CLOS PUY ARNAUD

2005 Côtes de Castillon

Grapes Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Saint Emilion & Satellites
Village Côtes de Castillon
ABV 12.5%

Made by Thierry Valette, a member of the family that sold Pavie to M. Perse. This wine has been around since 2000, and every year has not failed to impress for its 'race' and minerality, a wine that really breathes its great 'terroir', which is superior to an awful lot of Saint Emilion Grands Crus. Immense care is taken in the vineyard and winery, with fermentation in open-top wooden vats and 'pigeage' in the Burgundian manner. The result is a many-layered wine of great elegance. Rating: 91 L&S (May 2006)


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Good ruby-red. Ripe aromas of black cherry, raspberry and licorice, lifted by a note of violet. Juicy and bright, with lovely cut to the black fruit and violet flavors. Finishes with firm but fine tannins. Offers unusual purity and finesse for a Cotes de Castillon wine. Rating: 87-90 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (May 2006)

Strongly recommended. Real wine from an excellent terroir, made in a very unforced style.- post price-release comment (May 2006)

Clos Puy Arnaud is nearly always a seriously made as well as potentially long-lived offering, as evidenced by the 2005. This blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Carmenere boasts a saturated blue/purple color in addition to a sweet nose of black raspberries, cranberries, crushed rocks, and background wood. Displaying terrific old vine intensity, it hits the palate with a rush of fruit, glycerin, and tannin. With good structure, purity, and potential, it will require 2-3 years to settle down, and should last for 15 or more years. Rating: 90-92 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (May 2006)

Clos Puy Arnaud

Clos Puy Arnaud was purchased in the late 90s by Thierry Valette and Anne Caldéroni. The vineyard consists of two main plots totaling twelve hectares. The beautiful south-facing terroir has large flat pebbles, sandy-clay soil, and limestone outcrops. Biodynamic viticulture has been applied since 2005. This includes green cover between the vine rows in order to reduce yields, as well a regular disking. Little by little, the perfect match between grape varieties and soil types is being achieved. There is less Cabernet Franc now, and Carmenère vines were planted in 2005. The wooden vats are well-adapted to the separate fermentation of grapes from different plots. Once picked, the grapes are put whole (without being crushed) into cement or oak vats, depending on the plot. Extraction is gentle and enhanced by pigeage, or punching down the cap. Aging takes place in oak barrels, 50% of which are new every year. Clos Puy Arnaud is a wine that delights hedonists. Very expressive, with delicious fruit and an elegant spiciness, this wine is gaining depth and complexity as the vines get older

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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