2016 Liber Pater Graves Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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2016
94
Deep ruby in color, flowers, smoke, earth, tobacco, espresso and ripe, dark plum scents find you easily. Elegant, fresh and less dense than previous vintages, but in exchange, the wine has more lift and finesse that really shows a fine, Graves character. Ripe, fruits, refined, sandy tannins and a long, fresh, plummy finish. This should age quite well. The wine was produced from a unique blending of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Tarnay Coulant and .5% Castet. The Tarnay Coulant and Castet were used in pre phylloxera Bordeaux. Due to these non AOC allowed grape varietals, the wine will be sold as a Vin de France. The wine is made from the lowest yields in all of Bordeaux at 10 hectoliters per hectare. Aged on its lees in 100% new, French, oak barrels for between 28 to 30 months before bottling, the extended aging time is due to the fact the grapes all come from 100% ungrafted vines, meaning that in theory, this is about as close as you are going to get to wines produced in the 19th century, albeit with a lot more selection, and probably more new oak barrels, which have a longer aging time. Because of severe frost damage, only Liber Pater was produced this year, they did not make any white wine, Denarius of Clos de Landrias.

Deep ruby in color, flowers, smoke, earth, tobacco, espresso and ripe, dark plum scents find you easily. Elegant, fresh and less dense than previous vintages, but in exchange, the wine has more lift and finesse that really shows a fine, Graves character. Ripe, fruits, refined, sandy tannins and a long, fresh, plummy finish. This should age quite well. The wine was produced from a unique blending of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Tarnay Coulant and .5% Castet. The Tarnay Coulant and Castet were used in pre phylloxera Bordeaux. Due to these non AOC allowed grape varietals, the wine will be sold as a Vin de France. The wine is made from the lowest yields in all of Bordeaux at 10 hectoliters per hectare. Aged on its lees in 100% new, French, oak barrels for between 28 to 30 months before bottling, the extended aging time is due to the fact the grapes all come from 100% ungrafted vines, meaning that in theory, this is about as close as you are going to get to wines produced in the 19th century, albeit with a lot more selection, and probably more new oak barrels, which have a longer aging time. Because of severe frost damage, only Liber Pater was produced this year, they did not make any white wine, Denarius of Clos de Landrias.

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When to Drink Liber Pater, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Liber Pater is much better with age and decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1-3 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Liber Pater is usually better with at least 7-10 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Liber Pater offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 9-25 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Liber Pater, with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Liber Pater is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. The red wine of Liber Pater is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.

Liber Pater is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese. The white wine of Liber Pater is a perfect wine to serve with shellfish, sashimi, sushi, all types of seafood, chicken, veal, and cheese.

Loic Pasquet and Liber Pater have a commitment to producing the best Bordeaux wine possible. That commitment is so strong, for the 2012 vintage, Liber Pater declassified their entire harvest! They produced no red, white, or dessert wine that year. For a chateau of this size to declassify an entire year's crop is unheard of.

Proving even more of a commitment to only making and selling wine they feel deserves to be called Liber Pater, they once again declassified their entire crop in 2013 and 2017.

To further illustrate their commitment to quality, even with their tiny production, Liber Pater produces a second wine in select vintages, Clos de Landiras. Liber Pater also produces an entry-level wine, Denarius. Liber Pater Denarius is available in both red and white wines.

Liber Pater takes everything seriously, including their label art, which they change every year. Liber Pater is one of the most expensive wines in all of Bordeaux. Single bottles sell for over $3,500 per bottle in some markets.

www.liber-pater.com