2016 Force Majeure Epinette Red
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Tasting notes
Made entirely from free-run juice, the 2016 Épinette is a blend of 46% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. The nose wafts with elegant red and black fruit that is ripe and seductive. Black raspberries and chocolate-covered berries spin out of the glass with soft herbal tones and supporting oak essence. Medium to full-bodied on the palate and framed by the 65% new French oak, the lush fruit tones are well-balanced and not overdone. The wine lingers long on the finish with a steady expression and focused aftertaste. Only 300 cases made.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Aged 22 months in 65% new oak, the 2016 Epinette (46% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot) reveals a deep purple color as well a big blast of chocolate, ground herbs, blackberries, dried earth, and wood smoke. It's a powerful, seriously endowed, fleshy, ripe, and sexy Merlot to drink over the coming 10-15 years.
Dark full ruby. Violet lift to the aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, licorice, subtle peppery herbs and minerals. Wonderfully plush but youthfully unevolved, conveying a smoother texture and more class than the Cabernet, as well as a deeper kernel of primary fruit despite the fact that this is a Bordeaux blend and not a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon. A bit less thick and overwhelming than the Cabernet, and more complex and delineated. Finishes with big tongue- and tooth-saturating tannins that are a bit more suave than those of the Cabernet.