Boulevard Napoléon
Named after the street the winery is located on in the village of...
La Livinière, Minervois, Boulevard Napoléon is the partnership between restaurant owner Trevor Gulliver and winemaker Benjamin Darnault. Seeing the potential in the vineyards located by his holiday home, Trevor started making the wines and then showed them to his other partner, chef Fergus Henderson, who was more than impressed, as were we! Each wine is a classic expression of the varietal grown on the dry, stony slopes of the south of France - yet they retain a vibrancy and definition that marks them out from the crowd.
Vineyards
Fruit is sourced exclusively from vineyards situated in the high hills of La Livinière, in the Minervois region. Here, soils are predominantly limestone and clay with the age of vines averaging 70 years. The wines show brightness, ripeness, definition and character - elements which can be largely attributed to these older vines.
Vintage Information
A very dry winter in the Minervois gave way to rain in the spring and into the summer, which redressed the water balance and avoided undue stress in the vineyards. Hot weather through July and August helped to ripen the fruit, although September was quite humid and the team picked at a little less maturity, although still eleven days later than 2011. The wines display good balance but are slightly less concentrated than from the previous vintage.
Vinification
The grapes were hand picked into small cases, before being sorted and destemmed. The juice was then transferred into 4000 litre tanks, where it underwent a gentle extraction for a period of days. Three weeks of maceration followed. The free run juice was then separated from the pressings, after which point 20% of the finished blend was transferred to two to three year old demi-muids (600 litre oak barrels) for 12 months of maturation. The remainder underwent maturation in a neutral, stainless steel vessel.
Tasting Notes
Deep ruby in appearance, with distinctive colour and perfumed aromatics. This wine is alluring on the nose, with its time spent on skins and portion of oak ageing providing a rounded and balanced structure with a full body. Tank ageing for the majority of the blend ensures that freshness is maintained, resulting in lingering fruit flavours.
Vintage Information
| Vintage | 2012 |
| Grape varieties | 100% Grenache/Garnacha 0% Cinsault |
| Region | Minervois, Languedoc |
| Winemaker | Benjamin Darnault |
| Alcohol (ABV) | 14.5% |
| Acidity | 4.83g/l |
| Residual Sugar | 2.5g/l |
| Wine pH | 3.68 |
Trade customers
Liberty Wines customers can order this wine directly from us.