2016 La Craie

The gobsmacking 2016 La Craie could very well be the finest vintage of this wine, a co-fermentation of Malbec with some 25% Cabernet Franc first produced in 2012. 2016 was an incredibly wet and cool year, when they didn't need to irrigate many vineyards, and this wine has higher acidity and half a degree less alcohol than the previous vintage. It's a bit edgy, with an austere personality—mineral, serious and dry, with the chalky tannins and the dry mouthfeel that are characteristic of the limestone soils. This year Cabernet Franc represents around 30% of the blend, but the wine hardly reflects variety here. This has always shown more of the limestone and less of the variety. It's insinuating, delicate, fragile and exquisite. The palate is electric, long and refined, with graceful tannins and an almost eternal finish. Unfortunately, only 450 bottles were produced. It was bottled in October 2017.