Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Château Poesia is more open and showy compared to the Barde Haut, offering fabulous limestone-like character in its kirsch and currant fruits and notes of dried herbs, white truffle, and dried flowers. Possessing medium to full body, ripe, present tannins, terrific concentration, and a great finish, it's another incredibly classy Saint Emilion from the Garcin-Lévêque family.
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James Suckling
Subtle aromas of mint, bay leaf and dark berries follow through to a full body with chewy and polished tannins and a tight, structured finish. Extremely long and firm. Give this at least another four or five years to soften and come together. Try after 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Poesia is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple, the nose delivers vibrant Black Forest cake, redcurrants and Morello cherries notes with touches of cinnamon stick, rose hip tea, pencil shavings, tobacco and milk chocolate. The medium-bodied palate charges out of the gate with bright red berries layers and loads of herbal sparks, framed by rock-solid, ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long. It should offer very good aging potential.
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.