Château de Parenchère - Bordeaux Supérieur Cuvée Raphaël 2018
14/20
Bettane & Desseauve
90/100
James Suckling
89/100
Decanter
90/100
Wine Enthusiast
"Best Value in Bordeaux"
“Here we have a Bordeaux that clearly deserves a generous score. The nose is subtle and clean, with notes of plum, blackcurrant, and fine dark chocolate. The palate is supple and velvety, with fine tannins and a successful integration of 25% new oak from 12 months of aging. A process of “micro-oxygenation”—injecting fine bubbles through the barrels—has broken down the tannins a bit further, and it works well here.” (Decanter 2020) An incredible wine for the price!
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Eye
Intense color with purple highlights
Nose
Offers plenty of freshness, with fruity notes of ripe cherry blended with a delicate and subtle woodiness
Palate
Harmonious, blending power and structure with freshness and ever-present fruit, with noticeable yet well-integrated tannins
Serve
At 16-17°C
High point
2022-2029
Drink before
2030
Food and wine pairings
Enjoy with red meat, game, cheese...
Bettane & Desseauve
Wine rated 14/20 (Good wine)
Rated estate (2021 guide) 1*Star (A high-quality, recommendable wine that lives up to expectations for its appellation(s))
About the wine:
An ambitious, high-quality wine, perhaps a bit heavy on the tannins, still somewhat austere. Good, ripe, well-crafted fruit. The wine as a whole lacks a bit of elegance. Best cellared for a few years.
About the estate:
Purchased in 1958 by Raphaël Gazaniol, a native of Morocco, the estate currently spans 180 hectares, 70 of which are planted with vines on the best-exposed plots. Thus, 32 different plots are vinified separately and are selected either for the base wine—already of high quality—or for the famous Cuvée Raphaël, a striking demonstration that a simple Bordeaux appellation can produce magnificent wines, or for the Cuvée Esprit, produced only when the vintage warrants it, made primarily from Cabernet aged for 14 months in new oak barrels. The production is rounded out by white Bordeaux and Bordeaux clairet. These are wines of character, balanced and charming. A cohesive range of unwavering consistency.
Decanter
Wine rated (2020 guide) 89/100
About the wine:
Here we have a Bordeaux that clearly deserves a generous rating. The nose is subtle and clean, with notes of plum, blackcurrant, and fine dark chocolate. The palate is supple and velvety, with refined tannins and a successful integration of 25% new oak from 12 months of aging. A process of “micro-oxygenation”—injecting fine bubbles through the barrels—has broken down the tannins a bit further, and it works well here.
Guide Hachette des vins
Rated estate (2021 guide) Award-winning wines (This producer’s wines regularly receive awards from the guide)
About the estate:
On the border between the Gironde and Dordogne departments stands a château in the Périgord style, built in 1570 by Pierre de Parenchère, governor of the Sainte-Foy-la-Grande region, along with a vast vineyard (67 hectares of vines) that consistently produces high-quality wine. Raphaël Gazaniol, a winemaker who had returned from Morocco, acquired it in 1958, then passed it on to his son Jean and his granddaughter Julia. In 2005, a Swedish wine enthusiast, Mr. Landin, who also owned a vineyard in Montalcino, Tuscany, purchased the estate.
Guide des Vins Gault & Millau
Estate rated 1*Star (High-quality production)
About the estate:
Located not far from Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, in the far east of the Bordeaux region, the Château de Parenchère vineyard benefits from a clay-limestone terroir with a very high clay content. The approximately sixty hectares, planted with red grape varieties, are dominated by Merlot (50%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (40%)—the latter on the best-exposed plots—supplemented by Cabernet Franc. Planting densities are gradually being increased to over 5,000 vines per hectare. A white wine has been part of the range for the past few vintages.
Wine Enthusiast
Wine rated (2021 guide) 90/100
Rated estate (2020 guide) Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Wine Enthusiast)
About the wine:
Aged for one year in oak, this wine offers rich tannins and a dense structure. Flavors of dark chocolate and licorice give the impression of firm extraction, which needs to breathe so the wine can develop. Best enjoyed starting in 2022.
James Suckling
Wine rated (2021 guide) 90/100
About the wine:
A juicy red with notes of plum and berries, medium body, and supple, appealing tannins. Ready to drink or worth cellaring.
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