Château Laroque St-Emilion Grand Cru Merlot 2012 - Magnum

Chateau Laroque in St-Emilion is regarded by many as "Little Versailles." We feel this might be a slight disservice; sure, Versailles is magnificent; it accommodated a carousel of Louis (Louis'? Louises?) and Antoinette's infamous pastry chef. Yet, there was that whole business with the Weimar Republic and despite they're charming grounds, there isn't a grape vine in sight! Laroque, on the other hand is yet to impose any detrimental reparation demands upon a foreign nation and their wine is magnificent. With powerful aromas of dark plum, bramble, black cherry and spiced characters from the perfectly integrated oak, we may have to start calling Versailles "Little Laroque."

Located on the top of the hills, next to the village of Saint-Emilion, Château Laroque is an estate that looks like its wine: noble, elegant and charismatic. Inhabited by the lord of the manor in the Middle-Ages, it retains a 12th century tower but was otherwise rebuilt in the 17th century in the typical style of Louis XIV’s architecture displayed to its full effect here, hence the chateau’s nickname of “Little Versailles”. Its tall gates of finely designed wrought iron, long and bright alleyways, pale stonework and ivory-coloured statues outline the elegance of this authentic and prestigious estate. Nowadays, it is the largest estate in Saint Emilion with 61 hectares of undivided vineyard, from which 32 hectares of the best plots and oldest vines are used for production of Château Laroque Grand Cru Classé. Located on clay-and-limestone hillsides and benefiting from exceptional exposure, these vineyards offer a constant guarantee of harmonious, superior quality grapes. Everything is handpicked during the harvest with a strict parcel selection. Sorting table in the cellar. Traditional, in cement vats with temperature control for the alcoholic fermentation. Ageing during 12 months in barrels which 55% are new. Blend is made of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.