Chateau Sansonnet 2016

Professional Ratings

• 96 Vinous
  An exotic, heady wine, the 2016 Sansonnet is a total stunner. Crème de cassis, lavender, bittersweet chocolate, menthol, licorice, graphite and sweet spice saturate the palate in an explosive, stunningly beautiful Saint-Émilion that balances concentration and vibrancy with impeccable class. Put simply, the 2016 Sansonnet is a total pleasure bomb. Don't miss it. Tasted three times.
• 96 Jeb Dunnuck
  An estate that has been firing on all cylinders recently, the Merlot-dominated 2016 Château Sansonnet sports a saturated ruby color as well as a beautiful bouquet of macerated black cherries, blackcurrants, smoked earth, spice, and tobacco. This ripe, sexy, full-bodied beauty has terrific overall balance, a layered texture, no hard edges, and a beautiful finish. It's a gem in the vintage and is well worth a case purchase. The blend is 90% Merlot and 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, all brought up in 80% new French oak. Don’t miss this brilliant wine.
• 95 James Suckling
  The blueberry and blackberry aromas are very impressive and lifted right out of the glass. Full-bodied, very tight and defined with beautiful berries and focus. Long and vivid. Traditional style with precision and verve. Drink in 2022.
• 94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Sansonnet (composed of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a little youthfully mute, revealing suggestions of crushed black plums, baked cherries and blackberries with nuances of fallen leaves, black olives, lavender and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is charged with energy, giving mouth-coating red and black fruits with a firm, grainy frame, finishing long and lively.
  Rating: 94+
• 93 Wine Spectator
  Bold, with a broad beam of warm cassis, plum reduction and braised fig flavors striding through, underscored by a strong graphite edge and backed by alluring black tea and well-roasted apple wood notes. Despite the heft, this is polished and integrated already, and should be a hedonistic delight in the near term. Best from 2021 through 2033.
• 91 Wine Enthusiast
  This wine is rich with ripe fruits, black tannins and a smooth, chocolate texture. Its tannins are impressively rich and dense, giving a wine offering power along with freshness and minerality. Drink from 2023.
• 90 Decanter
  A clay-over-limestone estate, owned by Marie Lefévère, which has produced a wine with excellent balance of flavour, freshness and power in 2016. The enjoyable dark fruits, bitter chocolate, clean lines and generosity are not overdone - it's intense without a doubt, but has settled down during barrel ageing in 80% new oak. It was bottled this July. 32hl/ha yield.