Château La Conseillante 2016

Immensely seductive aromatics, with a dense, full-bodied structure, polished tannins, and a long, distinctly fiery finish. Excellent, though somewhat on the powerful side for the wine’s style, as already noted en primeur.

Features a terrific core of dense and winey cassis, blackberry and plum reduction notes that will need time to unfurl, during which time the flickers of alder, tobacco and black tea lurking throughout should emerge further. Shows a solid graphite element through the finish. Best from 2022 through 2038. 3,333 cases made.

Beautifully perfumed and rich, this wine comes from the eastern edge of the great plateau of Pomerol. It shows the density and concentration of impressive Merlot. Offering powerful fruits as much as tannins, the wine also has a mineral edge plus fresh acidity to give it a lift. Drink from 2024.

I love the depth and character to the fruits on this wine. Still extremely young, in a closed phase with plenty of tannic grip, but there are layers upon layers of blueberry, cassis, raspberry, mint, saffron, slate and liquorice. Clear acidity also, ensuring this succulent, juicy character to the fruits. A brilliant example of an excellent vintage in Pomerol. 70% new oak. A yield of 39.5hl/ha.

Aromas of ripe fruit, tobacco, cigar box and herbs. The palate shows concentration, with dark fruit complemented by plush, expansive tannins. Medium- to full-bodied yet poised and elegant. Drinkable now, but still needs time. Drink or hold. 10 Years On retrospective.

The 2016 La Conseillante is a little more reticent on the nose: touches of iron piping infuse the black fruit, though this is well defined and, with aeration, conveys a sense of minéralité. The palate is medium-bodied, with pliant tannins. Very focused, it builds gently in the mouth towards a grippy finish, yet there is still finesse here. Whilst it is just about drinking now, it has the freshness and substance to repay cellaring. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.

Spell-binding in every sense of the word, you know this wine is a future legend from the initial sniff of its delicate floral, truffle, dark cherry and cocoa infused perfume. Silk and velvet-textured, ripe, sweet, fresh fruits with a beautiful sense of purity hit you next. The finish keeps all its themes going. This is an incredibly sexy bottle of wine that belongs in every Pomerol fans cellars. Give it perhaps 12 years of sleep and it should start revealing its true potential at that point.

Deep dark ruby, opaque at the core with purple reflections and a pale rim. Delicately floral with black berry jam aromas, Parma Violets, ripe cherries, pleasant classy oak spice and with hints of nougat in the background. Complex on the palate, round and ripe with an elegant texture, fine tannins, firmly structured, a hint of chocolate and dried plums on the finish.

Perfumed and seductive nose of ripe red fruit with floral hints, fine spices, discreet oak and tobacco, followed by a dense and powerful yet silky and supple palate, with layers of crushed raspberry, blackberry and dry spices, and a long vigorous finish—glossy, polished and very persistent.

Bottled in June of 2018, the 2016 Château La Conseillante is a beautifully seamless yet powerful version of this cuvée that has the hallmark fragrance and elegance of the estate front and center. Complex blackberries, cassis, flowers, incense, forest floor, and floral notes all soar from this full-bodied, pure, and polished Pomerol that has an undeniable class as well as wonderful purity of fruit, perfect integration of its tannins and acidity, and a blockbuster finish. It's an incredibly complete wine that flirts with perfection and will keep for 30-40 years. The blend is 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, aged in 70% new French oak, with the balance in once-used barrels. There are less than 4,000 cases made, but this is a wine you want in your cellar.

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 39.5 hl/ha, 70% new barriques, 14% vol. Purple-garnet color with a violet rim. A complex, blueberry-driven bouquet with blackberry blossom and violet, followed by toasted notes and blueberry jelly. Full-bodied, powerful palate with plenty of suppleness, supportive tannins and a creamy, silky texture. Then the wine bursts forth thanks to its fine breeding, finishing on an endlessly long finale with seductive blackcurrant and sour cherry juice – formidable!

