Couvent des Jacobins 2016

A former monastery set right in the middle of St-Emilion village; one of the few properties with vines within the town walls. They have been including Petit Verdot in the blend since 2014, an unusual grape in St-Emilion and as with Yon-Figeac it takes some getting used to. It still has the salinity and freshness of the earlier vintages, but also a deep, peppery spice that gives power. This is vibrant, young and still very much primeur in feel, with crunchy black fruits. It's a touch constricted at this stage and needs a good few years to open, but it is precise, creamy and accomplished. 40% new oak.

So much iodine, dark berries and sweet tobacco on the nose. Floral and spicy, too. Full-bodied, tannic yet always poised and polished. Length and depth. The seven percent petit verdot makes this so interesting. Needs four to five years to come around. Try after 2024.

With flowers and spice accompanying ripe red fruits, the wine is soft, polished, fresh, and juicy, with a burst of sweet, spicy cherries on the finish. This is the first vintage to include Petit Verdot in the blend.

The 2016 Couvent des Jacobins (82% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot) offers a deep ruby color as well as a moderately intense nose of black cherries, damp earth, chocolate, and some gravelly minerality. With subtle oak (it was raised in 45% new oak), beautiful density and depth of fruit, and good acidity, it’s a classic 2016 that will benefit from short-term cellaring.

Deep garnet in color, the 2016 Couvent des Jacobins gives up notes of plum preserves, cedar, and graphite, followed by hints of menthol, star anise, and wild fungi. The full-bodied, muscular palate is taut with rugged black fruits with a chewy texture and tons of freshness, finishing long and earthy.

Peony and violet on the nose, with a silky, deep palate in a very Pomerol style. A seductive wine.

Very dark, intense, beautiful, and purple in color. Highly aromatic nose with ripe fruit and spicy notes reminiscent of Syrah. Broad from the attack, juicy as it unfolds, particularly fruity—the wine rolls across the palate with a sense of fullness. It finishes long and barely tannic, while the grain remains fine. It’s very good.