La Croizille

Bordeaux En-primeur 2024 Highlights – Part 1: Tasting Chateau La Croizille 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It is certainly no secret that 2024 was yet another very complicated viticultural vintage In Bordeaux. A very wet year, especially during the autumn and winter months, this wasn’t however the whole story as appellations like Pauillac, for example, actually experienced less rain than its 10-year average. After the drought affected vintages of 2018, 2020 and 2022, the 2024 growing season got off to a promising start before the onset of spring brought hail and the early signs of what was to become a season-long battle with mildew disease pressures. 2024 represents the lowest yields across Bordeaux since the forsaken 1991 vintage. 

A grey and gloomy May saw cool temperatures that slowed vine growth and resulted in uneven flowering, especially for the Merlot vines. But as summer finally arrived in late June, the mood shifted. Drier, sunnier conditions settled in through August and into September, bringing with them a welcome window for ripening, particularly beneficial for Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested in improved conditions right up into mid-October.

La Croizille winemaker Jean Michel Garcion.

Speaking to various vignerons about the vintage, many are quick to avoid generalisations, explaining that the conditions in their own vineyards could, in many instances, be vastly different from conditions in their near neighbour’s. Success in 2024 was about timing – timing of spraying, strict fruit selection and of course down to one’s very own terroir and soil types in the vineyards. In general, gravel and certain types of clay were well-equipped to deal with over-saturation – gravel soils naturally having excellent drainage, whilst some types of clay can retain more water, preventing it being returned to, and diluting, the fruit. Limestone soils, like those found on the cote at Chateau La Croizille, also worked well but there was a risk of austerity and accentuated restraint in the wines.

The view out of the La Croizille tasting room, from the top of the limestone cote in Saint Emilion.

It is almost certainly this willingness to talk up the vintage as well as emphasize the individuality of various Chateaux terroirs, that has led to the 2024 vintage being coined a “micro-climate vintage”. As always, quality will be varied and surprises will be plentiful, but there is no denying that the conditions favoured premium Chateaux in the Medoc, Saint Emilion and Pomerol, where strict selection for Merlot was essential, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc often flourished in the drier, later ripening conditions, yielding many wines with great promise.

Chateau La Croizille 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux

A beautifully dark, dense, and seductively opaque in the glass, this 2024 Saint Emilion reveals a deep black berry fruited aromatic underbelly with notes of violets, sweet cigar box, cedar spice, graphite, and blueberry compote with a subtle dusting of vanilla pod oak spice. Notably restrained on the nose, the palate shifts into a higher gear to reveal a plush, silky, harmonious palate with soft supple tannins, seamlessly integrated acids, and soft-toned black and blueberry fruits in the mouth. The extraction has been incredibly gentle, coaxing only the purest and finest characters from this reduced grape harvest. This is undoubtedly a phoenix rising from the ashes of the 2024 vintage weather chaos. A truly standout, classically restrained expression from Saint Emilion’s limestone cote. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Chateau La Croizille wines are available ex-cellar, direct to merchant. Contact Anthony Crameri for prices and vintage availability.

anthony_crameri@orange.fr

Grand Cercle Bordeaux En-primeur 2023 – The Tasting Highlights from the Famille de Schepper Portfolio…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux gathers in London annually to profile 124 talented Chateaux, selected for their quality and value for money. Covering 27 different appellation areas, the tasting always represents a unique snapshot into currently available vintages, but more importantly, offers a valuable preview of the next En-primeur offering from these producers, in this case, the 2023 vintage.

Whilst 2023 vintage might be remembered as a year of extremes, it also produced some very favourable conditions at crucial times throughout the growing season including a warm dry spring that led to an early growth spurt and gave the vines time to establish themselves before the summer heatwaves arrived. With any serious damaged avoided during the frosts on the 4th and 5th of April, weather improved steadily in May with a very successful flowering and fruit set before a prolonged period of wet and humid conditions followed in late June, bringing with it a serious threat of mildew damage. From mid-July onwards temperatures were generally cooler than 2022, although they did regularly hit 30c in August and overall conditions remained favourable with red grape harvesting commencing for many in mid-September. The overall quality of the 2023 harvest is considered outstanding.

Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere 2023, Margaux

Taut, broody and embryonic, the aromatics are spicy and cool, packed full of dark black berries, bramble berries and juniper spice. The palate is medium bodied, spicy and tightly wound with dry grippy mineral tannins, sleek purple and black berry fruits with gentle oak spice on the finish. The acids are fresh but not tart, tangy and well integrated, but should soften to allow the fruits to flesh out after several years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Tour Baladoz 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux

A attractively fragrant, perfumed aromatics filled with Parma violets, purple flowers and white blossom. The entry is sleek, silky and soft textured showing lovely balance and harmony already, underpinned by spicy black berry, limestone minerality and a hint of graphite on the finish. An impressively polished, tangy, juicy effort from the vintage. 

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (B)

Rich, dark and broody with aromatics of purple rock candy, violets, creme de cassis and black cherry confit. The palate is bold and dense, packed full of fleshy, textured fruit extract, dry velvety tannins and tangy acids, all intelligently coaxed and caressed into a seriously powerful right bank expression that immediately shows its terroir pedigree. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Contact Anthony Crameri for ex-cellar trade prices, EU stockists and current vintage availability.

anthony _crameri@orange.fr

Rising Bordeaux Star Chateau La Croizille Releases Another Impressive Saint Emilion 2018 Red…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

La Croizille is a wonderfully situated Saint Emilion Grand Cru Chateau that was acquired by the Belgian De Schepper – De Mour family in 1996 and whose wines are sold mostly in the Benelux. The 5 hectares of vines belonging to the Château benefit from the same remarkable soils, on the borders of the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion in the commune of Saint-Laurent des Combes, as Chateaux such as Tetre Roteboeuf and Troplong Mondot.

After 1996, the De Schepper family commenced on a large investment spree, bringing the estate into the modern winemaking era, combining its sought after terroir with high-end technology and traditional know-how to create a wine with great opulence, finesse, modernity and personality under the watchful eye of respected head winemaker, Jean-Michel Garcion.

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2018, 14.5% Abv.

This is an impressive effort that shows just why so many 2018 right bank Bordeaux wines are being fawned over at the moment. It displays a deep purple-black colour and offers up exotic, hedonistic notes of black currant compote, liquorice, caramelised black cherries, creme brûlée and stewed winter plums. On the palate the texture is silky, soft and sensual with an impressive fleshy depth of fruit, smoky graphite mocha notes, pithy plum stone minerality and a long, fresh, well honed finish. The subtle drying grip from the velvety tannins are reminiscent of a well brewed cup of raspberry and black currant herbal tea. It possesses a simply magical harmony and a wonderful balance making this another standout effort from Chateau La Croizille. Drink from 2022 to 2034+

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

http://www.chateaulacroizille.com

First En-primeur Bordeaux 2019 Reds Show Great Promise for the Vintage – Tasting La Croizille and Cap Leon Veyrin…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

With the Union des Grands Crus Bordeaux and its members deciding to suspend the 2019 En-Primeurs week that was scheduled to take place at the end of March in Bordeaux due to the coronavirus restrictions, I thought I would post these two wine reviews from the Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux tasting in London yesterday, 12th March 2020.

Speaking to Gavin Quinney of Chateau Bauduc in the Entre-Deux-Mers, he states “’You’re joking – not another one?’ No, really, Bordeaux 2019 is a very good to excellent vintage. It wasn’t straightforward, with heat waves, drought and a rainy finish along the way, but Bordeaux enjoyed a long, dry summer and harvest with just enough rain, and no disasters like the late spring frost of 2017 or the significant losses to mildew that some growers experienced in 2018.”

At the top end, it’s becoming an embarrassment of riches. 2019 makes it six very good years in a row for the northern Haut-Médoc appellations of St-Julien, Pauillac and St-Estèphe, which were largely untouched by the 2017 frost and produced many fine 2014s, and likewise for the top estates on the plateau of Pomerol.

Bordeaux 2019 – 10 observations on the growing season: (Source: Gavin Quinney)

·         A dry year with 25% less rain overall than the average up to the end of the harvest.

·         A mild winter saw average rainfall in November, December and January, then a dry February and March.

·         Spring rainfall (Q2) was close to the norm from April bud break through to June flowering.

·         Some localised spring frosts and limited hail damage later on, though relatively small losses.

·         Flowering in early June began well but a rainy, chilly spell led to uneven fruit set in many vineyards.

·         No major disasters like the frost of April 2017 or the mildew that had a significant impact on multiple growers in 2018.

·         A long, hot summer saw over three months of mostly fine weather from mid June to the fourth Sunday of September.

·         Heat waves in late June and 40 ˚C (104 °F) in late July put some vines under pressure – though this was pre-ripening.

·         Heavy rain on the last Friday in July, just after a heat wave, refreshed many vineyards just in time.

· Light rain in among the hot weather in August and mid September helped the vines.

Chateau La Croizille 2019, St Emilion Grand Cru

Plush, broadly aromatic but beautifully soft toned with dulcet notes pink musk, purple rock candy and black currant with a fabulously generous glycerol concentration, harmonious breadth and depth and a subtle, vanilla dusted, brûléed blueberry muffin finish. Delicious expression. Power with elegance.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin Cru Bourgeois 2019, Listrac-Medoc

A complex nose layered with perfumed aromatics drifting from violets to cherry blossom, pink musk to cherry cola and dusty graphite minerality. Super focus and balance, this wine has beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon lines, a chiselled texture and fine mineral, gravelly tannins. The fruit concentration shows a seductive sweet sour mouth watering edge and fabulous black berry fruit persistence. Focused, intense and impressively linear. This should turn into an absolute star!

