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 a single vineyard 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. This redressed the water balance and avoided undue stress in the vineyards. Hot weather through July and August helped ripen the fruit although September was quite humid and fruit was picked at a little less maturity, although still eleven days later than 2011. The fruit delivered good balance but with a little less concentration. The producers are happy with the vintage, although they will have a smaller production of the reds, it will be a vintage of character!
Vinification
The grapes were all handpicked into small cases, before being sorted and destemmed. Fermentation occurred in 2600 litre stainless steel tanks. Gentle extraction followed, lasting for a period of days, before the wine underwent three weeks of maceration on its skins. The free run juice was then separated from the pressings. 80% of the final blend was transferred to 225 litre oak barrels for one year of barrel ageing. The remaining 20% was matured in 600 litre demi-muids.
Tasting Notes
Cabernet Franc is unusual from the deep south west of France. The wine has the brambly flavours typical of the south and the additional heat delivers tobacco notes with some graphite on the nose.
Vintage Information
| Vintage | 2012 |
| Grape varieties | 100% Cabernet Franc 0% Areni Noir |
| Region | Minervois, Languedoc |
| Winemaker | Benjamin Darnault |
| Alcohol (ABV) | 14.5% |
| Acidity | 3.27g/l |
| Residual Sugar | 1.9g/l |
| Wine pH | 3.65 |
Trade customers
Liberty Wines customers can order this wine directly from us.