Chateau Clarisse Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion 2017
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A great success for this 8th vintage, where you can feel the work of the land done for 10 years at the estate.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
This has some cedary elements as well as plums and very dark ripe berries on the nose. The palate has a medium body with dark plums framed in crisply cut tannins that hold deceptive power in an elegant mode. Very balanced. Drink or hold.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Clarisse is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, of which one-third is matured in new oak. There is plenty of sultry black cherry and mulberry fruit on the nose that gains intensity in the glass and neatly embraces the wood. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, a little spice and ginger on the entry, followed by grainy-textured red and black fruit with touches of Moroccan spice lining the finish. What a superb Fronsac.
Range:90-92
Other Vintages
2019- Decanter
-
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling
The name Puisseguin comes from the word Puy, meaning “mount” or “hill,” indicating its elevation as the highest point in the Gironde valley. This attribute, combined with its southern exposure, clay-limestone soils and mild microclimate, make it an exceptional environment for growing vines. The vines of Chateau Clarisse average 25 to 30 years in age, though Cuvée Vieilles Vignes comes from a parcel of 70-year-old Merlot vines.
In 2010, Olivia hired winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt to be in charge of viticulture and winemaking. Stéphane believes in letting the soils and the vineyard make the wine, employing minimal intervention so the wines express the energy and the essence of their origins. For Chateau Clarisse, this means traditional wines with a soft, lush, mellow base and a modern expression of deep fruit.
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.
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.