Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Perfumed floral notes with raspberry and fragrant cherry - smells pretty. Lean and initially quite sharp, lightly presented with a creamy, salty mineral texture balancing the high acidity. It's a little subdued however, not as fruit forward as some or carrying much weight, but it's focussed and retains the same balance the entire way through with a minty, fresh finish. Everything is well presented, just dialed down. While you're not getting desne, plush fruit, this has a great and easy drinkability to it.
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Vinous
The 2021 Corbin is a very pretty Saint-Émilion. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, spice, cinnamon, cedar, new leather and tobacco give the 2021 lovely aromatic presence to match its understated, mid-weight personality. This is all class. –Antonio Galloni
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Jeb Dunnuck
A finesse-driven, elegant wine in the vintage, the 2021 Château Corbin (90/10 Merlot and Cabernet Franc) offers up a pretty, perfumed bouquet of crisp strawberries, framboise, rose petals, and flowers. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, fine tannins, and outstanding length. This is one of those wines that grows on you with time in the glass and will put a smile on your face any time over the coming 10-12 years.
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James Suckling
A soft and straightforward red showing notes of red berry fruit, oranges, walnuts and licorice. Medium-bodied and lightly chewy. Lighter this year.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Corbin matured in some 20% new oak, a few old barrels, cement tanks and wine globes. Unwinding in the glass with a gently reductive bouquet of wild berries, spices, petals and vine smoke, it's medium-bodied, supple and charming, in a perfumed, middle-weight style.
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.