Château Le Bon Pasteur 2016

This delivers a solid core of steeped cherry, plum and linzer torte flavors, inlaid liberally with roasted apple wood and licorice notes. A touch taut on the finish, with a plum skin edge lending a slightly extracted feel. Best from 2021 through 2029. 2,500 cases made.

This delivers plenty of Pomerol flourish and seduction, but the extraction is a little over-evident, which shuts things down on the finish and gives a flush of heat. Still, pair this with a plate of food and you'll be extremely happy.

Beautiful plums and ripe cherries with dark chocolate and hazelnut undertones. Full-bodied, juicy and tannic with lots of fruit and structure. The length is long and chewy. A blend of 80 percent merlot and 20 percent cabernet franc. Needs at least three to four years to soften. Better from 2022.

The 2016 Le Bon Pasteur is powerful and voluptuous in the glass. Dark cherry jam, leather, licorice and menthol are all beautifully interwoven. Rich, ample and super-expressive, the 2016 has so much to offer. The tannins have really gained in finesse over the course of aging in barrel. The 2016 is a very pretty and enticing Bon Pasteur.

Rich, lush and sensuous, the wine is velvety-textured on the palate with freshness, layers of ripe, sexy plums and a silky, vibrant finish. This is one of the best vintages of Bon Pasteur ever, so give it 5–7 years to come through and it will be a sublime Pomerol!

Floral and perfumed nose with elegant red fruit, raspberry, clove, ginger, aromatically rather Burgundian with fine oak and smoky notes. Dense palate with ripe, very grainy tannins, supple oak and expressive red-fruit flavors, with bright freshness and a long, lingering finish.

A surprisingly elegant, medium to full-bodied effort from the genius of the Rolland family (this is their property in Pomerol), the 2016 Château Le Bon Pasteur offers loads of barbecue smoke, graphite, violets, and vibrant black and blue fruits in a complex, layered, classy package. With fine tannins, good concentration, and a pretty, perfumed style, it’s not a blockbuster by any means, but it’s beautifully balanced, with everything in the right place. It will benefit from short-term cellaring and drink well for two decades.

Purple with a garnet sheen at the rim. Sweet wild-berry bouquet, backed by caramel, a hint of roasted notes and violet. An elegant palate with redcurrant, showing finesse and finishing in a firework of red cherries and iris. Bravo!

Kunz barrel sample 17: fresh, powerful, dense bouquet, blue and black berries, graphite, cedar, pralines. Balanced, tightly knit, elegant palate with powerful, sweet fruit, dense, creamy structure, intense, complex aromatics, long, fresh finish. Has room to improve.

Fresh, powerful, dense bouquet, blue and black berries, graphite, cedar, pralines. Balanced, tightly woven, elegant palate with powerful, sweet fruit, dense, creamy structure, intense and complex aromatics, long, fresh finish. Still has room to improve. 18/20 2023 - 2038

Deep garnet in color, the 2016 Le Bon Pasteur starts off with profound notions of plum pudding, baked blackberries, and black cherry compote, plus hints of star anise, dusty soil, and garrigue. Full-bodied, rich, and opulent in the mouth, it delivers velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with great length.

Refined sensuality, with irresistible silkiness and a perfect definition of the vintage. A Bon-Pasteur that will make history!

Small red fruits, Zan, vanilla. Full-bodied palate, a hint of bitterness, generous, well-integrated tannins, very long finish.

Garnet red with light violet highlights. Such finesse and complexity. Bon Pasteur 2016 reveals fruity, spicy and mineral notes. I pick up subtle touches of black berries, but above all red berries and hints of chalk. On the palate, freshness and structure set the tone. They go hand in hand with the tannins, which emerge very slowly on the finish and show a fine grain. In 2016, Bon Pasteur brilliantly showcased all the finesse it is capable of revealing. A wine of character that so deftly combines charm and rigor. It even reminds me a little of its technical director ;-) Congratulations to the whole team on this great achievement!

Dark, intense and beautiful color. Moderately aromatic nose, with fruit that is both ripe and fresh. Delicate on the attack, silky as it unfolds, very fragrant, with a rising presence on the palate, the wine develops with savory intensity and is impossible to spit, with good length.

The 2016 vintage stands out for its very elegant extraction, with deliciously supple tannins. The spherical palate shines with the precision of its fruit, which is not overpowered by the oak. A success for this wine, true to its style.