2018 Clos de Sarpe Bordeaux Red

2018 Clos de Sarpe

96 JS

Featured Review

Dark cherries, graphite, bay leaves and black tea leaves on the nose. It’s full-bodied and savory with a fleshy texture. Balanced and refined. Wonderful center palate of dark fruit. Elegant tannin structure with a long, flavorful finish and palpable freshness. Try after 2025. James Suckling

James Suckling | 96 JS

The inky colored 2018 Château Clos de Sarpe is a beauty and shows the incredible quality of this vintage. Coming from a tiny vineyard (3.7 hectares) and a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc again in 70% new barrels, it offers a thrilling bouquet of blue fruits, kirsch, violets, iron, and earth. With medium to full body, building tannins, remarkable purity, and flawless balance, it’s going to benefit from just short-term cellaring and cruise for two decades or more. Tasted twice.

Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JD

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Clos de Sarpe comes strutting out of the glass with flamboyant Black Forest cake, blackberry pie and warm plums notes with touches of Chinese five spice, dried roses and licorice plus a hint of crushed rocks. Full-bodied, super rich and decadently fruited in the mouth, the structure of super ripe, plush tannins and bold freshness skillfully supports the voluptuous fruit, and it finishes with epic length. With alcohol running at around 15%, this is one for the hedonists! The tentative blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc with aging anticipated to be for 12 months in oak barriques, 70% new.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP

The 2018 Clos de Sarpe is endowed with a pure, very intense but delineated bouquet with dark cherries, boysenberry and raspberry coulis aromas that are nicely enmeshed with the new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very good acidity, harmonious and cohesive with a silky smooth finish laced with blood orange. It’s the best Clos de Sarpe that I have tasted at this stage - much more restrained, yet ravishingly ripe, with more terroir expression. This bijou estate has been threatening to make a Saint-Émilion as good as this...now it has.

Vinous Media | 93-95 VM

Owned by the Beyney family, this is heady and rich on the nose, with firm plump berry fruits, liquorice and some grilled oak notes on the finish. Extremely concentrated overall; needs a little more breathing room. 70% new oak, 3.3pH. A yield of 18hl/ha. Michel Rolland is consultant. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.

Decanter | 91 DEC

Type of Wine	Bordeaux Red : Picture in your mind a combination of cedar, lead pencil, blackcurrant, plum and mineral aromatics, and texture that caresses your palate like a playful lover. The experience is thrilling from the first whiff to the final seconds of a tannic, generous finish - that is what you'll get from a Bordeaux Red
Varietal	Bordeaux Blend
Country	France : Wine is the lifeblood that courses through the country of France, pulsing with vigorous pride and determination. Viticulture is not just a hobby or an occupation in France; it is a passion, a cherished tradition that has been passed down through generations of wine stained hands. Winemaking is a beloved art that has been ingrained in the culture, an aptitude instilled in sons by fathers and the hallmark for which France’s reputation was built, allowing it to be renowned as, arguably, the most important wine producing country in the world. For centuries, France has been producing wines of superior quality and in much greater quantity than any other country in the world. It boasts some of the most impressive wine regions, coveted vineyards and prestigious wines on earth. The regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Sauternes and Champagne have become the benchmark, for which others aspire to become. Legendary producers such as Chateaux Margaux, Domaine De La Romanee Conti, Chapoutier, d’Yquem and Dom Perignon are idolized world-wide. France has stamped its name on nearly every style of wine, from the nectar-like sweet Sauternes to hedonistic Chateauneuf Du Papes classic Bordeaux and Burgundy, to its sparkling dominance in Champagne. Many of the most infamous grape varietals in the world, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay originated in France and are not only beloved, but utilized in the creation of some of the greatest wines on earth. French wine production commands the attention of the wine market year after year. With over 860,000 hectares under vine, and numbers close to 50 million hectoliters of wine produced annually, France dominates the market and sets the standard for not only product quality, but also quantity. France’s many contributions to the world of wine have been absolutely indispensable. The country is the originator of the term “Premier Cru,” coined the term Terroir (a French term so complex there is no literal translation) and has laid the blueprint for a structured appellation system, which others have implemented in their own countries. French vineyard techniques and winemaking practices are mimicked world-wide. California vintners have been replicating Rhone style wines for decades, South America has adopted the French varietal of Malbec and countries around the world are imitating Burgundian styled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With vast diversity in terroir, France is home to some of the most hospitable winegrowing locations on earth. The combination of topography, geology, climate, rainfall and even the amount of sunlight combined with the long historical tradition of winegrowing and making, has allowed the vintners of France to not only hone their skills, but learn from nature to create a product that like the world in which it resides… is very much alive.