Chateau Haut-Canteloup Medoc 2014  £17.62

CHATEAU HAUT-CANTELOUP MEDOC 

Château Haut Canteloup is one of the many vineyards that dot the almost 6,000 hectares of the Medoc. Classified as Cru Bourgeois and located on the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Christoly-en-Médoc, it is owned by Dominique Dutreix. If the estate covers more than 40 hectares in total, the vineyards represent about 35 hectares, for an annual production around 120,000 bottles.

Since the change of ownership, in 1987, a very important work of improvement has been undertaken, with ever more careful vinification, respect for tradition and the use of barrels for breeding.

These choices have allowed Château Haut-Canteloup, Cru Bourgeois du Médoc since 1932, to be appreciated both in France and abroad.

The vines that give birth to this Cru Bourgeois occupy a predominantly clay-limestone soil, with a small proportion of gravel, Médoc oblige. They are over 45 years old and are divided between two-thirds of Merlot, a small third of Cabernet Sauvignon and a few percents of Cabernet Franc.

After mechanical harvests, the vinification is traditional and takes place in stainless steel vats and thermoregulated concrete. This results in a 16-month double-maturation, 12 in new barrels between 12 and 25%, the remaining 4 months in vats.

You will find in this Cru Bourgeois body, finesse, the bouquet of Cabernet Sauvignon, the roundness of Merlot and guards ranging from 5 to 10 years depending on the vintage.