Wines

The fruit of a plot of vines planted with 100% Sémillon, Marie-Cécile is enviably endowed: a sparkling golden robe, a fruity nose with notes of pears and exotic flowers, and a full-bodied palate. The attack is supple, the structure precise and the finish long with a touch of minerality. Bottled with no added sulphur. Only 3,700 bottles made.

This 100% Merlot wine is obtained by running off juice from one of the vats during the fermentation process, a practice known as “la saignée”. The juice is then fermented in barrells for 6-10 months, with no added substances. The rosé is then bottled without filtering and without sulfites, leaving us with a perfectly natural wine. The nose is fresh and floral, with red fruit aromas alongside notes of peonies and white flowers. On the palate Rose-Marie is light and playful, with tannins so light they are barely detectable. only 200 cases produced.

A cuvée from a neighboring vineyard belonging to the Amoreau family, situated on the same astéries-limestone mother rock as those of the estate, but at a slightly lower altitude—80 meters above sea level compared to Le Puy’s 110 meters. The culture and the vinification are carried out by the Château le Puy team following the same approach: natural, organic and biodynamic. The wine is made up 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermentation occurs with indigenous yeast, maturing in small, cement vats, bottled without filtration after 12 months. The aromatic bouquet reveals black fruit, plum and cherry, well balanced between its freshness and velvety tannins.

Le Puy’s main-production wine “Emilien” is comprised of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Carmenère. After spontaneous fermentation in cement vats, it is transferred to 50-hectoliter foudres for one year, then to old 225-liter barriques for an additional year, before being bottled without fining or filtering. There is a harmony of elements in the wines of Le Puy—a weaving together of acid, fruit, tannin, mineral and earth—that is spellbinding. The “Emilien” offers a succulence of sappy red fruit as well as a driving, tunneling palate of remarkable energy. A subtle but irresistible umami pervades the palate and grounds some of the wine’s higher tones with its savory pull.

A wine of more limited production (approximately 15,000 bottles per annum), this cuvée, 85% Merlot plus 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, is sourced from a single vineyard site known as “Les Rocs” on a plateau with a deep limestone bedrock. The wine spends 24 months in 228L barrels (less than 10% new) with no addition of SO₂ at any stage of the élevage. A more dense and mysterious wine than its companion with a deeper robe and more firm structure, we see resemblance here to the finest old wines of its neighbors to the west in the best districts of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.

Every year, the estate selects a few barrels of the “Barthélemy” after one year in the cellar and takes them off on a tour of the Atlantic for 9-10 months on a non-powered sailboat, recreating the historic shipping route of the West Indies. The wine enjoys the benefits of the wind, the waves stirring the lees naturally, with the sea air imparting a fascinating salinity to the fruit. 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. No added sulphur, no filtration, no fining.

Produced from the fruit of Sémillon vines planted on a special hillside, where the November fog creeps up slowly in the early hours to enshroud the grapes and nurture the noble rot which transforms the grapes. The grapes of Sémillon which ultimately produce the Marie-Elisa are harvested in several stages to ensure optimal maturity. They are then pressed gently, with the juices left to ferment for 2 to 3 years in traditional barrels. The wine is bottled without filtering, and with no added sulphites. The robe is golden, while the nose exhales elegant aromas of quince jelly, thyme honey and wild flowers. The bouquet will grow in stature and complexity as the wine ages, leading the connoisseur on a journey of discovery through a rich forest of flavours. Marie-Elisa is remarkable above all else for its sumptuous aromatic intensity. The palate is equally delicate and refined, matching intensity of flavour with an elegance and aromatic complexity which reach their apogee in the crisp finish. Marie-Elisa is a little marvel, a truly exceptional wine which is guaranteed to provide a moment of intense gustatory pleasure.