Chateau DesMirail AOC Margaux 2016 (750ml)
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Wine Type
Red Wine
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Size
750ml
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Vintage
2016
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Country
France
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Region
Bordeaux
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Sub-Region
Margaux
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Grape
Cabernet SauvignonMerlotPetit Verdot
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Farming Method
ConventionalMost products with this label come from producers who do their best to avoid any intervention at all but it’s possible that some of the aforementioned preventative measures and additions are deemed necessary. Learn More
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ABV
13%
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Food Pairing
Aged CheeseBeefLamb
As is the case with many vineyards, Desmirail is named after one of its former owners. What is unusual about Desmirail is that the property does not bear the name of the original owner, Marguerite Rauzan du Ribail, but of her husband Jean-Baptiste Desmirail. Desmirail is also unusual in terms of its buildings that stand alongside the D2 (the famous Médoc châteaux route). In addition to an elegant 18th century charterhouse, visitors can admire a “Médocain” gravity-operated vat room (from the end of the 19th century), one of the few that has been very well preserved.
They practice sustainable winegrowing and have not used chemical weed control and insecticides in decades. As a result of this commitment, the property has had High Environmental Value certification since the 2018 vintage. They take care to preserve the integirty and the future health of the soil. The vines are only treated when there are threats of disease as a result of weather conditions.
Tasting Notes
Rich garnet in the glass. Aromatically intense with notes of sweet oak, tobacco, violet, earth, spice and fleshy dark fruits like plum and Morello cherry. The palate is beautifully balanced revealing fruit, oak notes and fresh acidity and mature tannins that make for a smoothly textured mouthfeel with earthy, toasted bread and mocha lingring on the finish.
Pair with braised meats, lamb, game.
Method
A third growth cur classé in the 1855 classification. Desmirail is the fruit of an exceptional terroir in the Margaux appellation.
The summer of 2016 was particularly dry: a sign of a wonderful vintage. The rain came at the right time, on the 13th of September. The amount of rain was also ideal, helping the grapes to mature following the dryness of the summer. The harvest began on the 4th of October, with the early Merlots, and ended with the later Cabernets on the 20th of October. Once again, this year, there was no hesitation when it came to stopping and restarting the harvest, in order to wait for the best maturity, particularly for the Cabernet
Sauvignon. This was aided by the excellent weather conditions.
The wine is a blend of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. The red colour and tannin structure are extracted during the fermentation and maceration phases, which last for a total of almost three weeks. The decision to separate the juice from the marc (skins and seeds) is taken after several tastings. The marc is pressed and provides a complementary, more structured juice that is incorporated when the juices of the different grape varieties are being blended.
