Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Powerful and ripe, this is a solid, serious wine. It has dark tannins that are integrated into the rich black fruits. The wood is filling the texture with spice and a touch of bitter chocolate. It will be a full, dense wine, lifted by its juicy acidity.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
James Suckling
Attractive dark plums and berries with hints of mocha, leading to an upbeat, fleshy palate. Dark chocolate, berry and plum flavors with plush, lengthy tannins.
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Decanter
One of the largest estates in the appellation, with the two distinct types of terroir now vinified separately to maximise the individual expressions. It's a showcase of how 2015 is lifting all of the estates in this appellation, and although this estate can be a little inconsistent, here we have tight but well integrated dark fruit flavours. It's austere, as is often the case with Laroze in its early years, but will go the distance and then some.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Château Laroque (89% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon) from winemaker David Suire is a beauty offering tons of floral nuances in its ripe red and blue fruits, violets and bouquet garni like aromas and flavors. Ripe, opulent, and broad on the palate, with sweet tannin and a charming, yet surprisingly lengthy style, it has the depth and concentration to keep for 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Laroque is one of the grandest properties in Saint Émilion - an expansive vineyard with a château that would make most Left Bank properties look small. It has an attractive bouquet with dark black cherries, cassis and violets, well defined and with attractive, expressive Merlot that is kept under control. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannin, well-judged acidity, cohesive in the mouth with black fruit, a touch of truffle and a pleasant saline finish. New winemaker David Siure (see Pavie-Macquin, Larcis-Ducasse etc) has clearly had an impact on this Saint Émilion, and delivered a wine commensurate of its grand building. This will be a name to follow in the future.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 -
Wine Spectator
Warm plum sauce, crushed blackberry and cassis flavors form the core, supported by an ample lacing of black licorice and toasted apple wood notes. Offers a brambly edge, with the apple wood element holding sway on the finish, but there's enough fruit to wait this out. Best from 2023 through 2035.
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.