Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThe 2019 Berliquet is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, sweet spices, violets and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and elegant, with terrific depth at the core, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, it concludes with a long, mineral finish. It's produced from a 9.5-hectare vineyard that encompasses three soil types: Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau (like its sibling, Château Canon); the slope, characterized by deep clay; and then sandy, colluvial soils at the foot of the slope. Right now it's planted with 70% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc, but the percentage of the latter is increasing as replanting progresses. Best after 2027.
Barrel Sample: 93
Dark plums, baked blueberries, chocolate, lemon zest and sage on the nose. Medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and fine, sleek tannins. Fresh and focused with a pretty finish. Drink after 2024.
The 2019 Château Berliquet shows the vintage’s pure, elegant, nicely focused style beautifully. Giving up lots of ripe black cherries, iron, hints of darker currants, tobacco, and loamy earth, it's medium-bodied, has a supple, balanced mouthfeel, polished tannins, and a great finish. I’d be happy to drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years or so. Best after 2022.
Friendly in feel, with a rounded edge to the mix of plum, cassis and black cherry preserve flavors. Features a melted licorice snap note that drapes over the finish, with flickers of savory and chalky minerality adding nice contrast. Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
The 2019 Berliquet has a delineated and focused bouquet with attractive blackberry, wild strawberry and violet scents, the new oak is neatly assimilated. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fine acidity, perhaps without quite the charm of the aromatics, cohesive with a silky smooth finish. Stylish, but it needs more complexity.
The name of Berliquet is one of the oldest Saint-Emilion vineyards, it is already on the cards Belleyme in 1768.
In 1829, Paguierre Berliquet been included among the 5 great wines of appellation.
The classification of 1986 allowed Berliquet to regain the place it held among the great wines of St. Emilion.
Planted on 10 hectares, Merlot and Cabernet Franc overhang the western hillside of Saint-Emilion and dive there to gently bend towards the Dordogne. The structural imprint of the limestone plateau is evident here and its potential to produce wines that are both racy, tense and elegant is undeniable. The estate adjoins the vineyard of Chateau Canon, 1st Grand Cru Classé, with which it now shares the same owner.
Since 2017, Chateau Berliquet belongs to CHANEL, already involved in Bordeaux vineyards for over twenty years in Chateau Canon, but also Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, 2nd Grand Cru Classé in Margaux.
A new stage begins for Chateau Berliquet, and a new adventure for the team of Chateau Canon who is now taking care of the property.
The ambition, again and again, is to produce just wines, reflections of their terroir, whose fabric and finesse will challenge the years.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.