3 years later and this wine is so dark and brooding that you might as well lick a cast iron skillet if you want to know the main flavor before the acid and tannin hit you. Dark fruits, black tea, and steel. Running a little hotter this time out - this’ll need a LOT of time.
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Nose has a sweet bouquet of minerality, violets, and sweet plum?
Palate of fig with a drying edge of baking chocolate up front. Velvety tannins with a touch of texture and a touch of grip. Tobacco on the back and a peppery edge of baking spice on the finish. A faintest note of mandarin orange
Sweeter and more floral wine that I personally favor but good.
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Not much nose, but intense, smooth dark fruit on the palate. Full bodied mostly Merlot with Cab Franc and Cab Sauv blended in. Nice Bordeaux at this price point. Seems a little young. I will give it a year before I open the next bottle. It was a bit softer on night 2.
Its young, but this was enjoyable and has all the makings of a really good wine. Soft in a nice way, good intensity and flavors of dark berries, courant, blackberry. Long finish. Fresh, modern, ripe. huge alcohol 15% but managed very well.
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Tasted the 2016 earlier this evening and thought this would be a good time to compare it with the 2018. The 2018 is dark red ruby. Beautiful color. Nearly opaque. Tart cherry in the nose. Layers. More complexity than the 2016. Not a beast. Initially thought this was more lean and narrow. As it is open longer, it develops into a smoother, softer, more complex wine. More enjoyable. My guess is this would appeal to a broader range of people than the 2016. As compared to the 2016, this is more like I have come to expect from Saint Emilion. Complex, balanced, smooth, just fruity enough, soft, smooth tannin. I really like this wine. When you consider the price, this is a bargain.
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Rich, deep and full of flavour. Fruits seem darker now. Lovely drive through the mid palate. Big wine but the alcohol is not so obvious now. Drinking very well.
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Too much alcohol with powerful dark berries. Not much has changed since last bottle july 2021. Will probably need to be stored quite some time to reach next phase.
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What a terrific bottle of wine for the money! I was super impressed. Nose of liquorice, fresh earth, petrichor, cherries, with cedar and pencil lead coming out with time in the decanter. On the palate at first dark red fruits with gentle tannins and, with time, blacker fruits and chocolate. The finish is on tart dark cherries and red fruits. Initially we gave this 1 hour in the decanter, and by hour two this was really singing. Quite pleased with this bottle, especially for the price.
Disregarding the heat which I found quite pronounced at the end I like this wine. Lots of fruit, great mid palate action and a fine chalky finish. The only bummer is the heat at the end. But then again I don't think that you can expect perfection at this price.
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Definitely lighter and less sweet than what I was expecting for a 2018 Merlot. The wine is dense in appearance, yet very light on its feet. The palate is filled with fresh crunchy fruit without any sense of over ripeness, and accented with barrel charr. The middle is a bit disjointed from the sensual front and the grippy long back end and hopefully the two sides will come to meet with with time. I also thought this was a wee bit hot. Im not a buyer on this, and would HOLD what I have.
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Second bottle…tasted blind and immediately got Bordeaux…. That earthy fruited brooding nose was spot on…. Tonight similar to previous note but fruit a tad more prominent… Still all that serious finishing of tar and earth and tannin and chocolate and wonderful fruit… Really good stuff but why oh why am I opening these??…. I have to get the 2019 vintage so I can have more for the cellar…
Color is deepest purple black imaginable.. Nose is plum, raspberry, chocolate…deep and brooding… On the tongue there’s something on the lean side that intrudes on what you think the fruit is going to be…..I think there is chocolate bitter drying fruit ness…… Serious wine…curious to see how it goes…91 but damn this may be way better in a few years
Enjoyed this bottle even more than the previous one. Decanted 4 hrs then tasted over 3 days. Sensuous dark fruits (plum, blackberry etc.) entwined in minerals, smoke, oak spice. Alcohol is rather high but not protruding. A very sensuous, modern style of St Emillion, but still very much Bordeaux, and very seductive. I think in 5-10 years this will be just so tantalizing. Kind of reminds me of Angelus. What would make it even better? A bit more depth, complexity, more concentrated midpalate, but who is complaining; this is flat-out delicious wine! A case purchase for sure.
Very rich and extracted with the commensurate amount of wood one would expect. Quite modern in that sense, but there's some tart fruit and acid that, while stopping short of adding freshness, does help to energize the bulk and keep things moving. Not my style of Bordeaux but for those Napa fans this should prove rewarding with time in cellar.
