Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Château Péby Faugères is a rich, modern, full-bodied, sexpot of a wine that offers more hedonistic pleasure than most in the vintage. Beautiful currant and blackberry fruit as well as graphite, chocolate, and roasted herb notes define the nose, and it brings the power on the palate, with a great mid-palate, velvety, seamless tannins, and a great, great finish. If you need a wine that will put a smile on your face, this is it.
Barrel Sample: 94-96+ -
James Suckling
Lots of blue fruits and boysenberries, with redcurrants, forest floor and violets. Full and compacted with beautiful tension and focus, and fine and structured tannins. 100% merlot. From organically grown grapes.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Péby Faugères sports a deep purple-black color and pronounced notes of blueberry preserves, plum pudding and Christmas cake, followed by hints of licorice, Indian spices and sandalwood with a waft of wild mushrooms. The full-bodied palate is jam-packed with concentrated black fruit preserves, framed by super firm, ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and spicy. This wine has all the volume nobs turned to maximum—and it works! Definitely one for the hedonists, though. Barrel Sample: (94-96)+
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.