Château Le Puy 's cuvée Emilien is named after Émilien Amoreau (1656-1732), one of the family's earliest known ancestors, to whom the wine estate pays tribute with this emblematic wine. Conceived as a reflection of all the estate's plots, this red wine comes from the clay-limestone and silico-limestone slopes of the Côtes de Francs, east of Bordeaux. The Merlot vines, complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Carménère, have always been cultivated biodynamically , without the use of synthetic products. Hand-harvesting precedes whole-bunch winemaking, with fermentation carried out exclusively by indigenous yeasts. Ageing in experienced barrels and foudres lasts 24 months. The wine is then bottled without filtering or fining, and above all without the addition of sulfur, in order to preserve the expression of the vintage and the precise reading of the terroir specific to Château Le Puy.
Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : Château Le Puy 's cuvée Emilien is the quintessential identity of this historic Bordeaux wine estate, whose 2003 vintage was voted " best wine in the world " in 2009 by the famous manga Les Gouttes de Dieu. Far from Bordeaux standards and media superlatives, this Côtes de Francs is first and foremost a terroir wine, as natural as it is haute couture. Complantation is central to this cuvée, bringing natural complexity and harmony between ripe fruit and the structure of the terroir, without ageing overpowering the substance. Drink it over the next 20 years to fully appreciate its elegance and refinement!
With its aromas of ripe red and black berries and toasty notes in the glass, the refined profile of this Emilien makes it accessible today. As it evolves in the glass, a framework of undergrowth emerges, the complexity of which will assert itself with delight after a few years' cellaring.
The palate is immediately seductive, with its juicy, fleshy body enveloping the palate in a caressing, airy texture. The wine's volume and velvety tannins let the black fruit aromas vibrate through to the long finish, which will gain in depth and relief with age. A great terroir whose purity is simply superb!