2015 CH ROUGET POMEROL - 6x75cl

Tasting Notes

• 

  Goedhuis, March 2020

  The words value and Pomerol rarely go hand in hand, but a happy marriage is found in this gem from the northernmost part of the appellation. Plump and juicy, the 2015 Château Rouget is bursting with black cherry and plum. The Merlot led blend (80%) is aged in one third new oak that lends attractive aromas of liquorice, mocha and sweet spices.

• 

  Neal Martin, July 2019,
  Score: 90

  The 2015 Rouget has a clean and pure bouquet with ample black cherries, boysenberry, sage and truffle aromas. A little glossy in style but retaining fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, sweet and slightly candied in style with touches of curry leaf and tobacco toward the finish that just needs to muster more detail and sophistication. Needs time. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

• 

  Neal Martin, April 2016,
  Score: 92-94

  The 2015 Rouget is the blend of five parcels around the Pomerol plateau and I took time to taste each of them when I visited Edouard Labruyère. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aged in one-third new oak, it has quite a punchy, high-toned bouquet with licorice-tinged red fruit that opens nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, rounded in the mouth with moderate acidity, the Cabernet Franc very articulate. I like the cohesion here, svelte in the mouth with black fruit and allspice fanning out on the structured, sandalwood finish. This is a well-crafted Rouget that deserves wider consumer appreciation. I would not be surprised if this Rouget ends up at the top of my banded score. Drink: 2019 - 2035

• 

  Antonio Galloni, April 2016,
  Score: 90-93

  The 2015 Rouget is outstanding. Plump, juicy and forward, the 2015 possesses terrific depth to match its flamboyant personality. Black cherry, plum, mocha, dark spice and licorice abound in this forward Pomerol. The style is unquestionably ripe and modern, but very nicely judged. Consulting winemaker Michel Rolland has done a fine job here.

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Producer

Château Rouget

The necessary investment to this estate came when the Labruyère family bought the estate from the Francois-Jean Brochet in 1992. This estate sits in the most northerly part of the appellation of Pomerol on very sandy soil. The vineyards stretch to 18 hectares, comprising 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc vines, with an average age of 28 years. Fermentation occurs in temperature controlled stainless steel vats, before malolactic fermentation and barrel ageing in one third new barrels per year.Château Rouget wines were traditional and rustically styled - characteristics which have been maintained under the new ownership, but recently have also displayed increased concentration and suppleness. This may be due to the recent addition (1997) of Michel Rolland, as consultant. Nevertheless the wines, qualitatively, are on an upward trajectory.