Tour Saint Christophe 2016

The 2016 Tour Saint-Christophe is made up of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. It was aged in 40% new, 40% one-year-old and 20% two-year-old oak for 18 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it sings of roses, chocolate-covered cherries, redcurrant jelly and cinnamon stick with touches of cigar box and forest floor. Big, full-bodied and richly fruited yet with great tension, it has a compellingly perfumed palate and gorgeous velvety texture with great persistence. 5,000 cases produced. 2021 - 2044

The 2016 Tour Saint Christophe has a wonderful, beautifully defined bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, crushed stone and hints of pressed flowers, all very focused and delineated. The palate is well balanced, with fine but quite firm tannins and well-judged acidity, and very persistent toward the finish. I appreciate the harmony and intensity of this Tour Saint Christophe. A wonderful Saint-Émilion from "team Kwok"! Drink 2022-2048

This has a rich and ripe dark-fruit nose with a wealth of stony attraction and a lighter, floral edge. The palate has a very rich core of deeply ripe, fleshy fruit, framed in cedary oak. Really impressive clarity and web-like tannins. Superb finish. Try from 2023.

This incredibly beautiful estate was purchased by Peter Kwok, a Hong Kong-based financier, in 2012. The estate covers a tiny 6.5 hectares (some terraced) just down from Château Barde-Haut, and it remains one of the hidden gems in just about every vintage. The 2016 Château Tour Saint Christophe is another winner. Composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 40% new French oak, this concentrated, structured 2016 is one for the cellar. It offers a deep ruby/purple color and a powerful array of black fruits, graphite, and earthy minerality as well as a hint of salinity and spring flowers. It has fine tannins (but plenty of them), beautiful balance, and a straight, focused texture, all pointing to the cellar being your friend. Hide bottles of 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 15-20. Tasted twice. Drink 2023-2043.