| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Lalande Pomerol |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Made by the brilliant Denis Durantou of Chateau L'Eglise Clinet. The fruit is sourced from a section of the Les Cruzelles vineyard with gravel soil. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. This has probably been Farr Vintners' biggest selling Bordeaux wine en primeur over the last 15 years. Year on year La Chenade delivers the goods but the price remains reasonable. A wine that never lets you down.
The 2017 La Chenade was picked from 14 to 22 September for the Merlot and on 18 September for the Cabernet Franc. It has a very well defined, slightly tertiary bouquet with blackberry, sage and light thyme aromas. The palate is soft on the entry with smudged red berry fruit laced with leather and light cedar notes. It does not quite have the ebullience of the 2018 on the finish but it has a lovely spiciness on the aftertaste. Dribk 2021-2032.
Hints of smoke, earth and walnuts highlight the dark fruit and spices. Full-bodied, tight and lightly chewy with lovely tension and focus. A beautiful young wine to drink now. Why wait?
With a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, La Chenade 2017 has a medium to deep garnet color. Blackberry preserves, mulberries, and wild sage notes jump from the glass, followed by wafts of kirsch and pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, the palate has bags of juicy fruit with soft, supple tannins and a lively finish.
A lovely, beautiful vibrant quality to the tannins that sit quietly under the fresh but full dark fruits. From gravel and clay soils, a few plots were affected by frost. Harvest took place between 14 and 22 September. No new oak here.
Drinking Window 2022 - 2032
Deep purple crimson. Smells of small, wild hedgerow berries and raspberry vitality. Second-fill barrels and just a hint of chocolate. Lovely freshness and that fine graphite note on the finish. Refined texture, just a little chewy for now, and lots of fruit and a persistent finish.
Drink 2020-2028
In 2017 La Chenade was picked between the 14th and 22th September. Production is only 800 cases this year with elevage in barrels that have seen one previous vintage at L'Eglise Clinet. Deep ruby with ripe blackberry and raspberry fruit, and a touch of violet and vanilla. The palate is chalky from the fine-grained and ripe tannins, allowing the fruit to show through as a compact but juicy core. This plump, round texture is delicious already and the fresh acidity of the vintage lifts the more bramble-like fruits into notes of blossom that complement the light, savoury spices on the finish.
Ripe plums the nose has richness the start of the palate is fleshy. Fresh fruits under the sweetness give a lighter feel at the back the finish is firm and slightly dry. 2023-33
There is more tension in this wine than in the Saintayme and this comes from a slightly sour edge to the fruit which heightens the senses at the same time as bringing a different tone to the aromatics and also a length to the finish. Fresh and bright, this is a crunchy, lifted wine and I imagine it will always be tangy and crunchy on the finish.
The 2017 La Chenade comes from gravel soils in Lalande de Pomerol, picked 8 to 22 September for the Merlot and on 18 September for the Cabernet Franc, that is aged in used oak. It has a tightly wound bouquet, a little more black fruit than red, just a touch of black truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin, a pinch of black pepper and spice, a little short but nicely balanced with a pretty, earthy finish. It is not the greatest La Chenade that I have tasted in recent years, yet given the frost damage it should be considered a success. Drink 2020-2028.
A firm and silky wine with berry and cherry character. Medium body, light tannins and a clean finish.
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 La Chenade starts a little muted before revealing notes of warm blueberries, plum preserves and redcurrant jelly plus wafts of woodsmoke and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate has bags of juicy fruit with a bit of chew to the texture and an herbal lift to the finish. 2021-2031.
Composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 La Chenade is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and has quite an earthy nose giving notes of truffles, mossy bark and tilled soil over a core of red and black plums and a waft of incense. Medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with refreshing red and black fruits supported by chewy tannins and finishes with an invigorating lift.
