| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Chateau Rol Valentin
Showing far better than it did from barrel, but still not one of the great efforts from this estate, this ripe, richly fruity wine has plenty of black cherry, black currant and cedary notes intermixed with some tobacco leaf and subtle background barrique smells. The wine is medium-bodied, possesses excellent concentration, and has lost the overt herbaceousness it exhibited from barrel. Drink it over the next decade.
Licorice and tar, with hints of ripe berry. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and dense tannins. Yet it's all in near-perfect harmony. This has a new owner and it's even better.
Loose, open, determinedly 'sweet' nose. Almost raisiny fruit flavours, though no hint of drying on the finish. Real chock-full-of-ripeness wine with a fair amount of alcohol. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2015-2022.
A fleshy, inviting style, with lots of crushed fig and steeped blackberry fruit woven with warmed cocoa and pain d'épices, all backed by a distinctly racy graphite note. Stays fleshy through the finish without being heavy. Best from 2013 through 2028.-J.M.
Lively, modern but not excessive. Perfumed red-berry fruit. Pure, fine texture and tannins. Length and freshness. Early appeal but will age. Drink 2014-2024.
Former soccer star Eric Prissette has sold this estate. In three different looks at this wine, two of them left me shaking my head, and only the third one showed some potential. The final blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc topped out at 14.2% natural alcohol, and the yields were very modest at 28 hectoliters per hectare. The brilliant Stephane Derenoncourt oversees the wine. In two tastings, it was herbal and lacking the power, concentration, and intensity one had come to expect under the former administration of Eric Prissette.The other tasting was impressive. Judgment reserved. (Tasted three times, inconsistent notes.)
This sample is a little reductive on the nose. Opens up a little with black cherry, cafe au lait, toasty oak and just a touch of brine. The palate has a sweet, slightly confected entry, candied red fruits, nicely balanced towards the finish with hints of orange zest and Clementine. This is very modern in style, but I like the purity and depth, plus the finish is not as cloying as other Saint Emilion '09 samples. Tasted March 2010.
