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La Conseillante
The Winery
Château La Conseillante
"What separates the elite châteaux of Bordeaux from their counterparts is not just their ability to make great wine, but their ability to make distinctive wine. These châteaux are capable of reproducing their signature characteristics vintage after vintage. Château La Conseillante belongs to this elite group."
- Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
La Conseillante is in a good neighborhood; the Madison Avenue of French wines. Cheval Blanc, Vieux Chateau Certan, and l’Evangile surround the vineyards. The Nicolas family has produced their first-growth Pomerol since 1871 when Louis Nicolas bought the property. Production is small, around 4,000 cases per annum, and the vineyards are 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. They have a second label of which 1000 cases are made called the Duo de Conseillante. For those who like to showcase their cellars, the wines stick out and don’t go unnoticed by enthusiasts or those drawn first to aesthetics. The capsule is a deep, vivacious purple. The label was drawn in 1871, with a silver border incasing the letter ‘N’. Stylistically, in comparison to their neighbors, the wines are the most harmonious in the region. If you are looking for silky, elegant and sensuous, they’re perfect. Robert Parker describes the wines as some “of the appellations most elegant, lush and delicious”. Vintages to look out for include 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2005.
Tasting Notes
- WA96
- La Conseillante made an excellent wine in 2001, another great one in 2005, and the estate hit home runs in both 2008 and, above all, in 2009. In fact, the latter vintage may well end up being the modern-day reference point for La Conseillante. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to be said for this 2000. An elegant, gentle style that is never a blockbuster, the 2000 La Conseillante has a deep ruby/plum/purple color and an unbelievably expressive nose of sweet kirsch liqueur intermixed with raspberries, incense, toast, and licorice. Full-bodied yet ethereal in the sense that it seems to combine power along with eloquence and delicacy, this is a beautifully pure wine that has just hit its plateau of full maturity, although ideally I think it would benefit strongly from another 4-5 years of bottle age and drink well for two to three decades.
- WS95
- Pretty, with a perfumy hint to the range of bergamot, blood orange, kirsch and damson plum fruit flavors, which are backed by a graceful, floral-edged finish. Very silky and suave, this expands steadily and dramatically in the glass but still forgoes power for a lacy seduction. This really stands apart from the powerfully ripe general profile of the AOC in `00 but seems likely to last just as long in the hunt as the other top dogs.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2028. 5,000 cases made.
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