Wine Advisor
La Violette 2015
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Description
Violette, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, Still, Red, 2013
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2015 La Violette is medium to deep garnet-purple with fragrant scents of potpourri, dried lavender, bouquet garni and cigar boxes over a core of warm plums, blueberry compote and cassis plus a waft of underbrush. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth and packed with black fruit and spice layers, it's framed with a firm yet velvety structure and oodles of freshness, finishing long.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 La Violette is the late Catherine Père-Vergé's haut couture Pomerol: pure Merlot destemmed by hand and micro-vinified, then matured in 100% new Saury barrels. Delivering an alcohol at a modest 14.5%, it has a red cherry, kirsch, bergamot and dried orange peel scented bouquet that is defined with a touch of puppy fat; it handles the new oak in stride. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, well-judged acidity, silky smooth in texture, but perhaps not quite delivering that killer blow on the finish. Nevertheless, it is utterly seductive and very well crafted, one to watch when it is bottled. If you want a polished Pomerol, this is probably the place to come, for character and Pomerol typicité, turn to Le Gay.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 La Violette has a perfumed bouquet with dark cherries, raspberry coulis and cassis scents, stylish and elegant, perhaps one of the classically styled wines from this estate. The palate is medium-bodied with candied orange peel and sage on the entry. There is commendable fruit concentration here and although the finish is currently dominated by the 100% new oak, that should easily be assimilated with time in bottle. Excellent.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2015 La Violette is medium to deep garnet-purple with fragrant scents of potpourri, dried lavender, bouquet garni and cigar boxes over a core of warm plums, blueberry compote and cassis plus a waft of underbrush. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth and packed with black fruit and spice layers, it's framed with a firm yet velvety structure and oodles of freshness, finishing long.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 La Violette is superb. Silky and expressive, with fabulous aromatic presence, La Violette is all finesse. Inky blue/purplish fruit tones open into hints of sweet tobacco, new leather and licorice. The 2015 is at once supple and also light on its feet, with superb balance and an inviting personality that will be virtually impossible to resist for those lucky enough to own a few bottles.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 is one of the most finessed Pomerols of the vintage. Light on its feet but certainly not lacking in intensity the 2015 possesses gorgeous aromatic lift to match its silky, refined personality. This is going to be a fascinating wine to follow over the next few decades.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 La Violette has a very comely bouquet with red berry fruit, leather, sage and black truffle scents that are very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, and gentle grip. A rounded finish belies that backbone. What a superb Pomerol - very convincing, modern in style, sleek and quite penetrating. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
About the Producer
Although Chateau La Violette dates back to the late 1800’s when it began to earn a reputation for its wines. In those formative years, the property was owned by a cooper, who made wine barrels for other estates, Ulysse Belivier. It is only quite recent that Chateau La Violette has produced some of the best wines in all of Pomerol. Purchased in 2005 from Frederic Dumas, Chateau La Violette made its debut for the new owner, Catherine Pere-Verge with the 2006 vintage. The small 1.8-hectare vineyard of La Violette is now fully planted to 100% Merlot. At one point in time, there were also Cabernet Franc vines planted, but those vines have been removed and replaced with Merlot. The vineyard has some very old Merlot vines that are close to 75 years of age. The tiny production makes this one of the harder wines to find in Pomerol! The terroir at La Violette is a complex mix of clay and limestone with gravel and iron deposits that run deep into the soil. The vineyard consists of 4 plots in two main parcels. Those 4 main plots are further divided into 20 smaller parcels. The best terroir is placed between Le Pin and Trotanoy. Those vines are the heart and soul of La Violette. The second parcel, which is close to Feytit Clinet is not on the plateau and thus, those vines are placed in Chateau Montviel, one of their other estates. The vines are planted to a density of 5,500 vines per hectare for the old vines. The young vines are planted at a much higher density of 7,700 vines per hectare. At Chateau La Violette, vineyard management requires three days a week be spent manicuring each individual bunch, removing any green or pink berries from around the “wings” to ensure a perfectly uniform ripening of the grapes. At its best, Chateau La Violette is filled with countless layers of dense, rich, opulent dark berry, floral and chocolate tones. The palate enjoys a bath of pure velvet and satin. This is a very sensuous style of Pomerol that marries opulence with the concentration and purity of fruit. One of the key characteristics of this Bordeaux wine is the haunting smell of violets.
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