By Chateau Clos de Sarpe
2016 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Vineyard Notes
Appellation: AOC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
Classification: Grand Cru Classe
Yield: 30 hl/ha
Terroir: Clay and limestone on the hilltop of Saint-Emilion
Area: 3.7 hectares, including 3.35 in production
Vine Age: 65 years

Production Notes
Blend: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc
Harvest: 10/10 for young Merlot, 10/12 for old Merlot, and 10/17 for Cabernet Franc
Grape Selection: By densimetry (Tribaie)
Tank: Concrete tank and 600-L new barrels
Alcoholic Fermentation: Low temperature, soft extraction
Vatting Time: 33 days
Aging: 60% news barrels, 40% 1-year barrels
pH: 3.46
Alcohol: 15.00%

Tasting Notes
2016 is a great vintage that combines flexibility, elegance, and fruit of great purity with silky tannins. The wood is perfectly integrated. The power of our clay-limestone soil is expressed in the attack, giving the wine amplitude and great freshness in the finish.
[Information provided by Beyerman]

Wine: 2016 Chateau Clos De Sarpe
Score/Rating: 97
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2039
Review Date: 02/28/2019
Reviewed By: Jeb Dunnuck
Tasting Notes: An off-the-hook Saint-Emilion, the inky colored 2016 Chateau Clos de Sarpe is mostly Merlot but includes 15% Cabernet Franc. A beautiful, floral character gives way to more blueberry, raspberry, spice, and cedar notes, and it's medium to full-bodied, fresh, and elegant on the palate, with thrilling purity of fruit. It's still tight and reserved at the moment, with a focused feel on the palate, but has tons of potential. Give bottles 5-7 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 15+. Tasted twice.

Wine: 2016 Clos de Sarpe
Score/Rating: 95
Suggested Drinking Window: 2021 - 2045
Review Date: 11/30/2018
Reviewed By: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Tasting Notes: Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Clos de Sarpe (composed of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc) is a little closed to begin, opening out to reveal provocative Black Forest cake, Chinese five spice and cigar box notes with nuances of sandalwood, kirsch, rose hip tea and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, the palate is oh-so-seductive with a beautiful velvety texture and tons of freshness lifting the decadent fruit to a long spicy finish.

Wine: Chateau Clos de Sarpe St.-Emilion 2016
Score/Rating: 94
Review Date: 01/13/2019
Reviewed By: James Suckling
Tasting Notes: Blackberry, oyster-shell and salt aromas highlight this wine from the beginning. Full-bodied, firm and chewy with polished and intense flavors and tannins. Energized. [...].

Wine: 2016 Clos de Sarpe
Score/Rating: 94
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2036
Review Date: 12/2018
Reviewed By: Antonio Galloni
Tasting Notes: The 2016 Clos de Sarpe is an exotic, full-throttle wine. Expressive floral, white pepper and espresso notes add a super-appealing upper register of aromatic intensity to a core of ripe, red cherry/plum fruit. Sumptuous and racy, Clos de Sarpe remains one of the most distinctive wines being made in Bordeaux today. The 2016 is a bit less over the top than some of the vintages that precede it, but Clos de Sarpe still pushes the outer edges of ripeness and overall intensity. I find it absolutely compelling, but there is no question Clos de Sarpe is not a wine for all palates. Tasted two times.

Wine: 2016 Chateau Clos de Sarpe (St. Emilion Grand Cru)
Score/Rating: 93
Review Date: 09/21/2019
Tasting Notes: Concentrated, dense, stony and fresh, with a deep core of ripe, salty plums. The fruit has a spicy quality, with polished tannins and the structure to age, But this is not a user-friendly wine for early drinking. You will need to give it at least 12 years for everything to come together, but it is going to be worth the wait. The wine was made from a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc.

Wine: Chateau Clos de Sarpe, St-Emilion, Grand Cru Classe, 2016
Score/Rating: 89
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2040
Review Date: 10/10/2018
Reviewed By: Jane Anson
Tasting Notes: Jean-Guy and Christine Beyney focus on making well structured, concentrated wine. Here, touches of rusticity on the nose are followed by some heat from alcohol on the attack, but this settles down to reveal attractive juice running through the astringent tannins, along with flavours of charcoal, chocolate and cloves. 60% new oak. 30hl/ha yield.

Wine: Clos de Sarpe St.-Emilion 2016
Score/Rating: 88
Review Date: 03/28/2019
Reviewed By: James Molesworth
Tasting Notes: A frankly toasted style, with a coating of cocoa and black licorice over a core of warm plum and blueberry compote flavors. The cocoa edge holds sway over the finish. [...]