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JEB DUNNUCK: "From the team of Château Le Gay and a smaller production release based on 100% Merlot vinified and aged in new barrels, the 2023 Château La Violette is slightly deeper purple-hued and offers an absolutely awesome bouquet of red and blue fruits, smoked earth, graphite, spring flowers, and incense. Complex, layered, and nuanced, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a broad, layered, seamless mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. It's up with the top handful of 2023s and is a brilliant effort in the vintage."
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THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Dark in color, the wine is equally intense on the palate with its layers of black with red fruits, dark chocolate, black cherries, black raspberries, black plums, and chalk. There is depth, concentration, and richness with power, lift, and opulence in the mid-palate, that carries through to the finish. The key to the vintage was the long hang time with harvesting starting September 11-September 20. The length of the harvest is due to manual destemming. The wine was produced from 100% Merlot, 14 % ABV. Drink from 2029-2050."
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JAMES SUCKLING: "Full-bodied with a rich and chunky mid-palate, packed with fruit and chewy tannins. It’s very well framed and muscular, but not heavy. This should develop well with more time in barrel."
18
WEINWISSER: "100 % Merlot, 70 % neue Barriques. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, kühlende Cassiswürze, zartes Veilchenparfüm und Heidelbeergelee. Am komplexen geradlinigen Gaumen, engmaschiges Tanninkorsett, stützende Rasse und durchtrainierter Körper. Im konzentrierten, nicht enden wollenden Finale schwarze Johannisbeere, tiefschürfende Terroirwürze und mehlige Adstringenz."
94
FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Nuancen von Preiselbeere, Baumharz, dezent rauchiges Holz, Grüntee, Halbbitterschokolade, pfeffrige Untertöne, etwas Pflaume und die namensgebenden floralen Noten. Auch Lebkuchen (vom Holz). Im Mund ist der Wein auf eine entspannte Weise dicht, gut taktil-mineralisch dotiert, trotz des runden, geschmeidigen Körpers sind da auch Saftigkeit und Eleganz. Der Abgang entfaltet zuletzt eine aparte Salzigkeit."
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LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 La Violette slowly emerges from the glass with fragrant scents of dried roses, cinnamon stick, and cedar chest giving way to a core of black raspberries, juicy blackberries, and fresh plums with a waft of Sichuan pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with fragrant black fruit layers supported by velvety tannins, finishing with a perfumed lift. This is 100% Merlot with a yield of 30hl/ha."
92
DECANTER: "Perfumed and aromatic on the nose. Cool straight away, blueberries and blue cherries, really quite fresh and minty. Quite light, perhaps missing a touch more plushness, but it’s direct and streamlined with a really long finish. Smooth tannins, well built and nicely structured. Ageing 70% new oak."
