Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 La Violette opens with fragrant cigar box, black tea, wilted roses and spice cake scents with a core of warm black plums, black cherries and mulberries plus a hint of star anise. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers layer upon layer of black fruits and floral sparks, framed by firm, very finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Beautiful. Nov 2018, www.robertparker.com
Juicy and fruity red with round tannins and a delicious finish. It’s tight and reserved yet offers so much on the center palate. Gorgeous. Apr 17, www.jamessuckling.com
Warm and inviting, delivering plum and blackberry compote notes infused with anise and backed by a smoldering alder hint. Suave, exotic juice. Apr 2017, James Molesworth, www.winespectator.com
The attack is big, becoming extremely juicy through the palate. You get the floral side that you hope for with the name, along with black cherry and tight slate. Good persistency, and a great wine. Apr 2017, www.decanter.com, Drink: 2027-2050
The 2016 La Violette is dense, powerful and authoritative in its expression of the vintage. Chocolate, black fruit, smoke, leather and grilled herbs, along with big tannins, give the wine its decidedly brooding, virile personality. Hints of tobacco, licorice and cedar add aromatic nuance. Tasted two times.
The 2016 La Violette is pure Merlot picked from 4 to 7 October at just 29 hectoliters per hectare, de-stemmed by hand and matured in 100% new oak. It has a lower alcohol level than Le Gay at 13.5%, because the terroir is cooler. The bouquet is very opulent and showy, plush red cherries intermingling with crème de cassis and blueberry jam, missing the delineation of some of its peers. This is strange because with that lower alcohol level, I was expecting something more terroir-driven. The palate is full-bodied, although certainly not as glossy or as flamboyant as older vintages of La Violette. It is well balanced, overtly modern in style and very polished as always. However, it is missing that complexity and engaging personality that other Pomerols possess on the finish. I probably have a preference for the 2015 La Violette, even though this is a very attractive, if slightly predictable wine. Apr 2017, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2022-2040
