Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Open-knit in feel, with cassis and cherry compote flavors backed by subtle vanilla, floral and rooibos tea accents. Shows a lingering freshness. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2027.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 d'Aiguilhe features notions of baked plums, black cherries and mulberries with hints of underbrush, bouquet garni and tobacco with a waft of cast-iron pan. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is coated with expressive black fruit layers and loads of earthy suggestions, framed by fine-grained tannins, finishing long and refreshing.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Due to the frost, there's only one-third of the normal production of the 2017 Chateau D'Aiguilhe. Nevertheless, it’s an outstanding wine based on a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. It offers more upfront blue fruits and hints of cassis as well as loads of violets and spring flowers. With good concentration, fine tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and outstanding length, it's ideal for drinking over the coming 7-8 years.
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James Suckling
A red with pretty notes of salt, vanilla and currants. Medium body. Tight and harmonious. Creamy finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.
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Wine Enthusiast
This rich, smoky wine is generous with its fruits and fine tannins. Its fruity character comes through the tannins to give a powerful wine, packed with jammy blackberry flavors. Drink from 2021. Multiple U.S. importers.
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.
Though the region is larger than many of its Right Bank neighbors, it is one that consistently produces high quality, well-valued red wines. In fact, Cotes de Castillon can almost be considered a geographical eastern extension of St. Emilion, producing similarly-fashioned reds based on Merlot.
Vineyards in the region’s clay, limestone and sandstone soils produce sturdy red wines. On alluvial terraces, in vineyards closer to the Dordogne River, wines tend to be more supple and fruity. In either case, a great Cotes de Castillon red will be bursting with raspberry, plum and blueberry, have an enticing bouquet of dried flowers and a finish that is plush and opulent.