Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Set apart by range and depth, with gorgeous blueberry, blackberry and plum notes intertwined with additional açaí berry and loganberry fruit flavors. The toasted apple wood frame is subtle and caressing, accented by a lilting anise accent that flitters through the finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
A tough, dark wine, needing considerable aging to bring out its balanced fruits. It has the feel of a serious, impressive wine, dominated by powerful tannins. Underneath, the fruit is dark, brooding and firm. Give this wine at least five years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The wine displays loads of roasted espresso bean with hints of white chocolate, rich cassis and cherry. With its opaque ruby/purple color, medium to full body, silky texture and very sweet tannins, this is once again a sleeper of the vintage, as it so often is in both great and good to very good years. Kudos to the Derenoncourts.
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.
Though the region is larger than many of its Right Bank neighbors, it is one that consistently produces high quality, well-valued red wines. In fact, Cotes de Castillon can almost be considered a geographical eastern extension of St. Emilion, producing similarly-fashioned reds based on Merlot.
Vineyards in the region’s clay, limestone and sandstone soils produce sturdy red wines. On alluvial terraces, in vineyards closer to the Dordogne River, wines tend to be more supple and fruity. In either case, a great Cotes de Castillon red will be bursting with raspberry, plum and blueberry, have an enticing bouquet of dried flowers and a finish that is plush and opulent.