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Mixed Case Single Vineyards, Château Puech-Haut 2016

Tasting Notes

All notes by Jeb Dunnuck

***2016 Bosc Negre Blanc (100% Roussanne) - 93 points***
The 2016 Bosc Negre Blanc comes from a single vineyard outside of Saint-Drézéry and is 100% Roussanne brought up in 70% new Burgundy barrels. It’s rich, full-bodied beauty that’s packed with notions of lemon curd and marmalade intermixed with plenty of white flower, honeysuckle and chalky minerality. Still tight and closed, yet with terrific potential, give bottle another 6-12 months of bottle age and it’s going to evolve nicely for 7-8 years. It’s a seriously good Roussanne.

***2016 Bosc Negre Rouge (Mourvèdre) - 98 points***
The 2016 Bosc Negre is the Mourvèdre dominated cuvée of the estate (there’s 10% tank-aged Grenache), destemmed and brought up in new barrels. It’s another rich, powerful wine from this estate that stays beautifully balanced. Classic notes of kirsch, blackberries, ground pepper, bouquet garni, and smoked earth all flow to full-bodied 2016 that has terrific purity, building tannins, and a layered, multi-dimensional texture that ranks with the best wines out there. It has plenty of upfront appeal but is going to benefit from a few years of bottle age.

***2016 Cante Lebre (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) - 96-99 points***
Another heavenly barrel sample is the 2016 Cante Lebre, which is a huge, incredibly rich wine based on 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre. The Grenache is brought up all in concrete tanks and the Syrah and Mourvèdre are aged in new French oak. Black raspberries, currants, smoked herbs, melted licorice, and violets notes all flow to a rich, opulent, incredibly sexy wine that’s going to flirt with perfection on release.

***2016 Quercus (Grenache) - 96 points***
The 2016 Quercus is the Grenache-dominated cuvée. It includes 10% Syrah, was completely destemmed, and spent 14 months in tank. Beautiful notes of kirsch, white pepper, incense, and baking spices all emerge from this medium to full-bodied Languedoc that has a savory yet elegant, complex style. Possessing sweet tannins and ample fruit, it’s already drinking brilliantly yet will cruise for a decade or more.

***2016 Reboussier (Carignan) - 98 points***
Based on 85% Carignan and 15% Grenache, the 2016 Reboussier is one of the inkier colored wines in the lineup. Tasting like the essence of Carignan with its deep black and blue fruits, damp earth, licorice, walnut shell, and graphite aromas and flavors, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, thrilling depth of fruit and concentration, ripe tannins, and shocking purity of fruit. There are few better Carignan-based wines out there, and it can be drunk today with incredible pleasure or cellared for a decade.

***2016 Recantou (Syrah) - 97 points***
Based on 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache aged in 70% new oak, the 2016 Recantou is more backward and reserved, yet certainly offers incredible potential. Notes of blackberries, smoked meats, cedarwood, and ground pepper give way to full-bodied, powerful wine that has building tannins, a dense, layered texture, and a big finish. It has remarkable purity of fruit and never showed a hint of oxidation over the four days I followed the bottle. Hide bottles for 2-4 years and it’s going to shine over the following decade or more.

93/99
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, February 2018
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.