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Coravin and glass decanted for a few hours. Nose of pencil and framboise. Palate of mouth filling blueberry, blackberry, bitter chocolate, and a kiss of raspberry. Good acidity. A smidge of alcohol peaking out on the finish right before silt-like tannins carry a deceptively long finish (dark fruit and black tea) that just clings onto your nostrils for a good 20+ seconds. Overall a super-solid StE at this young age. The hype is probably overblown (96? really?), but it begs for aging, which I think it could gain a point or two, depending on how prominent the alcohol becomes.
On Day 2: opened up nicely. Savory herb flavors (from Franc?) came alive and added complexity to the finish. Gave it another point. Went back and bought a 3-pack (even though Calvert Woodley upped the price from $40 last week to $50 - dissuaded me from buying a case) and picked up a ‘16 for a future mini-vertical.
Had the day off and decided to open it with a NY Strip for lunch and see how it developed through the day. Holy cow! This is a really good wine! Soft and smooth from the first sip. Opaque, deep red and purple colors, very nice nose. Black fruit comes across the strongest but there is more. I've always loved the lead pencil in the nose and it definitely is here. This was so good immediately after opening that I easily could have finished it off in an hour or two. Fortunately, I didn't and here I am, 9 hours later, and it has gotten better. Very glad to know I have 11 bottles to go!
I must concur other recent tasting notes on this ... this is a lot of very nice wine for the money! What I most appreciate is the strong limestone/mineral aspect to the fruits (plum, dark cherries etc.). The oak treatment has seamlessly melded onto the fruits here as well. The extraction is high but there is a freshness. One gets the impression of mineral and spice dusted dark fruits. This screams right-bank bordeaux to me, not Napa, and it is impeccably put together. It is a big wine though, and so perhaps not for everyone or every context. I can see this improving a bit with a few years of age, but hard to resist now. Some of these "value" St-Emillions these days are really on a roll!
Oh Goodness. A wine like this one does showcase all the substance and style few other regions can achieve with their Bordeaux blend offerings. Only the wine masters in Bordeaux have that magic touch, not found elsewhere. One of my first Bordeaux blends from France and what a wonderful introduction to most certainly a long and intriguing relationship. As for the Sansonnet 2018, a shining star of nuance and complexity even at such a young age. An opening nose of black cherries, dark chocolate, forest floor, warm earth and violets. It only gets better. The mouthfeel is ethereal, light and elegant with a transparent weightless feel. Tannins are roundly spherical with a vibrant acidity providing endless freshness to the experience. Things truly get compelling when an explosion of black fruits and raspberry liqueur provide a generous sendoff leading to a gorgeous and lengthy finish. Salut
Totally agree with the review from MrBuzz. This is a delightful Bordeaux that is surprisingly accessible even now. Enticing, electric red fruit abounds, with good structure, delineation and acidity, light to medium-bodied. Decanted for about an hour, this definitely has a raspberry liqueur profile, which is actually quite reminiscent of the 100 point '15 Cannon in many respects - a bit harder and not as ethereal as that wonder, but the fact that it compares at all at this price is amazing. Glad I've five more of these. This over-delivers for the price.
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Right off the truck...MAN this is a mouthful of GOODNESS! If this was Napa we would be at $200+...gorgeous extracted richness...a color of raspberry syrup...barrel sample inky youth lusciousness...yet there is a silky smoothness to it, not at all too tannic or face melting...it can be drunk right now! Wonderful extracted dried berry fruits...creme de cassis, black cherry, raspberry, plum...NOT sweet or cloying at all with such richness...licorice and graphite powder tame the sweet...as well as a nice integrated use of plush tannin oak barrel, creating a nice polish and spice. Love the exotics of the spices and florals...and it seems to lift and lighten with some air...chocolate covered pomegranate, and menthol give it some tart kick. Subtle tobacco and leather add to the primal complexity...modern, yes...but completely regal. Of course we aren't seeing the whole package yet until we get some of the baby fat worked off with age...but boy o boy this is tasty bottle of wine right now...and the QPR makes it just about free! WOW! 85% Merlot, 8% CF, 7% CS.
