This Clos Cristal cuvée pays tribute to the epistolary relationship between Georges Clémenceau and Antoine Cristal, whose 100th birthday we celebrate in 2024.
Presentation
Presentation
On the outskirts of the Saumur-Champigny AOC, founded by Antoine Cristal in 1890, 10 hectares of vines are hidden behind the perimeter walls and gates, and over 3km of walls have been erected on the estate, through which the vines have grown and flourished for 130 years.
Location
This cuvée comes from vines carefully cultivated at the bottom of the slope. In this part of the estate, the vines grow on soil composed of clay and tufa rock, which is just above the surface. This terroir typicity offers a structured, gourmet wine with silky tannins.
Terroir
The Clos Cristal terroir is composed of tuffeau chalk bedrock dating back to the Cretaceous era. In terms of soils, we move progressively from one terroir to another, from sandy to clay-limestone soils, which allow for great complexity in the wine's structure, balance and aromatics. This complexity is reinforced by the vines that grow along and through the walls, producing grapes with very particular characteristics and a very high level of ripeness. Finally, all these terroirs are surrounded by walls and protected from northerly winds by a wood, providing us with a very specific microclimate found only at Clos Cristal.
Winemaking
Plot-by-plot selection of low-yield organic vines. Daily berry tasting to determine harvest date. The grapes are harvested by hand by teams of pickers who carry out an initial sorting in the vineyard. The grapes are picked as whole bunches and transported to the winery in crates to avoid compacting the bunches and preserve quality. At the winery, the grapes are carefully placed on a sorting table before being vatted by gravity. Vinification is carried out without the addition of sulfur, and a delicate extraction is carried out with a few pump-overs at the start of maceration, followed by infusion.
After alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, the grapes are devatted and pressed using a small vertical press. Some of the grapes are put into barrels, while others are matured in vats. Aging lasts a year, after which the wine is bottled without fining or filtering. The bottles are kept for 2 years in underground tufa galleries, protected from light and at 12°C all year round. The constant humidity in these galleries provides ideal conditions for maturing this wine.
After alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, the grapes are devatted and pressed using a small vertical press. Some of the grapes are put into barrels, while others are matured in vats. Aging lasts a year, after which the wine is bottled without fining or filtering. The bottles are kept for 2 years in underground tufa galleries, protected from light and at 12°C all year round. The constant humidity in these galleries provides ideal conditions for maturing this wine.
Varietal
Cabernet franc : 100%
Advice
Visual appearance
A lovely, deep garnet color with discreet copper highlights.
At nose
The first nose is intense, rich and generous. Raspberry and strawberry aromas blend with vanilla and pepper notes. The 2nd nose is more refined, presenting a lovely bouquet of freshly picked violets, accompanied by the spicy freshness of cloves.
On the palate
On the palate, the attack is round, the mouth is silky and the finish finely powdery with notes of cocoa. The wine's freshness is reminiscent of the garrigue, with notes of boxwood, thyme, rosemary and sage. The fruit is concentrated and intense, reminiscent of red fruit marmalade lightly spiced with the smoky paprika typical of Cabernet Franc. The finish is long, with a gourmand finish on berry aromas.
