet Sauvignon.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
In my opinion, La Clotte is the most exciting wine in the range this year. In late 2014, the Vauthier family purchased La Clotte, a small property adjacent to Ausone. Pauline Vauthier told me extractions were dialed way back, although given the timing of the acquisition, just before harvest, the new team had less input than it will going forward. Still, La Clotte possesses marvelous density, volume and textural finesse. There is superb potential here. I fully expect to see significant strides in quality over the coming years.
About the Producer
Located in the Saint-Emilion appellation of Bordeaux, France, Chateau La Clotte sits on one of the oldest vineyards on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. The vineyard covers 4 hectares and is planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, mainly on clay and limestone soils. The vines are old, with an average age of almost 50 years, and planted at a density of 6,500 vines per hectare. During the ripening stage, the winery conducts regular experimental analyses in order to determine the final harvesting time. For the winemaking, the grapes are picked by hand, macerated at low temperatures and fermented in stainless steel tanks equipped with temperature control facilities. During this period, daily drenching, cap pressing and tank decanting and back-mixing are carried out to enhance the contact between the juice and the skins in order to extract more pigments and tannins. After fermentation, the wine is aged in 50% new French oak barrels, depending on the quality of the grapes, usually around 15 months. The wine produced by Château La Clotte is called Chateau La Clotte, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe, France. The wines are of excellent quality, reasonably priced, rich in minerality, rich and full-bodied, and loved by the elite of the wine industry. Recent vintages of Château Claret have won praise from several wine critics and wine review magazines, including Robert Parker Points, James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast, for their excellent quality, including a 95+ score for the 2015 vintage. with a score of 95+.