ABV: 15% // 14.5 Coulour: Darker Cherry // Dark Cherry Acid: Medium + // Medium++ Tannins: Medium+ // Medium++ Body: Medium+++ // Medium+ Length: Full // Full
Sansonnet: Ready to drink now and beyond 2030. Much rounder full bodied but by no means overdone or heavy, there's enough freshness there.. Tannins and acid seem more integrated having more fruit weight.. Alcohol also well balanced being so high.. Cherry, Cassis, Plum just ripe Blackberry, mint.. Coconut, chocolate, cigar and nice subtle violet.. 91
Laroque: Let this sit a few more years, Firmer perceived Tannins and slightly edgy acid.. I like the mouth feel of this better, more mouth wetting.. The alcohol was noticeable which detracted for me quite a bit.. Mulberry, Blackberry, red currant, raspberry.. Ash tobacco, fennel, suede and violet.. 90
The showy nose, with its licorice, smoke, flowers and wild cherries gets your attention. Dark, almost opaque in color, the wine is opulent, lush and velvety. Full-bodied, ripe, rich and with density, length and purity, this is just great. And it is still priced quite fairly too! The wine blends 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc.
What a beauty! The wine is round, fleshy, supple and loaded with licorice, dark red fruits and silky tannins. The finish tastes and feels great with seemingly countless layers of sweet, juicy, black and blue fruits. The wine blends 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. 94-96 Pts
4/7/2024 - BadOyster wrote: 92 Points
3 years later and this wine is so dark and brooding that you might as well lick a cast iron skillet if you want to know the main flavor before the acid and tannin hit you. Dark fruits, black tea, and steel. Running a little hotter this time out - this’ll need a LOT of time.
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3/29/2024 - Jfsiegel wrote: 91 Points
Nose has a sweet bouquet of minerality, violets, and sweet plum?
Palate of fig with a drying edge of baking chocolate up front. Velvety tannins with a touch of texture and a touch of grip. Tobacco on the back and a peppery edge of baking spice on the finish. A faintest note of mandarin orange
Sweeter and more floral wine that I personally favor but good.
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12/24/2023 - VDLT Wine wrote:
I was done by the time this was opened. It seemed very good but not nearly ready.
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12/21/2023 - ThistleB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not much nose, but intense, smooth dark fruit on the palate. Full bodied mostly Merlot with Cab Franc and Cab Sauv blended in. Nice Bordeaux at this price point. Seems a little young. I will give it a year before I open the next bottle.
It was a bit softer on night 2.
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5/21/2023 - Mondarin wrote: 91 Points
Its young, but this was enjoyable and has all the makings of a really good wine. Soft in a nice way, good intensity and flavors of dark berries, courant, blackberry. Long finish. Fresh, modern, ripe. huge alcohol 15% but managed very well.
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4/17/2023 - Cincinnatus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted the 2016 earlier this evening and thought this would be a good time to compare it with the 2018. The 2018 is dark red ruby. Beautiful color. Nearly opaque. Tart cherry in the nose. Layers. More complexity than the 2016. Not a beast. Initially thought this was more lean and narrow. As it is open longer, it develops into a smoother, softer, more complex wine. More enjoyable. My guess is this would appeal to a broader range of people than the 2016. As compared to the 2016, this is more like I have come to expect from Saint Emilion. Complex, balanced, smooth, just fruity enough, soft, smooth tannin. I really like this wine. When you consider the price, this is a bargain.
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3/31/2023 - Piffpaff wrote: 89 Points
This wine is completely overoaked..sorry.
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12/24/2022 - Pete Moss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich, deep and full of flavour. Fruits seem darker now. Lovely drive through the mid palate. Big wine but the alcohol is not so obvious now. Drinking very well.
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10/30/2022 - Peraix wrote: 90 Points
Too much alcohol with powerful dark berries. Not much has changed since last bottle july 2021. Will probably need to be stored quite some time to reach next phase.
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8/18/2022 - anthroman Likes this wine: 94 Points
What a terrific bottle of wine for the money! I was super impressed. Nose of liquorice, fresh earth, petrichor, cherries, with cedar and pencil lead coming out with time in the decanter. On the palate at first dark red fruits with gentle tannins and, with time, blacker fruits and chocolate. The finish is on tart dark cherries and red fruits. Initially we gave this 1 hour in the decanter, and by hour two this was really singing. Quite pleased with this bottle, especially for the price.
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8/13/2022 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow -- this one surprised us -- a huge value; graphite; dark fruit; good tannins. We're buying more
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6/15/2022 - Pete Moss wrote: 92 Points
Disregarding the heat which I found quite pronounced at the end I like this wine. Lots of fruit, great mid palate action and a fine chalky finish. The only bummer is the heat at the end. But then again I don't think that you can expect perfection at this price.
