Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec
The Barrel Sample for this wine is above 14% ABV.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2019 Rol Valentin has a very seductive bouquet with pure black cherries, boysenberry and sous-bois aromas. The palate is very well balanced with finely chiseled tannins, fresh from start to finish with impressive tension on the finish. Now, this is a great Rol Valentin - chapeau! - Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
This estate continues to make outstanding wines, and their 2019 Château Rol Valentin sports a deep ruby/plum color to go with beautiful notes of red plums, darker cherries, Asian spices, graphite, and dried herbs. Medium-bodied on the palate, it's beautifully balanced, has good mid-palate density, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Beautifully done, it should have 15+ years of prime drinking. Best After 2022
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James Suckling
This has aromas of blackberries, toasted bark, pine cones and spice box. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tight tannins. Some citrus peel on the structured and chewy finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From holdings situated on iron-rich clay soils next to Valandraud and supplemented by Malbec from a parcel near Figeac, the 2019 Rol Valentin offers up generous aromas of cassis, berry preserves, loamy soil, spices and espresso roast. Medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish, it's a lively, youthfully firm wine in a more muscular, extracted style. Best After 2023 Rating: 90+
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.