Wine Advisor
Soutard 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted single blind at Southwold. This has an almost over-ripe nose. Boot polish, some acetic notes coming through. Damson jam. Rather light and superficial on the palate – balanced with a more restrained style which is fine, but it lacks some matiere and length. It just comes across as ‘strange’! Tasted January 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Medium-bodied and superficial for the vintage, the deep ruby-colored 2005 Soutard offers a pleasant nose of loamy soil, spice, berry fruit, and earth. In the mouth, it is medium-bodied and shallow, with light to moderate tannin and a decent finish. New owners, the insurance group Groupe Le Mondiale, and a new manager, Claire Thomas-Chenard, should result in higher quality from this estate.
About the Producer
Chateau Soutard is located in the Saint-Emilion appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France, and is one of the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe. The vineyards of Château Soutar are located in the hinterland of the limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion and cover 30 hectares of limestone, clay and sandy soils. The vineyard is planted with 63% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Malbec, with an average vine age of 30 years and a planting density of 8,000 vines per hectare. Château Soutar continues the traditional viticultural techniques, respecting the natural terroir of the vineyards and not interfering too much with the vines. For example, the vines are pruned in advance, thus simplifying the Green Harvest process and avoiding additional stress on the vines. Once the grapes have ripened, they are hand-picked by the workers and taken to the chiller, where they are transported to the cellar the following day. In the cellar, the grapes are vibrated and de-stemmed to select the best quality grapes for the wine. The grapes are then placed in small containers and transported by rail to stainless steel tanks and oak barrels for a cold maceration of about 5 days and an alcoholic fermentation of about 10 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place partly in stainless steel tanks and the rest in oak barrels. The finished fermentation is aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, of which 60% are new. Finally, the wine is carefully blended by an oenological consultant to produce a wine with complex and attractive flavours. Typically, 70% of the wine is blended into the main label and the other 30% into the secondary label. The Chateau Soutard, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe, France is the main wine of the estate. With aromas of black fruit, firm tannins and a rounded palate, this wine has been favoured by a host of wine critics and reviewers. For example, the 2018 vintage was awarded 93-95 points by the Robert Parker Team.
