Chateau du Retout 2018
- Decanter
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James
Suckling
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At the tasting, Château du Retout offers an elegance and finesse typical of its appellation. Elegant , with round tannins, wines that charms by their volume and their great aromatic persistence.
Blend: : 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28.5% Merlot, 11.5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Located just south of CussacFort-Médoc, du Retout has 34ha of vineyards for red wines, sitting on clay/gravel and deep Garonne gravel-based soils; vines average 30 years old and some were planted in the 1950s. The 2018 blend was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28.5% Merlot and 11.5% Petit Verdot, handpicked and sorted, fermented in stainless steel with twice-daily rack and return, then aged for 12 months in 33% new barriques. Georgina Hindle: Aromatic and expressive, alive and upfront. A celebration of cherry fruit: ripe, fresh, potent, with cherry stones, liquorice and graphite. Nuance and texture, with lots to like. Vincenzo Arnese: Elegant and perfumed yet powerful nose, notes of fresh fig, plum and blackcurrant, violet and lily. Poised, intense but refined. Stunning! Daphne Teremetz: Ripe black cherry and blackcurrant cordial. Pure ripe black fruit with a floral violet lift. Plush tannins and a little coffee bean oak on the finish.
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James Suckling
A balanced, refined red with layers of fine tannins that are polished and very pretty. Medium body. Nice brightness and a fresh finish. Drink or hold.
Other Vintages
2016-
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The vineyard is mostly located on a gravelly rise. A mill dating from the 13th century is in the middle of the vineyard, at its highest point (altitude of 17 metres). The terroir consists of two main soil types: clay and gravel at the bottom of the rise and deep Garonne gravel on the top.
The vines (68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot) are an average 30 years old and vine density is 6,666 per hectare.
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.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.