Château La Clotte

5/28/2018 Vinifera VINIFERA (JACQUES PERRIN) : 93 / 100 Nez raffiné, sur des notes florales et de coulis de fruits rouges. Entrée en bouche souple. Évolution sur un corps finement tramé, avec un beau volume. C’est un vin de caractère au tanin profond et racé 5/15/2018 Vinous VINOUS (ANTONIO GALLONI) : 90-93 / 100 The 2017 La Clotte bristles with energy. Under the direction of the Vauthier family, this small Saint-Émilion cru is starting to show the full breadth of its personality. Crushed rocks, lavender, spice and inky dark fruit are all finely knit in this super-expressive, gracious Saint-Émilion. All the elements simply fall into place effortlessly. The 2017 is fresh, vibrant and wonderfully nuanced from start to finish. 5/11/2018 The Wine Cellar Insider THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER (JEFF LEVE) : 91-93 / 100 Black raspberry, plum and vanilla scents open the perfume. Soft, silky and filled with juicy, ripe plums, licorice and dark cherries, there is freshness and flesh here. The wine was produced from 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. 5/1/2018 Vinous VINOUS (NEAL MARTIN) : 92-94 / 100 The 2017 La Clotte, which the Vauthiers acquired in 2014, was cropped at 32hl/ha between 28 September and 2 October. It is matured in 100% new oak. Pauline Vauthiers ventured that this was one of her favorite wines in this vintage and I am inclined to agree. This has a lifted, more perfumed bouquet than the Moulin Saint-Georges at this point, quite perfumed with crushed iris aromas infusing the black fruit. Returning after 20 minutes there is just a touch of orange blossom. The palate is sweet and opulent with caressing tannin, almost Burgundy-like in fruit purity with crushed strawberry, cassis and blueberry towards the silky smooth finish. What a delicious Saint-Émilion in the making. 4/27/2018 Wine Advocate WINE ADVOCATE (LISA PERROTTI-BROWN) : 89-91 / 100 Composed of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 La Clotte has quite an earthy nose with scents of black loam, truffles and mossy bark over a core of red and black plums with suggestions of tar and bay leaves. The palate is medium-bodied with bright fruit and a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins plus the freshness kicks-in on the long finish. A wonderfully energetic wine! 4/25/2018 Decanter.com DECANTER.COM (JANE ANSON) : 90 / 100 Now owned by the Vaultiers for four years, this estate continues to rise above its previous incarnation. It's very much a success in this vintage, with no frost affecting the 4ha of vines. They don't wait as long to harvest as the previous owners did. This wine has that wonderful curling in on itself that young limestone wines display, with an austerity but also an upward climb. It's lovely and ripe, but not overly so, with firm damson and black cherry flavours and great freshness, emphasised by some mint leaf notes. It's fairly austere, with good grip. 100% new oak. From vines with an average age of 54. In about six years time they will have more Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, but not yet. Drinking Window 2025 - 2038 4/17/2018 Quarin JEAN-MARC QUARIN (JEAN-MARC QUARIN) : 16,5 / 20 4/17/2018 Wine Enthusiast WINE ENTHUSIAST (ROGER VOSS) : 92-94 / 100 Dense and ripe, this wine has great acidity and bold red fruit, with a smoky backdrop. It comes from the same winemaking team as Château Ausone and shows great ripe fruit character. It has power and richness; drink from 2024. 4/6/2018 Jamessuckling.com JAMESSUCKLING.COM (JAMES SUCKLING) : 93-94 / 100 This is very pure and beautiful for the vintage with dark-berry and currant aromas. Violets, too. Medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins and a clean finish. From the owners of Ausone.