2015 Chateau Moulin de Tricot, Haut Medoc, Red Bordeaux, France.
The Château Moulin de Tricot, mostly sitting within the famous Margaux region, is a tiny property established in the 19th Century by the ancestors of the current proprietor, Bruno Rey, who farms his vines in organic fashion and makes a line of estate bottlings, including this beautiful and value priced Moulin de Tricot Haut-Medoc. This terroir authentic profile comes from the soils and climate, which at Moulin de Tricot are a mix of sand and gravel sitting on a subsoil of clay and marl, that are well drained and allow for deep concentration of flavors, this shows up clearly here in the riper vintage of this 2015 version. The vines here are hand tended with a strict triage (sorting) of the grapes carried out both in the vineyard and in the cellar to guarantee quality, these vines average over 30 years old and the vineyards are made up of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, that accounts for 75%, with Merlot making up the remaining 25% here. This is an honest wine and highlights Bordeaux’s continued relevance in the wine world and this Cabernet based bottling is one to search out and drink over the next 5 to 10 years, it is a really good buy and this year is warmly open and performs with all the charms you’d expect from a claret.
Classic layers of left bank fruit shine in this 2015 Moulin de Tricot with earthy blackberry, plum and currant leading the way along with a touch of leather, loam, cedar and anise all playing vigorous roles in this fine example of place and traditional style, adding lingering kirsch and held together with solid tannins that never get aggressive, but lends to the wines impressive character. Chateau Moulin de Tricot and its proprietor Rey ferments this Bordeaux in stainless steel tanks and then ages this wine in small French oak barrels for one year, with no new oak being employed on this bottling, which enhances the purity and vivid nature of the fruit, making for a less flashy wine and a wine that rejoices in its restraint and delivers transparency of form. The body gains density with air and fills out wonderfully on the palate and the after taste goes on and on, making, again, a serious impact. This second wine from Moulin de Tricot is a savvy Bordeaux choice, especially in vintages like 2015 and 2016, with this 2015 hitting its stride already, though I would enjoy this dark garnet red with food for the best results.
($37 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive