1996 Château Marbuzet - Saint-Estèphe - 3 Bouteilles (0,75 L)

Château Haut Marbuzet 1996

Château Haut-Marbuzet is one of the oldest estates in Saint-Estèphe. The vineyard is perfectly located, on hillsides of gravel mixed with limestone clay. The high proportion of merlot present in the blend (40%) gives it an exceptional softness, at the origin of the flattering label of wine "the most sensual in Bordeaux" awarded by Robert Parker. The talent, the disarming kindness and the always warm welcome of the Duboscq family has long been able to federate and retain a clientele of amateurs who are now unconditional of these flexible, round wines, with melted tannins and intense aromas. You should also know that the domain leaves nothing to chance. The grapes are harvested at high maturity, by hand. This step precedes a precise winemaking where tradition occupies a place of choice. The wines are therefore vinified in thermoregulated concrete or wood tanks. They are then raised in new barrels for a year and a half. All this makes it possible to produce some 360,000 bottles per year.

About the vintage

Considered by some as the most Burgundian of Bordeaux wines, Château Haut Marbuzet was consecrated Cru Bourgeois Exceptional during the revision of the Crus Bourgeois classification, which took place in June 2003. Some amateurs also classify it in their heart as the elites of the region. It must be noted that professional critics are full of praise for this saint-estèphe composed of regional grape varieties such as cabernet-sauvignon, merlot, cabernet-franc and petit verdot, all from vines aged about thirty years, on average. These draw the nutrients necessary for their flourishing in a terroir that is defined by a croup of gunzian graves and by a clay and limestone subsoil. The property is attached to manual vinifications of slightly overmurified berries. In the cellar, these are completely degrated and macerate for a long time. In order to extract good material and beautiful aromas, this period is punctuated by daily rewinds. Finally, the wine is aged in new oak barrels.

Cut for a storage of about fifteen to twenty years, this wine seduces with the intensity of its fragrance marked by notes of red fruits and other delicately woody that recall a controlled aging. The wine is structured by fine tannins.