2018 Clos de Sarpe
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Clos de Sarpe has a clean, pure and well-delineated bouquet of ebullient black cherries and blueberry fruit mixed with graphite and violet. It is intense but not overwhelming. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, a fine bead of acidity, a velvety texture and a gorgeous finish featuring blood orange and a citrus freshness that puts a spring in its step. Superb, though cut from a different cloth than previous vintages.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
This tiny estate located on the upper plateau is firing on all cylinders today, and their 2018 Château Clos De Sarpe is a beautiful, elegant wine offering awesome notes of black cherries, iron, smoked tobacco, earth, and violets. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc brought up 70% new oak, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, silky tannins, terrific purity, and outstanding length. This is a much more refined, elegant style of wine from this address that will be accessible with just 4-5 years in the cellar and keep for 20-30 years or more.
The 2018 Clos de Sarpe has turned out beautifully. Rich and unctuous in the glass, yet with terrific freshness, the 2018 dazzles from start to finish. There is plenty of the flamboyance Clos de Sarpe fans expect, and yet the 2018 is so measured and vibrant. Inky red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and blood orange meld into the sumptuous finish. A slight move away from the very pushed style of years past has paid off big time. The 2018 is simply magnificent.
About the producer
This small Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé estate is a FINE+RARE favourite. Run by Maylis Marcenat, the fourth generation of her family to do so, the 3.7-hectare vineyard has old vines and limestone soils, producing wines of incredible freshness and great ageability.