Critic Notes
This is a concentrated, structured wine, with dark tannins and acidity in balance. Black plum skins and spice show strongly, along with a touch of pepper from the alcohol. It is a big and powerful wine. Apr 2017, Roger Voss, www.wineenthusiast.com
Score: 95-97/100Wine Enthusiast
A layered and rich red with lots of berry, chocolate and hints of toasted oak. Full body. Lovely texture. Big finish. Really impressive. Better than 2015. Mar 2017, www.jamessuckling.com
Score: 93-94/100James Suckling
Despite only being 35% of the blend, the tight Cabernet Franc fruit dominates at this early stage with real sapidity and freshness. This is a rich wine that tends to plump up further over time, and I like the potential enormously. It has a tension to it and the tannins have a life, breathing through the structure of the black fruits. 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc from clay over limestone soils, fermented in 80% new oak. 3.82pH. Apr 2017, www.decanter.com, Drink: 2027-2050
Score: 93-/100DecanterDrinking Window: 2027-2050
The 2016 Vieux Chateau Mazerat is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc from vines planted between 1947 and 1952, cropped on 17 and 19 October, respectively, and matured in 80% new oak. It has 14.5% alcohol. It has a ripe bouquet with cassis, vanilla and blueberry aromas, perhaps needing to show more delineation given the growing season. The palate is medium-bodied and the most succulent and rounded of Jonathan Maltus's wines, corpulent and velvety smooth with a touch of white pepper towards the finish. This is a full and generous Saint Emilion that should drink well for 10-15 years, possibly more. Apr 2017, www.robertparker.com
Score: 91-93/100Neal Martin
Richly layered with inviting cassis, raspberry purée and plum compote notes carried by vibrant, integrated structure. Anise and singed apple wood flavors fill in on the finish, which has latent length. Apr 2017, James Molesworth, www.winespectator.com
Score: 90-93/100Wine Spectator
Notwithstanding the significant presence of Cabernet Franc (35 percent), 2016 Vieux Château Mazerat is one of the richest, deepest wines in the Maltus range. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, cloves and new leather infuse this unctuous, super-ripe Saint-Émilion. Bold and flamboyant, the 2016 captures all the intensity of the year in spades. All of the Maltus wines are opulent, but Vieux Château Mazerat is arguably the most overt of the group. Apr 2017, www.vinous.com
Score: 90-93/100Antonio Galloni
