2017 La Dauphine
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Château de la Dauphine was cropped at 35hl/ha between 14-30 September with 30% matured in new oak. It is similar to my tasting note 12 months ago; blackberry and raspberry on the nose with a hint of liquorice, perhaps a little more delineated than I recall. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and well judged acidity, silky smooth with hints of blue fruit towards the finish, a hint of dark chocolate lingering on the aftertaste. Very fine, but it needs two to three years in bottle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2017 La Dauphine is plush, open-knit and quite seductive. Inky blue/purplish fruit, bittersweet chocolate, spice, lavender, licorice and menthol infuse the 2017 with notable depth and character. As always, La Dauphine is a bold, flamboyant wine. There is no shortage of personality here, that much is obvious. Tasted three times.
Deep garnet-purple colored., the 2017 de la Dauphine prances out of the glass with pretty kirsch, baked raspberries and preserved plums scents with hints of stewed tea and potpourri. Medium-bodied, the palate has a plush texture and a great intensity of perfumed fruit, finishing fragrant.
The 2017 La Dauphine has a fragrant bouquet with black truffle infused blackberry and raspberry fruit. A touch of dark chocolate emerges with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins. It is quite firm and rigid at the moment, not as nuanced as the nascent 2018 but with decent length. Just a little sinewy right now. Give this 2-3 years in bottle.