Jean-Francois Delon
Chateau Moulin de la Rose, Saint Julien, Haut Medoc 2018
Red$45
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First Label of one of the smallest family-owned Saint Julien winery. The dark deep Bordeaux red color with light maroon reflections suggests an excellent Medoc wine. The bouquet is charismatic, elegant, serious, sophisticated with profound scents of fleshy and reduced dark berries and plums, complex mixed spices and wood aromatics, and lingering minerals/tannins. The palate is divine: a complex wine focusing on the perfect balance of flavors: integrated reduced and fleshy dark fruits, mineral and tannic, all in a perfect lingering harmony. HVE Certified, hand harvested, small yield: signature of one the smallest family estate in Saint Julien. Only Celerier's Cellar works directly with Chateau Moulin de la Rose in the US. A fantastic opportunity to have a First label on par with the famous Medoc estates for less than half their price.
14.00%
40 to 60 years old
Certified HVE. Certified HVE estate. With a density of 9,000 vines per hectare (the highest among the winery we work with), the vines compete highly for the natural resources which lead them to grow their roots deeper than average. In the Winter, the pruning Guyot double is done by hand. Sarment (twig) are chipped into organic nutriment for the soil. After the winter pruning, the grass grows naturally with an addition of clover, wild barley, and other plants to stimulate proper azote input for the soil. When Spring comes, the plowing is kept to a minimum, and only on a few parcelles. Otherwise, the grass is simply cut. Both operations are done by hand and mechanically. Then come all the traditional steps of the farming: epamprage, disbudding, leaf removal and trimming by hand, leveling, leaves monitoring to optimize natural air flow. All harvest are done by hand. No weedkiller. Sustainable agriculture.
After manual sorting, the clusters are fully destemmed. Grapes go into a pneumatic press for a gentle extraction of the juice. Each parcel is separated through the maceration and fermentation in their own individual stainless-steel vat. Jean-Francois applies 2 signature vinification techniques. The first one is called co-inoculation: small dosages of both alcoholic and Malo-lactic yeasts are inoculated to the juices to start both fermentation at the same time. This brings 2 benefits: lower the potential issues of off fermentation (the Malo-lactic yeast does not feed onto the sugar since the Alcoholic one is still present, which prevent volatile acidity), and all macerations and fermentations are fully completed after 2 weeks. The second step signature of the estate is related to the extracted juices (press juices). The musts are extracted from the different stainless-steel vats and go into vertical presses to obtain press-juices. Each parcel must is processed individually to extract all their unique qualities. These press juices are core to the blending and the flavors of both Chateau Moulin de la Rose and Segur de Cabanac. The wines are aged 20-month average in oak barrel, partially new (20 to 30%). Jean-Francois is one of the few vintners left still using the authentic filtering technique by candle, which does not require any addition or intrusion to the wine: the wine is filtered using a glass and a candle to see when it becomes cloudy and discard the deposits. Vegan wine, minimal dosage of sulfites.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 35%
2,500 cases
Burgundy
2018 was an ideal vintage for the Left bank. Winter was cool enough to let the plant rest. Even though 2018 spring was rainy prior to the budburst, this stage and following ones benefited a clean dry weather. The warm and dry summer optimized the maturity of fruits. Harvest started at peak maturity. After vinification, wines revealed to be lush, aromatic, and structured. An excellent vintage. It gave the opportunity to push fermentation even further than usual and bring a fantastic quality and aging potential to an already great estate.
Haut Medoc, Bordaux, France
5.15 hectares, divided with 2 to 3 major parcels and addition of multiple small ones, concentrated in the same area with similar terroirs (30 parcels total). Upper layer of gravels with poor nutrients (ideal to incentive the vines to grow their root deeper), onto a layer a clay and limestone. One of the smallest family-owned estates of Saint Julien.
2018