Château Durfort-Vivens 2018 (Pre-Arrival)

• Soil: deep gravel from the Quaternary period (Günz and Mindel) with a sand/clay matrix
• Grape varietals: 70% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc , 24% Merlot
• Vinification: wooden and concrete vats with capacities that enable each parcel to be treated separately
• Maturing: an average of eighteen months in Bordeaux type barrels made from fine grain oak from the forests of central France. 35 to 45 % of the barrels are renewed every year

"Minuscule récolte en raison du mildiou, vinifiée exceptionnellement en amphores de terre cuite, et sublime texture. Un futur vin culte. (translation: Tiny harvest due to mildew, vinified exceptionally in terra cotta amphora, and sublime texture. A future cult wine.)" - BETTANE & DESSEAUVE (5/3/2019), Ratings: 97-98

"The 2018 Durfort-Vivens is off the charts. Rich, dense and exotically ripe, the 2018 is a full-throttle Margaux that stands out for its textural intensity, volume and concentration. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice, mint and sweet spice are all kicked up a few notches in this spectacularly rich, alluring wine from Gonzague Lurton. Yields were a punishing 10 hectoliters per hectare as opposed to 45 that is the norm. Lurton opted to vinify the little wine he had exclusively in amphora. The wine will age in 70% new oak and 30% terra cotta. Its hard to say exactly where the 2018 is going to go, but the en primeur sample is incredibly impressive. The blend is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc." - VINOUS (ANTONIO GALLONI) (5/1/2019), Ratings: 93-96

"This is a crazy wine. Everything was done by hand, without electricity, because it was made in seven-hectoliter amphora. The grapes were hand-sorted. It’s full-bodied with tannins that are integrated so well into the wine, which gives it tension and freshness. Blackberries. Lavender. 10 hectoliters. Best Dufort ever?" - JAMES SUCKLING (4/12/2019), Ratings: 96-97

"Another biodynamic estate that suffered low yields in 2018, clocking in at just 10hl/ha. But it has done a brilliant job with the remaining juice: all the winemaking was done in amphorae because the vats were too big for the small production, with 70% of the wine moved into new oak barrels after malolactic fermentation for ageing, the other 30% staying in the amphorae. It's hugely inky in colour, totally beautiful, with gourmet dark chocolate and damson notes that fill out the mid-palate. There's less Cabernet in the blend than usual but they have kept the elegance, with perhaps a touch more softness in overall texture than is usual in Durfort at this stage. The extremely fine tannins make this feel effortless and it doesn't suffer from the over-concentration that is always a risk at these yields." - Decanter (JANE ANSON), Ratings: 94, Drink: 2027 - 2042