1973 Château Clos de Sarpe
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Tasting notes
The 1973 Clos de Sarpe shows a little aging on the rim, considering the vintage. This lacks freshness on the nose, and there's a bit of rot here, which is a pity because there is some decent fruit behind it. The palate is light and hollow, somewhat ephemeral, with sharp acidity, sour cherry and balsamic notes towards the short finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
From a cooler, rainy, difficult vintage, the 1973 Château Clos de Sarpe is nevertheless terrific and comes across as incredibly Burgundian (I'd probably have guessed Gevrey in a blind tasting) with lots of dried flowers, loamy earth, cedarwood, and forest floor aromas and flavors. I love its complexity, and it's medium-bodied, balanced, lightly textured, and satisfying on the palate. This estate excels in tough vintages (I suspect due to incredibly tiny yields), and this is impressive.
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.