2019 Les Hauts de Croix de Labrie Saint-Emilion Grand Cru [JS94]

Producer: Chateau Crois de Labrie 
Region: Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France 
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc 
Year: 2019

James Suckling, 94 Points 

"There’s a subtle and friendly nature that I always like in this wine. Hints of hazelnuts, chocolate and berries. Medium to full body, fine and polished tannins and a beautiful finish. A blend of 80 per cent merlot and 20 per cent cabernet franc. Hard not to drink now, but wait until after 2022." 

Vineyard Notes: 

"The plots of Hauts de Croix de Labrie are located in the part of the estate that is the closest to Libourne. Here the soils are lighter with stony sand and produce more ethereal wines. This wine is made from fruit from our younger vines. It has red fruit and spicy aromas, and subtle, elegant tannins that are ripe and tasty. It can be kept for 10 years or more, but is very expressive when young." 

Winemaking: 

"The fruit is picked by hand and carried in wooden crates. Pickers go down each row several times. The fruit is manipulated using gravity only and is vinified in small tanks. Temperatures are fully controlled. After de-stemming, the fruit is screened on a vibrating sorting table, then sorted manually. The fruit is vinified plot by plot. Different temperature levels are adhered to, but never higher than 26° C (79° F). The cap is punched down manually." 

Aging: Half in new barrels, half in one-year-old barrels for about 14 months 

Alcohol: 14% 

*Price and availability in store may vary. Discounts do not apply to wines like this one currently on sale.