Winemaker Notes
Château Sansonnet is located at the very top of the Saint-Emilion plateau. Its exceptional soil consists of a thin layer of clay over limestone. The vineyard covers a single 7-hectare (17-acre) plot that surrounds the chateau. A dominant 85% proportion of Merlot is blended with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Its wine, which has great keeping potential, displays an intense ruby color. When aired, it releases aromas of sour cherry and blackcurrant. Big on the attack, it evolves harmoniously on the palate towards an expression of fine tannins with a ripe fruit flavor.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Ripe black cherries, crushed stone, leather, and graphite all shine from the 2023 Château Sansonnet, a classy, concentrated Saint-Emilion based on 85% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 14-16 months in 70% new barrels, with the balance in foudres and amphora. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. It's holding things pretty close to its vest at the moment, yet I love its purity, balance, and depth.
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James Suckling
Concentrated, showing aromas of chocolate, blackberries and a touch of asphalt. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, with succulent fruit on the fuller end of the spectrum, balanced by precise acidity and round tannins that lead to a chiseled finish.
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Vinous
A rich, potent wine, the 2023 Sansonnet is packed with blackberry, spice, leather, licorice, menthol and chocolate. Readers will find an ample, sumptuous Saint-Émilion built on textural resonance and pure power, buffered by the high acids that are so typical of this site. Tasted three times. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Decanter
Aromas of dark plum and vanilla toast denote the 70% new oak ageing, which comes to the fore on the palate. I appreciate the evident depth and power in this wine, along with red and dark ripe fruit, the style is too oak-ridden for its own good, blocking a purer expression of the magnificent limestone and clay terroir at this estate. Let's see after barrel ageing to be sure, but for now a score marked more by respect for the care taken to craft this wine, made from grapes harvested between 20 September and 3 October.
Barrel Sample: 92
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.