Château Chauvin 2010

Critic scores

• Decanter95
• Jeb Dunnuck94
• James Suckling93
• Wine Advocate90

The 2010 vintage in Saint-Émilion

Vintage benchmark: 98/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: The dry summer and cool nights gave dense, tannic wines of extraordinary ageing potential — the exact opposite of 2009.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Saint-Émilion. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

This little-known Classified Growth is, as is often the case with it, impeccable: woody present without fuss, creaminess, toasted finish, generous and seductive, great suave and charming finish.

Blend of the 2010 vintage

Figures from the 2010 sheet

• 28 yrsVine age

Winemaking

Cold pre-fermentation maceration for 2 to 5 days around 8°C Alcoholic fermentation in thermoregulated stainless steel vats Malolactic fermentation in barrels Vatting for 20 to 30 days - gentle and slow extraction

Ageing

French oak barrels for 16 months, 50% new barrels

Terroir

Château Chauvin lies in the north-west of the commune of Saint-Émilion, halfway between Cheval-Blanc and the Butte de Rol, close to the Pomerol appellation. Chauvin's terroir is of a clay-sand type; it benefits from the presence of pseudogley and of a crasse de fer (iron-rich hardpan) similar to that found in certain Pomerol terroirs. Thanks to its low water-retention capacity, the soil comes under water stress quickly, allowing the grapes to ripen faster. Effective drainage across the whole vineyard also ensures very good run-off during the wettest periods. The vineyard forms a single block around the property, which facilitates the meticulous vineyard work carried out by the château's teams throughout the growing season.