CHÂTEAU DURFORT VIVENS

2017 2ème Cru Classé Margaux

EN PRIMEUR

Deep greyish crimson. Fragrant and leafy. Cassis leaf and graphite, cigar box. Light-bodied but succulent and harmonious. Elegant and persistent, with fine-grained tannins. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

There's impressive depth to the cassis fruits here, with the same amount of Cabernet as in 2015 (although 2016 was even higher, at 94%). The vines are up to 60 years old and are planted on clay-sand-gravels along with some deeper gravel soils. There is a beautiful balance in this wine, showing great persistency but not shouting, and the fruit has a clear line of sight. Very low sulphur, expected to be 55ppm. 60% new oak. Biodynamic. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)

Very long and driven on the palate with asphalt, blackcurrants and violets. Full body, tight and intense. Hints of hazelnut at the end. Demeter certified biodynamic. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Charming and stylish, showing bright floral lift throughout while red currant and raspberry fruit, along with mineral and rooibos tea notes, glide through the silky finish. Rating: 89-92 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

This is one of several 100% biodynamic vineyards in Bordeaux these days. In this rather challenging frosted vintage it presents a rather leafy and herbaceous aromatic profile, with barely a touch of matchstick-framed berry fruit hidden beneath. The palate is lightly composed, with a rather loose composition, open and relaxed, with bitter raspberry and dry cherry fruits. It comes across here as rather less herbaceous than the nose suggested, with a very light tannic backbone suggesting a rather restrained extraction, although it does show a little more bitter tannin in the finish. Rating: 86-88 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)

The Durfort de Duras family came to Bordeaux in the 14th Century and laid the foundations of today's estate. They also, for a while, owned the near-by Château Lamothe (which went on to become Château Margaux). In 1824 the family sold to a Monsieur de Vivens who added his name to his new property. Under his ownership, Durfort-Vivens was awarded Second Growth status in 1855, a status it has often struggled to live up to. In 1937 the company that owned Château Margaux bought Durfort-Vivens and it was, once again, in common ownership with the villages grandest estate. Indeed, until 1961 when Durfort-Vivens was sold to Lucien Lurton, the wine from Château Durfort Vivens was made at Château Margaux.

The period of Lurton ownership has seen slow steady progress for Durfort-Vivens particularly since Lucien's son Gonzague took over and had a new chai built in the 1990s.

Gonzague decided to take the whole property into organic farming in 2012, and achieved certification in 2016. Following a biodynamic regime, the estate is also certified by Demeter.

AOC appellation : Margaux
Ranking : 2nd Classified Growth in 1855
Surface of the vineyard : 65 hectares of which 55 are vines
Soil : deep gravel from the Quaternary
period (Günz and Mindel) with a sand/clay matrix
Density : 6600 to 8300 vines/hectare
Vats : wooden, concrete vats and terracotta jars with capacities that enable each parcel to be treated separately.
Barrels : Bordeaux type barrels made of French oak from the centre of France. 60 % of new oak
Owner : Gonzague Lurton
Production Manager : Léopold Valentin