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Le Puy - Retour des Iles 2016

  • Red fruit
  • Gastronomic wine
  • Wine for the adventurous
  • Color: Red
  • biodynamic
  • Natural
  • Triple A
  • 14% 
  • 0.75L
  • Intensity
  • Classic

This wine was matured for 10 months on a boat as it sailed the Atlantic! More info

The Retour des Iles cuvée is made up of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet sauvignon, and 1% Carménère, and vatted at length before setting sail…quite literally! This cuvée is matured for 10 months on a boat called the Très Hombres, which crosses the Atlantic from Douarnenez (Brittany), along the Spanish and Portuguese coast, across to Cape Verde, then passing by Brazil, the Caribbean, the Azores, then the United Kingdom, and back to Douarnenez. The cuvée is available a year later. Making this journey means the wine evolves in an especially unique way with progressive changes in temperature; the porous nature of the casks confers interesting aromas thanks to the products that travel alongside them, like cacao, spices, and coffee.
In the glass it has a dense, garnet red hue. Its nose is bursting with ripe, red fruit. On the palate, this is a balanced, ample, and round wine with supple tannins and a wave of freshness. Overall, it is a harmonious cuvée that can be aged extensively.

Le Puy - Retour des Iles serve at a temperature of 16°C. 

Peak: Drink until 2050

  • Vintage score: 18/20
  • Lot presentation
    Le Puy - Retour des Iles

    The wine

    The Retour des Iles cuvée is made up of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet sauvignon, and 1% Carménère, and vatted at length before setting sail…quite literally! This cuvée is matured for 10 months on a boat called the Très Hombres, which crosses the Atlantic from Douarnenez (Brittany), along the Spanish and Portuguese coast, across to Cape Verde, then passing by Brazil, the Caribbean, the Azores, then the United Kingdom, and back to Douarnenez. The cuvée is available a year later. Making this journey means the wine evolves in an especially unique way with progressive changes in temperature; the porous nature of the casks confers interesting aromas thanks to the products that travel alongside them, like cacao, spices, and coffee.
    In the glass it has a dense, garnet red hue. Its nose is bursting with ripe, red fruit. On the palate, this is a balanced, ample, and round wine with supple tannins and a wave of freshness. Overall, it is a harmonious cuvée that can be aged extensively.

    Information about domain Le Puy

    The Amoreau family have been making wine since 1610, between Libourne and Bergerac. Château Le Puy is undoubtedly one of Bordeaux's most innovative estates; the vines are grown biodynamically, new wood has always been banned, and the producers use very little sulphur during production. Their cuvées are quite the opposite of standardised, with a pleasant rustic profile and an easy-drinking side that might be surprising for a Bordeaux. Such qualities have been roundly lauded since the 2003 vintage was called the best wine in the world by the famous Japanese manga comic ‘Les Gouttes de Dieu'. Here, originality is a family tradition, and they are even pushing for the creation of their own “Le Puy” appellation. One to watch!

    Detailed characteristics

    • Quantity: 1 Bottle
    • Level: 1 into-neck
    • Label: 1 good appearance
    • Origin: Producer
    • Recoverable VAT: Yes
    • Original Wooden Case / Original Case: No
    • French customs seal: yes
    • Alcohol percentage: 14 %
    • Country/Region: Bordeaux
    • Appellation/Wine: Côtes de Francs
    • Producer/Owner: Jean-Pierre et Pascal Amoreau
    • Vintage: 2016
    • Color: Red
    • Peak: Drink until 2050
    • Service temperature: 16°
    • Viticulture: Triple A and biodynamic 
    • Intensity: Classic
    • Dominant aroma: Red fruit
    • Tasting occasion: Gastronomic wine
    Le Puy - Retour des Iles
    Le Puy - Retour des Iles

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