2017 Chateau Le Crock, St Estephe, Bordeaux, France
OVERVIEW
Throw a stone in either direction at Le Crock and you hit 1855 classified growths Cos d'Estournel on one side and Chateau Montrose on the other. Sandwiched between St Estephe royalty and recently upgraded to Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, there may not be a smarter choice of every day drinking Bordeaux in the Medoc than Chateau Le Crock, a wine from the same stable as Leoville Poyferre, the Cuvulier Family.
The 2017 vintage wasn't without challenges with winter frosts and rain but luckily for Le Crock the best wines came out of Pauillac, St Julien and St Estephe with the wines of Le Crock being value stars of the vintage.
CRITIC REVIEWS
This wine is structured and dense, with dusty tannins as well as full-bodied black-plum flavours. Made by the winemaking team of Château Léoville-Poyferré in Saint-Julien, the wine has good aging potential. Drink from 2023. 93 Points. Wine Enthusiast
Mid cherry red. Subtle on the nose, a nice dusty touch. Beautifully lifted and fragrant. Juicy, supple and with lovely tangy dark-red fruit on the palate. Paper-fine tannins, in many layers, and a long, fresh, juicy finish. Fresh to a long finish. Delicious and likely to be good value. 16.5 Points. Jancis Robinson
FOOD PAIRING INSPIRATION
A fine Bordeaux that more than holds its own against a sunday roast with all the trimmings, beef, lamb and game dishes plus hard cheeses like Gouda and Cheddar.
VINTAGE AND WINEMAKING
2017 was a tricky vintage across many areas of Bordeaux but the left bank of the Medoc managed to escape the worst of the frosts and turned out some stunning wines like in the prior two vintages.
A 32 hectare estate made up of roughly equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with low single digit Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The old vines are nearing an average close to 50 years of age. The vineyards look east over the estuary with Montrose and Cos to the north and south.
Le Crock is vinified in cement and stainless steel tanks with ageing taking place over 18 months in 20% new French oak barrels.
PRODUCER NOTES
Part of the much respected house of Cuvelier, famed firstly for Leoville Poyferre but also for one of the best wines of Chile, the Cuvelier Los Andes, Le Crock, and all Cuvelier wines have undergone a real renaissance over the past 20 years and represent some of the best value in fine wine in the new world or the old.
Now one of a handful of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel the Le Crock bottling is frequently considered one of the best value in the Medoc and a real favourite amongst restaurant Sommeliers thanks to the value for money Vs quality.
A textbook St Estephe that is bold in palate and deep in colour, these wines are supple enough to enjoy when young (thanks to the high % of Merlot) yet will soften and mature beautifully with age. Since 1995 Michel Rolland has been involved as consultant winemaker and the wines have improved over the decades since then.
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SERVICE AND STORAGE TIPS
This wine should be stored around 12°C and served between 16-18°C. We recommend a minimum of 3 hours decanting before approaching this wine.
DELIVERY INFORMATION
Delivery is free when you spend over £150. For orders under this amount then a £9.99 delivery charge will be applied.
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Every bottle sold by CoolerSomm is subject to our quality guarantee. If a wine is corked or faulty, we will replace it.
2017 Chateau Le Crock, St Estephe, Bordeaux, France
| Wine Card | |
| Wine Producer | Chateau Le Crock |
| Wine Region | Bordeaux |
| Wine Classification | St Estephe AOC |
| Wine Type | Red |
| Grape Variety | Cabernet Sauvignon (52%), Merlot (34%), Petit Verdot (8%), Cabernet Franc (6%) |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Vintage Quality | Excellent - Parker |
| Maturity | Ready but will Improve |
| Body | Full Bodied |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Alcohol % | 12.5% |
| Bottle Type | Bordeaux 75cl |
| Serving Temperature | 16-18°C |
| Food Pairing | Sunday Roast, Veal, Cheddar, Beef |
| Awards | 93 Points - Wine Enthusiast |
| 92 Points - Decanter | |
| 16.5 - Jancis Robinson |
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