Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2015
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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 five of the finest vineyards of the estate, 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) le Moulin-à-Vent: the most emblematic terroir located around the historical windmill; relatively flat with an eastern exposure
2) la Roche: eastern exposure, veins of red iron oxides coming through; old vines, 60+ years old
3) la Roche’: terroir rich of iron oxide
4) les Thorins: southern exposure
5) les Caves: shallow soils with an eastern exposure; very old vines
70+ years old - 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: 10,000 vines/hectare
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Vintage Report
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2015 is shaped for ‘grands vins.’ Berries were of perfect ripeness, from skin to seeds. The wines are concentrated, powerful and balanced. Capable of remarkable ageing.
- Harvest Date(s): Manual harvest from August 27 –September 2, in small 30-liter containers; one sorting table positioned before the destemmer
- Yields: 27 hectoliters per hectare (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: Aged 18 months with 40% in oak and 60% in stainless steel tanks; 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: 13.5%
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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 – 2015 – Vinous – 95 Points
The 2015 Moulin-à-Vent is a real showstopper. A burst of dark cherry, spice, leather, menthol, licorice and leather literally races out of the glass. The 2015 is an atypically rich Moulin-à-Vent, but all the elements are so well balanced. It has serious depth and the intensity to age for many years. I would not touch a bottle soon.
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Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2015 – Jancis Robinson – 17+ Points
A bigger and more powerful wine from a hotter vintage, which shows in the deeper colour. Much darker in colour than the 2016 and much much darker than the 2017. There’s also a sweetness of spicy black fruit, blackberry and damson, which points to a hotter year and perhaps also some new oak. As it opens up on the day after opening, the scent of the 2016 and 2017 starts to appear though without the floral notes. Also that stone-dust character. On the palate, this is firm, beautifully dry and it’s the tannins that, combined with remarkably good acidity, give the freshness on the long finish. Dry
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Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2015 – Wine Enthusiast – 92 Points
This wine is beautifully balanced, with rich tannins and great concentration. Ripe black fruits dominate the structure, giving it density that is enhanced by the wood aging. The aftertaste is balanced, juicy and ready to drink.
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Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – 2015 – Wine & Spirits – 93 Points
There’s black raspberry richness at the center of this wine, concentrated within tannins that draw their power from both grape skins and oak. Brice Laffond destems this fruit, then cold-soaks it with pumpovers before and after fermentation, so there’s no carbonic maceration of the berries. Then he ages it for a year and a half in oak barrels. The barrel spice comes across in notes of cumin and coriander, charred meat and clove, while the fruit is powerful enough to outlast it with generous umami grace. For the cellar.