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5/21/2022 - Purple Tooth wrote: 91 Points
Definitely lighter and less sweet than what I was expecting for a 2018 Merlot. The wine is dense in appearance, yet very light on its feet. The palate is filled with fresh crunchy fruit without any sense of over ripeness, and accented with barrel charr. The middle is a bit disjointed from the sensual front and the grippy long back end and hopefully the two sides will come to meet with with time. I also thought this was a wee bit hot. Im not a buyer on this, and would HOLD what I have.
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5/16/2022 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Second bottle…tasted blind and immediately got Bordeaux….
That earthy fruited brooding nose was spot on….
Tonight similar to previous note but fruit a tad more prominent…
Still all that serious finishing of tar and earth and tannin and chocolate and wonderful fruit…
Really good stuff but why oh why am I opening these??….
I have to get the 2019 vintage so I can have more for the cellar…
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3/12/2022 - KJD45$ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Color is deepest purple black imaginable..
Nose is plum, raspberry, chocolate…deep and brooding…
On the tongue there’s something on the lean side that intrudes on what you think the fruit is going to be…..I think there is chocolate bitter drying fruit ness……
Serious wine…curious to see how it goes…91 but damn this may be way better in a few years
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3/5/2022 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine: 93 Points
delish. gets better every vintage.
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3/4/2022 - Everything Ahead wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyed this bottle even more than the previous one. Decanted 4 hrs then tasted over 3 days. Sensuous dark fruits (plum, blackberry etc.) entwined in minerals, smoke, oak spice. Alcohol is rather high but not protruding. A very sensuous, modern style of St Emillion, but still very much Bordeaux, and very seductive. I think in 5-10 years this will be just so tantalizing. Kind of reminds me of Angelus. What would make it even better? A bit more depth, complexity, more concentrated midpalate, but who is complaining; this is flat-out delicious wine! A case purchase for sure.
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2/6/2022 - _Xenon wrote: 90 Points
Round, full bodied but reduced nose. Ok for a steak but not a wine I would buy again.
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12/28/2021 - Redguy wrote:
Very rich and extracted with the commensurate amount of wood one would expect. Quite modern in that sense, but there's some tart fruit and acid that, while stopping short of adding freshness, does help to energize the bulk and keep things moving. Not my style of Bordeaux but for those Napa fans this should prove rewarding with time in cellar.
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12/23/2021 - BadOyster wrote: 94 Points
Coravin and glass decanted for a few hours. Nose of pencil and framboise. Palate of mouth filling blueberry, blackberry, bitter chocolate, and a kiss of raspberry. Good acidity. A smidge of alcohol peaking out on the finish right before silt-like tannins carry a deceptively long finish (dark fruit and black tea) that just clings onto your nostrils for a good 20+ seconds. Overall a super-solid StE at this young age. The hype is probably overblown (96? really?), but it begs for aging, which I think it could gain a point or two, depending on how prominent the alcohol becomes.
On Day 2: opened up nicely. Savory herb flavors (from Franc?) came alive and added complexity to the finish. Gave it another point. Went back and bought a 3-pack (even though Calvert Woodley upped the price from $40 last week to $50 - dissuaded me from buying a case) and picked up a ‘16 for a future mini-vertical.
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12/2/2021 - Cincinnatus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had the day off and decided to open it with a NY Strip for lunch and see how it developed through the day. Holy cow! This is a really good wine! Soft and smooth from the first sip. Opaque, deep red and purple colors, very nice nose. Black fruit comes across the strongest but there is more. I've always loved the lead pencil in the nose and it definitely is here. This was so good immediately after opening that I easily could have finished it off in an hour or two. Fortunately, I didn't and here I am, 9 hours later, and it has gotten better. Very glad to know I have 11 bottles to go!
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12/2/2021 - Everything Ahead wrote: 92 Points
I must concur other recent tasting notes on this ... this is a lot of very nice wine for the money! What I most appreciate is the strong limestone/mineral aspect to the fruits (plum, dark cherries etc.). The oak treatment has seamlessly melded onto the fruits here as well. The extraction is high but there is a freshness. One gets the impression of mineral and spice dusted dark fruits. This screams right-bank bordeaux to me, not Napa, and it is impeccably put together. It is a big wine though, and so perhaps not for everyone or every context. I can see this improving a bit with a few years of age, but hard to resist now. Some of these "value" St-Emillions these days are really on a roll!
