2019 Chateau la Fleur des Graves, Graves de Vayres, Bordeaux

Graves de Vayres is a small Bordeaux district, located in the Entre-Deux-Mers named after the historic town of Vayres.  It has nothing to do with the Graves area (which is much more South of the region) but does have gravelly soil with good drainage and is just across the river Dordogne from the town of Libourne. Château La Fleur des Graves is the jewel of Yves Glotin, who bought parcels right next to the family property in 2002. This is the top wine which is a selection of the plots and the grapes from the oldest vines, expressing the exceptional characteristics of the estate. In addition, it is produced in very small quantities and primarily on vintages with great potential. Why do we like it? This is his top wine and it’s gorgeous with lovely cassis, damson and violet aromas, a touch of vanilla and cedar on the finish. It also possesses seductive, velvety tannins. A lot of wines in Bordeaux are still suffering from being too oaky and wanting to ‘show’ too much by extracting the grapes a bit too intensely, well, we are far from that here. The fruit expression is intact, and the oak never takes over the fruit purity. The balance of 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon works very well here, one of the most enjoyable we have drunk this year! Grape            50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon Country        France                                       Region          Bordeaux Vintage         2019