Enclos Tourmaline 2016
-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
This has very fresh, lively and attractive wet earth and hints of black truffle and violets. The palate has a very deep, plush and velvety texture with a very fresh and fluid tannin structure, carrying long and fresh. The tannins build on the palate. Blue fruit abounds here, full of pleasure and promise. Try from 2023.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Château Enclos Tourmaline is a monster of a wine that comes from a tiny one-hectare parcel located just across the road from Clinet. The wine is 100% Merlot brought up all in new oak (it hit 14.5% natural alcohol). It’s a magical effort that offers a saturated purple color to go with notes of blueberries, blackberry liqueur, graphite, and crushed rocks. Still tight and compact on the palate, it has flawless integration of its fruit, tannins, and acidity, full-bodied richness, lots of ripe tannins, and a huge finish. This brilliant wine should be at its peak from 2024 to 2054. It’s worth pointing out that the vineyard manager and winemaker is the talented Jérôme Aguirre who gets consulting advice from Michel Rolland. Bravo to both individuals for this awesome wine.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Enclos Tourmaline was fermented entirely in 100% new 225-liter French oak barrels and it was aged for 20 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it features baked plums, Black Forest cake and exotic spices with cigar box and menthol. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm, grainy and fresh with great muscle in the mid-palate, finishing long and spicy. 250 cases produced.
Rating: 96+
Other Vintages
2022-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Following the image of the Tourmaline, a multi-color precious gemstone, the winery echoes the multiplicity and excellence of the Pomerol terroir. The wine is made from three exceptional parcels. Each has a different but complementary type of terroir which come together in an exceptional cuvee.
The caring of the vineyard goes beyond the plots in general. The winery pays close attention to each and every vine which they tend to every day. The cellar, renovated in 2016 and surrounded by the legendary vineyards of the appellation, offers an incredible view of the magical plateau of Pomerol.
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.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.