Tour de Capet
2016
Tour de Capet
2016
Climatic conditions
A relatively mild, and very rainy winter was followed in May and June by a damp spring, bringing significant disease risk in its wake: a week of flowering with breezes and bright sunshine, gave fine, homogeneous grapes.
A hot, dry summer, but with enough water reserves for the vines; marked vegetative growth arrest at the end of July was a first sign of quality.
The vintage experienced the coldest temperatures seen for the past 20 years.
With a 30-millimetre rainfall on September 15th, conditions were ideal, and volume too!
Marked contrasts between warm days and cool nights favoured the aromatic concentration of berries.
Vintage presentation
This was a very wearing vintage for the winegrower’s nerves, with spectacularly extreme climate conditions.
This was a year of high maturity, great freshness and precise extraction, with thick-skinned berries due to extreme local weather conditions; extensive cap punching was used in order to extract maximum potential from the grapes.
Fruity, spicy wine, revealing the fine freshness of the clay terroir, with supple, powerful structure and silky, tannic support. A complex, elegant wine with excellent cellar potential.
From the vine to the glass
Harvesting began on October 4th and lasted for 10 days, leaving plenty of leeway.
Maturing in new barrels and one-wine barrels, for a period of 12 to 16 months.
Tasting
“The 2016 Tour de Capet is just as gorgeous as it was from barrel. Readers will find an extremely aromatic, perfumed Saint-Emilion that offers both tremendous pleasure as well as immediacy. Grilled herbs, menthol, licorice, cedar and tobacco develop as this layered, exquisite Saint-Emilion develops in the glass, there is so much to like here.”
– Antonio Galloni, Vinous