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11/21/2021 - Xer90 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Oh Goodness. A wine like this one does showcase all the substance and style few other regions can achieve with their Bordeaux blend offerings. Only the wine masters in Bordeaux have that magic touch, not found elsewhere.
One of my first Bordeaux blends from France and what a wonderful introduction to most certainly a long and intriguing relationship.
As for the Sansonnet 2018, a shining star of nuance and complexity even at such a young age. An opening nose of black cherries, dark chocolate, forest floor, warm earth and violets. It only gets better. The mouthfeel is ethereal, light and elegant with a transparent weightless feel. Tannins are roundly spherical with a vibrant acidity providing endless freshness to the experience. Things truly get compelling when an explosion of black fruits and raspberry liqueur provide a generous sendoff leading to a gorgeous and lengthy finish.
Salut
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11/21/2021 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
Totally agree with the review from MrBuzz. This is a delightful Bordeaux that is surprisingly accessible even now. Enticing, electric red fruit abounds, with good structure, delineation and acidity, light to medium-bodied. Decanted for about an hour, this definitely has a raspberry liqueur profile, which is actually quite reminiscent of the 100 point '15 Cannon in many respects - a bit harder and not as ethereal as that wonder, but the fact that it compares at all at this price is amazing. Glad I've five more of these. This over-delivers for the price.
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11/4/2021 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Right off the truck...MAN this is a mouthful of GOODNESS! If this was Napa we would be at $200+...gorgeous extracted richness...a color of raspberry syrup...barrel sample inky youth lusciousness...yet there is a silky smoothness to it, not at all too tannic or face melting...it can be drunk right now! Wonderful extracted dried berry fruits...creme de cassis, black cherry, raspberry, plum...NOT sweet or cloying at all with such richness...licorice and graphite powder tame the sweet...as well as a nice integrated use of plush tannin oak barrel, creating a nice polish and spice. Love the exotics of the spices and florals...and it seems to lift and lighten with some air...chocolate covered pomegranate, and menthol give it some tart kick. Subtle tobacco and leather add to the primal complexity...modern, yes...but completely regal. Of course we aren't seeing the whole package yet until we get some of the baby fat worked off with age...but boy o boy this is tasty bottle of wine right now...and the QPR makes it just about free! WOW! 85% Merlot, 8% CF, 7% CS.
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9/26/2021 - Parko82 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank side by side with Laroque over 3 Days
Sansonnet // Laroque
ABV: 15% // 14.5
Coulour: Darker Cherry // Dark Cherry
Acid: Medium + // Medium++
Tannins: Medium+ // Medium++
Body: Medium+++ // Medium+
Length: Full // Full
Sansonnet: Ready to drink now and beyond 2030. Much rounder full bodied but by no means overdone or heavy, there's enough freshness there.. Tannins and acid seem more integrated having more fruit weight.. Alcohol also well balanced being so high.. Cherry, Cassis, Plum just ripe Blackberry, mint.. Coconut, chocolate, cigar and nice subtle violet.. 91
Laroque: Let this sit a few more years, Firmer perceived Tannins and slightly edgy acid.. I like the mouth feel of this better, more mouth wetting.. The alcohol was noticeable which detracted for me quite a bit.. Mulberry, Blackberry, red currant, raspberry.. Ash tobacco, fennel, suede and violet.. 90
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9/8/2021 - beatles wrote: 90 Points
well balanced, quite rich fruit, good acidity, herbal finish.
#LaDauphine
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9/5/2021 - OwenB Likes this wine:
Great value. Deep, concentrated fruit but also an earthy, slightly herbal finish.
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6/18/2021 - TheisM Likes this wine: 90 Points
Appearence: Deep ruby
Nose: Medium intensity. Cherry, plum, smoke, cedar, anis
Palate: Dry. High acidity. Medium tannin. Medium alcohol. Medium body. Medium intensity. Vanilla, cloves, spice, liquorice, cedar. Medium finish
Conclusion: Very good quality
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3/9/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
The showy nose, with its licorice, smoke, flowers and wild cherries gets your attention. Dark, almost opaque in color, the wine is opulent, lush and velvety. Full-bodied, ripe, rich and with density, length and purity, this is just great. And it is still priced quite fairly too! The wine blends 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc.
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4/19/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
What a beauty! The wine is round, fleshy, supple and loaded with licorice, dark red fruits and silky tannins. The finish tastes and feels great with seemingly countless layers of sweet, juicy, black and blue fruits. The wine blends 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. 94-96 Pts
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