2016 Clos du Marquis (St-Julien)

The 2016 Clos du Marquis was picked from 30 September to 19 October and consists of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, matured in 55% new oak. Yields came in at 40 hectoliters per hectare and the alcohol at 13.55%. The bouquet is very intense at the moment with small black cherries, incense, iris and a touch of shucked oyster shells. The palate is beautiful, perhaps one of the most powerful that I came across in Saint Julien, certainly no shy retiring flower, yet it effortlessly manages to retain the precision and tension one expects from this cru. There is a firm back bone here, but the tannins are so precise that you barely notice, while the aftertaste has superb salinity. This is a majestic Clos du Marquis, but it will require several years in the cellar. 93-95 points

Once again, proof of the hard to fault success in St-Julien in 2016. I really recommend Clos du Marquis for its St-Julien spirit - elegant, endless and classical, with menthol, cedar and black fr uit, and tannins that softly float alongside. 92 points

73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. 55% new oak. Exotically rich on the nose! I would never have believed I could encounter such richness at this address. Some real life here. Racy and rich and lots of black fruit. Richness but some structure too. Racy. 17 points