2016 Domaine du Bouscat les Portes de L'am
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Tasting notes
The flagship is the 2016 Les Portes de l'Am. It’s the usual blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Malbec, and 25% Cabernet Franc from vines just west of Fronsac that sees malo in barrel and aging all in new oak. This powerful, ripe, incredibly sexy 2016 packs some oomph in its black and blue fruits, cedary herbs, chocolate, and graphite aromas and flavors. Rounded, full-bodied, concentrated, and lengthy, give bottles another year of two and enjoy over the following 15 years or more.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The complex nose of roasted artichokes, blackberries and elderberries pulls you into a powerful, but not opulent body, in which the generous, supple tannins are already very nicely integrated. Harmonious finish. Includes a good slug of old-vine malbec. Drink or hold.
The 201 Les Portes de l'Am… is the flagship wine from Domaine du Bouscat. It is also the richest and most concentrated of the three wines in the range. An infusion of raspberry jam, cloves, espresso and white chocolate gives Les Portes de l'Am… its unctuous, dense feel. The 2016 was fermented in new 600-liter barrels and aged in 100% new 300 and 600-liter barrels, which is practically unheard of at this level.
Composed of 50% Merlot, 25% Malbec and 25% Cabernet Franc, the deep purple-black colored 2016 Les Portes de l'Am has quite a lot of cedar with black and red cherries, black raspberries and pencil shavings with a waft of roses. Full-bodied and concentrated yet finely crafted, it possesses wonderful freshness and a compellingly soft texture leading to a red berry lift on the finish. Just over 150 cases were made.