Château de la Grave 2006 Tasting Notes

Côtes de Bourg Dédicace 2003 

Our Option wine this year comes from the heatwave vintage of 2003.  Searing heat and near drought conditions made life difficult for many winemakers throughout France, but Philippe Bassereau harvested his grapes much earlier than normal - resulting in a truly superb wine which is quite unlike any other vintage produced in the region within living memory.

Our 2003 Dédicace is made from the classic Bordeaux grape varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) and Merlot (40%), and has been aged in oak barrels - half of which are new and half of which have been used once for the production of Philippe’s delicious white wine.  This vintage is immensely powerful and packed with ripe, plummy fruit.  On the nose it shows rich blackberry fruit with a hint of toasty oak, and the palate is bursting with juicy dark-fruit flavours, balanced by wonderful velvety-smooth tannins.  Because of the ripeness of the fruit, this wine is very attractive now - especially with barbecues, pasta, casseroles or hard cheeses - but it will also mature well over the medium term.