Chateau
Caillou has a good history and was once regarded highly but in the 1855
classification it was slipped to the second growth status. The estate was under
the Sarraute family in the late 19th century, and was acquired by
Joseph Ballan in 1909. Joseph passed to his daughter Reine Ballan and to her
husband Joseph Bravo in 1943.
It was
under the Bravo family until now, passing to their children Jean-Bernard and
Marie-Jose, who are not on good terms. Marie-Jose and her husband Michel Pierre
are now running the estate, and passing on the management to their son
Jean-Noel Pierre.
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There
are about 15 hectares of vines in a single block behind the chateau. The soils
are the classic sandy-red clay, but with some high gravel contents, on a
limestone bedrock. In French the word caillou means pebbles.
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The fruit
is hand-picked, with several tries through the course of the harvest. After
going through a horizontal press, the must goes into wood for fermentation. The
ageing is done in new oak barrels for 24-30 months with the grapes sorted for
second wine going into stainless steel for fermentation, then to older oak for
a shorter period of 12 months.
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I have
recently tasted the 2005 vintage and below is my tasting note:
Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of pale gold
color, with legs.
Nose
Clean,
the nose shows pronounced intensity aromas of ripe citrus fruit such as orange
peel and orange marmalade, floral notes of honeysuckle, dried fruit of fig, stone
fruit of apricot, maturity notes of honey, oak notes of butterscotch. The wine
is developing.
Palate
Sweet
with medium acidity, the wine has medium alcohol and a full body, showing pronounced
intensity on flavors, including ripe citrus fruit of lemon peel and marmalade,
maturity notes of honey, stone fruit of apricot, dried fruit of fig and oak
notes of vanilla. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion
Good
quality Sauternes with a strongly intense nose showing ample of complexity and
characters, the wine has a nice acidity to balance the sweetness, though with
even slightly higher acidity it would be even more refreshing. The palate has
concentrated flavors with similar characters, and finishing with a fairly long
length. It is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of
another 7-10 years.
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