Chateau La Violette

Château La Violette is a highly regarded wine estate that produces a wine from two small vineyard sites spanning a total of 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) in the coveted Pomerol appellation. The vineyard is further divided into four plots of vines, some planted in the 1950s, and farmed by the same workers as Montviel and Le Gay. The estate makes a limited-production wine entirely from Merlot, although earlier vintages may contain a small portion of Cabernet Franc – long since replanted.

The original Cabernet Franc plantings were replaced entirely with Merlot, which suits the high clay content of the soil. Violette practices debudding, green harvesting, and makes two or three passes during harvest based on the vine age and individual plots. The grapes are harvested and destemmed by hand before fermenting and aging in entirely new French oak for 12 to 18 months. La Violette makes fewer than 400 cases a year of its single wine.

Flowers, black cherries, licorice, and espresso beans crowd into the perfume. Full-bodied, dense, concentrated, and lushly textured, the creamy finish is packed with layers of black, blue, and red fruits providing length and width.