Chateau La Violette 2016

ANTONIO GALLONI: "The 2016 La Violette is dense, powerful and authoritative in its expression of the vintage. Chocolate, black fruit, smoke, leather and grilled herbs, along with big tannins, give the wine its decidedly brooding, virile personality. Hints of tobacco, licorice and cedar add aromatic nuance. Tasted two times."

DECANTER: "A powerful, sexy Pomerol in the glass without a doubt. It has touches of florality that are extremely welcome in the face of the full on, massive chewy tannins, and it's hard to fault these opulent, exuberant and generous fruits. Thoroughly enjoyable. Michel Rolland consults. Drinking Window 2024 - 2036"

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, pure Kirschfrucht, betont weicher Auftakt, feinkörniges, mild bleibendes, sehr gut absaftendes Tannin, frisch bei eher dezenter Säure, mineralisch, ganz nahtlos rund und delikat. In der Länge allerdings (noch?) begrenzt."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Loads of plums with spices and hazelnuts. Full-bodied, dense and velvety with layers of fruit and ripe tannins. Brilliant and focused with a long and beautiful finish. Shows class and greatness. Try after 2025."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Sweaty socks on the nose initially but then it cleared to beguile. Lovely toastiness as well as ripeness. Long and complex. Though there is a certain simple sweetness to this too."

JEB DUNNUCK: "This tiny production cuvée comes the team at La Gay. The 2016 Château La Violette is all Merlot raised in new oak. It’s more reserved and elegant compared to the sexier 2015 and has medium to full-bodied notes of blackberries, violets, smoked earth, and incense. Seamless, nicely concentrated, with good acidity and fine tannins, give bottles 4-5 years in the cellar and it should keep for two decades. As with the Le Gay in 2016, this cuvée leans heavily toward the fresher, more elegant end of the spectrum at the expense of opulence. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful wine."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "You can already smell the violets, lilacs and truffle. The wine is full-bodied, ostentatious and rich, with layers of ripe, decadent plum and cherry pit fruits. Concentrated, long and multi-layered with power, and sensuality, this is a fabulous expression of 100% old vine Merlot planted in the clay soils or Pomerol."

THE WINEADVOCATE: "Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 La Violette opens with fragrant cigar box, black tea, wilted roses and spice cake scents with a core of warm black plums, black cherries and mulberries plus a hint of star anise. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers layer upon layer of black fruits and floral sparks, framed by firm, very finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Beautiful."

WEINWISSER: " Betörendes Heidelbeerparfüm, dahinter Brombeergelee und Veilchen sowie Anis und Schokopralinen. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit engmaschigem Tanningerüst und verführerischer, seidiger Textur. Gewaltiges Potenzial aufzeigend, mit Pflaumenmus, dominikanischem Tabak und Lakritze im nicht enden wollenden Finale. Ein ganz grosser La Violette – zurück in der Pomerol Top-Liga!"

WINESPECTATOR: "An alluring style, offering very silky plum, boysenberry and açaí berry flavors gliding through, infused liberally with warm anise and sandalwood notes. Has a light woodsy edge at the very end, holding this back, but there's some suave fruit detail here for sure. Best from 2021 through 2031."