Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2017
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Introduction
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Moulin-à-Vent’s weathered granite soils are thin, with sandy pockets, enriched by high mineral nutrients and a granite bedrock with seams of manganese, copper, iron and other metallic oxides. Its clay-rich soil contains five minerals, giving the wine its unique character. The powerful winds blowing on the appellation have a decisive impact on the sanitary state of the vineyards, the maturation and concentration of the berries, and depth that give the wine its instantly recognizable intensity.
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Vineyard Profile
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This flagship wine is produced from selections of the harvest from three top terroirs of Moulin-à-Vent, all located near the fifteenth century windmill at the heart of the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. The altitude is between 240-280 meters (787-918 feet) with a predominantly southeastern exposure.
1) “Les Thorins”, iconic and central terroir of the appellation, facing South
2) “Le Moulin-à-Vent”, iconic and central terroir of the appellation, facing East
3) “Aux Caves”, soils rich with silica, with 80 year old vines - Viticulture: Organic cultivation without official certification; natural soil amendments, manual weed control and integrated pest management; gobelet pruning and trellising
- Vine Age: Average age of 40 to 80+ years
- Density: Density: 10,000 vines/hectare (4,047 vines/acre)
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Vintage Report
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2017 was a difficult vintage. An optimal start to the growing season was disrupted by untimely hail in July. This resulted in a lower than usual yield (10 hl/ha). The wines are concentrated, dense, spicy and powerful.
- Harvest Date(s): Manual harvest from September 6–13, in small 30-liter containers; one sorting table positioned before the destemmer.
- Yields: 10 hectoliters per hectare. This is less than 1 ton per acre. (Normal yields in the region are 45-50 hl/ha, while the maximum authorized is 52 hl/ha.)
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Vinification
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20% whole cluster; pumping-over during cold pre-fermentation soak and at the end of fermentation to increase roundness and finesse. Punching the cap at the beginning of fermentation; 21 days extraction to bring out the full potential of the terroirs; 100% indigenous yeast
- Aging: 12 months in 20% used French oak, 50% new French oak, then 4 months in stainless steel tank before bottling; French oak from the Allier and Vosges forests; excellent sourcing of oak from the top coopers, Taransaud and François Frères, to bring out the wine’s signature aromas and tannins.
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Technical Information
- Alcohol: 13.0%
- Optimum Drinking: 5-10 years, with gradual development over the years. Younger wines should be poured into a carafe one hour before serving.
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Tasting Notes
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A handsome, deep red color with purple tints and lovely aromas, with perfectly mature red and black fruit, hints of spice and floral notes of rose, peony and violet. Good body with fine tannins and good length. Rich, opulent and complex, finishing on a spicy note.
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Images
Reviews
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Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2017 – Vinous – 91 Points
The 2017 Moulin-à-Vent is born from a challenging vintage in which hail took with it half of the estate’s yields and two-thirds of the production of this wine. In the glass, the 2017 is soft, fruit and absolutely delicious. Although not terribly complex, the 2017 is a wine of immediate pleasure and a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Sweet red cherry, cinnamon, and dried flowers add intrigue.
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Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2017 – Wine & Spirits – 90 Points
This wine's intensity delivers volumes of tannins and sunny fruit. There's an exciting side to the brightness of the fruit. And there's a volatile side adding a spike of crushed pepper and cured pork, which, if you serve it now, might be the food of choice.
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Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2017 – Wine Enthusiast – 90 Points
This wine is a blend across the estate, producing rich tannins and juicy black fruits. Good acidity balances the structure of the wine, giving potential as well as present fruitiness. Drink ideally from 2021.
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Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2017 – Jancis Robinson – 16.5 Points
Lightish crimson with soft ruby rim. Even though the percentage of whole bunches is very small, there is an attractive stemmy/herbal freshness to this lifted and aromatic wine. The fruit is definitely in the red spectrum, but tangy and fresh like raspberry and cranberry not sweet like strawberry, or perhaps a hint of wild strawberry as it opens, and rock-dust quality that I associate with granite soils. This is delicate and precise, beautifully scented, suggesting a wine made with the fingertips, which was necessary in 2017...