Wine of the Month - March 2019

After sampling the grand cru classé of the Left Bank in the last few months, for the month of March 2019, we bring you a selection of stars from the Right Bank village of Saint-Emilion:

1 x Clos de l'Oratoire 2012, St.-Emilion Grand Cru Classé
1 x Clos Romanile 2015, St.-Emilion Grand Cru Classé
1 x Château Dassault 2000, St.-Emilion Grand Cru Classé
1 x Château Faugères 2014, St.-Emilion Grand Cru Classé

Tasting Notes

Clos de l'Oratoire 2012 - "One of the von Neipperg estates, the 2012 Clos de l'Oratoire is an undeniable success story. Dense ruby/purple, with plenty of crème de cassis, roasted coffee, licorice and spice, full-bodied, opulent and sexy, it is a hedonist’s dream wine. Pure and long, it has a great finish and terrific palate presence. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. Yields were exceptionally small in 2012 – 25 hectoliters per hectare." - Robert Parker Jr., The Wine Advocate (4/29/2015, Issue 218), Ratings: 94, Drink: 2015-2030

Clos Romanile 2015 - "Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Clos Romanile offers up blackberries, plums and black cherries on the nose with touches of tapenade, yeast extract and sautéed herbs. The medium-bodied mouth is fine, fresh and lifted, with fine-grained tannins and a harmonious finish." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2/21/2018, Interim Issue), Rating: 91, Drink from: 2019-2031 

Château Dassault 2000 - "This is a fruity, consumer-friendly St.-Emilion meant to be drunk during its first decade of life. The sexy, low acid 2000 reveals ripe black cherry fruit intermixed with notes of Provencal herbs, spice box, and new oak. It is round, expansive, fleshy, and cleanly made, with more tannin and persistence on the palate than previous vintages." - Robert Parker Jr, The Wine Advocate (4/22/2003, Issue 146), Ratings: 88

Château Faugères 2014 - "The 2014 Faugeres still has bundles of red plum and juniper berry on the nose, if anything even more generous than when I tasted it a few months ago. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, superb structure and well judged acidity. It merges with more black fruit towards the finish and has palpable energy on the finish—still excellent." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (3/31/2017, Interim Issue), Rating: 92, Drink from: 2019-2032