Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of ripe-plum and walnut aromas with hints of chocolate and leather. Full body, juicy fruit and soft, velvety tannins. Flavorful finish. Hard not to enjoy it now, but wait two or three years for it to soften. Better in 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Pierre 1er is medium garnet-purple colored and delivers scents of kirsch, redcurrants and black cherries with suggestions of roses, powdered cinnamon and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features a great intensity of spicy red berry flavors with a velvety texture and oodles of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.
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Wine Spectator
This sports bright damson plum notes along with racy mint and savory hints before giving way to juicy raspberry and cassis accents that fill up the finish. Shows the racy grip of the vintage too. Rating: 89-92 Points
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Château Pierre 1Er has a serious floral streak as well as almost Graves-like gravelly minerality and underbrush notes. Possessing terrific purity of fruit, an elegant texture, and medium body, drink this outstanding Saint Emilion any time over the coming 10-15 years.
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.