Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Last year this was one of the wines of the vintage for me. It is a little more finely grained in 2016, slightly more structured and with a touch higher acidity, but still has those succulent black cherry and damson purée fruits. It also retains the twist of glamorous charred oak notes that give it punch and purpose. An excellent wine. Drinking Window 2022 - 2035
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Jeb Dunnuck
From one of the top terroirs in Fronsac and made with the help of talented Jean-Luc Thunevin, the 2016 Château La Vieille Cure is 80% Merlot and 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, all aged in 50% new oak (a small part is also brought up in tank). This deep purple-colored effort got a big “Wow” in my notes and boasts a head-turning bouquet of cassis and black raspberry fruits intermixed with notes of dried flowers, vanilla bean, and leafy herbs. With remarkable purity, medium to full body, silky tannins, and a great finish, it’s a thrilling Fronsac that I suspect might be one of the best to date. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years.
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James Suckling
A riper style with some darker-plum and mulberry aromas, framed in lightly spicy and cedary oak influence. The palate has good depth and silkiness with a wealth of fine, plush tannins and a smooth, fresh and flavorful finish. A blend of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Try from 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 La Vieille Cure has a deep garnet-purple color and quite a savory nose of chargrilled meats, tapenade, beef dripping and dried herbs over a core of plum preserves and Black Forest cake. Full-bodied, rich and packed with black plums and savory layers, it has a firm, velvety frame and fantastic length.
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Wine Spectator
This has a warm fruitcake note out front, backed by flavors of frankly ripe plum and boysenberry preserves and a lush, toasty finish. Has enough acidity to keep it honest, but this is on the flattering side of the ledger for sure. Drink now through 2028.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rich but stylish, this wine is going to be delicious. With great fruit and ripe tannins, it has power but it shows that lightly, allowing plenty of room for the acidity. Drink this wine from 2022.
Editors' Choice
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.
Home of the very first remarkable Right Bank wines, dating back to the 1730s, Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac actually retained more fame than Pomerol well into the 19th century. Today these wines represent some of Bordeaux’s best hidden gems.
Fronsac is a very small region at an unusually high elevation compared to other Bordeaux appellations. Its vineyards unroll along the oak-dotted hills bordering the river’s edge, making it perhaps Bordeaux’s prettiest and most majestic countryside.
Merlot covers 60% of the vineyard acreage; the rest of the vines are Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac appellations are limited to the higher land where soils are predominantly limestone and sandstone. Lower vineyards along the Dordogne River mainly qualify for Bordeaux AOC status
The best Fronsac are deeply concentrated in ripe red and black berry; they have a solid mineral backbone and are rich and plush on the finish.