Wine Advisor
Le Bon Pasteur 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Bon Pasteur has an atypically modest and almost bashful bouquet at first, one that required coaxing from the glass, eventually offering blackberry, briary and subtle floral aromas that are very classy. The palate is well defined with crisp tannin. This Bon Pasteur is, you might say, more "classic" than the 2015 and more reserved, but displays excellent tension with impressive detail on the finish. It might not quite possess the persistence on the aftertaste of its peers higher up on the plateau, but it is a very, very good Bon Pasteur that I prefer to the 2015. I would not be surprised if this lands at the top of my banded score once in bottle.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Le Bon Pasteur is powerful, and voluptuous in the glass. Dark cherry jam, leather, licorice and menthol are all wonderfully fused together. Rich, ample and super-expressive, the 2016 has so much to offer. The tannins have really gained finesse over the course of aging in barrel. The 2016 is a very pretty and enticing Bon Pasteur.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Le Bon Pasteur was tasted at the Union de Grand Cru, although I felt this sample was not representative, so my note comes from two bottles sent from Bordeaux. It has a very fragrant bouquet that is much more open than I recall from barrel, and also more floral, with pungent violet scents joining the cassis and blueberry fruit. The palate is balanced and pure, offering a fine thread of acidity and precocious blue fruit on the silky finish. The alcohol is a notch higher than its peers, and tasting one bottle throughout an evening, it felt closer to 15% than to the 14.5% stated on the label. That said, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, joyous Pomerol that is perhaps just a step behind the 2015.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2016 Bon Pasteur has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and nose of dark chocolate, kirsch and blackberries with tobacco, bay leaves, damp soil and tar nuances. Medium-bodied with firm, grainy tannins and a lively line, it gives good intensity and an earthy finish.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Le Bon Pasteur is powerful, and voluptuous in the glass. Dark cherry jam, leather, licorice and menthol are all wonderfully fused together. Rich, ample and super-expressive, the 2016 has so much to offer. The tannins have really gained finesse over the course of aging in barrel. The 2016 is a very pretty and enticing Bon Pasteur.
About the Producer
Château Le Bon Pasteur is a Pomerol estate, known for both the lush, supple quality of its wine and its history as the family property of the renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland. The seven-hectare (16-acre) vineyard is located on the boundary with Saint-Émilion and has a wide range of soil types. It is planted predominantly to Merlot, with 15-20 percent Cabernet Franc – exact proportions are hard to measure as some plots are mixed. Some of the vines were planted in the 1950s. The grapes are harvested by hand, and are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wines are then aged in predominantly new French oak for around 18 months and bottled without fining or filtration. World-renowned winemaking consultant Michel Rolland took over the running of Le Bon Pasteur in 1978, although the estate had been in the family since 1920. It was sold to a Chinese investor in 2013, although Rolland remains as winemaker and estate manager.
