Appellation | Saint Émilion Grand Cru

Grape | 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc

Ageing | 40% new barrels, old barrels 20%, vats 40%

Tasting notes | Airing reveals a greedy nose where red and black fruits are fully expressed, with spicy, cocoa and slightly resinous notes. The wine gives a velvety mid-palate where aromas of wild strawberry, cherry and raspberry explode, with notes of white flower, fresh tobacco, cloves, white pepper and cocoa bean. The finish is long, with racy and tasty tannins

Paring | Red meats and dishes in sauce, game meats. Notably pheasant

Drinking | 2019-2030

Critic notes/awards | 15/20 Vinum Wine Magazine, 86/100 Jean-Marc Quarin

Available in case of 6 or 12 (not available for individual sale).

The Château

This property of nine hectares, spread across the communes of Saint Christophe des Bardes and Saint Hippolyte in Saint-Emilion, is owned by Bernard Moueix and managed by his daughter Catherine. Catherine benefits from the advice of renowned professor of oenology, consultant and winemaker Denis Dubourdieu.

The vineyards are planted with merlot (85%) and cabernet franc (15%) on excellent clay-limestone soils and the vines average 30 years of age  .Cru de Tauzinat L’Hermitage is one of the most ancient crus of the region, inhabited since at least 1670. It is said that it was named so partly for the Tauzinat oaks that graced the property, while Hermitage presumably related to the remote, hillside position of the residence. Up to 1789 it was in the hands of the noble de Carles family, in particular one Comte Jacques-Amédée de Carles (1724 – 1803), who also pops up in the histories of both Château Figeac and Château Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarosse. He was also maréchal de camp and then lieutenant-général in the army of Louis XVI (1754 – 1793), the reigning king when revolution swept across the country. Subsequenty the estate seems to have come into the hands of the Cazebonne family, by which route I can not be sure. The vineyards were replanted during the 1860s by Monsieur J.-T. Cazebonne, the choice of varieties Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec. From this proprietor the estate then passed into the possesion of the Boisard family.

Current owner: Claire Moueix and Cyril Basteau
Soils: Limestone clay soils
Farming: Harvest by machine
Vines: On average 25 years of age