"Coup de Coeur" (the highest award & meaning best wine of an appellation) - Guide HACHETTE des Vins 2009
This premium French red is a deep black cherry colour. 2006 is a vintage that emphasises the fruit. The nose is strong and rich, with black fruits and spices - an elegant touch of blackcurrant and violet with nuances of local bush-land aromas. On the palate the wine is robust, harmonious and long with nice touches of truffle and wood. The tannins are soft with a smoothness which is a characteristic of the local grape variety, the Negrette.
It is recommended to serve with red meats, game and hard cheese at a temperature of 17 to 19 °C. Exceptional flavours with NZ Tasty and mature cheddars. Enjoy now or cellar up to 2017.
Négrette 50 %, Cabernet Sauvignon 25 %, Syrah 25 % from vines 15 to 35 years old.
Healthy
heart rating ♥♥♥♥♥ - vintage 2004
Read about
Nicolas Gelis and Fronton
Nicolas Gelis of Chateau Montauriol is one of the new generation of dynamic and innovative winemakers of the Appellation Fronton. Nicolas makes some of the most respected AOC Fronton wines. Fronton is just north of Toulouse in the South-West of France.
Cultivation: 4,500 vine-plants per hectare. Vintage output average less than 40 hl / hectare. The cultivation of the soil is traditional and the improvements to the soil are purely organic and vegetal.
Vintage: 2006 is a vintage emphasizing the fruit. A classic year for the region with a mild winter and spring with little rain. The summer was hot and dry followed by a wet harvest, creating a balanced wine that preserves for this vintage all its fruit and structure.
Vinification: After total de-stalking vinification takes place in thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks. The fermentation temperatures range from 26 to 30 °C in order to obtain maximum fruit, suppleness and extraction from each of the grape varieties. After the malolactic fermentation, the wine spends 12 months in oak barrels. A racking is done every 3 months and at the end of the 12 months, the blending is done in big 50hl oak barrels and left for a further 12 months. Production -10 000 bottles
