Château Loudenne 1996

Very good depth of fruit for the vintage, although slightly one-dimensional. Dark purple in color, with intense aromas of blackberry and grape. Full-bodied and thick, with a velvety tannin structure. Serious effort by Loudenne. Best after 2000. 24,000 cases made.

Barrel sample (??/20): cherry-like blackberry bouquet, lots of drive and very concentrated. Firm palate, plenty of volume, ripe extract, good astringency. Once again a clear quality improvement over the previous vintage, but still a Damocles’ sword regarding cleanliness and further ageing. Potential score: 17/20, development: ??? 97: Deep purple. Earthy, muted bouquet, mushroomy, wet wool. Lots of flesh and power on the palate, but somehow feels a bit unclean. Potential score: 16/20 2003 – 2018

Fairly dark color for the wine. Medium-intensity nose. Smoky and fruity. Pleasant and fairly caressing, the palate shows medium body and volume, evoking Merlot at mid-palate. The tannins have a licorice-like character and become increasingly firm on the finish, with a drying edge that bothers me.