Château LA CLOTTE
Non-classified wine

The 2020 vintage in the press:

Hachette (Guide 2024) “With 40% Cabernet Franc, this vintage stands out eloquently. The well-matched woody and vanilla notes, with their addition of fresh cherry and blackberry, and the round, velvety character of the palate make for a convincing whole, sustained by a beautiful freshness. An elegant wine with great potential”.

J-M Quarin (March 2023): 92/100 “Meticulous on entry, juicy in the middle, with brightness of flavor and body, the wine flows straight through to a meticulously woven finish. Fine grain. Incurable."

Vinous (A. Galloni - December 2022): 93/100 "The 2020 Haut-Simard is unusual in this year in that it includes 40% Cabernet Franc. That comes through in the wine's aromatic profile and overall energy. Bright red berry fruit, dried herbs, mint, sage and tobacco open first. The 2020 is a bit reticent, but it offers terrific energy and tons of nuance."

The 2018 vintage in the press:

J-M Quarin (January 2022): 92/100 “Delicious wine, with a silky mouthfeel, developing fragrantly and without tannic angles. Delicious length. Here again, the Cabernet Franc plays a major role”.

Vinous (A. Galloni - March 2021): 91/100 “The 2018 Haut-Simard is lively and expressive aromatically, with medium-weight structure and tons of verve. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint, sage, lavender and rose petals grace this vibrant, beautifully nuanced Saint-Emilion.”

The 2016 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N. Martin - December 2019): 93/100 “The 2016 Haut-Simard has a top-notch bouquet of gorgeous, well*defined blackberry, briar and raspberry aromas that burst from the glass.[...] The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine density and concentration and a very fine line of acidity. The oak (30% new) is seamlessly integrated, with a long tail on the finish. This is the finest Haut-Simard I have tasted. Excellent.”

J-M Quarin (April 2017): 91/100 “Meticulous on the attack, developing refined to the touch and melting. The wine evolves juicy and noble with lots of flavor and a long, seductive finish. A delight!”

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The 2020 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2024): 92/100 “A well-made classic evoking beautiful spicy tones. It will develop elegance with time”.

Vinous (N.Martin - November 2024): 93/100 “The 2020 Moulin Saint Georges has a more austere, introspective bouquet compared to its peers. Despite its tertiary style, there is fruit here ; it just needs time to unlock it. The palate is medium-bodied, delineated and refreshingly saline, with fine-grained tannins and a dash of white pepper toward the finish. This is yet another classy Saint-Emilion to add to the roaster.”

The 2019 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2023): 90/100 “The 2019 Moulin Saint-Georges has a focused, liquorice-tinged bouquet, cedar and tobacco, touches of mint emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, a little dry, feeling quite linear and strict towards the finish"

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The 2017 vintage in the press:

J-M Quarin (October 2020): 92/100 “Juicy on the attack, very tasty, fat and even powerful for the vintage, the wine finishes long while retaining meticulousness in the touch. This vintage brings an extra sweetness that suits its type well. It's very good."

Bettane et Dessauve (December 2020): 15/20 “30% of the vineyard froze. The remaining 70% gives a slender tannin with a tonic and elegant finish.”

The 2019 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (September 2022): 94/100 “Powerful, spherical, this 2019 palpitates in radiant black fruit matched by scents of spring flowers. The whole retranscribes the elegant signature of the soils. The palate marries fruit and flowers in a sober manner, and the finish is dynamic and full-bodied.”

Vinous (N. Martin - December 2021): 95/100 "The 2019 La Clotte has a complex bouquet of detailed red berry fruit, wild hedgerow, crushed stone and wilted rose petal aromas, engaging and (for the vintage) understated. The palate is medium-bodied, ripe and beautifully poised, with pliant tannins and judicisous touch of spice. This builds wonderfully in the mouth and feels elegant and refined, almost Burgundian on the finish. Wonderful."

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The 2018 vintage in the press:

Vinous (A. Galloni - March 2021): 95/100 "The 2018 La Clotte represents another under the Vauthier family. Bright, focused and tightly wound, the 2018 is going to need at least a few years to soften, but its pedigree is evident, even in the early going. Sage, mint, lavender, rose petal and blood orange meld into the vibrant, polished finish."

The 2016 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N. Martin - December 2018): 96/100 "The 2016 La Clotte, part of the Vauthier family's portofolio, was outstanding out of barrel, and now that it is in bottle, I have no reason to alter my view. The sophisticated, beautifully defined bouquet features mineral-rich black cherry and raspberry fruit; hints of violet and bay leaf emerge with time. The sublimely balanced palate is sensual and refined, offering a fine bead of acidity and a silky-smooth texture. The very persistent, refined finish is exceptional. This must surely be the hidden gem of Saint-Émilion in 2016. It's just a shame that only 10,000 bottles were produced."

The 2020 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2024): 96/100 “La Chapelle d'Ausone 2020 develops a magnificent palette of spicy notes, a ripe, sunny fruitiness emerges. A wine with a formidable concentration of dry extracts, underlined by the still-present ageing. The tannic mass will melt quietly into a very dense matter, so dense that it will carry this wine serenely into the coming decades.”

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2024) : 93/100 "The 2020 Chapelle d'Ausone has ample toasty oak on the nose, which continues to shade the black fruit underneath. Yet it coheres in the glass, finally allowing the terroir to shine through. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and a fine bead of acidity. It's very harmonious, with a precise and persistent finish. There's wonderful mineralité and tension here—superb."

The 2020 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N. Martin - November 2024) : 98/100 “Ausone 2020 has a very lively, precise bouquet, with a blend of red and black fruits, crushed stone, black truffle and cedar that gains intensity in the glass. Medium-bodied, the palate is composed and refined with fine tannins. The pixilated finish, taut but brilliantly defined, goes on and on. This is one of the best Vauthier wines of recent years.”

J-M Quarin (March 2023): 99/100 “Dark purple color, bright and lively. Intense, fine, ripe-fruited nose. Hints of caramel and truffle. Noble, complex and vanilla-flavored in the glass. Extremely meticulous on entry, with lots of flavor right from the start, the wine develops on a melting, meticulously textured body. It evolves at once caressing and delicately firm, towards a very long finish. Noble tannicity. Complex unfolding and expression. Superb!"

The 2012 vintage in the press:

J-M Quarin (March 2023): 99/100 “Dark, crimson color, bright and lively. Intense, fine, ripe fruity nose. Hints of caramel and truffle. Evolves noble, complex and vanilla-flavored in the glass. Extremely meticulous on entry, with lots of flavor right from the start, the wine develops on a melting, meticulously textured body. It evolves at once caressing and delicately firm, towards a very long finish. Noble tannicity. Complex unfolding and expression. Superb!"

Vinous (A. Galloni - January 2016): 95+/100 “One of the wines of the vintage, the 2012 Ausone boasts gorgeous depth, aromatic intensity and overall balance. Dark red stone fruits, menthol, licorice, smoke and savory herbs flesh out as this layered, seductive Saint-Émilion shows off its pure pedigree and class. Futher time in bottle should allow the 2012 to flesh out even more, but it is pretty special today. I remember tasting the 2012 straight from barrel with Alain Vauthier in the spring of 2013. The bottled, finished wine is every bit as special.”