{"product_id":"merlot-aop-bordeaux-bio-2021","title":"Merlot AOP Bordeaux Bio 2021","description":"\u003ch4\u003eVineyard and winemaking\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis organically certified Bordeaux is made from 100% Merlot grown on Arnauld Daudier de Cassini's four-hectare Bordeaux AOP holding. High grass cover and an intentionally hands-on approach support biodiversity, with the small harvest completed manually and the fruit brought in at once.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNatural yeasts begin fermentation, followed by three weeks of gentle extraction. The wine then spends 22 months in concrete rather than oak and is bottled by gravity without fining or filtration, with sulphur used only sparingly. The result places fruit, earth and texture ahead of polish from wood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eTasting notes\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch5\u003eAppearance\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeep, bright garnet with a naturally unforced clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch5\u003eNose\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlack cherry and fresh plum are joined by violet, graphite, leaf and a faintly dusty earthiness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch5\u003ePalate\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoft and medium-bodied, with juicy Merlot fruit, supple tannins and a lively, savoury edge. Concrete ageing preserves purity and gives the wine a cool mineral feel, while the unfiltered finish is fresh, gently herbal and invitingly dry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eFood pairing\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn excellent bistro-style red for steak frites, Toulouse sausages with lentils, mushroom and thyme pie, or a cheeseboard of Tomme and farmhouse Cheddar. A light chill and brief carafe will show its fruit at its best.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eBackground story\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter studying viticulture in Avignon and gaining experience at estates including Château Figeac, Arnauld Daudier de Cassini established an unconventional micro-estate near Libourne. His approach draws inspiration from low-intervention growers in the Loire and rejects unnecessary cellar adornment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe curved motif on the label honours his ancestor Jean-Dominique Cassini, the mathematician, astronomer and cartographer associated with mapping France. Here that family reference frames a distinctly modern Bordeaux: organic, concrete-raised and deliberately made for pleasure rather than ceremony.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cassini","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":7849063710780,"sku":"CASSINI21","price":20.55,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0036\/1984\/8252\/files\/cassini-merlot-aop-bordeaux-bio-2021-0-standardised-600x960.png?v=1791377526","url":"https:\/\/sommelierschoice.co.uk\/products\/merlot-aop-bordeaux-bio-2021","provider":"Sommelier's Choice","version":"1.0","type":"link"}