Wine Advisor
La Clotte 2017
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 La Clotte displays a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It charges out of the gate with bold cassis, plum preserves and kirsch scents plus nuances of mocha, cardamom and tar with a waft of aniseed. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers plenty of invigorating, energetic fruit with very well-managed, plush tannins and a nice, long spicy finish.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Composed of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 La Clotte has quite an earthy nose with scents of black loam, truffles and mossy bark over a core of red and black plums with suggestions of tar and bay leaves. The palate is medium-bodied with bright fruit and a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins plus the freshness kicks-in on the long finish. A wonderfully energetic wine!
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2017 La Clotte shows terrific energy, just as it did from barrel, in the mid-weight style of the year. Red cherry, red plum, flowers, blood orange, mint and bright saline notes give the 2017 lovely tension to match its mid-weight personality. This is such a pretty and expressive Saint-Émilion, not to mention one of the under-the-radar gems of the year. It is a very pretty, supple and sensual Merlot-based wine.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2017 La Clotte bristles with energy. Under the direction of the Vauthier family, this small Saint-Émilion cru is starting to show the full breadth of its personality. Crushed rocks, lavender, spice and inky dark fruit are all finely knit in this super-expressive, gracious Saint-Émilion. All the elements simply fall into place effortlessly. The 2017 is fresh, vibrant and wonderfully nuanced from start to finish.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2017 La Clotte was one of the Vauthier’s most impressive wines from barrel and now that it is bottled, I find no reason to change that view. It delivers gorgeous black cherry and raspberry coulis aromas, intermingling with sous-bois and crushed iris. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fresh and vibrant, very well proportioned with a veins of _mineralité _ on the finish that might be a distant cousin of a very fine Loire. This is simply a superb Saint-Émilion that is rapidly making a name for itself.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2017 La Clotte, which the Vauthiers acquired in 2014, was cropped at 32hl/ha between 28 September and 2 October. It is matured in 100% new oak. Pauline Vauthiers ventured that this was one of her favorite wines in this vintage and I am inclined to agree. This has a lifted, more perfumed bouquet than the Moulin Saint-Georges at this point, quite perfumed with crushed iris aromas infusing the black fruit. Returning after 20 minutes there is just a touch of orange blossom. The palate is sweet and opulent with caressing tannin, almost Burgundy-like in fruit purity with crushed strawberry, cassis and blueberry towards the silky smooth finish. What a delicious Saint-Émilion in the making.
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+.
