Chateau Sansonnet 2017

Professional Ratings

• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Sansonnet needs some coaxing to reveal notions of warm blueberries, plum preserves and boysenberries followed by Chinese five spice, licorice, fertile loam and charcuterie with a waft of lavender. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with layered black and blue fruits, framed by ripe, velvety tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and with great purity.

• 92 James Suckling

  A tight, compact red with lots of chewy tannins, yet they are polished and poised. Full body. Savory with blue fruit at the end. A blend of 85% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 7% cabernet sauvignon. Needs time to come together. Better after 2022.

• 92 Wine Spectator

  This is enticing, with a succulent core of crushed plum, blackberry and dark currant fruit that melds nicely with apple wood and sweet tobacco notes. Shows a good brambly tug through the grippy finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2021 through 2032.

• 92 Jeb Dunnuck
  A perennial overachiever, the 2017 Château Sansonnet is a hidden gem in this complex, irregular vintage. Black cherries, blueberries, violets, and hints of underbrush give way to a medium-bodied, rounded, supple, beautifully polished red that has sweet tannin and nicely integrated acidity. This estate was relatively unaffected by the April frost. The rough blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, harvested between the 19th of September and the 5th of October, representing roughly 65% of the total production. It’s still aging in 100% new French oak.
  Barrel Sample: 90-92
• 92 Decanter

  Knitted down, with a creep of limestone and scraping minerality that peels the layers back slowly. This suggests confidence and is going to age well. Not exactly seductive today, but there is bitter black chocolate on display, precise cassis, plenty of tannins and a fresh backbone. Drinking Window 2025 - 2042.

• 91 Wine Enthusiast

  Powerful tannins dominate this massive wine that has as much to do with structure as with dark black-fruit flavors. Dense and concentrated, it will age well and should be drunk from 2023.