Vintage - 2015

Country - France

Region - Bordeaux

Grape Varieties - Merlot 88%, Cabernet Sauvignon 11%, Cabernet Franc 1%

Alcohol by volume - 14.5%

Bottle - 75cl

Purchased in 1996, Château Boutisse is owned by winemaker and oenologist Xavier Milhade, together with his daughter Elodie and son Marc. It is located in the commune of Saint Christophe des Bardes, one of the top communes in AC St- Emilion. It is a relatively large estate for St-Emilion with 25 hectares, mainly planted with Merlot. Huge investments have been poured into the vineyards since 1996 with several parcels of vines being completely replanted. Château Boutisse possesses excellent terroir; when the soil was ripped and prepared for planting, large chunks of the limestone were visible under the chalky clay topsoil. The majority of vines have wonderful southern exposure.

2015 was a fantastic vintage in Bordeaux. Generous flowering took place followed by a hot, dry early summer. Good weather in September enabled the grapes to reach full maturity and produced a wine of deep structure with full body and a long finish. 2015 has been cited as a great modern Bordeaux vintage of excellent quality.

Situated near the highest point of the appellation, the 25 hectares of vineyard extend over the limestone plateau and slopes, not far from the medieval city. The limestone plays a major role in regulating the vine's water supply, creating the moisture stress that is necessary to obtain high quality grapes. The vines are trained according to the Double Guyot method and were grafted onto American rootstocks. Bunch thinning takes place in order to retain only the best bunches of these high quality grapes.

Vinification takes place parcel by parcel in a new state-of-the-art winery. The concrete tanks are located underground, which facilitates running off the wine by gravity. The small, squat thermo-regulated tanks optimise the cap-juice ratio, thereby improving extraction. The grapes were cold soaked, followed by traditional vinification. A proportion of the fruit was fermented in 500 litre oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation took place in new oak barrels, followed by ageing on the fine lees in French oak barrels for 12 to 15 months.

An intense bouquet of ripe, deep red fruits is backed by a hint of sweet toasted spice. Smooth, velvety and elegant on the palate, attractive mocha, caramel and toasted notes envelop well integrated tannins through to a fine finish.