Wine Advisor
La Conseillante 2012
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2012 La Conseillante exhibits a dark ruby/purple color as well as a beautiful, up-front, projected fragrance that includes mulberry and raspberry jam, licorice, lavender and underbrush. Rich and medium-bodied, this attractive effort possesses the estate’s hallmark elegance, finesse and sweet, velvety tannins. It should be approachable in its youth and last for 15+ years. This is another Bordeaux property that appears to be on top of its game, producing wines of great elegance as well as flavor authority. Sandwiched between the border of St.-Emilion and Cheval Blanc, and, on the Pomerol side, l’Evangile, Vieux-Chateau-Certan and Petrus, its terroir has extraordinary potential.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The La Conseillante is a blend of 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc (slightly less than usual) delivering 14.2% alcohol, raised in 70% new oak. It was cropped at 38.5hl/ha between 18th September and 1st October for the Merlot, and between 5th and 9th October for the Cabernet Franc. It has a lifted bouquet with broody dark fruit, a little more introspective than the 2011 at this stage with hints of cedar and mint. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins on the opening. It is a more feminine La Conseillante for sure, sedate and natural with an easy-drinking finish that you could almost consume now. The ’12 is very fine – but there is better to come once they have “broken in” their spanking new winery. Tasted April 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
An absolutely amazing wine from the Nicolas family, this is from another estate in Pomerol that is pushing the envelope to higher and higher quality. The final blend has moved to smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc, now approximately 20%, with the balance 80% Merlot. Through crop-thinning, yields have been reduced to an average of 35 hectoliters per hectare. Inky bluish/purple color and stunning sweet tannins embrace a full-bodied opulent Pomerol with beautiful, floral-infused black raspberry, blueberry and cassis fruit. Full-bodied, yet elegant, this is a brilliant marriage between finesse and power. Stunningly pure, this wine can be drunk young or age magnificently for 20 or more years.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
A pretty, open-knit wine, the 2012 La Conseillante is quite expressive today. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, new leather, cedar and cloves flesh out in the glass. Supple, racy and inviting, the 2012 is an attractive, mid-weight Conseillante built on harmony and textural finesse. There is plenty to like, although I would have liked to see a bit more depth through the mid-palate and follow through to the finish. The 2012 is 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc, which is to say more Merlot and less Franc than is the norm, aged in 70% new oak. Winemaker Jean-Michel Laporte, who has since been replaced by Marielle Cazaux (formerly at Petit-Village) characterized 2012 as a year with high disease pressure and alternating periods of sunshine and rain that made finding the right time to work in the vineyards a challenge. The 2012s came in around 14% alcohol, whereas alcohols were closer to 13.5% in 2014.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(89% merlot and 11% cabernet franc): Medium-deep purple-ruby. Pungent minerality lifts subtle, very pure aromas of red fruits, violet, wet stone, ink and cinnamon. Dense, vibrant, sharply delineated flavors of blackcurrant, raspberry, sweet spices and cocoa powder make for a memorable experience. Subtle violet and flint notes lift and extend the very long, minerally, suavely tannic finish. There's insidious sweetness and purity to this almost Burgundian Pomerol; all the elements are in place to make for a remarkable La Conseillante. In my notebook, this is one of the top half-dozen wines of the vintage.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 La Conseillante takes some time to settle in the glass, gaining harmony after 10 minutes with scents of red cherry, sandalwood, freshly rolled tobacco and clove. This comes across as showier, more extravagant than other 2012 Pomerols. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannins, harmonious and poised, spicy and perhaps with a little more edge towards the finish. There is a sense of confidence about this La Conseillante. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 La Conseillante has a very expressive bouquet with vibrant black cherry, blackcurrant and truffle aromas, with aeration fomenting more red fruit (crushed strawberry and cranberry) with an undertow of mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannin than the 2011, a keen thread of acidity and a satisfying crescendo of flavours: dark cherry, cranberry, hints of tobacco and cedar. It feels structured on the finish although that is matched by the freshness and the impressive length. This is just a superb La Conseillante although it is only just getting going. Tasted at La Conseillante vertical at the property.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2012 La Conseillante has a very expressive bouquet with vibrant black cherry, blackcurrant and truffle aromas, with aeration fomenting more red fruit (crushed strawberry and cranberry) with an undertow of mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannin than the 2011, a keen thread of acidity and a satisfying crescendo of flavours: dark cherry, cranberry, hints of tobacco and cedar. It feels structured on the finish although that is matched by the freshness and the impressive length. This is just a superb La Conseillante although it is only just getting going. Tasted at La Conseillante vertical at the property.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is really intense from the start to finish. This is a gorgeous wine. Full body, with very integrated tannins and a beautiful finish. Iron, chocolate, hazelnut and red fruits. Very, very polished. 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Amazing aromas of dried flowers, blueberries and minerals follow through to a full body, fine and polished tannins and a long finish. All in finesse and harmony. Little tight now. Better in 2018.
About the Producer
Chateau La Conseillante is located in the Pomerol appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France, next to Vieux Chateau Certan and Chateau L'Evangile, and is one of the best châteaux in Pomerol. The vineyard covers an area of 11.8 hectares with a topsoil of 60% grey clay and 40% gravel and a subsoil of red clay rich in iron. The vineyard is planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot is planted mainly on clay plots, while the Cabernet Franc is planted mainly on gravel. The average age of the vines is 35 years and the planting density is 7,000 vines per hectare. The winery uses traditional vineyard management practices, eliminating the use of herbicides. During the growing season, the land is usually plowed four times to suppress weed growth and thus obtain more water for the vines. In the winter, the vines are pruned in a strict Simple Guyot and Double Guyot style. In addition, the vineyards are de-leafed and de-budded to keep yields at around 4,000 liters per hectare. At harvest time, the grapes are hand-picked to their optimum ripeness and a preliminary selection is carried out. Once the selection is complete, the grapes are transported in small batches to the winery to prevent crushing of the fruit. The winery is located in the heart of the vineyard, which shortens the transportation time and ensures that the grapes are fresh and ready for fermentation. In 2012, the winery added a new fermentation room with enough temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to ferment the grapes from each of the 18 plots separately, combining traditional winemaking techniques with modern technology. In addition, the winery now has four sorting tables and a de-stemmer. After being transferred to barrels, the grapes undergo a cold maceration of 48 to 96 hours. After maceration, the must is fermented in barrels with the skins for 1 week, followed by a further 1 to 2 weeks of maceration. At the end of fermentation, some of the artesian wine is released first and the remaining lees are pressed through a vertical press. The pressed wines are aged separately, and only some of the best pressed wines are blended with the artesian wines. Before bottling, the wines are matured in oak barrels for approximately 18 months, 50% to 80% of which are new. During maturation, the wines are decanted by the winemakers every three months and finally clarified with egg whites.
1961(1)1973(1)1983(1)1984(1)1988(2)1989(3)1990(2)1993(2)1994(1)1995(2)1997(1)1998(3)1999(1)2000(6)2001(7)2002(1)2003(3)2004(4)2005(10)2006(7)2007(1)2008(8)2009(5)2010(8)2011(6)
Package Size
12 x 75cl3 x 1.5L
