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Enclos Tourmaline 2016

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot

This micro-cuvée is produced from four tiny plots on the Pomerol plateau totalling 1 hectare. One plot is in front of Clinet, one in front of La Fleur Petrus, one between Le Pin and Trotanoy and the other next to Rouget. This property is owned by Peter Kwok, who bought it as "Cornaline" in 2011. It is produced only in great vintages (no 2013 was produced). Michel Rolland is consulting and Jérôme Aguirre, formerly of La Violette and Le Gay, is the head winemaker. The wine is made from 100% Merlot grapes, is micro-vinified with whole berry fermentation in 100% new oak. Annual production is a miniscule 3000 bottles.

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Label

Tasting Notes

This has very fresh, lively and attractive wet earth and hints of black truffle and violets. The palate has a very deep, plush and velvety texture with a very fresh and fluid tannin structure, carrying long and fresh. The tannins build on the palate. Blue fruit abounds here, full of pleasure and promise. Try from 2023.

98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2019

The 2016 Château Enclos Tourmaline is a monster of a wine that comes from a tiny one-hectare parcel located just across the road from Clinet. The wine is 100% Merlot brought up all in new oak (it hit 14.5% natural alcohol). It’s a magical effort that offers a saturated purple color to go with notes of blueberries, blackberry liqueur, graphite, and crushed rocks. Still tight and compact on the palate, it has flawless integration of its fruit, tannins, and acidity, full-bodied richness, lots of ripe tannins, and a huge finish. This brilliant wine should be at its peak from 2024 to 2054. It’s worth pointing out that the vineyard manager and winemaker is the talented Jérôme Aguirre who gets consulting advice from Michel Rolland. Bravo to both individuals for this awesome wine.

98
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, February 2019

The 2016 Enclos Tourmaline was fermented entirely in 100% new 225-liter French oak barrels and it was aged for 20 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it features baked plums, Black Forest cake and exotic spices with cigar box and menthol. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm, grainy and fresh with great muscle in the mid-palate, finishing long and spicy. 250 cases produced.
Drink Date: 2022 - 2052

96+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (interim en), November 2018

Brooding black fruit richness the start of the palate is sweet with ripe plums and concentrated black cherry. Fine tannins the opulent richness balanced by fresh fruits lighter at the back quite firm but it fills out on the finish with ripe plum richness. 2026-41

93/96
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2017

Produced from 100% Merlot and completely vinified in barrel, the wine shows a deep intensity of color. Intense floral notes combined with black raspberries, plum and earth with the right of chocolate in the finish, giving the wine more of a fat, sensuous, opulent nature. The fruits are sweet, with a strong sense of purity, freshness and energy. Open and expressive, this vintage shows the wine is a vintage on the upswing. The harvest took place October 4 and October 5. The wine reached 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.8.
Read more at:
https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/search-wine-tasting-notes/?szSearch=Enclos%20Tourmaline

95
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider, April 2017
Read more tasting notes...

The 2016 Enclos Tourmaline is pure Merlot cropped at 50 hectoliters per hectare and matured in new oak. It has a beautiful bouquet with black cherries, crushed violets and just a hint of licorice that is very well defined and gains intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, good weight in the mouth with a fine line of acidity. One bottle felt a little pinched, but a second was much more refined and demonstrated superb detail and focus on the finish, with a gorgeous saline/black pepper aftertaste. My score reflects that second showing.
Drink Date 2023 - 2045

93/95
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (230), April 2017

This is very close in quality to the great 2015. Full body yet complex and layered. Very refined. Fine grained tannins. Super tight. A real beauty here. Only 3,000 (bottles). Beautiful follow up. Second vintage.

96/97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2017
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.