| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This 28 hectare Saint Emilion property in the suburbs of Libourne has recently changed hands and is now under the same ownership as Cheval Blanc. Wine-making has changed too with a much more subtle style being produced. The vineyard is planted with 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Elevage is in double sized (450 litre) barrels which are 50% new, and 50% one year old. This gives the wine a less oaky taste than under the old regime and the wines produced here now are much more in the sophisticated, silky Cheval Blanc style. Much improved, yet modestly priced.
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Chateau Quinault L'Enclos
This shows beauty and balance for the vintage with delicious crushed-berry and chocolate aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. One of the best QEs in a long time. Drink after 2022.
There was no frost here. Medium to deep ruby-purple colored, the 2017 Quinault l'Enclos delivers expressive scents of mulberries, baked plums and boysenberries with hints of tar, licorice and chargrill. Medium-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of chewy tannins and lively acidity framing the elegant black fruit and savory layers, finishing on an earthy note.
Drink Date
2020 - 2032
This is a success for an estate that has now seen ten years under the stewardship of Cheval Blanc, undergoing lots of replanting and reworking of the vineyards, as well as changing the way they work in the cellar. There was no frost here thanks to their proximity to the town of Libourne. The vines are on gravelly soils from the river bed, as on the Pomerol plateau, and the lack of water over the summer meant the Cabernet Sauvignon did better than the Cabernet Franc. There is still the slightest dip of savoury fruit, reflecting the vintage conditions, but this is coupled with a freshness and juiciness that I really like, alongside touches of florality and some clean redcurrant, raspberry and brambled fruits. The tannins are fine and the acidity is good without being sharp. Matured in 500l casks, 50% new, for 12 months.
Drinking Window 2023 - 2036
Deep crimson. Delicately herbaceous and slightly dusty aroma. Smells of stone dust. Or is it the concrete in the cellar? Under that, light cassis. Strange mix of herbaceous flavours and sweet chocolate. Sweet/sour at the moment. Smooth tannins, chocolate texture. Gentle but fresh.
Drink 2022-2029
The nose is herbal and spicy lots of blackcurrant the start of the palate fresh but it fills out in the middle with ripe fruit supported by fine tannins. Fresh at the back herbal with savoury spices. 2023-35
There was no frost at this estate because of the proximity to the village. Rather marked by greenness and also oak, the fruit sits in the background and the flavour is rather reticent. There is a red theme, but it is rather dusty and grainy and lacks clarity.
A firm and silky red with blackberry and chocolate character. Medium-to full-bodied, pretty and focused. A delicious young wine.
There was no frost at all in Quinault l’Enclos, as it is right in Libourne and a bit warmer. The 2017 Quinault l'Enclos is blended of 64% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak and 50% one-year-old oak—only 500-liter barrels and foudres. Deep garnet-purple in color, it gives expressive notes of warm plums, blackberry pie and black forest cake with touches of Chinese five spice and dusty soil. The palate is medium-bodied, firm and grainy with a good amount of earthy fruit and a savory finish.
