Château Clarisse "Vieilles Vignes" 2018

Tasting characteristics and advice for Château Clarisse "Vieilles Vignes" 2018

Tasting

Color

The wine shows a deep garnet hue with intense purple highlights.

Nose

The nose reveals a complex bouquet dominated by aromas of ripe dark fruits, notably black cherry and blackcurrant. Spicy notes of paprika and anise intertwine with subtle mineral touches, while oak aging brings toasted and vanilla nuances that become more expressive with aeration.

Palate

The attack is soft and welcoming, developing into a broad, full-bodied palate. The velvety texture reveals well-integrated, slightly firm tannins, delivering structure and elegance. The generous, persistent finish extends the fruity aromas, accompanied by hints of minerality and oak.

Food and wine pairings

This wine is an ideal match for game and red meats in sauce. It also pairs beautifully with duck breast with red fruits or aged hard cheeses.

Serving and cellaring

Château Clarisse "Vieilles Vignes" 2018 is best enjoyed at a temperature between 16 and 18°C. Decanting for about an hour before serving allows it to fully express its aromatic complexity. This wine can be enjoyed through around 2030.

A characterful Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion from old vines

The estate

Founded in 2009 in Bordeaux, Château Clarisse spans 24 hectares on the Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion plateau, divided into around forty plots on Oligocene limestone and clay soils. Olivia and Didier Le Calvez named the estate after their daughter. Didier Le Calvez oversees the property, with oenological consulting from Stéphane Derenoncourt. The estate stands out for its hand harvesting, its organic certification obtained in 2019, and its commitment to biodiversity through hedgerows, agroforestry, and beehives.

The vineyard

The Vieilles Vignes cuvée comes from a plot of around one hectare located on the heights of the Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion plateau, at over one hundred meters above sea level. The soils are made up of red and brown clays resting on Oligocene limestone with asterias, lending freshness and minerality to the wine. The Merlot vines, some of which are over seventy years old, develop deep root systems that draw minerals and concentration from the different geological layers.

The vintage

The 2018 vintage in Bordeaux proved particularly favorable. After April frosts that spared the estate’s higher-altitude plots, rapid, even flowering took place in June under anticyclonic conditions. Summer brought plenty of sunshine in early August, followed by cooler temperatures that preserved the grapes’ natural acidity and aromatic freshness right up to harvest.

Winemaking and aging

Château Clarisse "Vieilles Vignes" 2018 was vinified with whole berries, a technique that preserves aromatic freshness and enables controlled extraction of phenolic compounds. Malolactic fermentation took place in 50% new French oak barrels. Aging then lasted sixteen months in the same proportion of new barrels. This limited-release cuvée represents a production of just 3,600 bottles.

Grape varieties

Merlot complemented by Cabernet Franc and Carmenère