"93+/100 William Kelley, Wine Advocate
From a small, four-hectare vineyard that the Vauthier family acquired in 2014, the 2019 La Clotte offers up inviting aromas of wild blueberries, licorice, coniferous forest floor and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, bright and concentrated, it's tightly wound, with lively acids and chalky tannins. This is a promising effort from an estate in the ascendant.
85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc."
With just 4 hectares, this property has a very long history that takes us back to the 16th century and the illustrious de Grailly family. La Clotte is also marked by its geography, that of a building leaning against the side of a cliff and concealing deep labyrinths. This feature gave it its name, La Clotte, meaning a small troglodyte habitat in Gascon patois. From the outside, this Château is distinguished by its neo-Gothic turret and its two lime trees, standing proudly in front of the house.
Located behind the southern ramparts of the village of Saint-Émilion, this very old vineyard is formed of a patchwork of compact terraces resting on limestone plateaux and a clay-limestone slope. With a planting density of 6000 vines per hectare, the fifty-year-old vines enjoy southern exposure and are sheltered from the prevailing winds. Since it was bought by the Vauthier family (proprietors of Ch Ausone) in 2014, significant investment has been made in the cellar and vineyard. Based on plot selection, the wine of La Clotte is the result of manual harvesting, meticulous sorting of the harvest, gravity-flow grape reception, manual punching down and then submerged-cap maceration in stainless-steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation in oak is followed by around 18 months’ ageing in new barrels. The blend contains a large majority of Merlot, around 85%, complemented by Cabernet Franc.
Beyond the vintage effect, it is a rare wine due to the size of the vineyard and haute couture through its ability to combine elegant tannins with the voluptuous character that is so typical of Saint-Émilion. La Clotte produces wines with long ageing potential.
