Château de Sales 2016

A light waft of dried herb peeks out from the gentle, rounded core of plum and cherry preserve flavors. Subtle tea and cedar notes cling to the finish, which lingers prettily. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2021. 14,000 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.

A very nicely integrated wine with attractive blue fruit and slate-like, savory elements, offering a complete impression on both nose and palate. Drink or hold.

Medium-bodied, fresh, bright, but not quite crisp, focused on light red fruits with just a touch of earth for complexity. This isn’t very deep, but there’s just enough here to please those longing for older, classic styles of Pomerol. This is probably the best vintage from de Sales I recall tasting.

Kunz barrel sample 17: peppery, herbaceous bouquet, cherries, chalk, licorice. Medium-bodied, austere palate with light fruit, good tannins, sweet aromatics, rustic structure, and a medium finish. Has room to improve.

Peppery, herbal bouquet, cherries, chalk, licorice. Medium-bodied, austere palate with light fruit, good tannins, sweet aromatics, rustic structure, and a medium finish. Can still improve. 16/20 2022 - 2034

Small red fruits, crushed strawberry. Creamy, lively palate with a lovely mouthfeel, round and supple tannins, beautiful finish.

The nose is fruity, with a touch of concentration, elegance, and a subtle, captivating character. The wine benefits from decanting. It reveals notes of blackcurrant, blueberry, lily, and, more lightly, crushed blackberry, joined by small touches of ripe/crushed cherry and ripe wild raspberry, as well as hints of Sichuan pepper, violet, mocha, cola, and very discreet toasted nuances in the background. The palate is fruity, balanced, and structured, with a finely restrained profile, offering good/lovely definition, finesse, tension, a fine fleshy feel, and a lovely fine grain. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of fleshy wild blue berries, fleshy blackcurrant and, more lightly, fleshy blackberry and fleshy raspberry, with small touches of tonka bean and toast, as well as discreet hints of coffee, Sichuan pepper, lily, very discreet hints of spice, and an imperceptible hint of nutmeg. The tannins are fine and structuring. Good length. The finish is finely powdery. Power on the finish/persistence. A very discreet hint of hazelnut, coffee, and spice/toasted notes lingers on the persistence.

At this stage, this wine is all about the tannins that dominate the black fruits. But fruit weight is there, promising good things as the wine matures. Smoky wood and blackberry flavors are set against a solid structure. There is potential here, so let the wine soften and mature. Drink from 2024.