Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard Reserve 2014
“The Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyard “clarets”, based on cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and cabernet franc, are wayfinding wines and worth seeking out. These are retro modern styles because the maturation time in oak for over two years is typical of 19th and early 20th Century winemaking practices, but the use of new oak for a part of the journey is more contemporary. These wines have a timeless quality that can only be achieved from extended oak maturation, a practice that was considered standard in earlier times.
Medium crimson. Intense dark chocolate, blackberry, brambly aromas with sage/ herb notes. Well-concentrated wine with fresh blackberry, blackcurrant pastille, dark chocolate, mocha flavours, plentiful fine graphite tannins, attractive mid-palate suppleness and crunchy fresh long acidity. Finishes firm and tight. Glossy yet developed with polished leather notes. Teeters on the edge of gold. 95% cabernet sauvignon and 5% cabernet franc. One year in predominantly (73%) new oak and then extra aging of six months in five-year old oak foudre. Aged in bottle for 18 months before release. Drink now – 2030”
94 points
Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal
November 2021
