Château La Clotte - St. Emilion Grand Cru 2017

Château La Clotte 2017 is a wonderfully precise Saint-Émilion that already clearly shows the signature of the Vauthier family of Château Ausone, who took over the small four-hectare estate in 2014. The 2017 vintage in Bordeaux was heterogeneous, yet La Clotte was spared the devastating spring frost and produced a remarkably fresh, elegant, and terroir-driven wine. The cuvée consists of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc and was aged for around 18 months in barriques. On the nose, it offers dark cherries, cassis, and plum, accompanied by violets, fine herbs, spices, and a hint of chocolate. On the palate, it is juicy and silky, with fine-grained tannin, lovely freshness, and the chalky-mineral tension that characterizes the terroir of La Clotte. Despite its concentration, the 2017 remains elegant and astonishingly light-footed – more finesse than muscle. For us, it is above all a Saint-Émilion for Bordeaux lovers looking beyond the very big names: small production, great limestone terroir, and the Vauthier signature of Ausone. The 2017 is starting to be a real pleasure now, but still possesses sufficient structure for several more years in the cellar.