Château Patache d'Aux Médoc 2016

2016 was an almost perfect vintage in the Nord Médoc. Flowering was homogenous and there was sufficient water reserves to irrigate the vines throughout the warmer, drier months. The summer was lengthy, allowing the grapes to ripen gradually, at their own pace, developing key complex flavours and aromatics. This is particularly notable amongst the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

The grapes were machine harvested at optimal maturity. They were then fermented in a mixture of used oak, cement and temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at 25 ˚C for three to four weeks. Regular racking and pumping over was employed for both colour and flavour extraction. The finished blend was aged for 12 -14 months in one-third new French oak barrels, one-third one-year old oak barrels and one-third stainless steel. The ageing and blending of the 2015 vintage was overseen by the new team, which has resulted in a step up on what was previously being produced.