Château Quinault L'Enclos 2016

Special Price $49.95 Average US Price $56.00
In Stock   Usually ships in 2-5 days, weather permitting
Only 10 left
SKU
4740-2016
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Other Vintages We Offer:

• Domaine: Château Quinault L'Enclos
• Appellation: Saint-Émilion
• Classification: Grand Cru Classé
• Origin: Right Bank, Bordeaux, France

Château Quinault l’Enclos is a property that has undergone a bit of a transformation since 2008.  Though the wines were perfectly respectable in the late ‘90s and highly ranked by critics, much of the changes stem from the transition of leadership at the property.  Earlier wines were crafted by the well-respected Alain Reynaud, who worked at legendary Left Bank properties such as Château Lascombes.  Once Alain Reynaud sold Château Quinault l’Enclos to the owners of Château Cheval Blanc, Bernard Arnault and Albert Frere, the style shifted.  The modern wines of Château Quinault l’Enclos are not the fruit-forward wines of the past.   Instead, they are distinctively fresh with a pulsing minerality and loads of complexity.  With pricing in the $30.00 range, these wines are a tremendous value for those who want an updated, lively wine that expresses what Saint-Émilion terroir has to offer.

Château Quinault l’Enclos is located in Saint-Émilion, near the city of Libourne.  Interestingly enough, the property was not considered to be within the Saint-Émilion appellation, rather within the satellite appellation of Sables Saint-Émilion.  In 1973 it was considered to be part of the Right Bank appellation, just a couple decades prior to it being purchased by Alain Reynaud.  Alain Reynaud made some sweeping changes to the vineyard, such changing mechanical harvesting to harvesting the property by hand.  The vintages of Château Quinault l’Enclos began to climb slowly up the ranks in terms of critical acclaim and scores.  Eventually, it attracted the attention of the second-to-none Right Bank producer Château Cheval Blanc.  Once the team of Château Cheval Blanc took over managing the estate in 2008, other changes were made such as removing the Malbec growing there.  The focus of the viticultural team at Château Cheval Blanc is to ensure the wine has a level of unparalleled purity and freshness.  Pierre Lurton, famous for running esteemed properties like Château d’Yquem in addition to Château Cheval Blanc, oversees much of the operations on the vineyard.   

Under Lurton’s leadership, the property switched over to Organic farming.  In 2012, they earned their certification for being completely 100% Organic in terms of their farming practices.  In 2014, Château Quinault l’Enclos also began to include Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend for the first time.  The property is planted in one single parcel, which is unusual considering the vineyard is approximately 20-hectares.  Château Quinault l’Enclos has a warmer microclimate than a lot of the Right Bank region, and in accordance with that they often harvest a bit earlier than other properties.  The reason they do this is to avoid producing a jammy, overripe sort of wine.  The grapes are vinified in wood vats, and the wine is aged in 50% new French oak barrels for up to 18 months. 

Château Quinault l’Enclos is best enjoyed within the first 10 to 12 years after it is bottled.  In its earlier years, the wine is pure, fresh, and light on oak.  Younger vintages should be decanted for an hour - give or take - in order for the wine to express its subtle aromatic qualities. 

Tasting Notes

"This was the first vintage that technical director Pierre-Olivier Clouet started to exclusively use 500-liter barrels for Quinault l'Enclos, decreasing the surface area to which the wines are exposed and, ultimately, the impact of the oak. The percentage of new oak is around 50%, and the blend is 68% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Quinault l'Enclos opens with expressive redcurrants, black raspberries and black cherries scents with savory suggestions of tapenade, dried herbs and tobacco plus a waft of cloves. Medium-bodied, the palate is fantastically bright and lively with loads of red fruit accents and a firm frame of grainy tannins, finishing on an earthy note." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (11/30/18, Interim Issue), Ratings: 93, Drink: 2021-2045

"The 2016 Quinault l'Enclos is a blend of 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 68% Merlot, continuing the team's program of increasing the proportion of Cabernet, picked from 20 September and finishing on 7 October. It is matured in 50% new oak (500-liter barrels) and one-year-old barrels. It has a very pure bouquet with macerated black cherries, a touch of blueberry, a subtle flinty note just tucked underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin on the entry. This feels very fresh and lively in the mouth, perhaps a little more compact than others I tasted, although that is probably because it had been taken from barrel less than an hour before my visit. It is very precise on the brisk, punctual graphite-tinged finish, an almost clinical Quinault l'Enclos that will benefit from five or six year aging in bottle." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (4/28/17, Issue 230), Ratings: 91-93, Drink: 2023-2045

More Information
Stock Status In Stock
Appellation Saint-Emilion
Vintage 2016
Brand Château Quinault l'Enclos
Shipping Weight 3.000000

Saint-Émilion is one of the most prestigious wine appellations in the Bordeaux region of France, renowned for its exceptional red wines and rich viticultural history. Located on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River, Saint-Émilion is a place of great beauty and a UNESCO World Heritage site, thanks to its remarkable blend of natural and cultural attributes. The Saint-Émilion appellation is characterized by a diverse terroir featuring a mix of limestone, clay, and sandy soils that provide the foundation for its distinctive wines. The unique microclimates and elevations within the appellation contribute to the variety of flavors and styles found in Saint-Émilion wines.

The primary grape varieties used in Saint-Émilion wines are Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot often dominating the blends. These grapes thrive in the region's favorable climate, moderated by the proximity of the Dordogne River and the buffering effects of the limestone plateau.

Saint-Émilion is famous for its unique wine classification system, which divides the vineyards into four tiers: Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, Grand Cru Classé, and Grand Cru. This classification reflects the quality and prestige of the individual vineyards and châteaux within the appellation, with only a select few achieving the highest ranking of Premier Grand Cru Classé A. Until the re-classification in 2022, Château Cheval Blanc, Château Ausone, Château Angelus, and Château Pavie were the only four members of the Premier Grand Cru Classé A tier. Out of disagreement with the standard-setting governing body, Cheval Blanc and Ausone voluntarily dropped out. Angelus followed suit shortly after. With Pavie remaining the only member, Premier Grand Cru Classé A saw the addition of Château Figeac following a long-expected and well-deserved promotion.

Saint-Émilion wines are known for their finesse, complex aromas, and beautiful balance of fruit, tannins, and acidity. While they share some similarities with wines from the neighboring Pomerol appellation, they often have a slightly more structured and tannic character due to the higher proportion of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blends. With age, these wines develop a velvety texture and reveal an array of flavors, including dark fruits, floral notes, and hints of earthiness.

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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