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasted along side the superb 2016 for added insight…

Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin Cru Bourgeois 2016, Listrac-Medoc

Beautifully deep dark broody nose with plenty of black cherry, black currant, earthy blueberry and hints of savoury, wild bramble berry fruits. Seamlessly plush concentration is lifted and electrified by bright, tangy acids before the finish melts away in the mouth to leave notes of sour plum, graphite, salty black liquorice and kirsch cherry liquor. Really very impressive wine that certainly lives up to this epic vintage’s top billing.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Rising Star of Saint Emilion – Tasting a Vertical of Chateau La Croizille 2007 – 2016…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

La Croizille is a wonderfully situated St Emilion Grand Cru Chateau that was acquired by the Belgian De Schepper – De Mour family in 1996 and whose wines are sold mostly in the Benelux. The 5 hectares of vines belonging to the Château benefit from the same remarkable soils, on the borders of the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion in the commune of Saint-Laurent des Combes, as Chateaux such as Tetre Roteboeuf and Troplong Mondot.

After 1996, the De Schepper family commenced on a large investment spree, bringing the estate into the modern winemaking era, combining its sought after terroir with high-end technology and traditional know-how to create a wine with great opulence, finesse, modernity and personality under the watchful eye of head winemaker, Jean-Michel Garcion.

This winery is a real rising star in St Emilion which you will almost certainly read a lot more about in years to come.

La Croizille Vertical Tasting 2007 – 2016

Chateau La Croizille St Emilion 2007, 13 Abv.

The vineyards on the clay-limestone plateau yielded a spectacularly good offering in 2007. Notes of polished mahogany, earth, tannery leather, cherry kirsch liquer and black current rise out of the glass. Wonderful berry concentration, elegance and subtle evolution are hallmarks on this expertly crafted wine. It will be hard not to finish the bottle once you open this beauty. Drink now to 2025+

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille St Emilion 2010, 13 Abv.

From this epic vintage, notes of polished mahogany, boot polish, black cherry kirsch liquer and black current confit rise imperiously out of the glass. Wonderful concentration, elegance and freshness are all wrapped together with a most expertly integrated lick of new French oak. This is everything you would want from an iconic vintage and a real testament to winemaker Jean-Michel’s true skills. Drink now to 2035+

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille St Emilion 2011, 13 Abv.

The 2011 shows attractive floral perfume aromatics, polished oak, cherry confit, cherry liquer and saline black current leaf intensity. Superb concentration, sleek textured elegance and freshness and a smattering of the most attractive French oak vanilla spice notes. A noble and impressive follow up to the 2010 and a wine that will happily grace the tables of the most discerning connoisseurs. Drink now to 2029+

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille St Emilion 2012, 13 Abv.

A dark cherry black opaque colour greets the drinker. Initially, the nose is broody and closed. But a little glass swirling and coaxing starts to elicit some of the more classical elements of the bouquet… black berry, black cherry pith, cassis, dusty limestone minerality, hints of graphite and a gloss of buttered brown toast. The oaking is almost imperceptible, revealing a very restrained and quite classical expression from this “drinking” Bordeaux vintage. The palate has all the sleekness, suppleness and accessibility that you’d expect from a 2012. A soft fine grained texture, polished powdery tannins, chalky grip and spicy, plummy, peppery black cherry and black berry fruit. It’s all packed into a very classical, medium bodied parcel, that delivers pleasure now but also suggest it is structured enough to be holding back a few surprises in reserve for drinkers in 5 to 8 years time.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille St Emilion 2014, 13 Abv.

This wine is ripe and rich with beautifully plush classical right bank allure and a soft textured, elegant cassis pastille fruit concentration. A complex wine already in its youth, the layers of mocha, cocoa powder spice and sweet damson plum coat the tongue and thrill the palate. This wine has real depth of fruit, vibrant freshness, and superb length. A class act from some of the best terroir in St Emilion.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille St Emilion 2015, 13 Abv.

The neighbour of Francois Mitjavile’s Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf, La Croizille is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. True to the vintage, this wine has a spectacularly profound quality, and indeed the 2015 La Croizille could be among their greatest ever vintages produced. Certainly on par with the epic 2005, 2009 and 2010, the 2015 has a nose that is seductively perfumed, lifted out of the ordinary by cherry blossoms and an exotic undertone of cherry kirsch liqueur. The caramelized oak notes tease like sprinkles on a chocolate cake! The palate too is dark, dense, powerful and packed full of opulent exotic flavours of Chinese plum sauce, tart cherry confit, sweet cassis and vanilla pod spice. The balance is exceptional, spreading broad and wide across the palate. This is right bank Bordeaux at its seductive, classical best. Plump yet fresh, dense, sweet fruited and gravelly, yet never losing focus. Oh, and the finish goes on and on like a Duracell bunny! Wow. What an impressive wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille St Emilion 2016, 13 Abv.

The 2016 Château La Croizille has a dense, opulent profuse blue berry fruited nose, high-toned and showy, with all the mineral limestone complexity of its prestigious neighbours such as Tertre Roteboeuf, Troplong Mondot and Rocheyron. The palate is showing some elegant restraint and class with sweet ripe tannins, surly brambly red and black fruits, and an earthy, foresty, rather masculine, slightly introspective finish. So seductive and noble, this wine speaks of great St Emilion terroir with very intelligent winemaking. Superb effort.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW, Tasted En-primeur in April 2017 from Barrel)