| Margaux, Bordeaux Aromas of roasted fruits, herbs, toast, and blackberries jump from the glass of this sweet, soft, opulent Margaux. Disarming and sexy, this ripe, round, mouthfilling wine reveals no hard edges. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2016 Rated 88-90 Robert Parker Dynamite Dauzac. Earthy, ripe and decadent on the nose. Full-bodied, with loads of velvety tannins and a long, long, ripe fruit finish. Score range: 92-94 Wine Spectator The vineyard of Château Dauzac stretches over 40 hectares of deep gravel soil, overlooking the river, in the Margaux Appellation. The first appearance of vines at Dauzac apparently dates back to the XIIIth century, but it was not until the arrival of Thomas Michael Linch in 1740 that the estate assumed today's dimensions and that Dauzac appears in the 1855 "Classement officiel". Ernest David, then Régisseur of Dauzac and Ducru Beaucaillou, has gone down in history, along with the celebrated scientist Alexis Millardet, for having perfected a prophylactic mixture of quicklime and copper sulfate against mildew. Dauzac was the veritable birthplace, in 1885, of the "Bouillie bordelaise". The M.A.I.F. (Mutuelles d'Assurances des Instituteurs de France) acquired the Château in 1988 and in 1992 handed over the running of the estate to André Lurton. As in most Médoc vineyards, the two main varietals are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. At harvest-time, the grapes are destemmed and crushed before fermentation in stainless steel vats, fitted with a patented system for breacking up the cap-head to obtain optimum tannic extraction, as well as with a precise temperature-control mechanism. Grapes are vinified separately according to varietal and provenance within the vineyard. The facilitates selection of the best vats, exclusively reserved for the Château Dauzac label when blending is carried out. The second wine, la Bastide Dauzac, comes from younger vines, or less well-exposed areas of the vineyard, but is vinified with the same care and skill at the first. A third label, Château Labarde, comes from a 5 hectares vineyard bearing the Appellation Haut-Médoc and vinified in the cellars at Dauzac. All the wines are aged in oak, the percentage of new barrels varying according to the characteristics of the vintage. More information at www.andrelurton.com/anglais/sommaire.html |
