Winemaker Notes
Bright ruby red color with a fruity and fragrant nose with aromas of cherries and blackcurrant. The finish is supple and round; with a well integrated freshness. A charming wine, harmonious and easy to drink.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
This is very floral with blueberry, fresh-currant and currant-bush aromas. Crushed stones. Medium body and creamy, lightly chewy tannins with citrus and blueberries. Tangy and pretty. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
-
Wine Spectator
Solid, with dark plum and currant fruit forming the core, while tobacco and iron accents add bass and cut through the finish. Has the fresh cut of the vintage.
Barrel Sample: 90-93 -
Decanter
No frost affect at this estate in 2017, and the wine starts out well, majoring in bright dark fruits, but again this is extremely austere and needs time in the bottle to soften. Clear spice that once unfolded contributes to the excellent aromatics and the backbone suggests good ageing ahead. On the reductive side now, with notes of violet and rose.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Fresh and juicy, this wine is quite a change in style for this estate. The wine’s fine tannins are impressive, giving richness as well as succulence. Drink from 2023.
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.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.