Château La Clotte 2022
• Domaine: Château La Clotte
• Appellation: Saint-Emilion
• Classification: Grand Cru Classé 1955
• Origin: Right Bank, Bordeaux, France
Château La Clotte is a Saint-Émilion property that dates its history back to 1886, when the Marquis Gaston de Grailly created the estate from vines that his family has owned since 1747. The Grailly family is related to the Becot family, the owner of Château Beau-Séjour Bécot. In 1913, the property was sold to the Chailleau-Moulierac family. The estate was known as La Clotte de Grailly until 1949, when the name of the original owner was dropped. In mid-1960s, the Chailleau-Moulierac family granted exclusive distribution rights to Ets JP Moueix (the negociant behind famed Petrus), about the same time when Petrus saw its price skyrochet under a similar exclusivity arrangement. In 1989, unconvinced their wine was getting the best result, the Chailleau family decided to take matters into their own hands and ended the exclusivity contract. For many years, Nelly Moulierac led the improvement of quality and presence of La Clotte in fine wine market. In 2014, the Vauthier family (owner of Château Ausone) became the latest owner of this storied estate.
Château La Clotte is located on the prime land of Saint-Émilion - the limestone plateau. The word clotte means grotto in the Gascon language. It refers to the impressive underground limestone cellars located underneath the estate. This was an endowment to select chateaux that are situated on the previous limestone quarries Saint-Émilion was famous for. If one is impressed by the beautiful sight of chateau built out of the limstones extracted from underground, it would be an equally impressive sight if one is fortunate to step into the caves that are still underneath Satin-Emilion today. Located at the entrance to the town, with a historical watchtower in the middle of the vines. This is one of the most beautiful sites around Saint-Émilion.
Château La Clotte is a small property, with 3 heactares under vine out of 4 heactares of land. On average, it produces 1,500 cases each year. Today, La Clotte is run by Alain Vauthier and his daughter, Pauline. She is also the winemaker at Château Ausone. 2015 was the inaugural vintage under the Vauthier ownership.
Tasting Notes
"From a holding on the limestone plateau just outside the village, the 2022 La Clotte is one of the high points of the Vauthier portfolio this year, offering up attractive aromas of cherries, minty blackberries and raw cocoa, followed by a medium to full-bodied, supple and charming palate with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and refined tannins." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (4/28/2023), Ratings: (92-94)
"Coming from vines southwest of the village and 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Château La Clotte is one of my favorites in the lineup from the Vauthier family in 2022. Ripe black cherries, red plums, espresso, baking spices, and a beautiful sense of minerality all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with nicely integrated oak, ripe tannins, and a great finish." - Jeb Dunnuck (5/10/2023), Ratings: 94-97
"This is a wine that is worth watching every year right now, growing in confidence, precision, flesh, and terroir character. Brilliantly fleshy plum and raspberry fruits, chocolate, salinity, with a charred coffee bean edge. Harvest September 8 to 27. Conversion to organic farming began in 2020. 100% new oak, and new equipment in the winery, with smaller-sized vats. Great stuff from the Vauthier family." - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (4/24/2022) Rating 95, Drink: 2038-2044
Stock Status | Futures |
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Appellation | Saint-Emilion |
Vintage | 2022 |
Brand | Château La Clotte |
Shipping Weight | 3.000000 |