Domaine Du Castel Petit Castel 2009

"There's fine power and focus to the dried berry and crisp currant flavors, with lots of minerality and plenty of savory herbal notes as well. The muscular finish features hints of smoke and spice. Sauve. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Kosher."

89 Points

Wine Spectator

"The 2009 Petit Castel is quite an interesting “second” wine at this point. It offers an awful lot. Most wineries would be happy to have it as a first wine. Of course, it should be good –it isn’t exactly cheap, either. While it always shows better than the Grand Vin young, on first taste this year, I thought this might be the year when it would literally match or surpass the Grand Vin. It is a Bordeaux grape blend of Merlot (54%), Cabernet Sauvignon (32%), Cabernet Franc (8%), Malbec (4%) and Petit Verdot (2%). It seemed surprisingly lush (the dominant Merlot component?) and relatively deep this year, granting that it is young and may thin and that the early impression of concentration may exceed the ultimate reality as it ages. The plush demeanor makes it seem very full bodied, very differently styled than the more focused and powerful ’08, still beautifully constructed, with well integrated tannins, seductive texture and that impression of richness. It also has earthy and complex flavors, which devolves into a bit of funk on the wine. Although that nuance did moderate a bit with 90 minutes of air, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But for that, I might well have preferred it to the Grand Vin. Despite the impression of depth, I don’t think that this overall shows as well as its predecessor, the 2008, but this relatively rich, earthy and seductive Petit Castel still offers a lot in its own style."

89 Points

The Wine Advocate