Chateau Sansonnet 2012
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James
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Robert
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Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A wonderful red with sweet chocolate, berry and licorice character. Full body, fine tannins and a finish with orange peel undertones. Balanced.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a property on an incredible qualitative roll, this blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, from St.-Emilion’s plateau of clay and limestone soils, offers loads of blueberry and raspberry fruit, an inky purple color, a distinctive, earthy terroir character, medium to full body, and beautiful ripeness, purity and equilibrium. This is a stunner, as it has been over recent vintages, and consumers need to take notice before the prices match the level of quality. Drink it over the next 15 years. Tiny yields of 23 hectoliters per hectare achieved 14% natural alcohol.
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Wine Spectator
An amped-up style, with lots of succulent plum, boysenberry and raspberry pate de fruit notes pumping along, lined with ambitious toasted vanilla and dried star anise hints. Pulls together on the finish, helped by a pleasant graphite edge. More harmonious now than when tasted from barrel. Best from 2017 through 2022.
Other Vintages
2022-
James
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Jeb
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Jeb
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James
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Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Robert
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Jeb
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James
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Robert
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Jeb
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James
Suckling -
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Spectator
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
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Enthusiast -
Robert
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Spectator - Decanter
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling - Decanter
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Wine
Enthusiast
- Vinous
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
Doctor in pharmacy, Marie-Benedicte Lefevere has taken over the management at Chateau Sansonnet since 2009. It is in the cellars of the family properties in Pomerol and Saint-Emilion that culture and passion for wine was passed on to her. It is now with a lot of ambition and determination that she imagines the future of the production for Chateau Sansonnet, putting all her will and attachment to the property to hoist it to the top of the appellation.
Chateau Sansonnet is located in the North East corner of Saint-Emilion in the heart of the Grands Classified Growths. The exceptional terroir is composed of a thin layer of clay on limestone. Winemaker Dominique Bordeneuve has great experience in winemaking after 20 years at Chateau Sansonnet, it allows the property to rely on a unique knowledge of its terroir and plot. Jean Trias, technical manager, has always been passionate by the world of wine. He held positions and responsibilities in many properties before settling at Chateau Sansonnet in 2000 where he strives to develop the best wines.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.