2015 Clos de Sarpe
Buying options
Tasting Notes
The typical blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Clos de Sarpe was aged in 100% new oak. As you might guess from the élevage and the power of the vintage, this is not a shy and retiring wine – yet Clos de Sarpe’s trademark acidity drives through its core and balances the wine’s intensity. It still feels youthful, packed with dark cherry fruit on the compact nose, that gradually offers sweeter, scented tones with time in the glass. There’s a solidity to the palate – with a mass of rich, concentrated fruit, yet there’s a juiciness here to that makes it mouthwatering, with a sweet plumpness. It’s round and full, with a firm grip of tannin on the finish. Decant to enjoy now, with plenty of air, but this will unfurl over the next decade and beyond.
Clos de Sarpe is a tiny 3.7-hectare site on the limestone Sarpe plateau which produces wines with extraordinary ageing potential. The blend is Merlot and Cabernet Franc from old, naturally low-yielding vines, producing a wine that is dense and concentrated. Now seven years old, the 2015 has started to really open up on the nose, with the first tertiary aromas of truffle and dried fruit tones mixing with more floral violet notes, toasted spice and light vanilla. It is a stunning nose that soars from the glass. The palate is still dense and packed with concentrated, roasted black-cherry fruit and blackberry confit. The structured tannins bring depth and power to the palate. The wine is ageing beautifully. Leave it in the cellar two to three years and then enjoy over the following decade or longer. The wine is fermented and aged in 70% new oak and around 1,000 cases were made.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Showing even better now than on release, the 2015 Château Clos de Sarpe might be one of the greatest wines to ever emerge from this tiny vineyard just outside of Saint Emilion. Dense purple/plum-hued, with an enormous bouquet of blueberries, blackberries, white truffles, violets, and spring flowers, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, an incredible sense of opulence, and silky, polished tannins. It's absorbed just about every trace of its oak élevage, and while it's an incredible drink today, it's going to evolve for 30+ years or more.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Clos de Sarpe gives up gorgeous blackberry, black cherries and warm plums notes with sparks of redcurrants and anise with a potpourri, tilled soil and bay leaves undercurrent. Full-bodied and packed with spicy energy in the mouth, it has a firm yet plush texture and fantastic freshness, finishing on a lingering earthy note.
The 2015 Clos de Sarpe boasts off-the-charts richness. Full-throttle and unapologetically opulent, Clos de Sarpe is probably the most exotic of the more modern, sumptuous Saint-Émilions. Super-ripe black cherry, chocolate, leather, spice and new French oak are all pushed forward. Ripeness and unctuousness are taken to the edge in this exotic beauty.
About the producer
This small Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé estate is a FINE+RARE favourite. Run by Maylis Marcenat, the fourth generation of her family to do so, the 3.7-hectare vineyard has old vines and limestone soils, producing wines of incredible freshness and great ageability.