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2019 Moulin-à-Vent, La Rochelle, Olivier Merlin, Beaujolais
- Red
- Dry
- Medium Bodied
- Gamay
Ready - youthful
- James Lawther MW
- 16.5/20
- Jasper Morris MW
- 89-92/100
- Neal Martin
- 90/100
- Allen Meadows
- 93/100
Product: 20198000688
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Description
Olivier’s La Rochelle vineyard is a 0.95-hectare parcel high above the moulin at almost 300 metres’ altitude. These very old vines give plenty of concentrated, dark fruit and a persistent bead of acidity. The structure is much more marked than in the basic cuvée, but the tannins remain noble and will provide a solid foundation for ageing.
Drink 2023 - 2035
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2019
Alcohol % 13.5%
Maturity Ready - youthful
Grape List Gamay
Body Medium Bodied
Producer Olivier Merlin
Critics reviews
James Lawther MW 16.5/20
Full bottle 1,493 g. 75-year-old vines. From a single vineyard in the lieu-dit La Rochelle. Aged 18 months in barrel.
Pale garnet hue. Subdued red-fruit aroma with a minerally top note. The palate is sweet and intense with firm but fine tannins, freshness and good length. Clearly, it has the ingredients for ageing and exudes quite a serious aura.
Drink 2023 - 2030
Jasper Morris MW 89-92/100
Medium crimson red, some fruit weight, darker fruit, some fresh chocolate, deep raspberry, good acidity. Balanced, stylish and long, with grenadine and hibiscus notes. The La Rochelle cuvée has a drier, more structured style than the regular Moulin-à-Vent and is very persistent.
Neal Martin 90/100
The 2019 Moulin-à-Vent La Rochelle comes from horse-ploughed vines planted in 1933 on a windswept site. Aged in barrels, it offers blackberry, raspberry and violet scents on the nose, whilst the palate is medium-bodied with good grip. Austere and aloof at the moment, the 2019 is a wine that needs four or five years in the bottle. It is curiously Syrah-like on the finish.
Drink 2025 - 2035
Allen Meadows 93/100
100% whole clusters
This is aromatically similar to the regular cuvée but even more floral and a bit spicier as well. There is better volume and density to the slightly more refined medium-weight plus flavours that coat the palate on the superbly long and notably more structured finale. This will need to develop more deeply, but that is almost a certainty, particularly given the excellent track record. One to consider.
Drink from 2029 onward