les charmes
de liversan
2018
les charmes
de liversan
2018
Climatic conditions
So much water! This was the year when everything changed: in a flash, we went from London spring to Sevillian summer! Winter was cold with intense frosts and well-provisioned water reserves. From December to March, around 500 millimetres of rain fell when on average, the Médoc receives 800 millimetres in a whole year. Soils warmed slowly, as did budburst. May and June: hellish conditions with rain and mildew. Part of the harvest was destroyed before flowering, and it was only thanks to flawless protection, a hint of intuition and a pinch of luck, that we reached July with a healthy vineyard! It was worth it, because the coin flipped at this point: sunshine and heat, until the end of October. A miracle took place… what a vintage!
For more to be less, we had to learn how not to wait… The vineyard was ready on September 27th. The hot soils delivered a perfect harvest. Freshness and typicity were our guiding lights for vatting. Without going overboard for opulent, heavy wine, we read the tone and depth of the plant matter.
Vintage presentation
The terroir is very homogeneous and our second wine is truly second to none in the great years! Les Charmes de Liversan 2018 will be a rare wine. Less powerful than its older brother, the colour is beautiful garnet, almost purple. The nose is floral with rose petals. The palate is full, round and the finish, refined during maturing, offers generous length.
From the vine to the glass
Fermentation was smooth, at lower temperature than normal, and pumping over was measured: constraint-free, the skins released anthocyanins and tannins. Maceration lasted for around 15 days, with everything well and truly there.
Alcohol and acidity balance were perfect… a star (vintage) was born. At Liversan, maturing perfects the natural palatability of wines. Gently toasted barrels were chosen to bring a touch of refining sweetness to the youthful titan. So, back to work now, before the next appointment for final blending in December or January.
Tasting
2018 was a relatively extreme vintage at Château Liversan with a very rainy spring and a very dry summer. Very qualitative, the wine which results from it is him, rather, all in sharpness and in subtle balance. Clear garnet color with purple reflections. Nose of candied black fruits and a hint of spice. An elegant wine, with silky tannins, already well polished despite its youth. A wood perfectly melted and used to support the natural tannic structure. Beautiful delicate aromatic persistence.
Goes very well with a capon stuffed with chestnuts, an autumn butternut velouté or a leg of lamb with mushrooms.
Consume between 14°C and 18°C.
Will be on its aging peak between 2023 and 2025.