Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages 2012
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Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A star from an excellent vintage in the North Coast of California, the 2012 Chateau St Jean Cinq Cépages exhibits fine complex notes of black fruits, sweet earth and savory herbs. The wine's medium bodied style makes it a super match with grilled lamb. Drinks well now. (Tasted: May 9, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Proprietary Red Cinq Cepages is made from five Bordeaux varietals – 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in primarily French oak. The wine has a dense ruby/purple color, loads of crushed rock, cedar wood, chocolate, blackcurrant and Chinese black tea notes. It is medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannin and an impressive future. This wine will actually benefit from several years of bottle age and should last 15 or more years. 91+
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Wine Enthusiast
The producer's flagship Bordeaux-inspired blend combines 84% Cabernet Sauvignon with 6% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. Sanguine, it has a refined sense of cedar and pencil shavings around still-tight tannins that lean savory in tea and dark chocolate. Dried herbs dominate the finish. Cellar through 2020.
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Wine Spectator
Centered on pure, rich red berry and blackberry flavors, with dusty, cedary fresh earth scents in the background, this is very Bordeaux-like and restrained. Ends with a subtle mix of complex flavors and subtle, fine-grained tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2023.
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Founded in 1973 in the Sonoma Valley, Chateau St. Jean is the quintessential Sonoma winery. Chateau St. Jean produces an extensive portfolio of Sonoma County wines as well as vineyard designated wines, limited production Reserve wines, and the flagship Cinq Cépages Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker Margo Van Staaveren uses her more than 30 years of vineyard and winemaking expertise with Chateau St. Jean to continue the tradition of highlighting the best of each vineyard site to produce exceptional wines. Chateau St. Jean was the first Sonoma winery to be awarded the prestigious “Wine of the Year” award from Wine Spectator Magazine for its 1996 Cinq Cépages, a Bordeaux style blend of “five varieties” and has long been recognized as a leader in vineyard designated wines.
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.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.