2009 Château Durfort-Vivens, Margaux, Bordeaux

2009 Château Durfort-Vivens, Margaux, Bordeaux

Product: 20098015154
 
2009 Château Durfort-Vivens, Margaux, Bordeaux

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Description

Normally the proprietor at this estate refuses to let me taste, so I was surprised when he did so this year. The 2009 Durfort Vivens is an attractive, soft, velvety-textured wine revealing a hint of tapenade intermixed with black currant and blackberry fruit. Medium-bodied and elegant with the silkiness and precision that make this vintage so alluring, it should drink well for 15-20 years.
87/89/100 Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - April 2010

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Critics reviews

Jancis Robinson MW
Very dark crimson. Heady, sweet and powerful on the nose. Alcoholic. Not one of the most exaggerated, but with a little excess simple sweetness. Pretty good. I’m sure that in a vertical it would look great. Even if in a horizontal it might look slightly less impressive. Long and very slightly toasty. Sinewy finish.
(Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com - Apr 2010) Read more
Decanter17.5+/20
Loads of dried flowers, currant and blackberry. Chewy and full. Velvety tannins. Solid core of fruit. Read more

About this WINE

Chateau Durfort-Vivens

Chateau Durfort-Vivens

Château Durfort-Vivens has been owned by the Lurton family since 1961 when Lucien Lurton purchased it from the Gineset family. For many years this 2ème Cru Classé Margaux property was perceived as underachieving - however, the estate has undergone a mini-renaissance since Lucien`s son Gonzague took over at the helm.

Durfort-Vivens's vineyards(Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 20%, Cabernet Franc 15%) lie on gravelly soils interspersed with limestone. Vinification includes approximately 18 months' wood ageing, 30-50% new oak.

The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blend (82%) is the highest of any wine in the southern Médoc and gives the wine classic blackcurrant and cassis characteristics as well as notable tannins and structure. Durfort-Vivens may be approached after 5 years or so in bottle but will continue improving for up to 10 years.

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Margaux

Margaux

If Pauillac can be seen as the bastion of ‘traditional’ Red Bordeaux, then Margaux represents its other facet in producing wines that are among Bordeaux’s most sensual and alluring. It is the largest commune in the Médoc, encompassing the communes of Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labaude, in addition to Margaux itself. Located in the centre of the Haut-Médoc, Margaux is the closest of the important communes to the city of Bordeaux.

The soils in Margaux are the lightest and most gravelly of the Médoc, with some also containing a high percentage of sand. Vineyards located in Cantenac and Margaux make up the core of the appelation with the best vineyard sites being located on well-drained slopes, whose lighter soils give Margaux its deft touch and silky perfumes. Further away from the water, there is a greater clay content and the wines are less dramatically perfumed.

Margaux is the most diffuse of all the Médoc appelations with a reputation for scaling the heights with irreproachable wines such as Ch. Margaux and Ch. Palmer, but also plumbing the depths, with too many other châteaux not fulfilling their potential. There has been an upward shift in recent years, but the appellation cannot yet boast the reliability of St Julien. However, the finest Margaux are exquisitely perfumed and models of refinement and subtlety which have few parallels in Bordeaux.

Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Margaux, Ch. Palmer, Ch. Brane-Cantenac, Ch. Rauzan-Ségla , Ch. Dufort-Vivens, Ch. Ferrière, Ch. du Tertre, Ch. Giscours, Ch. d'Angludet.

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Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

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