Description
Château Le Boscq is a fine wine from Saint-Estèphe, and classified Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. Ideally situated next to the Gironde estuary, Le Boscq elegantly combines the power of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, with the delicacy of Merlot. The wines are charming, velvet-textured and spicy, enhanced by lovely rich tannins, and well-balanced and refined on the finish.
Grape
48% Cabernet-sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 5% Petit verdot
Vineyard & Vinification Note
HVE3 and Terra Vitis certified (High environmental value certificates)
As in every Dourthe vineyard, the team constantly strives to improve viticultural practice to produce the finest grapes possible. The vineyard is therefore managed according to the environmental principals of sustainable plant protection, specifically to manage the quality of the yields. Canopy management and yield control are practised throughout the vineyard, adapted to the climate and profile of each plot, using bud-stripping, leaf stripping, secondary shoot removal, lateral branch removal and if necessary, removing any inconsistent grapes from mid veraison onwards (green harvest). The date of the harvest is determined by regularly tasting the fruit, and is then evenly spread over time and carried out by hand, using small crates, selectively harvesting only the consistently ripe grapes by plot or micro-plot. Traditional vinification, individual wine parcels vinified separately. Small capacity temperature controlled stainless steel -tanks. Vertical press to ensure gentle pressing.
Soils: High and deep Garonne gravel hillocks melted on a clay subsoil.
Harvest: Manual picking using small crates, per plot.
Vinification: Stainless-steel vats of various capacities. Malolactic fermentation partially in barrels.
Ageing: 12 months in oak barrels (31% of which are new) on fine lees.
Tasting Note
Incredibly deep, and still almost black in appearance. The intense and complex bouquet imparts lovely fruit intensity to notes of cedar, spice, and precious wood. The wonderfully supple palate gradually gains in intensity. Densely packed, silky, and very fine-grained tannic structure underpins generous richness on the palate and is coated with spice and ripe fruit flavours. Smooth and concentrated, the wine culminates in a notably long, lingering finish, characterised by freshness and spice. Frédéric Bonnaffous, Dourthe Estates Director
James Suckling
Wonderful aromas of crushed, fresh flowers and berries. Fantastic. Full body and round, velvety tannins. Deep and glorious. This delivers way above its price level. A blend of 48 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 47 per cent merlot and five per cent petit verdot. 94 Points, January 2019
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Château Le Boscq a rock star of a Saint-Estephe and offers a concentrated, textured, perfectly balanced profile that’s very much in the style of the vintage. Liquid violets, mint, spring flowers, and blue fruit characteristics all emerge from this medium to full-bodied effort. It has present tannins, yet they’re integrated and polished, and it’s already accessible given its purity and, again, its balance. It should keep for 20 years or so. 92 Points, February 2019
Wine Advocate
The 2016 Le Boscq, owned by Vignobles Dourthe, is a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot and was picked 29 September until 20 October. This represents a move towards Cabernet Sauvignon and away from Merlot in the final blend. It has a very ripe, opulent bouquet that does not quite convey its terroir with the same aplomb as say, the Phelan-Ségur. It translates more of the winemaking than the terroir. The palate is medium bodied with sappy red fruit, crisp acidity and quite an elegant finish. It is in the second half of this wine that the quality of the vintage shows through. Hopefully the aromatics will gain more composure and it will live up to the finish it currently displays. One to watch. 91-93 Points, Neal Martin, April 2017
Wine Spectator
This is both winey, with currant and cherry paste flavors, as well as tangy, with bright iron minerality for spine and a lilac note flitting through. The taut finish has pebbly grip. Not big but should be fun to watch this mellow slightly with time. Best from 2021 through 2031. 6,500 cases made. 91 Points, James Molesworth, March 2019
Food Pairing
Ideally matches red meats (eg. bison steak with fig-balsamic sauce, grilled skirt steak, slow grilled rack of lamb with mustard and herbs, roast beef with root vegetable salad, braised lamb with potatoes) and French mature cheese (bethmale, chevrotin, edam, Ossau Iraty, tomme de Savoie, tête de moine…).
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