Chateau Quintus 2016
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is so beautifully integrated already with dark, stony minerals, slate and graphite, as well as a swathe of ripe blackberries and dark, spicy plums. The palate starts out quite tight and maintains a long, linear shape that pushes deeper and wider into the finish. Regal and velvety on the surface. Profoundly fine and long below. Freshens as it goes, too. Superb. Try from 2023.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The deep ruby-colored 2016 Château Quintus is thrilling stuff, and my money is on it being the finest to date. Saturated purple in color, powerful notes of blackberries, currants, spicy tobacco, and a touch graphite all flow to a deep, rounded, sexy Saint-Emilion that’s beautifully balanced. It shows the class of the vintage and is capable of lasting for two decades or more.
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Decanter
The sixth vintage under the wing of Haut-Brion. The vines didn't block in the heat here, which is why the alcohols are generous, but this is absolutely perfectly balanced. The generosity of the ripe blackberry and cassis fruit stretches out with the juice running right through it, joined by some exotic spice and grilled oak touches through the mid-palate. But they never overwhelm the gentle extraction, and overall this is an extremely successful Quintus that leaves a beautifully fragrant quality in the mouth. 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Quintus is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. It has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and features a quiet intensity of chocolate-covered cherries, warm mulberries and plum preserves scents with underlying hints of dried lavender, star anise and potpourri. Medium-bodied, the palate is packed with perfumed black fruit layers, framed by seductively plush tannins and great freshness and finishing with fantastic length.
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Wine Spectator
Lush and inviting at first, with tasty raspberry, cassis and plum preserve flavors gliding through, this gains elegance as it moves along, adding light apple wood, floral and tobacco lines. A pretty mineral echo adds length and cut. Pure and stylish. Drink now through 2021.
Other Vintages
2022-
James
Suckling - Decanter
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Robert
Parker
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
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Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.