Winemaker Notes
The exceptional quality of the tannins of vintage 2016 is the result of perfect conditions of maturation, in particular on the argilo-calcareous soils. The natural hydric regulation avoided in the vines any stress due to the drought. Power, elegance, freshness and balance are the key words of 2016.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
An estate that has been firing on all cylinders recently, the Merlot-dominated 2016 Château Sansonnet sports a saturated ruby color as well as a beautiful bouquet of macerated black cherries, blackcurrants, smoked earth, spice, and tobacco. This ripe, sexy, full-bodied beauty has terrific overall balance, a layered texture, no hard edges, and a beautiful finish. It's a gem in the vintage and is well worth a case purchase. The blend is 90% Merlot and 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, all brought up in 80% new French oak. Don’t miss this brilliant wine.
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Vinous
An exotic, heady wine, the 2016 Sansonnet is a total stunner. Crème de cassis, lavender, bittersweet chocolate, menthol, licorice, graphite and sweet spice saturate the palate in an explosive, stunningly beautiful Saint-Émilion that balances concentration and vibrancy with impeccable class. Put simply, the 2016 Sansonnet is a total pleasure bomb. Don't miss it. Tasted three times.
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James Suckling
The blueberry and blackberry aromas are very impressive and lifted right out of the glass. Full-bodied, very tight and defined with beautiful berries and focus. Long and vivid. Traditional style with precision and verve. Drink in 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Sansonnet (composed of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a little youthfully mute, revealing suggestions of crushed black plums, baked cherries and blackberries with nuances of fallen leaves, black olives, lavender and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is charged with energy, giving mouth-coating red and black fruits with a firm, grainy frame, finishing long and lively.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Spectator
Bold, with a broad beam of warm cassis, plum reduction and braised fig flavors striding through, underscored by a strong graphite edge and backed by alluring black tea and well-roasted apple wood notes. Despite the heft, this is polished and integrated already, and should be a hedonistic delight in the near term. Best from 2021 through 2033.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is rich with ripe fruits, black tannins and a smooth, chocolate texture. Its tannins are impressively rich and dense, giving a wine offering power along with freshness and minerality. Drink from 2023.
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Decanter
A clay-over-limestone estate, owned by Marie Lefévère, which has produced a wine with excellent balance of flavour, freshness and power in 2016. The enjoyable dark fruits, bitter chocolate, clean lines and generosity are not overdone - it's intense without a doubt, but has settled down during barrel ageing in 80% new oak. It was bottled this July. 32hl/ha yield.
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.