Maison Tardieu Laurent - Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes

Téléchargements

Drastic selection resulting in the production of a much lesser volume… Our intention was to highlight this Cuvée, specifically.
The vintage

Understanding and succeeding this vintage required, indeed, presence in the Vineyard, careful work, experience, and even, clearly, a genuine expertise...
Winter temperatures amongst the mildest in the decade, rainfall amounts amongst the highest ever in winter, among the lowest ever in spring, and a nice output of grapes throughout the Rhone cépages : everything would raise hope of an early vintage, the ever expected Vintage, satisfactory both in terms of quantity and of quality ! But it was not counting on an unusually cool and rainy summer... Vignerons are soon confronted with quite a few difficulties, the trickiest one being the management of diseases…
The first three weeks of September revive the vintage... September, the month of wine !
2014 demanded, especially during the final weeks, hard, incessant work. The vines were in demand. It was crucial to understand, to be able to anticipate...This required a bit of wisdom, reason, intuition...
A vintage for Vignerons, indeed. And the best ones did perform with talent. They are now rewarded. As for the others, alas... There, is the whole difference

Terroir

Les Grès, les Pendants, la Longe, la Ponche.

Type of soil

Round pebbles and sand.

Ageing

12 months in one vintage barrels. Allier et Tronçais. Then 12 months in foudre.

Winemaking

2/3 non destemmed.
Organic Farming.

Serving

14°C
Decant 2 hours before service.

Tasting

A Great Wine, hedonistic, greedy ! Enjoy it over the next 10 years…

Alcohol content

14,5%

Bottling

Without fining and filtration.

Cépages

Grenache : 70 %
Syrah : 25 %
Mourvèdre : 5 %

I loved the sexy, charming, incredibly polished 2015 Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes, and this mix of 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah offers layers of fresh plum and jammy blackberry fruit to go with notes of lavender and garrigue, medium to full-bodied richness, gorgeous purity of fruit and fine tannin. Like most Vacqueyras, it will drink nicely right out of the gate, and hold for a decade.

Jeb Dennuck
Wine Advocate , 91-93/100 , 2016-11-01

Blackish ruby. Sweet and silky on the nose – most alluring already. Heady. Round with very gentle tannins that make their presence felt only on the very end, along with a hint of alcoholic warmth. This really does taste of Provençal sunshine; there could even be a hint of lavender along with the sautéed plums.

Jancis Robinson , 17/20 , 2016-10-14

.

Guide Bettane et Desseauve des vins de France , 16,5/20 , 2017-08-31

Solid, with enmeshed notes of black licorice, fig paste and boysenberry preserves, lined with brambly grip and backed by a roasted apple wood accent on the finish.

Wine Spectator , 92/100 , 2018-02-01

Opaque ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of ripe blue fruits, Asian spices and incense pick up a vibrant mineral flourish with air. Palate-staining, appealingly sweet boysenberry, cherry and spicecake flavors are complemented by an exotic floral pastille quality and a touch of spiciness. Rich but energetic as well, showing impressive finishing clarity and smooth, even tannins that sneak in slowly.

Vinous , 93/100 , 2018-11-01

Un élevage signe Tardieu qui s'intègre à une matière dense et charnelle. Ce vin a beaucoup de poids en bouche. Les tanins sont riches et mûrs et la présence de l'élevage refait surface en fin de bouche. II faut donc attendre que le temps fasse son œuvre, car cette matière solaire et profonde devrait l'absorber d'ici quatre à cinq ans. Belle texture onctueuse et veloutée.

La Revue du Vin de France , 14-14,5/20