Château Dassault 2011

Rich in extract, broad tannins, lots of alcohol, lots of exuberant fruit, but better than en primeur.

This estate has been producing fine wines over recent years. Their most recent effort, the medium-bodied 2011, is a plump, forward, precociously-styled wine with a dark plum/ruby/purple color, a big sweet bouquet of black raspberries, spring flowers and currants, and a stunningly seductive style. Drink it over the next decade. It is a sleeper of the vintage.

Shows intensity, with lively flavors of raspberry ganache, red currant preserves and blackberry coulis pumping along. There's ample briary grip, with energy and cut. While youthfully chewy now, this has a mouthwatering edge and should stretch out nicely with some cellaring. Best from 2016 through 2022. 4,750 cases made.

87-89. Barrel sample. Caramel aromas from new wood dominate this wine. It's all burnt, toasty wood and dense tannins.

A red with berry, earth and spice character. Hints of cappuccino. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fruity finish. Better in 2016.

Successful for the vintage, licorice, black cherries, coffee bean and vanilla scents open to a medium bodied, round, spicy, red berry filled, forward wine.

Very dark and inky colour. Smoky, spicy and dark fruity nose with hints of violet, blackberry and cassis. Full and muscular palate, juicy dark berries, grainy tannin adds freshness and structure. Hints of cocoa bean, very long finish, young but tempting with a fine potential.

Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with a violet hue at the rim. Comforting aromas of ripe plums, lovely Merlot sweetness, a hint of bast wood and Dominican tobacco, already a touch expansive. Harmonious on the palate, finely textured, with charming tannins and a focused finish. A beautifully crafted Saint Emilion, soon to enter its first drinking window and quite demanding.

Deep purple-garnet colour, dense at the core with a violet rim. Inviting, comforting aromas: ripe plums, a lovely Merlot sweetness, a hint of cooperage and Dominican tobacco, already starting to open up. Harmonious on the palate, finely textured, with charming tannins and a tightly knit finish. A beautifully crafted, rather demanding Saint-Émilion that will soon enter its first prime drinking window.

(80% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37 hl/ha) Sweet, broad, fragrant bouquet with Amarena cherries, red plums, toasty notes, mocha cream, cereal, light tobacco. Silky, medium-bodied, fresh palate with good, sweet fruit, intense aromatics, plenty of slightly edgy tannin, currently dominated by new barrique, and a long, perfumed finish. 17/20 2017 - 2035

A lovely, full-bodied and well-balanced wine, with a supple texture and depth, true to the spirit of its terroir.

A lovely, smooth and indulgent wine, with great substance.

Logo on the cork: V Dark, intense colour, slightly evolved. Very aromatic nose with ripe fruit. Supple on the attack, flavoursome on the mid-palate, the wine starts out tannic then softens on the finish, revealing lovely aromas. A pleasant surprise.