Winemaker Notes
Château Le Doyenné is an elegant wine with deep, ruby red colour, aromas of dark fruit and supple, well-balanced tannins.
Blend: 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 La Doyenne, a Première Côtes de Bordeaux, has an understated but pure bouquet with red cherries, boysenberry jam and violet aromas that unfurl nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, fine structure, subtle but slightly tarry fruit and a gently but insistent grip on the finish. This is a fantastic wine that I look forward to re-tasting in bottle. Rating: 90-92
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James Suckling
This crowd-pleaser is a ripe and rather fleshy wine for the appellation with plenty of blueberry character and soft tannins. Drink now.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe, smoky and with attractive fruits sustained by dark tannins, this wine comes from parcels that slope towards the river. Its concentration, rich black fruits and hints of dark chocolate and licorice all show potential. Best after 2021.
In most of France, wines are named by their place of origin and not by the type of grape (with the exception of Alsace). Just like a red Burgundy is by law, always made of Pinot noir, a red Bordeaux is a blended wine composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Depending on the laws of the village from which the grapes come, the conditions of the vintage and decisions of the winemaker, the blend can be further supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and in rare cases, Carmenere. So popular and repeated has this mix of grape varieties become worldwide, that the term, Bordeaux Blend, refers to a wine blended in this style, regardless of origin.