2016 Tour St Christophe

The 2016 Tour Saint Christophe is gorgeous. Exotic, ripe and voluptuous, the 2016 possesses striking aromatics and plenty of presence. Smoke, grilled herbs, inky dark fruit, crème de cassis and leather are beautifully delineated in the glass. This is the first recent vintage I can remember tasting that is not overextracted. There is a real expression of fruit. Suffice it to say, this is a very positive development for the château. Michel Rolland is the consultant. Tasted two times. Apr 2017, www.vinous.com

The 2016 Tour Saint-Christophe, the Saint Emilion estate of Peter Kwok whose eye-catching terraced vineyard looks upon Barde-Haut from the other side of the valley, is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc picked between 5-23 October and matured in 40% new oak. It has a sensual bouquet with black cherries and cassis scents, the new oak neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet and supple tannin, a little richer than the 2015 and yet still managing to translate the terroir with aplomb. Tasted twice, one bottle showed a little more precision than the other, but I remain confident that this will turn into a Saint Emilion worth investigating. Apr 2017, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2023-2040

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. Nov 2018, www.robertparker.com