2012 Chateau de France
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Tasting notes
Having never tasted the 2012 Château de France Rouge from bottle, I was pleased to find it has put that perplexing showing in barrel behind it and turned into quite a delicious Pessac-Léognan. It has plenty of blackberry and boysenberry fruit on the nose—quite full-on and intense—and with conspicuous new oak at the moment, but that will be subsumed with time. The palate has a satisfying depth and lushness to it, the wine certainly having filled out during its barrel maturation, with a touch of burnt toast and black olive toward the finish. It will require three or four years in bottle, but this is a wine to watch. Tasted March 2017.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Gentle, sweet-fruited nose with hints of leather and spiced game – almost more red fruits than black. Lots of cedary spice and a small but tightly coiled nub of intense black fruit surrounded by very dry tannins. Ink dust. Not the most approachable Pessac. (TC)
Very Sauvignon stinky on the nose – quite arresting. Bone dry and yet with lots of fruit concentration and fun. Some reductive smokiness and real energy. Minerally finish – a very nice package. Not remotely clumsy. (JR)
Super stinky on the nose – all cats and oil! A Marmite wine (love or loathe?). I love it. Very smoky and reductive but lots of substance and fruit. Not too sweet or ripe. Really very refreshing, but I'd drink it sooner rather than later. The pleasure is upfront. But it's certainly there. You could drink this without food. (JR)
About the producer
Neighbouring Ch. de Fieuzal, Ch. de France has been making wine since the 17th century. Purchased by the Thomassin family in 1971, investment has been significant – as has the associated rise in quality.