This feels balanced and fresh. Juicy fruits with aromas of cream and almonds. A lovely long finish. Tastes a little like those minty chocolates you get to have at the end of a dinner party. A delight.
The golden otter you can see on the label is in reference to Sophie's late husband. He was Canadian and a keen swimmer. This was the first vintage Sophie created after his tragic death following a car accident. She wanted to carry on his vision of creating natural wines which are completely organic.
This blend of merlot, cab franc and a little dash of malbec is nine years old. These three grapes make up many classic blends in Bordeaux. You can really taste the cab franc in here though, with its classically herbal aroma.
Château Francs lies further inland than most of Bordeaux's vineyards. This means the climate is more continental, and less moderated by the ocean.
Côtes de Bordeaux is an appellation that was created in 2009. It was made to simplify the complicated regions in the east of Bordeaux. Côtes de Francs, the smallest appellation in Bordeaux, was absorbed into this. While good intentioned, it's questionable whether putting these together has helped or hindered.
This wine has had a cold macretaion. The juice from red grapes is light green in colour. It needs contact with the grape skins to absorb the red colour, flavour and tannins from them. This is called a maceration.
This blend of merlot, cab franc and a little dash of malbec is nine years old. These three grapes make up many classic blends in Bordeaux. You can really taste the cab franc in here though, with its classically herbal aroma. Château Franc, where Sophie Hozlberg makes her wine, is further inland than most of Bordeaux's vineyards. This means the climate is more continental, and less moderated by the ocean.