Château De La Dauphine 2002 Fronsac 0,75L 13,0% Vol. Alc.

Château Moulin Haut-Laroque is one of the most prestigious estates in the Fronsac appellation of Bordeaux. The château has been owned by the Hervé family since 1977 and produces a Merlot-dominant grand vin and second wine, Château Hervé-Laroque. The first known bottle of Château Moulin Haut-Laroque dates back to 1890, with a few bottles still surviving in the Hervé family cellar. Today, the wine is a blend of 65 percent Merlot, 20 percent Cabernet Franc, 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 percent Malbec, while the Château Hervé-Laroque is typically a blend of 80 percent Merlot, 15 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate encompasses 16 hectares (40 acres) of vineyards planted on clay and limestone soils. The vines average 45 years old, with the Malbec vines planted over a century ago. Harvest and sorting is done entirely by hand and the fruit is then destemmed and transferred to vats using a gravity-flow system to preserve phenolics and prevent excess oxidation. The château ages both its grand vin and second wine in French oak barrels, with the Château Moulin Haut-Laroque spending approximately 18 months in 35 percent new oak. In 2019, the Herve family acquired Château La Communion consisting of 10ha (24.7 acres) of Merlot vines with the grand vin spending 12 months barrel-aging prior to bottling