| Review: |
A rare, approximately 6,000-bottle production of La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou aged in a single 45-hectolitre ovoid foudre fashioned from the last of the ancient Morat oaks. At about 340 years in age, Le Chêne de Morat was the last oak of the Royal Tronçais and was planted in the 1660s by order of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, then Comptroller and later Minister of the Marine to Louis XIV. Upon being cut down in 2005, the tree was purchased at auction by Tonnellerie Sylvain.
“Bordeaux cooperage Tonnellerie Sylvain bought the magnificent 340-year-old oak at auction [for €37,700] – and orders are already flooding in for barrels from the aromatic wood. The oak, Le Chêne de Morat, is the last of an exceptional parcel of Tronçais oak from central France, planted in 1669 during the reign of Louis XIV. ‘The majority were felled in 1984 but four remained and this is the last survivor,’ said Jean-Luc Sylvain, manager of the family-owned company. An estimated 60 barrels will be produced from the tree which measures 40m in height with a circumference of 4.6m. A tree roughly 200 years old provides staves for 10 barrels. The slow growth and height of the tree contributes to the quality of the wood and richness of aroma.” - James Lawther MW, Decanter Magazine |