2015 Domaine de l'Arjolle Côtes de Thongue Synthèse Merlot

full and creamy: convinces professional tasters

smells sophisticated to luxurious oak and ripe dark fruit

competes with much more expensive saint-émilion and pomerol

already ready to drink, but also ripens nicely

Tasting notes l'Arjolle Synthèse Merlot

French full-red wine with the smell of toast fruit and oak and a full, firm taste. Spicy wine: very tasty with grilled or spiced meat. After a few years of ripening also delicious with calf or lamb.

Description

It is remarkable that there are few wine producers who produce high quality merlot without 'blending' with other grape varieties - apart from the famous Pomerol in Bordeaux. Because a top wine of merlot grapes is usually an assembly with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. An exception is the 100% merlot of Domaine de l'Arjolle: the Synthèse. This beautiful red wine has been distinguishing itself for years as one of the most concentrated and pure mono-cépages or wine from a single grape variety.

The vines are 25 years old on average and only deliver 25 hectoliters per hectare (*). This is very little for an appellation control wine, but for a regional wine such as Côtes de Thongue it is only a quarter (!) Of what is allowed. The grapes are therefore ripe and concentrated and provide wine of excellent quality. Not in the least because working on the domain according to the guidelines of Terra Vitis (reasoned agriculture) and the winery relies heavily on a healthy sustainably maintained vineyard.

After harvesting and fermentation, the Synthèse ripens ten months in small barrels of French and American oak. They give a 'luxurious' subdued oak aroma and taste to match a high-quality red wine. The characteristic of ripe merlot round and velvety tannin is abundant. The winemakers of Arjolle know how to add a delicious drinkability. This makes this wine not only delicious as a companion of various game and meat dishes but also extremely suitable outside the meal.

Not only winner of the gold medal at the Concours Mondial du Merlot in Switzerland. Also awarded two stars in the recently published Guide Hachette 2015 the most important French wine guide.

(*) The Merlot vineyard of Arjolle is pruned in such a way that the yield is limited to 40 to 45 hectoliters. The special thing is that the grapes are made twice
harvested. During the first manual harvest, about half of the grapes are harvested per vine for the 'basic wine' l'Arjolle red. The remaining merlot grapes
ripen almost a month longer and get a fantastic quality. Only these grapes are used for the Synthèse.

Characteristics