MORLET Family Vineyards Cœur de Vallée, Oakville, Napa Valley 2019 Bottle

Description

And another for all you USA lovers!

Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
March 2022
Mostly Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon with 6% Cabernet Franc, all from a site next to To Kalon, the 2019 ‘Cœur de Vallée’ offers lots of darker currant and black cherry fruits as well as notes of cedary spice, new leather, and dried herbs. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated, incredibly complex Oakville Cabernet with sweet tannins, a great mid-palate, and one heck of a finish. Drink it over the coming 20-25 years.

Decanter 96 Points
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle (at Bordeaux, 24 Aug 2022)
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2048
A new addition to the Place de Bordeaux this year, the 'heart of the valley' comes from a 10ha plot in Oakville, that overlooks Mount St. John in the Mayacamas Range and shares the same soil profile as the nearby To Kalon vineyard. Chocolate covered cherries and blackcurrants on the nose, really expressive and aromatic with elements of mocha and graphite. Deep and rich - so intense from the get go., sensual and seductive. A dense texture, smooth but deep is so impactful and really quite memorable, velvet and imposing in the mouth - it's the absolute signature of the estate. It's so charming, the flavours slowly expand from start to finish and side to side coating the tongue and cheeks in ripe red and black fruit, cocoa powder, sweet cinnamon and vanilla and a touch of toasted black pepper and liquorice spice. Round and generous but well delivered, feels purposeful and direct but still with excellent acidity giving a juicy and salivating quality to the wine as well as sweet spices that dot the palate. A lovely expression that is layered vertically giving energy and definition. Lifted, bright and finessed. The definition really lingers, not too heavy yet delivering so much flavour. An excellent wine by Luc Morlet. The second vintage of this wine. Ageing 16 months in French oak barrels.

Antonio Galloni 95 points
January 2022
The 2019 ‘Cœur de Vallée’ is soft, racy and gracious. It presents gorgeous savory aromatics to play off its midweight structure and understated personality. Black cherry, mocha, leather, spice and menthol grace this understated Cabernet. This soft, open-knit Cabernet is already quite accessible and delicious

James Suckling 94 points
Rich and a little “sweet”, very voluptuous and hedonistic. Ultra-fine, powdery tannins, vanilla spices, cassis and a hint of roasted red capsicum and milk chocolate. Spicy, even and integrated on the palate with a long finish. Pure silk. 94% cabernet sauvignon and 6% cabernet franc. Very hedonistic and pleasurable Napa red. Drink now or hold.

98 The Wine Independent (L. Perrotti-Brown), 98 Colin Hay, 95 Jane Anson

• Cœur de Vallée (Heart of the Valley) vineyard is located on the world-renowned Oakville Bench, on the same axis than ‘Au Paradis’ from Peter Michael winery, Dalla Valle Vineyards, Screaming Eagle, To Kalon vineyards and Harlan Estate
• 100% estate grown grapes
• Low intervention winemaking techniques
• Wines are bottled unfined & unfiltered
• Less than 10 000 bottles released
• 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc