Chateau Durand-Laplagne Les Terres Rouges Puisseguin-St. Emilion (375ML half-bottle) 2016
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend : 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Durand Laplagne has a crisp bouquet with blackcurrant, mulberry and attractive floral aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a little foursquare in style, but with plenty of fresh black fruit mixed with cedar towards the finish. Very fine potential here.
Barrel Sample: 89-91 Points -
Wine Spectator
Silky and pretty with polished tannins, a medium body and a juicy finish. Better than the 2015.
Barrel Sample: 89-90 Points -
James Suckling
Silky and pretty with polished tannins, a medium body and a juicy finish. Better than the 2015.
Barrel Sample: 89-90 Points
Other Vintages
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Parker
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Robert
Parker
Since 1850, The Bessou family, generations after generations of wine-grower, has cultivated the Saint-Emilion ground. Each generation handed down the art and the passion of vine’s culture in total respect with old traditions. This succession of generations demonstrates the Bessou family’s passionate attachment for wine. Today Sylvie and Bertrand Bessou work in the three familial properties : Château Durand-Laplagne in Puisseguin St Emilion, Château De Tabuteau in Lussac St Emilion, Château Cap de Merle in Bordeaux Superieur. The grapes are picked using a mechanical harvester with sorting on board, a latest generation machine. This technique, by its selection and its cleaning of the grapes in a perfect way to harvest healthy grapes. The vinification takes place in a classic way with pumping over twice a day, the wines are tasted regularly so as to adapt the work according to the vintage, the grape varieties, the terroirs and therefore the potential of each tank. The aging of the wine takes place for 24 months, partly in vats and barrels, thus making it possible to develop our different vintages. The bottling of the wines is carried out at the château by the family winemakers Sylvie & Bertrand Bessou, which allows them to take the greatest care in this last phase of wine processing.
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.