CHATEAU CLOS LES LUNELLES COTES DE CASTILLON 2019

Owned by Gérard and Chantal Perse — the family behind Premier Grand Cru Classé Château Pavie — Clos Lunelles occupies a 9-hectare clay-limestone plateau in the commune of Sainte-Colombe, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, a geological extension of the Saint-Émilion limestone shelf just kilometers from Pavie itself. Acquired in 2001, the vineyard averages roughly 45-year-old vines planted at 5,500 per hectare and blends 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Hand-harvested, cold-soaked eight days, fermented with indigenous yeast for five weeks on skins, and aged 18–24 months in new French oak without fining or filtration, the 2019 delivers blackberry, blueberry, and incense aromatics with a medium-to-full-bodied palate of pliant tannins, spice, and crushed-stone minerality. 92 points, Vinous.