Clos du Marquis 2016

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2016 Clos du Marquis was picked from 30 September to 19 October and consists of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, matured in 55% new oak. Yields came in at 40 hectoliters per hectare and the alcohol at 13.55%. The bouquet is very intense at the moment with small black cherries, incense, iris and a touch of shucked oyster shells. The palate is beautiful, perhaps one of the most powerful that I came across in Saint Julien, certainly no shy retiring flower, yet it effortlessly manages to retain the precision and tension one expects from this cru. There is a firm back bone here, but the tannins are so precise that you barely notice, while the aftertaste has superb salinity. This is a majestic Clos du Marquis, but it will require several years in the cellar.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Blended of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Clos du Marquis has a very deep garnet-purple color and is a little broody to begin, giving way to notes of crushed blackcurrants and black cherries with touches of warm plums, pencil shavings, earth and new leather with a waft of yeast extract. Medium-bodied with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, it has bold fruit matched by freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2016 Clos du Marquis is just as compelling from bottle as it was from barrel. Inky, deep and explosive, with superb depth and impeccable balance, the 2016 is fabulously delicious. One of the things I admire most about the 2016 is an uncanny ability to deliver serious flavor intensity without excess heaviness. This is a stellar effort from Jean-Hubert Delon and his team.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2016 Clos du Marquis is a striking Saint-Julien. Vibrant, nuanced and finely sculpted, it captures the essence of the appellation in its dark fruit and inviting personality. Freshly cut flowers, mint, berries and sweet herbal notes are all laced together in the glass. Medium in body and very classic in feel, the 2016 is showing very well today. The blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, with the Cabernet Sauvignon very much at center stage.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2016 Clos du Marquis was picked from September 30 to October 19. It has a generous, intense bouquet of blackberries, raspberry confit, cedar and light tobacco scents, representing a serious step up from the La Petite Marquise (as it should). The palate is rounded and quite sumptuous on the entry, and beautifully balanced, with a fine bead of acidity. This is a very fresh, tensile Clos du Marquis displaying superb precision on the finish and great persistence. Give it three to five years in bottle and then enjoy over the next 20 years, possibly more.