Château de La Dauphine 2016

Special Price $29.85 Average US Price $34.00
Out of stock
SKU
CDLD-2016

Other Vintages We Offer:

• Domaine: Château de La Dauphine
• Appellation: Fronsac
• Grape varietials: 90% Merlot 10% Cabernet Franc
• Origin: Right Bank, Bordeaux, France

For modern day wine drinkers, Fronsac is not a household name as Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, or Saint-Emilion that define Bordeaux.  But, once upon a time, Fronsac's vineyards were among the best in the Bordeaux area.  In the 18th century, Fronsac’s wines enjoyed the best reputation in the Libourne area (i.e., the Right Bank of the Dordogne River), and sold at higher prices than those of Saint Emilion and Pomerol.

As the single largest property in Fronsac, Château de La Dauphine is mounting a major come-back, evoking its ties to Charlemagne (who built a fortress in Fronsac), Cardinal de Richelieu (who acquired the land and made its wine famous among the nobles), and its namesake title resulting from the visit of Louis XVI's mother, Mary Josepha of Saxany, who was known as La Dauphine (the French word for "The Princess").  She never became the French queen as her husband died from illness before being crowned.  Her son married Marie Antoinette and ascended the throne as the last French king before the French Revolution.  La Dauphine, Mary Josepha of Saxany, was hence the mother-in-law of the more famous Marie Antoinette, an ill-fated Austrian princess who was swept up in the tidal waves of the revolution.

While wine critics have sung the praises of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol from the Right Bank and the garagiste winemakers have made some wines beyond the reach of everyday Bordeaux drinkers ($1,000 - $10,000 per bottle, anyone?), the wine of Château de La Dauphine deserves serious attention by educated wine lovers.

Tasting Notes

"The 2016 la Dauphine, from the Famille Labrune, has a lifted and quite floral, almost Margaux-like bouquet that opens beautifully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, smooth in texture, tightening up towards the slightly attenuated finish. This will probably require two or three years in bottle but there is good potential here, even if it does not quite excite as much as last year's 2015." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (4/28/2017, Issue 230), Ratings: 89-91, Drink: 2019-2032

More Information
Stock Status Out of Stock
Appellation Fronsac
Vintage 2016
Brand Château de La Dauphine
Shipping Weight 3.000000

Footnotes on Futures, Pre-Arrivals, and potential US Tariffs: 

1. As of June 15, 2021, the US and the EU agreed to suspend tariffs resulting from the Boeing-Airbus aircraft trade disputes. Accordingly, such import taxes are now suspended for the next five years.

2. Futures are expected to be available for delivery two years after the sales (e.g., the 2022 vintage, sold in 2023, will be delivered in 2025 mostly, or 2026 if the producer ages the wine longer).

3. Pre-Arrivals are items currently stored in our Bordeaux cellar or in transit from France to the US. It usually takes 1-6 months for Pre-Arrivals to become available for delivery, depending on the stage of the import process.

4. Regarding futures and pre-arrivals, we cannot guarantee specific delivery dates, which factors beyond our control may impact. However, we will notify you once your wine arrives in our cellar.

5. While a buyer of Bordeaux wine futures locks in an allocation of the specified items, the final delivery of the purchased items from France to the US may be impacted by intervening and unforeseeable events. Despite our due diligence, additional costs or delays may be caused by such intervening and unforeseen events and "an irresistible, superhuman cause, or by the act of public enemies of the state of California or the United States."  In such circumstances, if a buyer does not accept unforeseeable costs or delays, the sole and exclusive remedy is a cancellation of the futures order concerned and a refund of the original purchase price. We are NOT liable for any lost profits on a canceled order.

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