Chateau La Clotte 2016

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2016 La Clotte is made up of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with a beautiful floral nose of violets and roses over a core of crushed cherries, black plums and blueberry compote plus hints of camphor and coffee beans. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features super ripe, wonderfully fine-grained tannins and oodles of freshness seamlessly matching the delicate fruit nuances, leading to a very long, perfumed and classy finish."

JEB DUNNUCK: "An estate purchase by the team at Ausone in 2014, the 2016 Château La Clotte is a brilliant wine that delivers everything you could want from this vintage. Made from 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc, its deep purple color is followed by a medium to full-bodied, classic Saint-Emilion that has ultra-fine tannins, terrific balance, and a beautiful perfume of flowers, toasted bread, graphite, cassis, and black raspberries. Seemingly all about finesse and elegance, with flawless purity of fruit, it still packs plenty of intensity and length. It surpasses the 2015 and has 20-25 years of prime drinking ahead of it."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, fester Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, süßes schwarzes Waldbeerkonfit, reife Kirschen, zarte Edelholzwürze, mineralischer Touch. Saftig, elegant, feine Fruchtsüße, seidige Tannine, schokoladig und anhaltend, sehr harmonisch, mineralischer Touch im Abgang, zartes Cassis im Rückgeschmack."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Very attractive array of red fruit and brambly forest berries that lead to a very refined palate with super fine tannins and impressive freshness. So elegant. A blend of 85 per cent merlot, ten per cent cabernet sauvignon and five per cent cabernet franc. Try from 2022."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Purpur mit violettem Rand. Komplexes Bouquet mit roten Kirschen und viel Würze, dahinter rote Johannisbeere und Earl Grey-Noten sowie eine edle tabakige Würze. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit guter Frische und feinsandigem Tannin, im langen Finale mit viel Schattenmorellensaft. Toller Wein, der zu überzeugen weiss."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deep red cherry and plums pop once the wine hits the glass. The wine is silky, polished, sweet and fresh. There is more purity of fruit than usual, which really lets the sweetness in the red fruits stand out. Medium-bodied, with a soft, inviting character, the freshness and sweet red berries in the finish really pop this year."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This is a rich wine with bold tannins from a small property purchased in 2014 by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. With its structure and density, the tannins show richly and the wine will develop with balance and style. Drink from 2023."

DECANTER: "An extremely precise, well-paced La Clotte vintage that shows the austerity of the property’s late-ripening terroir. The fruits are well brushed and the strands of flavour are clear: blackberries, slate, cold ash and wild flowers. 85% new oak. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040"