Wine Advisor
La Violette 2018
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Description
Violette, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, Still, Red, 2013
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 La Violette reveals delicate notes of rose hip tea, underbrush and wild sage to begin, opening out to Black Forest cake, plum preserves and blackberry pie scents plus wafts of cedar and cinnamon toast. Big, full and voluptuously fruited, it has a firm structure of plush tannins and background freshness, finishing opulent.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 La Violette slowly emerges from the glass with wafts of dried flowers, Chinese five spice and cedar chest before erupting into vivacious notes of plum preserves, baked blackberries and black cherry compote, plus hints of licorice and iodine. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black fruit preserves with a spicy undercurrent and grainy tannins, finishing with the freshness in the background and a dogged suggestion of unmarried oak. In something of an ugly-duckling stage, there's enough going on here to warrant forgetting it in the cellar for 5-7 years, after which it should all come together beautifully.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 La Violette is every bit as full-throttle as it was en primeur. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice, chocolate and sweet toasted oak abound. A wine of richness and textural intensity, La Violette shows the more opulent side of Pomerol off to great effect. When I first tasted the 2018, I wrote that my hope was that time would help soften the oak. Instead, time has only accented the oak imprint. Even so, the 2018 is an undeniably beautiful wine, but I can't help feeling, it is also a bit anonymous.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 La Violette is a heady Pomerol. Crème de cassis, blueberry jam, licorice, lavender and menthol capture a striking interplay of unctuous richness and freshness. Soft curves and silky tannins add to the wine's pure appeal. Although not at all subtle, the 2018 is stunningly beautiful in a modern, sumptuous style that offers tons of immediacy. Hopefully the strong new oak signatures will integrate more fully during élevage.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 La Violette is a heady Pomerol. Crème de cassis, blueberry jam, licorice, lavender and menthol capture a striking interplay of unctuous richness and freshness. Soft curves and silky tannins add to the wine's pure appeal. Although not at all subtle, the 2018 is stunningly beautiful in a modern, sumptuous style that offers tons of immediacy. Hopefully the strong new oak signatures will integrate more fully during élevage.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 La Violette is a Pomerol that felt tight when I tasted it from barrel, and now in bottle, there is still something uncharacteristically reserved. However, that does not disguise the wonderful raspberry and wild strawberry fruit that gradually unfolds. Lo and behold, after 12 hours, this is singing. The palate is very well balanced with slightly tarry black fruit and a fine bead of acidity. Quite taut and linear but with good weight and palpable <em>mineralité</em> on the finish. La Violette has gained more intellect and complexity in recent vintages and though I do not believe this is the greatest ever produced, it is a superb wine for the vintage that may merit a higher score with bottle age.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 La Violette has a fragrant bouquet with raspberry coulis, wild strawberry, peony and light sous-bois aromas, perhaps tighter than expected, although that is probably due to its evolution in barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. This feels creamy in texture with a fine bead of acidity, fleshy and ripe with blueberry and cassis notes on the smooth finish. Sexy.
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.
2002(1)2005(2)2006(2)2007(6)2008(10)2010(4)2011(1)2012(5)2013(6)2014(2)2015(3)2016(5)2017(7)
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