About this WINE
Chateau Haut-Bernat
Puisseguin-St-Emilion is situated 5 miles north-east of the town of St-Emilion. The terrain is hilly and the soils are a mixture of clay and limestone. Haut-Bernat is owned by Dominique Bessineau who also owns Château de Brousse and Château Côte Montpezat in nearby Castillon. There are 4 hectares of vineyards, planted almost exclusively with Merlot. The wines are vinified and matured at Côte Montpezat under the direction of winemaker Stephane Toutounji and consultant oenologist Michel Rolland.
The wines are matured in oak barrels (50% new) for 12 months. These are medium-bodied wines that display seductive fruit characteristics of plums, black cherries and blackcurrants allied with elegantly toasted oak flavours.
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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Description
With the expert guidance of famed consultant Michell Rolland, Chateau Haut-Bernat has improved its wine enormously in recent years. The 2005 is ruby coloured and shows an expressive nose of woody and spicy aromas, and flavours of fresh, attractive red fruits. The palate is soft but well structured with crisp, ripe tannins which melt away to leave a very pleasing, refreshing finish.
(David Jones, Fine Wine Department)
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