2010 Chateau Labastide Orliac Royal Heritage
Southwest, France
Deeply entrenched in French history, sisters Isabelle and Catherine Orliac are heirs to a property in southwest France that supplied wine to Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and the Court of France in the 1780s. They're the seventh generation of the Orliac family to inhabit the chateau and continue the family’s winemaking traditions. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat farmed organically and fermented in cement to allow the juice to evolve, it has a lovely rustic purity. Red and black fruits, cassis and deep complex flavors. The Orliac domain lies in the little-known Côtes du Brulhois, 100 miles southeast of Bordeaux, 60 miles northwest of Toulouse. It was on July 11, 1780, that King Louis XVI signed a letter at Versailles inviting the sisters’ ancestor Jean Orliac to provide the Court of France with his wines. Today the blend is based on the original recipe, thanks to the original signed letter being found in the bottom of a secretary and vouching for the King's benevolence to Jean Orliac—the legend was born!!!
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