Chateau Olivier 1996

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This wine has reached the top of a mountain and is now resting. Tired? Not quite. Youth has left it but it now has gained a past during which it developed a wonderful mineral character from the gravel of Graves. Age has changed its color from purple to garnet. Earthy aromas of wet leaves and minerality. Still, Cabernet Sauvignon's black currant fruit arises slowly from amidst the stones.

Wow, a Grand Cru!

Chateau Olivier is a Grand Cru Classé de Graves. Grand Cru! you think. Classé de Graves. If this was a wine from Burgundy it would have been out of my price range and you would not read this article. In Burgundy the highest classification for a wine is Grand Cru. But this is Bordeaux and in Bordeaux things are a little different. There is no one classification system for all wines from Bordeaux. Instead different regions have different classifications. The famous official classification from 1855 covers the red wines from Medoc (plus Chateau Haut-Brion from Pessac-Léognan) as well as the sweet white wines from Barsac and Sauternes. St. Emilion has its own classification. And so does Graves, where in 1953 an official classification was approved, now elevating 16 chateaux into Grand Cru status. A Grand Cru from Graves it is not in the same rank as a Premier Cru from Medoc with its famous chateaux such as Lafite or Rothschild. Nevertheless, the Chateau Olivier is a very good wine.

As all wines from Bordeaux the Chateau Olivier is a blend. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 45%, with an equal amount of Merlot. The remaining 10% are Cabernet Franc. Quite typical for Pessac-Léognan, which is part of the larger Graves AOC. Pessac-Léognan produces both white and red wines. As the name of Graves suggests, the soil is primarily gravel, which the Chateau Olivier 1996 shows impressively both on the nose and on the palate.

It is dry on the palate and has medium acidity. The tannins are smooth. Overall an elegant medium bodied wine with a medium alcohol level. The flavors are similar to the aromas, first there is this intriguing earthy quality but as the wine lingers the dark berry fruit shines through: black currant, plum and black cherry. Not for long though: the earthy notes persist in this wine and so the finish on the whole has a distinct mineral character. The gravel is further polished. Tired? Maybe a little bit. Sipping the Chateau Olivier 1996 makes me think of a sunny afternoon in the fall - the intense summer heat is a faint memory, the landscape is now vibrant with beautiful earthy colors.