Farr Vintners Logo

Clos de Sarpe 2006

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot

View all vintages of this wine

Label

Tasting Notes

As I have consistently written in the past, this limited production cuvee, from a 12-acre site that contains a parcel of extremely old vines, 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, is meant to last three decades or more. Tasting like a liqueur of rocks interwoven with creme de cassis, espresso roast, toasty oak, and enormous levels of tannin, it is neither out of balance nor astringent. It is a concentrated, backward, impeccably balanced St.-Emilion made with an uncompromising view of the craft of winemaking. It displays superb intensity, a fabulous texture, a foreboding, tannic overlay, incredibly ripe, pure fruit, and perfectly aligned acidity and tannin. Forget if for a decade, and consume it between 2020-2040.

94+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (181), February 2009

Bright ruby-red. Superripe aromas of blackberry, blueberry, licorice and crushed rock; like a liqueur of botanical herbs. Then dense, sappy and superconcentrated, with a powerful minerality, solid acidity and a note of black pepper perking up the wine's rather clenched core of fruit. Finishes with a boatload of tannins. This almost painfully intense wine, a great success for this chateau, needs up to a decade of cellaring.

91+
Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May 2009

Another garage wine made under the supervision of Michel Rolland’s well-known assistant, Jean-Philippe Fort, there are 825 cases of this cuvee that is, literally, made grape by grape. Not for the shy of heart, this wine exhibits enormous extraction, tannin, and richness. Consumers will likely still be enjoying it 30-50 years from now. It is even doubtful that anyone from my generation will be alive when it hits its peak. This is a wine for those with 19th century tastes, but it is impressively endowed, and one has to admire a proprietor who is willing to go back to the future and make a Bordeaux reminiscent of some of the finest vintages of the 1800s! A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc from yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare, this inky/blue/purple-tinged effort possesses high levels of fruit and tannin, a massive structure, a foreboding, primordial character, and a backwardness matched only by that of Ausone. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2040+.

92/95+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (170), April 2007
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.