Winemaker Notes
The wine is ruby red, with luster and clarity with expressive nose of regular complexity, primary notes of red fruits, black currants and cherry appealing, supple and light. The palate experiences the characteristic of its balanced acidity and almost total absence of tannins enhance and the impression of roundness. This wine is attractive, elegant and has a fresh finish. It is a blend of Merlot 77%, Cabernet Franc 14%, Cabernet Sauvignon 9%.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Barrel sample. Very dense and rich with fine, tarry tannins that float amidst the ripe blackberry flavors. The wine is structured but full in body with a rich, opulent feel.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 Points -
James Suckling
A fruity wine with blackberry, walnut and wet earth character. Full-bodied, round and fresh. Slightly better from barrel. Delicious. Better in 2017.
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Wine Spectator
This has a solid graphite note, with good heft to the plum skin, fruitcake, blackberry paste and steeped dark currant flavors. A brambly edge lines the finish. This well-built style shows good energy overall. Best from 2017 through 2024.
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.