Chateau Haut-Colombier 2018
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This wine is an assembly of wonderful diverse terroirs of the Château mixing grape varieties of Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon for a fruity wine mixing the roasting aromas.The nose exhibits perfumes of mocha, vanilla and toast. The mouth is rich with notes of ripened fruits.
This is a delicate wine, perfect to drink with roasted lamb and with aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A juicy, fruity red with slightly chewy tannins, but nice berry and chocolate character. Drinkable now, but better in 2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a plush wine, ripe with fine tannins and rich berry flavors. Jammy Merlot gives the wine a warm character that is balanced by the still dry and firm tannins. This is a wine in progress, ready to drink from 2022. Organic. Suitable for vegans. Cellar Selection.
Other Vintages
2020-
James
Suckling
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Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling
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James
Suckling
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James
Suckling
Château Haut Colombier is located in the Blaye – Côtes de Bordeaux appellation on the highest hill point of the area. The estate is owned and managed by two dynamic brothers - Olivier and Emmanuel Chéty, whose family has been making wine in the region since 1803. Both of these young men gained extensive winemaking experience in different regions of France and in Australia before returning to their family wine estate and investing that knowledge in their own vineyards.
They acquired this estate in 1991 and have worked tirelessly in improving the quality of the wine. Their quest for quality and respect of the vines, the terroir, meteorological variations, and the influence of the moon, has led them to adopt sustainable agricultural and biodynamic practices to grow the purest grapes possible. If a vintage is not deemed to be of their standards of quality, they will not make a wine. The name Colombier is the Dove House that is located on the property.
Organic practices are applied in the vineyard with no use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Minimum intervention in the vineyard and cellar. All grapes are hand harvested. Use of indigenous yeast. After the natural alcoholic fermentation, the wine is aged cement tanks, amphoras and French oak barrels.
Estate grown and bottled. Certified Organic and Vegan. Biodynamic practices. 4,000 cases produced annually.
In most of France, wines are named by their place of origin and not by the type of grape (with the exception of Alsace). Just like a red Burgundy is by law, always made of Pinot noir, a red Bordeaux is a blended wine composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Depending on the laws of the village from which the grapes come, the conditions of the vintage and decisions of the winemaker, the blend can be further supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and in rare cases, Carmenere. So popular and repeated has this mix of grape varieties become worldwide, that the term, Bordeaux Blend, refers to a wine blended in this style, regardless of origin.