Skip to main content
Description
The story of Hors Norme begins with the 2014 hailstorm, which devastated Château Hourbanon’s vineyards and left the winery with only a fraction of its usual crop. Rather than producing its traditional range, Hugues Delayat decided to use the tiny amount of fruit available to create something entirely different: an exceptionally concentrated, small-production cuvée.
The blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc was harvested at remarkably low yields before undergoing deliberately extended extraction. The resulting tannins were powerful enough to require an unusually long élevage of 31 months in oak barrels, allowing the wine to soften, round out and develop greater complexity. It was finally bottled in September 2017, with just 6,700 bottles produced.
The result is a Médoc with remarkable density and depth, combining ripe black fruit with spice, oak and layers of savoury complexity. Powerful but carefully refined, it retains the elegance and character of Hourbanon beneath its more concentrated style. Now around a decade in bottle, Hors Norme 2014 is entering an intriguing mature phase — a rare bottle for lovers of traditional Médoc with something decidedly out of the ordinary.
