2025 La Clotte
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Tasting notes
The 2025 La Clotte comes from four hectares of 40-year-old vines on clay-limestone soils and is aged for 18 months entirely in new oak. This is quite subtle on the nose, demanding a little more coaxing than usual, delivering lovely violet scents that merge with the black cherry and blueberry fruit. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins. Perhaps on the mid-palate there is a veneer of new oak that will be subsumed during the élevage and barrel maturation. Moderate length, this is a fine Saint-Émilion from the Vauthier family (again).
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the 2025 Château La Clotte comes from vines just outside the village, not far from Pavie Macquin, and is resting all in new barrels. Cassis, juicy black cherries, liquid violets, and chalky minerality all define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied on the palate, with a focused, mineral-laced mouthfeel, solid tannins, and a lengthy, nicely structured finish that's very much in the vintage profile. It should need short-term cellaring.
The 2025 La Clotte is a powerful, layered wine that needs a few minutes in the glass to open. Lifted floral and savory overtones meld into a core of dark red cherry fruit, mocha, new leather, menthol, licorice and dried herbs. Bright saline notes follow, shaping the mid-palate and finish nicely. This needs time to unwind, but there's a lot of wine here. Gorgeous.
The 2025 La Clotte reveals aromas of sweet dark berries, spices and creamy new oak, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, fleshy but structured palate. If this can attain better integration during élevage, it will merit a higher score.
About the producer
Ch. la Clotte is one of the Vauthier estates – along with Ch. Ausone. Classified as a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, the estate comprises four hectares of 50-year-old vines on terraced vineyards on the famous limestone plateau.