Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Soutard has turned out beautifully, unfurling in the glass with aromas of sweet dark berries, licorice mint and bay leaf. Medium to full-bodied, cool and layered, it's velvety and enveloping, with bright acids, sweet tannins and a long, polished finish. This estate on the edge of Saint-Emilion's limestone plateau is enjoying a notable renaissance, and this is a wine to seek out.
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Vinous
The 2022 Soutard is a hugely promising wine. Rich, ample and statuesque in bearing, the 2022 is super impressive. Dark fleshed fruit, mocha, spice, licorice, menthol and espresso all build in a Saint-Émilion that shows tremendous delineation and class for such an extreme vintage. I very much admire the energy here. Tasted two times. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 76% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Malbec, the 2022 Château Soutard reveals cassis, blackcurrants, violets, spice, and beautiful minerality. Fresh and focused, it’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced, with fine tannins and stunning elegance. Rating: 94+
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James Suckling
Pronounced dark plum and berry character with bark and dark chocolate. It’s medium-bodied with an integrated tannin structure and a wet earth, violet and berry finish.
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Decanter
Bright and lively, a lovely energy to this with clear strawberry, red cherry and raspberry fruit. Straightforward, really so light and delicate, a different style to many, with the focus on clarity and purity rather than tannic density. Very controlled, it will be interesting to see how it ages as it's quite light and lean, but I love the easy gentle enjoyment to be had here. Very good. 6% Malbec completes the blend. Harvest 1-21 September. Ageing in French oak, 50% new, 25% one year old, 25% two years old.
Barrel Sample: 93
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.