La Conseillante 2013

The grand vin, the 2013 La Conseillante, is a delicious, supple wine displaying notes of violets, incense, licorice, black cherries and raspberries. Well-made and medium-bodied, but neither as deep nor concentrated as the 2009 and 2010, its soft, seductive style argue well for drinking over the next decade.

The 2013 La Conseillante definitely has one of the better Pomerol aromatic profiles with light, clean and fresh black cherry and cranberry scents, a touch of potpourri developing behind. The palate is medium-bodied with bitter cherry and cranberry notes, the oak jutting out a little at present and drying the finish. Austere for the normally more succulent and fleshier La Conseillante, hopefully it will coalesce with 3 or 4 years in bottle.

Bright and vivid with green olive, berry and plum character. Hints of wet earth. Full body, yet tight and reserved. Ultra-fine tannins. Excellent wine for the vintage. Better in 2019.

The Conseillante is a blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc picked between 25 September and finishing with the latter on 7 October, cropped at 30hl/ha. The wine is being raised in 65% new barrels. There is something "tranquil" about the aromatics of the La Conseillante. Fresh strawberry and violet scents gently waft from the glass: nothing powerful but very pure, the oak seeming to be nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. This is quite a taut and linear La Conseillante with fresh acidity, more masculine than recent vintages and perhaps edging towards a more classic style. It gently builds in the mouth and leaves just a hint of iodine on the finish. This is a fine, precise La Conseillante for mid-term drinking