St-Emilion
First officially classified in 1954, St Emilion is one of Bordeaux's largest winemaking appellations, producing more wine than Listrac, Moulis, St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux combined. Many of the region's finest vineyards can be found atop the steep limestone slopes of the village itself, although a fledgling band of garagiste producers are eschewing terroir to make small-batch, deeply-concentrated wines from their homes.
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Chateau de Fonbel,
Ready, but will keep,
This is a predominantly Merlot-based wine from a small Grand Cru property managed by one of the best winemakers on the Right Bank, Alain Vauthier. The nose is classic St Emilion, showing rich bramble fruit with a hint of chocolate and vanilla. The palate is enticingly soft and rounded, with generous fruit and warmth. The superb quality of the 2016 vintage shines through here. A perfect match for roast lamb or beef
Max Lalondrelle, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
Max Lalondrelle, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
Ready, but will keep,
Ch. Laroque is a large St Emilion estate famous for its stunning 18th century château, as well as the quality of its wines. It is owned by the Beaumartin family and was granted Grand Cru Classé status in 1996. Its 61 hectares of vineyards (27 of which are used for the Grand Vin) are situated in the commune of St Christophe des Bardes and it produces nearly 25,000 cases a year.
From the cool, classic 2014 vintage, this Claret is fresh and balanced. The blend is Merlot-based and the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, giving a nice aroma of spice and wood smoke. The palate is fleshy with a hint of plum, the tannins fine and firm, leading to a generous finish. Drink now to 2029.
From the cool, classic 2014 vintage, this Claret is fresh and balanced. The blend is Merlot-based and the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, giving a nice aroma of spice and wood smoke. The palate is fleshy with a hint of plum, the tannins fine and firm, leading to a generous finish. Drink now to 2029.
Ch Bellisle Mondotte,
Ready, but will keep,
Ch. Bellisle Mondotte is an organically farmed estate based in St Laurent des Combes in the St Émilion appellation on the Bordeaux’s Right Bank. Jean Marie Bouldy has been running the property since 1987 alongside Ch. Grand Pey Lescours and Ch. Bellegrave in Pomerol. He offers very little wine for the common Bordeaux marketplace and instead holds stock back until he believes that it is ready to drink.
This wonderfully rich and layered St Émilion is at perfect maturity. The nose shows lots of red and black fruit intertwined with its typical mineral note. The palate is fleshy with more berry fruit and a touch of plum, with subtle spice on the finish. The tannin has really softened with time and now shows a real elegance in the glass. Drink now to 2022.
This wonderfully rich and layered St Émilion is at perfect maturity. The nose shows lots of red and black fruit intertwined with its typical mineral note. The palate is fleshy with more berry fruit and a touch of plum, with subtle spice on the finish. The tannin has really softened with time and now shows a real elegance in the glass. Drink now to 2022.
Chateau Canon,
For laying down,
Simply irresistible. Well, possibly, if the price can be controlled! This is really sumptuous and pure. Hedonistic is not an adjective I have used often this year. Words like “firm” “grip” “structure” “tannic pile-up” are more scattered over the 350 or so wines we tried. This however is the antitheses of words like that. If this can come in at around £600 per case, bite its arm off. Fingers crossed.
(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director)
(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director)
Chateau Ausone,
For laying down,
A very good second wine, this is a product of the château’s young vines. Direct, but nice and fresh, it has appealing notes of cherry, and smoky red fruit. Nice and rewarding, it has a surprising minerality and firm, ripe tannins. It is the volume which stands out here, especially after tasting the flight of the Ch. Ausone wines. An excellent effort.
For laying down,
Ch. Figeac stands out in some style in 2015. We have a soft spot for the wines of this estate and found the wines to be triumphant again this year. Fine, stylish and with generous gravitas, the wine immediately appeals in the glass with a tremendous dark purple colour. Lively, with spice evident on the nose and dancing on the palate, the highlight here is the really super-fine tannins which are just wonderfully integrated.
The finish is tasty, harmonious and refreshing. We loved the tension and underlying power of the wine. There is the coolness shared by the 2015s, but slightly more restrained. It's a wine which makes you happy to taste, drink and enjoy. Really delicious and complete, t is very much Ch. Figeac.
Blend: 29% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc
The finish is tasty, harmonious and refreshing. We loved the tension and underlying power of the wine. There is the coolness shared by the 2015s, but slightly more restrained. It's a wine which makes you happy to taste, drink and enjoy. Really delicious and complete, t is very much Ch. Figeac.
