Château Clos de Sarpe 2020

Clos de Sarpe reveals a silky and structured red wine from Saint-Émilion

The estate

Product of a family know-how and tradition maintained through three generations of winemakers, the wines of Château Clos de Sarpe are known for their very assertive identity, which make them some of the best of their appellation. A Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Émilion, Château Clos de Sarpe is in constant search for excellence with each new vintage.

The vineyard

The 3.35-hectare vineyard of Château Clos de Sarpe is today in conversion to organic farming. The 65-year-old vines are planted on the famous clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion.

The vintage

Although the start of spring was sunny, hot and dry, a hail episode at the end of April strongly impacted the yields. Significant rainfall was recorded between 20 May and 15 June, offset by hot and dry summer conditions in July and August. The capacity of the estate’s clay-limestone terroir made it possible to avoid significant water stress. Rain at the end of August and September encouraged berry development and ripening. Despite there being lower yields than in other vintages, the grapes harvested were of a high quality.

The winemaking and ageing

Densimetric sorting. While the winemaking is carried out for the most part in cement vats, 10% of the Merlots are vinified in 600-litre wine barrels, making them round and sweet. Low-temperature alcoholic fermentation. Gentle extraction. Vatting for 33 days. Ageing is carried out in barrels (70% in new barrels and 30% in barrels of one previous wine).

The blend

The Château Clos de Sarpe 2020 is made of a blend of Merlot (85%) and Cabernet Franc (15%).

The tasting

The Château Clos de Sarpe 2020 seduces with its greatly elegant, silky blend of Merlot and mouth-coating, structured Cabernet Franc.