Producer: Chateau la Conseillante 
Region: Pomerol, Bordeaux, France 
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc 
Year: 2016  

Jeb Dunnuck, 99 Points 

"Bottled in June of 2018, the 2016 Château La Conseillante is a beautifully seamless yet powerful version of this cuvée that has the hallmark fragrance and elegance of the estate front and center. Complex blackberries, cassis, flowers, incense, forest floor, and floral notes all soar from this full-bodied, pure, and polished Pomerol that has an undeniable class as well as wonderful purity of fruit, perfect integration of its tannins and acidity, and a blockbuster finish. It's an incredibly complete wine that flirts with perfection and will keep for 30-40 years. The blend is 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, aged in 70% new French oak, with the balance in once-used barrels. There are less than 4,000 cases made, but this is a wine you want in your cellar." 

James Suckling, 99 Points 

"The aromas of violets and dark berries with licorice and sweet black tea are so attractive. What really impresses is the sweet fruit in the dense middle palate. So attractive. At the same time, there’s plenty of plush and ripe tannins that give the wine form and brightness. And it still remains bright on the finish, as the tannins roll on. A great Conseillante. Try after 2024." 

Wine Advocate, 98 Points 

"The 2016 La Conseillante is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aged in 70% new and 30% one-year-old French oak for 17 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it slips provocatively out of the glass with a lifted perfume of roses, candied violets and lavender over a core of warm red and black plums, chocolate box, unsmoked cigars and baked cherries with wafts of wild thyme and tilled soil. Medium-bodied, the palate exudes polish and sophistication with bags of fragrance, freshness and energy, sporting exquisitely fine-grained tannins and finishing very long and minerally. Around 3,808 cases produced." 

Vinous, 97 Points 

"The 2016 La Conseillante is a brilliant wine from the team led by Technical Director Marielle Cazaud. Polished and sophisticated, the 2016 possesses stunning vertical lift, with soaring aromatics that make a strong first impression. Silky and seductive on the palate, the 2016 is all about precision and energy in the early going. It is also one of the most quite, soft-spoken Pomerols of the vintage. Hints of blackberry, lavender, licorice and spice add nuance, but in 2016 La Conseillante stands out for its sublime balance and total sense of harmony. The 2016 spent 17 months in oak, 70% new. As gorgeous as the 2016 is, my impression is that the best is yet to come. Since arriving at La Conseillante, Cazaud has changed much in the farming of the property, including introducing cover crops and limiting yields. She also now works with no sulfites in winemaking and opts for lower temperatures in fermentation. In other words, the full results of all of that work is yet to be seen. For now, though, the 2016 Conseillante is a pretty special wine. Don't miss it." 

Decanter, 96 Points 

"This is a big wine, from the colour to the stunning level of fruit and tannin extraction that is not overdone, but is certainly evident. Gorgeous violets and blackberries run through the palate and slightly chewy tannins are extremely well-integrated with the oak. At first you think this carries on the slightly more swaggering style of La Conseillante seen in recent years, with black fleshed fruits and high drama, but as it unfurls in the glass you reclaim also the more floral, vibrant and elegant touches that suggest the heart of this property is unchanged. A touch austere, but that's what you want for long ageing. There is around one degree less alcohol than in 2015, even though they finished picking later. For me, this is a more classic La Conseillante than 2015. The aromatics are just so striking. This is the second year of using biodynamic preparations across the whole vineyard. Michel Rolland consults. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aged in 70% new oak." 

Wine Enthusiast, 95 Points 

"Beautifully perfumed and rich, this wine comes from the eastern edge of the great plateau of Pomerol. It shows the density and concentration of impressive Merlot. Offering powerful fruits as much as tannins, the wine also has a mineral edge plus fresh acidity to give it a lift. Drink from 2024. *Cellar Selection*" 

Wine Spectator, 95 Points 

"Features a terrific core of dense and winey cassis, blackberry and plum reduction notes that will need time to unfurl, during which time the flickers of alder, tobacco and black tea lurking throughout should emerge further. Shows a solid graphite element through the finish." 

Alcohol: 14% 

*Discounts do not apply to items like this one in the Fine & Rare category. Price and availability in store may vary.