CHÂTEAU LA CLOTTE

In my opinion, La Clotte is the most exciting wine in the range this year. In late 2014, the Vauthier family purchased La Clotte, a small property adjacent to Ausone. Pauline Vauthier told me extractions were dialed way back, although given the timing of the acquisition, just before harvest, the new team had less input than it will going forward. Still, La Clotte possesses marvelous density, volume and textural finesse. There is superb potential here. I fully expect to see significant strides in quality over the coming years. Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2015)

The Château la Clotte 2014 is the first vintage under the Vauthier family, although Pauline told me that they only purchased it on September 1, 2014, so they had no control in the vineyard. As a consequence, Pauline sees the 2015 as the first "official" vintage. The 2014 is a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc picked October 3-15 and aged in 85% new oak. It has quite a powerful bouquet with plush raspberry, blackberry and crushed rose petal scents. The palate is medium-bodied with plush ripe tannin, a light marine influence tincturing the red berry fruit with impressive structure on the finish. There is great potential here–one to clearly look out for once the Vauthier's start to "polish the stone." Drinking range: 2019 - 2032 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)

Rating: 16.5 La Revue du Vin de France (Apr 2015)