Updated: Apr 27, 2023
Tasted Blind by Andreas Larsson, 2013 La Tour Carnet is 'Quite a ripe nose of roasted oak, dark berries, cassis, plum, smoke and delicate spices. The palate has pure and vivid fruit, rather good weight, is rounded and supple with fresh dark fruit and a long finish.'. So yes, 2013 is also in the classical style of La Tour Carnet.
James Suckling talked about the fullness and fine tannins. Wine Enthusiast commended the ripeness and fruity, rich tannins with a soft texture; and tight acidity, followed by a smoky, toasty character. Falstaff praised the floral nose, structure, and excellent mid-palate to go with food.
Experienced with vintages such as 2001, 2004, 2015, 2009, 2011 and 2012, we think 2013 has the potential. The blend aims at complexity(mix of 4 royal grapes) and generosity(higher merlot content): 60% merlot, 34% Cabernet, a dash of Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
Deep garnet, tight rim, brick nuances. Clean and bright. Intense aroma, ripe black fruits(dry prunes and dates) and mineral, spicy and roasted notes, toasted-warm, balanced palate. Pleasant aftertaste. Monasterio, de las Viñas Gran Reserva, is a wine from the D.O. Carignan made by Bodega Monasterio de las Viñas. It's a blend of Grenache (60%), Tempranillo (30%) and Carignan (10%) from vineyards planted in a low vine plantation system. The vines are between 40 and 50 years old.
The harvest is carried out by hand in the morning to ensure the grape bunches stay fresh. They are subject to a cold maceration for 96 hours at a temperature of 6ºC—the wine ferments for eight days at a temperature controlled at 28ºC in stainless steel deposits. After the fermentation, the wine macerated for 15 to 20 days to extract its full potential. The varieties are aged separately. The Tempranillo and the Carignan age in French oak barrels and the Grenache in American oak barrels for 24 months. Using the best barrels the final blend is made, and the wine is bottled. The wine remains in the bottle for at least 36 months before entering the market.
Violets. Violets. Violets. Strawberries and raspberries.
There are always some pastille tones/shades to the red fruit on aeration. Almost all vintages then give a brighter and more intense ruby colour; they have lots of interesting dry extract (rose, violets, lavender, with quality freshness (strawberries fruit) and fruit precision(blackcurrant, pastilles). Well-structured and reasonably complex, all bottles start with smoky cassis and new oak (mocha coffee and vanilla), good purity of fruit (ripe red, dark to mix), a bright core and well-worked tannins. On the palate, the fruit profile turns complex- always fruity and round with strawberries, raspberry and blackcurrants. With suitable fruit lengths of quality Cru, all vintages are easy without losing the intensity; tense without losing the balance. And all bottles are excellent for all occasions. However, if you are looking for a super complex Margaux set, these Malescote St Exupery bottles may be for someone else.
The stylistics will say: a clean, balanced and fruity modern wine.
The Malescote St Exuprety style is reflected in the technicals summarised as follows. Vinification/ Maturation/Temperature controlled and matured in 100% new oak(sometimes less); hence the wine is bold and powerful. All vintages undergo malolactic in the barrel depending on the vintage, ageing on lees with stirring; hence, there are always adequate intensity, complexities and textural touch. Mostly 13-14 months of barrel ageing before being racked without fining or filtration; therefore, the creaminess. ABV is just right; almost all vintages are at 13.5%, so this wine is full-bodied. All vintages are 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot; the varied grapes mean creating better complexity over time. The mInerality finish is more from the soil gravel overlying chalk or marl slopes towards the Gironde. Fruit is picked into trays to prevent crushing; hence, the freshness.
2007 has lifted acidity on the palate, leading to an extended finish. It now has traits of clarets; some complexity, maturity and tertiary tones still fruit. 2011 has excellent structure-lean, slightly austere, with elegance. 2014 is floral, solid, seamless and long. Its fruit profile drumming on a different beat-blueberry and minerality. 2015 is easy to understand and is very lovely. Farr wrote aptly, 'inky colour with a dense black fruit nose. The palate is rich with mouth-filling tannins and a glycerol texture, which gives the blackcurrant and cherry fruit an oozing ripeness. The finish is pure cassis with a bit of creamy vanilla. Plush with no hard edges. Edited.' 2017 is tight with minerality- good fruit with a dry finish.
