The 2016 vintage in Haut-Médoc
Vintage character: A very wet winter followed by a sun-drenched summer produced a rare balance, combining the depth of great years with genuine freshness.
Overall reading of the year’s season across Haut-Médoc. 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.
The vintage
Harvest: Merlot from 4 to 17 October; Cabernet Sauvignon from 17 to 21 October.
Blend of the 2016 vintage
- 60 % Merlot
- 37 % Cabernet-sauvignon
- 3 % Cabernet franc
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 2016 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with 59 % merlot, 35.5 % cabernet sauvignon, 4 % petit verdot, 1.5 % cabernet franc, bordeaux 2050 — a vintage blend departs from the area under vine as the year dictates.
Figures from the 2016 sheet
- 31 yrsVine age
Winemaking
1st sorting in the vineyard. Manual sorting in a vibrating table, followed by a destemming with a Pellenc Selectiv’ process Winery. Optical sorting grain by grain. Cooling off of the harvest through a cryogenic tunnel freezer (spraying of liquid nitrogen). Vatting by gravity flow with a funnel. Fermentation in wooden vats and small capacity concrete tanks. Cold pre-fermentation maceration (8°C). Manual punching down. Alcoholic fermentation at low temperature (28°C). Maceration for 25 to 32 days. Bottling: 2018. Consulting enologist: Michel Rolland.
Ageing
Ageing in barrels for 16 months, of which 30% are new.
Terroir
Saint Laurent Médoc. Clay subsoil with a large proportion of limestone covered by a deep layer of Günz gravel.
An offer on Château La Tour Carnet 2016
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.