Vinous

Saouma has four barrels of Bonnes-Mares from disparate sections of this grand cru, from three growers. He was not yet sure how he will bottle this wine, but is leaning toward blending them into a single offering. I tasted each component on its own, then this approximation of the final blend. Bright ruby-red. Incredible nose melds black raspberry, crushed rock, mocha, flowers, spices and minerals. Wonderfully thick but sappy and backward, showing a sexy leesy complexity to its flavors of red and dark fruits, spices and salty minerality. This wonderfully juicy wine finishes tactile and very long, with serious dusty tannins and a palate-staining flavor of medicinal cherry. (I also tasted a blend of components 2 and 4, both from active limestone soil–#1 and #3 were spicier but less crystalline–and this sample was sensational. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of cranberry, pomegranate and crushed stone convey outstanding precision and energy. Utterly primary and soil-driven on the palate, boasting incredible intensity and penetration to its pungent red berry and mineral flavors. This compellingly tangy, taut expression of pure calcaire, which I rated 95-98, rises and builds inexorably on the palate-staining aftertaste. I suspect that this blend will never see the light of day for the simple reason that it would outclass Saouma’s other two barrels of Bonnes-Mares, a blend of which was densely packed and intensely spicy but a bit peppery and dry-edged, but if it did I’d be tempted to trade your first-born for a bottle or two.)

93-96 Points

By Stephen Tanzer / January 2017