Chateau Maillet 2015
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A full and layered red with blackberry, blueberry and stone character. Some black tea, too. Full body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. A big and muscular wine with classic Pomerol might. Drink in 2020.
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Wine Spectator
A pure, unadorned style, with fresh raspberry and damson plum notes that stretch out, underscored by singed apple wood. Remains fruit-driven overall. Barrel Sample: 89-92 Points
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Maillet is deep in color. The nose offers macerated dark cherries intermingling with vanilla and blueberries that is powerful, if missing the delineation of some of the top Pomerol crus. The palate is full-bodied with grainy tannin. There is a lot of extraction here, a little coarse in texture with dense black cherries and mulberry on the finish. Not a bad Pomerol by any means, although it does miss some sophistication and breeding. Barrel Sample: 89-91 Points
Other Vintages
2016-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Since the 2014 vintage, they decided to call on the expertise of Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, internationally famous wine-making councilor and also co-owner of Chateau Angelus in Saint-Emilion. This led to the decision of completely renovating the cellar of Pomerol and creating a new cuvée Chateau Mallet. Chateau Mallet is now an award winning wine with character.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.