Blend: 29% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc
Chateau Pavie,
For laying down,
Ch. Pavie occupies some of the best terroir in all of Bordeaux. The vineyards sweep up the steep slope and onto the plateau that rises high to the right of you as you enter St Emilion town from the southern plain. Bought in 1998 by Gérard Perse, he gave the property as high a level of attention and passion as he did to amassing a fortune from supermarkets. The wines entered a controversial period when, under the guidance of Michel Rolland, yields were slashed and the wines became super concentrated and super intense. This achieved 100-point scores from Robert Parker and the coveted “Premier Grand Cru Classé (A)” grade, but at the possible expense of the property’s magnificent terroir.
The 2016 vintage has seen a marked shift back to making a wine that is less extracted and which will be aged in less punishingly new oak. The proportion of Merlot has been reduced and the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon raised. The 2016 itself is inky deep in colour and slow to come through on the palate, although the expressions eventually work their way through, revealing plum fruits, enticing notes of spice and gentle hints of leather. The close is dense and tannic, yet the fruit persists and is accessible; promising a wine that is altogether more amenable to some of the supercharged wines of Perse’s earlier years. It will be drinking that bit sooner and it undoubtedly gives more of the vineyard itself. Drink 2024-2040.
The 2016 vintage has seen a marked shift back to making a wine that is less extracted and which will be aged in less punishingly new oak. The proportion of Merlot has been reduced and the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon raised. The 2016 itself is inky deep in colour and slow to come through on the palate, although the expressions eventually work their way through, revealing plum fruits, enticing notes of spice and gentle hints of leather. The close is dense and tannic, yet the fruit persists and is accessible; promising a wine that is altogether more amenable to some of the supercharged wines of Perse’s earlier years. It will be drinking that bit sooner and it undoubtedly gives more of the vineyard itself. Drink 2024-2040.
Chateau Cheval Blanc,
Ready, but will keep,
This is a truly great Cheval Blanc. Just a smidgen below the quality of the 2005 (yes, really) it is a monster of a wine, and utterly complete. Overflowing with dense fruit, huge tannins and balanced acidity it has all the tools to age majestically. The nose is all creamy, rich, intense black fruit while the harmonious palate boasts cool, incredibly concentrated, elegant cassis and plums with an astonishing pure, complex finish that we could still taste 10 minutes after leaving the chteau. Without a shadow of doubt, the wine of the vintage.
For laying down,
The 2013 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) offers impressive intensity given the growing season with crisp and pure dark cherries, raspberry coulis and subtle earthy bordering upon loamy scents. The oak here is nicely enmeshed and attests some clever winemaking in this challenging season. The palate is well balanced with a little chewiness on the entry. There is admirable weight here, even if I discerned more finesse and precision on the 2013 Pavie-Macquin. Still, this constitutes a sterling effort and it should give 10 to 15 years of pleasure, possibly longer.
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate #227, Oct 2016
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate #227, Oct 2016
For laying down,
All the 2015 wines from Ch. Ausone wowed us and Moulin Saint-Georges is often a leading contender in our category for great-value wine for the table in five years from the vintage, this year was no different. Concentrated fruit is blended superbly with tasty tannins and a deep, blackberry finish. It is a crowd-pleasing wine. Rewarding. It demonstrates all that is good about St Emilion.
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Chateau Angelus,
For laying down,
There is a beguiling freshness and lift to this wine, a result of the high proportion of Cabernet Franc in the blend. This perfectly interweaves with the Merlot, which is ripe, fresh and lush.
Precise dark fruits, rich, juicy blackcurrants and blackberries combine with a healthy dollop of cream. Very tasty. The spiciness on the finish is incredibly well received. With a crunchy mouth-feel, the wine’s concentration is certainly attractive.
Blend: 62% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc
Precise dark fruits, rich, juicy blackcurrants and blackberries combine with a healthy dollop of cream. Very tasty. The spiciness on the finish is incredibly well received. With a crunchy mouth-feel, the wine’s concentration is certainly attractive.
Blend: 62% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc
For laying down,
This is an engaging treat of plums, damson, cherry, blackcurrant and blackberries, all rounded off by lovely creamy notes. The wine shows a bright, deep ruby colour and a perfumed nose of ripe, red fruit as well as a hint of spice from oak-ageing. The palate is well balanced, with brambly fruit shining through.
