Chateau La Fleur Morange Mathilde – Merlot With Moxie

100% Merlot from Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France.

SRP of $19 and available at that price. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

“Winelovers worldwide know that over the last decade Saint Emilion has become the unrivaled hotbed of winemaking innovation. This cutting edge wine confirms that trend! From vineyard management to winemaking, the Juliens have pushed the enological envelope.

From their remarkable 3.3-acre vineyard in eastern Saint Emilion which boasts 50 year old vines, the Juliens manually harvest their fruit at an optimum ripeness in a matter of hours. Yields are tiny and the resulting wine concentrated. It is aged on its lees for 6 months in Taransaud and Darnajou barrels, so as to preserve a maximum of fresh and vibrant fruit. Just 660 cases of this 100% Merlot wine were bottled unfined and unfiltered in July 2011.

15% Alcohol”

Saint Emilion is one of the most prestigious areas in Bordeaux and the prices of the wines often show it. The area has a long history of winemaking, going back to the Roman times. The most predominant varieties grown here are Merlot (65% of the plantings) and Cabernet Franc. Today’s wine actually comes from 50 year old vines and offers an amazing price for this area.

One other distinction to note is that “Saint-Emilion has four ‘satellites’: Lussac-Saint-Emilion, Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion, Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion and Montagne-Saint-Emilion. These cover distinct, slightly smaller areas immediately to the north-east of Saint-Emilion proper, and each has its own independent appellation title.” Many times, the less expensive wines you see will come from one of these appellations, but today’s wine does not. (Info taken from Wine-Searcher here.)

The 2010 Chateau La Fleur Morange Mathilde begins with a wonderful and complex aroma featuring dark fruit, licorice, spearmint, earth, cola, and a little vanilla. Wow! The wine tastes delicious with tons of jammy fruit but this is no one trick wonder. Many of the other flavors from the nose carry over as well – licorice, earthy notes and cola in particular plus you’ll find some added cedar, cocoa and tobacco. There is also wonderfully integrated spice notes, great acidity and a lush, smooth mouthfeel. It ends dry with good length. I love it!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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