Winemaker Notes
Combining power and freshness, the wines of Château d’Aiguilhe succeed in expressing the terroir's strong personality, and show very well after 5 years in bottle.
Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Rich and intense nose, concentrated with dark bramble fruits. A shot of sharp intense strawberry and raspberry fruit hits the palate, super succulent and instantly mouthwatering, quite lean and linear though there is a nice expansion of fruit flavours while the tannins stay quite firm and straight. Touching on austere and severe but the softly plump juiciness keeps this enjoyable and there is layering of elements. Acidity is on the prominent side but this is quite captivating with crunchy, bright, just-ripe red fruits and chalky texture on the finish.
Barrel Sample: 94 -
James Suckling
Bright and tangy with chalk and salt to the sliced pears and melon. Medium body. Crisp and delicious.
Barrel Sample: 92 -
Vinous
The 2022 d'Aiguilhe is plump, juicy and super-expressive. At the same time, it has plenty of energy and the underlying structure to support a number of years in the cellar. Bright chalky notes extend the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and tightly focused, with a racy beam of red and black cherry fruit laced with violet and rose petal accents on the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Seigneurs D'Aiguilhe is the second wine of the château and comes from a similar terroir as the Grand Vin but is from the younger vines of the estate. It has beautiful black raspberry, floral, and mineral-driven aromatics, and it's medium-bodied on the palate, with a juicy, elegant, lively mouthfeel. There are some firmer tannins here, but this is still a beautiful, elegant wine with plenty to love.
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.