N.V. Ormiale (18+19)

Fabrice Domercq and British designer Jasper Morrison are old friends, and when Fabrice’s mother bought a house that included some vineyards, Jasper said yes to helping make some wine. Thus, Ormiale, located in the Entre-deux-Mers region of Bordeaux, could see the light of day in 2007.

Ormiale’s plots are Demeter-certified (the wines are not, however), and is the home of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that each give a very low yield. The grapes are hand-harvested, just as they are destemmed by hand and ferment without added sulphur by only using naturally occurring yeast. The vinification takes four to five weeks depending on the vintage. The wine is aged in oak barrels of 225, 500 and 600 litres and in stainless steel tanks for about 18 months. It is neither fined nor filtered, just as sulphur is only added before bottling if deemed necessary at all.

Ormiale’s wines are fresh and elegant. However, the low yield, the destemmed grapes and the fantastic terroir mean that we are dealing with intense wines with great depth, which could very well be a window to the future for Merlot-based Bordeaux.