2016 Rochebelle
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Rochebelle has a refined bouquet with crushed violet and light iris flower scents entwined with the black fruit. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy tannins, fine acidity, quite elegant in style, with gentle grip on the finish. Delightful. Drink now and over the next decade. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's Ten-Year-On tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
The concentration of the 2016 vintage is evident, giving a graphite, gunsmoke edge to the black cherry and cassis fruits. Still closed and a little austere but there is so much tension and precision running right through the fruit, giving a hint of what will happen after a few more years in bottle. The texture deepens and widens after half an hour in the glass, and this is exceptional quality. 70% new oak.
A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Château Rochebelle is a beautiful wine that has tons of upfront, ripe, sexy fruit paired with rock-solid depth and structure. Blackcurrants, smoke tobacco, loads of spice, and hints of chocolate all emerge from this beauty. It's a pleasure-bent, balanced 2016 that will keep for 15 years or more.
The 2016 Rochebelle is quite powerful, but it is also austere to the point that the wine feels compacted. Perhaps bottle age will help, but I just don't find much pleasure here today.