Gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, mulled black cherries, graphite, cedar pencil, leafy herbs, and hints of truffle give way to a medium to full-bodied Pomerol that has silky tannins, a multi-dimensional, layered mouthfeel, and a great, great finish.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 La Violette reveals delicate notes of rose hip tea, underbrush and wild sage to begin, opening out to Black Forest cake, plum preserves and blackberry pie scents plus wafts of cedar and cinnamon toast. Big, full and voluptuously fruited, it has a firm structure of plush tannins and background freshness, finishing opulent.
- James Suckling: The nose is floral at first, showing violets and notes of graphite, spice and smoke. Complex and deep. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a gorgeous, velvety texture, elegant tannins and a clean, savory and very long finish. Needs at least three or four years to come around.
Producer Information
Château La Violette is a highly regarded wine produced from two small vineyard sites in the coveted Pomerol appellation in northeast Bordeaux, on the so-called Right Bank of the Dordogne river, just north of Liborne. The estate makes a limited-production wine entirely from Merlot, although earlier vintages may contain a small portion of Cabernet Franc – long since replanted. La Violette is one of several estates owned by Vignobles Péré-Vergé, a wine portfolio formerly overseen by high-profile Bordeaux doyenne, the late Catherine Péré-Vergé. The Péré-Vergé portfolio includes the other Pomerol sites Château le Gay and Château Montviel. These are now run by Péré-Vergé’s son, Henri Parent Château La Violette’s wine is made from two vineyard sites spanning a total of 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres), bought by Péré-Vergé in 2006. The vineyard is further divided into four plots of vines, some planted in the 1950s, and farmed by the same workers as Montviel and Le Gay. The original Cabernet Franc plantings were replaced entirely with Merlot, which suits the high clay content of the soil. Violette practices debudding, green harvesting, and makes two or three passes during harvest based on the vine age and individual plots. The grapes are harvested and destemmed by hand before fermenting and aging in entirely new French oak for 12 to 18 months. La Violette makes fewer than 400 cases a year of its single wine.
