Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque Canon Fronsac Bordeaux Wine Complete Guide

 

Learn everything about Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque Canon Fronsac with wine tasting notes, wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque History, Overview

The roots of the Herve family can be traced back to 1607. In that year, Jean-Marie Herve, a sailor from Brittany served the King of France. We are not sure when they bought their Bordeaux estate. However, records show they began bottling their own Bordeaux wine in 1890!

That is interesting to note, because in those days, most wines were bottled and sold by negociants. That makes Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque probably the first property in Fronsac, as well as in all of Bordeaux to bottle and sell their own wine.

Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque is owned by the Herve family and managed by Jean-Noel Herve. In 1999, the cellars of Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque were completely updated and modernized as well as all fed using only gravity.

Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 16 hectare Fronsac vineyard of Moulin Haut Laroque is planted to 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. The terroir is clay and limestone soils. You can look at the vineyard quite easily, if you divide it into 2 parts.

They own vines on the plateau of Fronsac, not far from Haut Carles with heavy limestone deposits and they own other parcels on the slopes close to the chateau which has more clay.

The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 5,500 to 6,700 vines per hectare. Newer plantings are done at the higher levels of vine density.

There are old Cabernet Franc vines that are more than 70 years of age, which add a lot to the wines character and concentration. They also have some of the oldest Malbec vines in Bordeaux, which are almost 80 years old!

To produce the wine of Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque, vinification takes place in small, temperature controlled, stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels. All wine is moved entirely by gravity. The wine of Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque is then aged in an average of 35% new, French oak barrels for about 18 months before bottling.

When to Drink Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque is better with at least 2-3 years of aging in good vintages. Young vintages can be decanted for up to 1 hour, helping the wine soften to help develop the aromatic character.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 3-12 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes. Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms and pasta.

Located in the Canon Fronsac appellation, Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque is a value priced Bordeaux wine that remains one of the best over performers in the Right Bank. Michel Rolland is the winemaking consultant.

To help insure the wine is at the highest level of quality, the estate also produces a second wine, Chateau Herve Laroque. In addition, the owners of Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque also produce two other wines; Fronsac par Jean Noel Herve and Chateau Cardeneau.

Chateau Moulin Haut Laroque is a great example of a Bordeaux value wine that combines quality, style and price.

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