M de Moulin Riche | Château Moulin Riche | Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc | Saint-Julien, Bordeaux | France

Until 2009, Château Moulin Riche was the second wine of Château Léoville Poyferré. It was bought alongside Léoville Poyferré in 1920 by the Cuvelier family, who still own both properties today. The family apply the same rigorous standards across all their estates. Therefore, chief oenologist of Léoville Poyferré, Isabelle Davin, is also responsible for the wines of Moulin Riche.

Château Moulin Riche has 22 hectares in Saint-Julien planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The vines are on average 25 years old and are grown sustainably on gravel and sandy soils. The grapes are harvested by hand into small crates and then sorted twice: once by hand on a table in the vineyard and then again at the cellar, using a state-of-the-art optical sorting machine. This ensures that only perfectly ripe and healthy grapes are vinified.

Each plot is harvested and fermented separately in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats. After blending, the Château Moulin Riche is aged for 18 – 20 months in a mixture of one and two-year-old French oak barrels. The resulting wine has an opulent fruit character with ripe tannins and a spicy complexity on the palate. The ‘M de Moulin Riche’ is the second wine of Château Moulin Riche, and is meant for earlier drinking. It is made with the same care, but aged for a shorter amount of time: six months in two-year-old French oak barrels, followed by a further six months in stainless steel vats. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, it is lively and fruit-forward with a classic Bordeaux nose of black fruits and cedar, fresh acidity and structured tannins.