2015 La Craie

The somewhat mysterious and austere 2015 La Craie was produced from Malbec and Cabernet Franc vines from an 11-year-old vineyard on extremely stony and limestone-rich soils in Gualtallary at 1,300 meters in altitude. A blend of 75% Malbec and the rest Cabernet Franc, the grapes were picked in late March and fermented together in used open-top French oak barrels with a daily punch-down of the cap for a total of 35 days. It matured in used barriques for 16 months. The quality, elegance and finesse of this wine is just amazing, within the more powerful style of the year. It's detailed, textured and filigreed. Only 550 bottles were filled in September 2016.