CHÂTEAU FLEUR HAUT GAUSSENS MALBEC LA VIMINIÈRE 2015

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Brand owner Château Fleur Haut Gaussens

RRP £20.95/€25

Markets UK, domestic

Contact Berry Bros & Rudd

La Viminière is a small single plot situated in Vérac on the right bank of the river, near Fronsac.

The six-year-old Malbec vines are planted in a specific south-facing plot of clay soil. The terroir, specially chosen for its similarity to Burgundy climates, allows for early ripening.

Owner Hervé Lhuillier, of Château Fleur Haut Gaussens, wanted to give his customers something out of the ordinary, something they had not seen in Bordeaux before.

La Viminière was created with the help of consultant Olivier Dauga, departing from conventional Bordeaux winemaking techniques, such as 50% of the harvest going into fermentation as fully ripe whole bunches, the stems blond in colour and not at all dried out, to enhance the fruit and add complexity.

A slow winemaking process of approximately 25 days including a soft extraction and a short maceration resulted in typical Malbec fruit character but with no exaggeration.