Producer Article
Clos La Coutale
Last edited on 7/23/2017 by srh
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Producer website
However, the U.S. Importer's pg, https://www.kermitlynch.com/our-wines/clos-la-coutale/ , may well contain more pertinent info -- including an update of the below.
Modern techniques but respecting traditional methods. All the grapes are destalked and pressed before fermentation in stainless steel vats, each grape variety from different parts of the vineyard being fermented separately. Maceration at 28º C. takes 15 days. The wines are fermented for three weeks on the skins, and the property has sufficient tank space to ferment 100% of their harvest at once. After racking from stainless steel, half of the wine goes into 60-gallon Seguin-Moreau barrels,while the balance is aged in 800-gallon foudre. The wine is blended and time spent (12 months) in oak vats gives it the special aromas of vanilla and silky tannins. The wine is bottled, unfiltered, after a year in wood. The blend is 70% Malbec (known locally as Cot), the traditional grape of the region, blended with 15% Merlot which gives finesse and bouquet, 15% Tannat which gives it its aging potential. Yields average 40-45 hl/ha (about 2.5 - tons/acre.)
Tasting notes
For decades Kermit Lynch has worked with Coutale, currently managed by a very cool Philippe Bernède, who don’t consider “prodigious concentration” and “sledgehammer on the palate” positive reviews. Philippe has reduced the proportion of Tannat in the blend over the years, preferring a wine with more balance and immediate pleasure, so the blend is now predominantly Malbec (with a touch of, gasp, Merlot - is that still a cuss word?). The 2006 is a particularly sexy vintage for Philippe, with very ripe, silky tannins and a perfumed finish. Don’t let the “feminine for Cahors” bit trip you, though. This is a deeply hued wine with a big, round palate and plenty of meaty tannin. It just happens to be even more versatile at table than usual.
However, the U.S. Importer's pg, https://www.kermitlynch.com/our-wines/clos-la-coutale/ , may well contain more pertinent info -- including an update of the below.
Modern techniques but respecting traditional methods. All the grapes are destalked and pressed before fermentation in stainless steel vats, each grape variety from different parts of the vineyard being fermented separately. Maceration at 28º C. takes 15 days. The wines are fermented for three weeks on the skins, and the property has sufficient tank space to ferment 100% of their harvest at once. After racking from stainless steel, half of the wine goes into 60-gallon Seguin-Moreau barrels,while the balance is aged in 800-gallon foudre. The wine is blended and time spent (12 months) in oak vats gives it the special aromas of vanilla and silky tannins. The wine is bottled, unfiltered, after a year in wood. The blend is 70% Malbec (known locally as Cot), the traditional grape of the region, blended with 15% Merlot which gives finesse and bouquet, 15% Tannat which gives it its aging potential. Yields average 40-45 hl/ha (about 2.5 - tons/acre.)
Tasting notes
For decades Kermit Lynch has worked with Coutale, currently managed by a very cool Philippe Bernède, who don’t consider “prodigious concentration” and “sledgehammer on the palate” positive reviews. Philippe has reduced the proportion of Tannat in the blend over the years, preferring a wine with more balance and immediate pleasure, so the blend is now predominantly Malbec (with a touch of, gasp, Merlot - is that still a cuss word?). The 2006 is a particularly sexy vintage for Philippe, with very ripe, silky tannins and a perfumed finish. Don’t let the “feminine for Cahors” bit trip you, though. This is a deeply hued wine with a big, round palate and plenty of meaty tannin. It just happens to be even more versatile at table than usual.