2016 Saint-Emilion Grands Crus Classé
Metropolitan Pavilion NYC
Tasted Monday, November 4, 2019 by Rob Hansult with 33 views
Introduction
For me the 2016 vintage represents more than a little bit of a sea change in the production of top quality Bordeaux, often adding a gorgeous freshness to many of the wines.
(semi)surprised that top '16 for me was the Grand Corbin-Despagne (by a nose), & not a wine from the limestone plateau/slope ...
... And that one of the '15's ('15 Fonplegade) was my top wine of the day (again, by a nose).
Flight 1 - 2016 St Emilion (23 Notes)
Many of the better 2016 St Emilion's shown, with their '15 often thrown in for good luck.
Closing
Eye opening walkaround. Love the direction of some of the top wines, which has mostly continued with '18, '19, '20 & '22. Cheers!
2016 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color/slightly less deep than the '15
Nose > Rich, ripe red fruit, licorice & new oak. Great freshness & minerality.
Palate > Borders on huge; absolutely Stuffed with fresh, ripe, rich, sappy red fruit. Med+ intensity.
Great balance, acidity, structure.
Impressive, & best (by a nose) '16 red at Grand Cru Classes St Emilion, & surprisingly (to me) beat out all the
Ch. on the limestone plateau.
Just beats out their also impressive '15.
14% ABV, 38 hl/hc (2.4 T/A)
75% Merlot / 24% Cab Franc / 1% Cab Sauvignon
(94+)
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2015 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Big color.
Nose > Big rich fruit. Cassis, mulberry, licorice.
Palate > Very big rich wine. Lovely deep, spicy dark, ripe, luscious fruit. Ripe, rich, grippy tannins.
Nice new oak, balanced by fruit, richness, tannins. Med+ intensity. Impressive.
14% ABV
38 hl/hc (2.4 tons/acre)
75% Merlot, 24% Cab Franc, 1% Cab Sauvignon
(93+)
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2016 Château Ripeau 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Big color.
Big, fat, ripe, rich. Mostly black fruit. Big ripe tannins, & good acidity.
Great balance. Med/med+ intensity.
14.5% ABV
35 hl/hc (2.2 tons/acre)
90% Merlot, 10% CF
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2016 Château La Tour Figeac 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color (deeper than Ripeau)
Big palate. Nice spicy fruit, some notes bordering on herbaceous, but rich. Excellent acidity.
Tannins both supple & firm. Med+ intensity.
14.5% ABV
38 hl/hc (2.4 tons/acre)
70% Merlot, 30% CF
(91+)
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2015 Château La Tour Figeac 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Big color.
Rich nose (richer than the '16). Big (bigger than the '16), rich, earthy, with lots of spice; slightly herbal.
Med+ intensity, just a little shy of the '16. Labeled same ABV as '16, but shows more heat (or is actually higher ABV).
14.5% ABV
40 hl/hc (2.5 tons/acre)
70% Merlot, 30% CF
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2016 Château Jean-Faure Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color
Big fruit on nose. Ripe Cab Franc, blueberry dominating.
Full, round, very pretty, supple fruit.
Big, rich, ripe, grippy tannins.
14% ABV
32 hl/hc (2 tons/acre)
50% CF, 45% Merlot, 5% Malbec
(92+)
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2014 Château Jean-Faure Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color
A little VA, & surface yeast up front. Some good fruit behind keeps these flaws in the background (for now, anyway), along with med/light, elegant tannins.
13.5% ABV
28 hl/hc (1.75 tons/acre)
50% CF, 45% Merlot, 5% Malbec
(87+)
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2016 Château Grand-Pontet 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Very deep color.
Nose > Rich black, purple & magenta fruit, licorice & a touch of caraway seed.
Palate > Stuffed with big, beautiful, sappy, rich, fat, spicy, dark fruit. Great balance, good acidity.
Med intensity. Impressive.
14% ABV
48 hl/hc (3 tons/acre)
80% Merlot, 13% Cab Franc, 7% Cab Sauvignon
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2009 Château Grand-Pontet 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Nose > Rich, fat ripe, fruit. Red, black & purple berries with licorice, a touch of Brett, & hint of Ethyl Acetate.
Palate > Rich & ripe. Red, black & purple berry fruit & licorice following through on palate.
Big, rich, ripe & grippy tannins.
15% ABV
40 hl/hc (2.5 tons/acre)
70% Merlot, 15% Cab Franc, 15% Cab Sauvignon
(89+)
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2016 Château Grand Corbin 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color.
Nose > Fat, rich purple, red fruit, licorice & marshmallow (oak). Round & ripe.
Palate > Very, very rich blue, black & purple fruit. Smooth, creamy & ripe. Good, full, round, ripe tannins (very restrained extraction, considering the material; certainly could have extracted even more this vintage). Beautiful, complex, fruity/flowery inner mouth perfume. Excellent balance. Round tannins, some lightly grippy. Med+ intensity. Impressive.
14% ABV
40 hl/hc (2.5 tons/acre)
80% Merlot, 16% Cab Franc, 4% Cab Sauvignon
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2012 Château Grand Corbin 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Excellent color. Med+ depth.
Herbaceous nose, with a nice core of laser focused red fruit.
Nicer on the palate, with a beam of focused red fruit. Tannins slightly drying.
Not quite medium intensity.
14% ABV
37 hl/hc (2.3 tons/acre)
77% Merlot, 18% Cab Franc, 5% Cab Sauvignon
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2016 Château Fonroque 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Very deep color.
Nose > Very rich, deep core of gorgeous, aromatic red fruit. Classic limestone plateau. Touch of herbal spice.
