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La Violette 2016

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

This 1.6 hectare vineyard is owned by the family of the late Catherine Péré-Vergé (of Chateau Le Gay) although 0.3 hectares are not currently in production. Only a few hundred cases of luxurious Pomerol are made here annually. The property is situated in between Le Pin and Trotanoy, and planted with 100% Merlot from 50 year old vines. The fruit is de-stemmed by hand by 50 people with micro-vinification and elevage in 100% new oak.

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Tasting Notes

The 2016 La Violette was one of the turn-ups for the books at this tasting, for what I have previously found to be an excellent Pomerol is evolving into a showstopper. It has a brilliant bouquet with incredibly well-defined red fruit laced with cedar and truffle, utterly graceful and the oak beautifully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, finely tuned acidity and gentle grip toward the long, tender finish. Pure class and nobility. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2025 - 2055

98
Neal Martin, vinous.com, August 2020

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 La Violette opens with fragrant cigar box, black tea, wilted roses and spice cake scents with a core of warm black plums, black cherries and mulberries plus a hint of star anise. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers layer upon layer of black fruits and floral sparks, framed by firm, very finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Beautiful. 2022 - 2056.

97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim No), November 2018

Loads of plums with spices and hazelnuts. Full-bodied, dense and velvety with layers of fruit and ripe tannins. Brilliant and focused with a long and beautiful finish. Shows class and greatness. Try after 2025.

97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2019

The attack is big, becoming extremely juicy through the palate. You get the floral side that you hope for with the name, along with black cherry and tight slate. Good persistency, and a great wine.

Drinking Window 2027 - 2050

94
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2017

This 1.6 hectare vineyard is owned by the family of the late Catherine Péré-Vergé (of Chateau Le Gay) although 0.3 hectares are not currently in production. Only a few hundred cases of luxurious Pomerol are made here annually. The property is situated in between Le Pin and Trotanoy, and planted with 100% Merlot from 50 year old vines. The fruit is de-stemmed by hand by 50 people with micro-vinification and elevage in 100% new oak. Just 4800 bottles will be produced in 2016 at 29hl/ha. Extremely floral with violets, coconut, coffee and plums. Explosively aromatic with great complexity and sweetness. The palate is silky smooth, with velveteen tannins, cherry blossom, ripe plums and ripe blackberry supported by integrated spicy oak and polished, ripe, succulent tannins. Holding to a long finish, the vanilla and coffee notes from the oak remain in perfect harmony with the plump and ripe fruits, clearly benefitting from the painstaking winemaking process undertaken here. A real stunner in 2016 once more.

97
Farr Vintners, February 2017

This tiny production cuvée comes the team at La Gay. The 2016 Château La Violette is all Merlot raised in new oak. It’s more reserved and elegant compared to the sexier 2015 and has medium to full-bodied notes of blackberries, violets, smoked earth, and incense. Seamless, nicely concentrated, with good acidity and fine tannins, give bottles 4-5 years in the cellar and it should keep for two decades. As with the Le Gay in 2016, this cuvée leans heavily toward the fresher, more elegant end of the spectrum at the expense of opulence. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful wine. Drink 2023-2043.

94+
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, February 2019

The nose has violets a trace of coconut the palate meaty rich with powerful black fruits and dark chocolate. The fleshy rich middle is underpinned by bramble some spicy oak lighter at the back but it finishes with ripe damsons brooding black fruits. 2027-44

94/96
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2017

La Violette can be a bit of a blockbuster wine in some vintages, but that’s not the case here. Rich and dense, it most certainly is, with tannins that haven’t quite integrated yet, but this is a smoky, brambly, fleshy Pomerol with considerable potential. 2025-32

94
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2017
Read more tasting notes...

The 2016 La Violette has an engaging bouquet of voluptuous black cherry, boysenberry and crème de cassis aromas, very pure but not as overpowering as in previous vintages. The palate is rounded and generous, displaying sensual tannin that imparts a velvety texture. It feels slightly lower in acidity than its peers, but there is impressive volume and density toward the finish, which coats the mouth with blue and black fruit. Decadent but with just the right amount of class to render this a quite delicious, sensual Pomerol. Drink 2023-2043.

94
Neal Martin, vinous.com (Jan 2019), January 2019

The 2016 La Violette is pure Merlot picked from 4 to 7 October at just 29 hectoliters per hectare, de-stemmed by hand and matured in 100% new oak. It has a lower alcohol level than Le Gay at 13.5%, because the terroir is cooler. The bouquet is very opulent and showy, plush red cherries intermingling with crème de cassis and blueberry jam, missing the delineation of some of its peers. This is strange because with that lower alcohol level, I was expecting something more terroir-driven. The palate is full-bodied, although certainly not as glossy or as flamboyant as older vintages of La Violette. It is well balanced, overtly modern in style and very polished as always. However, it is missing that complexity and engaging personality that other Pomerols possess on the finish. I probably have a preference for the 2015 La Violette, even though this is a very attractive, if slightly predictable wine. Drink Date 2022 - 2040

91/93
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (230), April 2017

Juicy and fruity red with round tannins and a delicious finish. It’s tight and reserved yet offers so much on the center palate. Gorgeous.

96/97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 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.