2014 Retouche
A mere 117 cases (5 barrels) of Rétouche were bottled in 2014. Rétouche pays homage to the historical practice of “Hermitaging” wines in Bordeaux during the 1800’s. Winemakers in Bordeaux added Syrah (often from the famous vineyards in Hermitage) to their wines to add warmth, roundness and comfort-characters sometimes missing from the structured, powerful Cabernet Sauvi- gnon and Bordeaux Blends in general.
It would be incorrect to simply call Rétouche a Cab/Merlot/Syrah (CMS as they call it in parts of the new world). We conducted dozens of trials with various barrel samples and different percentages of Syrah to achieve the result we were looking for (Syrah acting as invisible marionette strings to bring cabernet to life). In the end, we succeeded, adding only enough Syrah (15%) from the right parcel to our Bordeaux blend that it sits invisibly behind the Cabernet/Merlot blend filling in the gaps. After all, it wasn’t until the late 1900s that the world learned about this fraudulent practice in Bordeaux.
Please note prices do not include applicable taxes or bottle deposit (PST 10% and GST 5%)
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The complexity & balance of this wine can be complimented with the south-western French style of cooking with a hint of spicy flavours of the Pyrenees.
Meat-Based
Braised rabbit & prune, chicken ballotine and flavours of Périgord black truffles are all lovely matches.Plant-Based
Mushroom & spinach quiche or stuffed peppers with mildly spiced lentils and potatoes are delicious too. -
2014 Retouche Spec Sheet (PDF)
Spec sheets for other vintages
