Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Attractive ruby red colour, there is a roundness and sweetness to the brambly blackberry and bracken-edged fruits that gives energy and pleasure. Good balance and a sense of excitement. Drinking Window 2025 - 2042
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Le Prieure is a little mute to start, offering glimpses at cedar chest and baked cherries notions with nuances of warm plums, pencil shavings and forest floor. Medium-bodied, the palate has great freshness with bags of bright red and black berries layers and rounded tannins, finishing earthy. Rating: 92+
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Chateau Le Prieure offers loads of ripe red and black currant fruits as well as subtle chocolate and spice notes, medium to full body, a wonderfully textured, silky mouthfeel, and outstanding length. This is a forward, pleasure-bent yet balanced Saint-Emilion that's going to drink nicely for 15 years or more.
-
James Suckling
Oak sits up a little on the nose, adding chocolate and slightly tarry notes to the redder fruit. The palate is smoothly arranged and quite fresh fruit builds nicely to an expansive, plum-stone finish. Drink or hold.
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.