Palate > Rich, ripe, round, sappy, luscious, focused red fruit, with wonderful grip.
Intense inner mouth perfume of rich, exotic red fruit.
Med+ intensity. Very impressive.
14.5% ABV
50 hl/hc (3.1 tons/acre)
90% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc
(93+)
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2014 Château Fonroque 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Med/pale color.
Some interesting complexity & fruit, but mainly herbaceous overall.
Not quite medium intensity.
13.5% ABV
43 hl/hc (2.7 tons/acre)
87% Merlot, 13% Cab Franc
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2016 Château Fonplégade 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Fairly huge color.
Nose > Big red & black fruit. Nice richness, ripeness, freshness & minerality.
Palate > Core stuffed with mineralized, salty red fruit, wrapped with rich, black fruit.
Nice oak. Good balance. Med+ intensity.
Another beauty.
1st of these St Emilion Grand Cru's that the '15 was superior (just barely) to the '16.
14.5% ABV
35 hl/hc (2.2 tons/acre)
95% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc
(94+)
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2015 Château Fonplégade 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color.
Nose > Rich, ripe, intense black & purple fruit nose, with hint of new oak & marshmallow.
Palate > Great richness with good freshness. Stuffed with fat, rich, ripe, sweet black fruit. Some new oak evident.
Rich, smooth, ripe tannins. All of a piece already. Great balance. Excellent intensity. Impressive fruit.
Better than the '16 by a nose.
14.5% ABV
39 hl/hc (2.4 tons/acre)
95% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc
(94+)
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2016 Château de Pressac 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
(93+ Points)
Deep color.
Big, fat, round, ripe, rich & well delineated purple, blue, red & black fruit on nose & palate.
Great balance. Gorgeous fruit.
Ripe tannins. Med+ intensity. Not showing a bit of heat from the 15% ABV.
I'm liking that they are increasing their plantings of Cab Sauvignon, Malbec, & Carmenere.
(They're adding Petit Verdot to the vineyard on South slopes. Not sure when some will make it into the Grand Vin)
For me one of a small handful of these Chateau to watch.
Probably the best QPR of St Emilion Grand Cru's tasted at the Association of Grand Cru Classe of St Emilion tasting.
15% ABV
50 hl/hc (3.1 tons/acre)
72% Merlot, 11% Cab Franc, 10% Cab Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, 2% Carmenere.
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2016 Château Faurie de Souchard 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color.
Nose > Rich red & purple fruit. Decent freshness.
Palate > Rich, ripe red & dark fruit. Good balance. Not quite medium intensity.
Not really enough stuffing for the vintage, but not at all bad, & balanced enough to be an early drinker.
15% ABV
30 hl/hc (1.9 tons/acre)
70% Merlot, 25% Cab Franc, 5% Cab Sauvignon
(89+)
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2016 Château Dassault 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Very deep color.
Nose > Very Merlot, ripe black fruit. Good richness.
Palate > Sappy, ripe black fruit. Med+ intensity. Balance is on the firm, linear side.
15% ABV
33 hl/hc (2.1 tons/acre)
73% Merlot, 22% Cab Franc, 5% Cab Sauvignon.
(90+)
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2016 Clos des Jacobins 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color.
Nose > Rich red fruit, with a thread of pretty, herbal spice & lavender.
Palate > Big, rich, round, ripe, smooth dark fruit. Great balance. Med+ intensity. Some grippy oak/skin tannins.
A fruity beauty.
14% ABV
45 hl/hc (2.8 tons/acre)
80% Merlot, 18% Cab Franc, 2% Cab Sauvignon
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2016 Château Corbin Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color; deeper than the '15.
Nose > Rich, ripe red cherry. Nice freshness. Again, very Merlot, but redder, tighter fruit than the '15.
Palate > Ripe, lean, rich red fruit. Lively. Both ripe & linear. Excellent freshness & balance. Rich, firm tannins. Medium intensity.
14% ABV
48 hl/hc (3 tons/acre)
83% Merlot, 17% Cab Franc
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2015 Château Corbin Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color.
Very Merlot on the nose. Black cherry; rich, ripe, dark fruit.
Palate > Rich, exotic, sappy black fruit. Very Merlot on palate also. Excellent fruit & acidity. Ripe tannins. Excellent balance.
Medium intensity.
14.5% ABV
38 hl/hc (2.4 tons/acre)
83% Merlot, 17% Cab Franc
(91+)
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2016 Château Chauvin 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Deep color.
Nose > Ripe black cherry Merlot, with rich red & purple fruit.
Palate > Gorgeously ripe, rich & sappy. Red, purple & black fruit. Both a very St Emilion/Pomerol & new world fresh ripeness. Perfectly extracted rich, ripe tannins plus a good shot (40%-60%) of new oak. Good freshness & acidity. Great balance. Impressive.
14% ABV
43 hl/hc (2.7 tons/acre)
80% Merlot, 15% Cab Franc, 5% Cab Sauvignon
(92+)
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2016 Château Bellefont-Belcier 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Big, deep color.
Nose > Gorgeous, sappy, fresh, rich, Limestone/mineralized red & purple fruit.
Palate > Sappy, supple, exotic, fresh, fat & rich purple & red fruit. Lovely complex fruit. Ripe tannins.
Not in any way over-extracted; in fact, could certainly have gone further. Not showing any heat.
Good acidity. Excellent balance. Medium intensity. Another winner.
15% ABV
42 hl/hc (2.6 tons/acre)
65% Merlot, 20% Cab Franc, 15% Cab Sauvignon
(92+)
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