Kunz Fassprobe 17: (80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 39.5 hl/ha, 14% vol. alcohol) A fresh, silky, elegant, fragrant bouquet: blueberries, strawberries, fresh herbs, pralines, and a delicate mocha note. Velvety, dense palate with an elegant, finely creamy texture, powerful, sweet, multifaceted aromatics, fine tannins, bold fruit, and a very long, refined finish with lots of lingering flavour. Can still improve. (18/20). 17 in autumn, René Gabriel: Deep violet with purple highlights in the core. A wonderfully expansive bouquet of blackcurrant and blackberry, underpinned by dark malt and almost buttery caramel. On the second nose it shows profound spice with herbal contours coming from the small Cabernet Franc portion. On the palate it starts with a powerful attack, then becomes softer and more charming. The well-supporting acidity shows a peppery edge and gives the wine drive in its rich extract, while simultaneously demonstrating impressive ageing potential. The finish is very forceful and carries plenty of black-berry definition. A great, serious, long-lived La Conseillante! (19/20)

(80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 39.5 hl/ha, 14% vol. alcohol) Fresh, silky, elegant, fragrant bouquet: blueberries, strawberries, fresh herbs, pralines, a fine mocha note. Velvety, dense palate with an elegant, subtly creamy structure, powerful, sweet and complex aromatics, fine tannins, pronounced fruit and a very long, refined finish with many lingering echoes. Can still improve. 18/20 2023 - 2042

Creamy blackberry, smoked caramel, luscious tannins that are still firm but more yielding than in the St Emilion limestone wines as a whole. Love the smoky cocoa bean and campfire quality, laced with crushed roses, raspberry puree, crayon and incense. Ready to go but with decades ahead, and a mouthwatering finish that stretches things out. Marie Cazoux had arrived as director and winemaker at this lovely Pomerol estate in 2015, making this her second vintage.

Made from 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 La Conseillante is deep garnet-purple colored. It needs just a little swirling to unlock notes of wild blueberries, black raspberries, and ripe, juicy plums, plus suggestions of clove oil, rosehip tea, and tar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the taut, muscular fruit, finishing with great energy and poise.

Great textural refinement, a highly floral aromatic intensity, a fine, slender structure—everything is in place for this vintage to enter legend.

The expression stands out for its breadth and freshness; with hints of rice powder, the aromatic personality is already captivating. Very complete, the palate shows harmony, purity and a distinctive elegance all its own, bringing La Conseillante closer to Cheval Blanc than to its nearest Pomerol neighbors.

Nose of very delicate red fruits, precious wood, floral notes, violet, graphite. Very fine tannins, aristocratic, juicy, taut—what a magnificent success.

I’ve been fortunate to taste La Conseillante 2016 regularly, whether en Primeur, during its élevage and just before bottling. Today I’m tasting once again this wine that captivated me from our very first encounter. From that first meeting, I already had an idea of the score I might give it once bottled, but I didn’t want to rush anything. Besides, on the one hand I had absolutely no control over it, and on the other hand we lack a fundamental notion during en Primeur tastings (élevage, in this case), so it was difficult for me to let my imagination run so far as to predict more than what the wine is capable of. So I wisely chose to follow its journey. La Conseillante 2016 is absolutely exceptional and ranks among the greatest successes of the Right Bank. Quite simply, it stands alongside the most prestigious growths of the appellation—and indeed, it is one of them… Deep garnet color with violet highlights. The bouquet of La Conseillante 2016 is of rare precision and fascinating finesse; it is almost everything I look for in a wine: emotion, pleasure, finesse, and an exceptional ability to offer a multitude of aromas. I pick up chalky notes, graphite, blackcurrant and violets. The attack on the palate lives up to the bouquet: it is refined, broad, powerful, filigreed; paradoxical and authentic. The body of this wine does not shine through sheer power—though it certainly has it—but through its finesse, its ability to combine pedigree, energy and aromatic finesse. These elements stand up to the power, which has the great merit of staying in the background and letting them speak. The tasting expression is brilliant, thanks to a structure that highlights all its related characteristics. If I compare La Conseillante with the four other 2016 wines to which I gave the highest score—Ausone, Canon, Cheval-Blanc and Lafleur—I would say it is the one that stands out the least for power and the most for subtlety. Its tannins are imposing and perfectly integrated, its structure is vibrant, juicy and distinguished, and its aromatic intensity once again underlines this wine’s ability to reveal itself from the very first sip and to shine well beyond the finish. I remember a conversation I had in recent days with someone who told me they were tired of reading poetic or emotional tasting notes about wine… Tasting this wine, I reply that in that case there really are no other alternatives. You have to be dreamy enough to give free rein to your emotions. Wine isn’t rational, so there’s no reason to behave any differently than it does.

Logo on the cork: JL (Lafitte Liège) Deep, dark colour, slightly evolved. The nose is somewhat discreet, with a cool blackcurrant note suggesting a lack of ripeness. Curious for the estate. Precise from the attack, then very aromatic on the mid-palate; both present and delicate, the wine melts on the palate, subtle and fragrant. Normal length, with no hard edges. The slightly limiting expression on the nose is not found on the palate.