Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Wonderful ripe fruit with raspberries, blackberries and some eucalyptus. Excellent density and structure on palate with juicy fruit, velvety tannins and good length. Really amazing berry fruit and dense creamy mineral notes. Beautiful already now, but will improve further over the next four years.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Spicy black cherries, chocolate, crushed stone, and some savory, meaty nuances all emerge from the 2010 Château Dassault, a rich, mouthfilling 2010 that has plenty of mid-palate depth and richness as well as outstanding length. It still has some tannic grip on the finish and should keep for another decade. It's clearly mature and drinking well, though. Based on 83% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, it was aged in 80% new French oak barrels and 20% once-used barrels.
-
Wine Spectator
Polished, fleshy and warm, exhibiting notes of cocoa, braised fig, melted black licorice and dark currant all rolled together and backed by charcoal-coated grip that extends through the Earl Grey-tinged finish. Rock-solid and should handle cellaring nicely. This wine has really filled out since its more modest showing in barrel. Best from 2015 through 2025. 500 cases made.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Dassault is a sexy, open-knit opulently styled wine that exhibits loads of raspberry and mulberry-like fruit and a sweet kiss of cherries in addition to underbrush and forest floor notes. This round, fleshy, medium to full-bodied wine is a hedonist's delight. Don't discount the wine's purity and overall equilibrium. Despite its early appeal, it should drink well for 10-15 years.
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.