For laying down,
In recent years this fine estate has performed extremely well and 2015 is no exception. The wine has a great balance of ripe raspberry fruit and soft-grained tannins. It is simply delicious and will be a joy to drink two to three years after the vintage and 10 years thereafter. It shows a silky, seductive nose, with a core of redcurrant fruit. It is certainly one of the more successful wines from St Emilion this year.
Clos Fourtet,
For laying down,
The nose here is so seductive. With high-toned notes of violets, autumn leaves and a gorgeous toasty mocha edge, the seduction continues on the palate with sweet fleshy Merlot fruit coated by fine tannins and toasty, spicy notes from the oak. There is a freshness, energy and overall balance that really impresses.
Chateau Larcis Ducasse,
For laying down,
I loved the blueberry and violet aromatics of this wine and the subtle smoky notes that prevail on the nose. It is also very finely poised on the palate with a wonderful freshness showing the hallmarks of the vintage. This offers an excellent introduction to the fine estate. A wine to savour and enjoy.
Chateau Cheval Blanc,
For laying down,
Cheval Blanc has a really pleasing velvety texture in 2015. It is a stylish wine as usual, with power, elegance and a lovely mouth-watering freshness. There is a seductive richness in 2015 along with concentrated raspberry, blackberry and plum fruit. Soft, beguiling and pure, it is a very pleasant glass of wine.
Elegant and silky. There is nice crunchy fruit and green pepper, with tobacco leaf on the finish. Power emerges on the mid-palate, but is quite well hidden behind the fruit and layers of spicy flavour.
Blend: 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc
Elegant and silky. There is nice crunchy fruit and green pepper, with tobacco leaf on the finish. Power emerges on the mid-palate, but is quite well hidden behind the fruit and layers of spicy flavour.
Blend: 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc
Ready, but will keep,
"Made from a vineyard situated near Angelus and Beau-Sejour-Becot, this 600-case blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc is fashioned from low yields and is put through a pre-fermentation cold maceration. The rich, pure, concentrated, opaque purple-colored 2000 displays all the hallmarks of this great vintage - power, intensity, depth, ripeness, and moderately high tannin. Dense and impressive. Drink now to 2015" 92/100 points- Robert Parker- Wine Advocate (Feb 02)
Chateau Ausone,
For laying down,
Ch. Ausone is the cherry on the cake of the St Emillion in every sense of the word. Its tiny production (only 1500 cases a year) and wonderful quality makes it one of the most sought-after wines in the world, while its hilltop location looks out over the appelation like a lord surveying all he purveys. Made from 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot this has a real 'wow' factor again in 2006. It has an amazing nose of blackberry, smoke, pepper and roses followed by a complex, lush, mouthfilling creamy palate with vigorous tannins and layer upon layer of flavour and richness. This epic wine is one of the very best in Bordeaux.
Chateau Angelus,
For laying down,
Having finally achieved his ambition last year to raise Ch. Angélus to the Premier Grand Cru Classé “A” status – St Emilion’s equivalent of becoming a First Growth – Hubert de Boüard was determined to produce a wine worthy of the elevation. As he put it: “We’re a first growth now, so we have to produce a wine that will rank alongside the other great wines of Bordeaux”. He’s succeeded. In a strange way the vintage, so problematic for many, may have helped him, but he still required nerve to rely on the quality of fruit coming from his vineyard and resist over extraction. He allowed the Cabernet Franc to play its usual part in the final blend, discarding the small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon altogether, but not falling back too heavilly, as so many did on the Right Bank, on the riper Merlots. This is the most subtle Angélus I can remember, very concentrated, powerful and rich, but with a purity of fruit that helps it to shine out.
Simon Berry, Chairman
Simon Berry, Chairman
Chateau Ausone,
For laying down,
With 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot, this is a rigorous wine, precise, compelling and striking. As with Chapelle d’Ausone, the quality and ripeness of the Cabernet Franc was complete, but the late summer rains compromised the concentration expected of a great year. It is the politesse, however, which marks this wine out. A remarkable seam of freshness invigorates the wine, more so than in 2011 and one is left with a sensation of an almost Thatcher-esque dressing-down; perhaps uncomfortable in parts, but also poised, composed and certainly thorough and, depending on your expectations, almost certainly good for you in the long run. There is no immediate gratification here, but a class act for the medium to long term.
Mark Pardoe MW, Wine Buying Director
Mark Pardoe MW, Wine Buying Director
Max Lalondrelle, Wine Buyer