Chateau Clos de Sarpe - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

• 2009

  2009

  The 2009 is a truly indulgent pleasure! Strength, freshness, vinosity, smoothness but unfortunately a very limited production because of the awful hailstorm in early May. The hard work after the storm created a wine of exceptional quality but only 210 cases of 12 bottles.

• 2008

  2008

  An exceptional year (out of stock).

  CHARLES DE SARPE 2008

  Attractive appearance: a deep cherry red colour with a purplish outline. A very expressive bouquet with notes of young red berry, oriental spices, black cutch and gingerbread. On the palate it is fresh, soft, pleasant and velvety with a fine and delicate texture. The tannins are fleshy and easy to drink. The finish is elegantly woody and spiced.
  A very nice wine to drink.

• 2007

  2007

  This vintage was produced from grapes picked at their ripest and reveals very ripe tannins for the 85% Merlot and exceptional ones in the 15% Cabernet Franc, both with a great deal of freshness, sweetness, flesh and pure fruit, highly aromatic and characterised by a generous core volume and elegance on the palate, all enveloped in very dark colour.

• 2006

  2006

  Beautifully fashioned tannins, very good fruit purity and a lot of freshness, sweetness and flesh. A fine, fresh finish, solid and very fruity. All wrapped in a very dark colour.

• 2005

  2005

  An exceptional wine thanks to very favourable weather. Very attractive. Deep ruby red, very slight amber outline. Superb bouquet of dark berry compote, with blackberries, blueberries, elegant smoky and spicy notes. In the mouth it is full, soft and generous with fresh, crisp tannins developing in the finish over a very appealling fruity component. A lovely wine to enjoy without moderation!

  CHARLES DE SARPE 2005

  Very attractive; deep ruby red, with a very slight amber outline. Superb bouquet of dark berry compote, with blackberries, blueberries, elegant smoky and spicy notes. In the mouth it is full, soft and generous with fresh, crisp tannins developing in the finish over a very appealling fruity component. A lovely wine to enjoy without moderation!

• 2004

  2004

  A wine that suprises with its structure and aromas.

• 2003

  2003

  This is a heaven-sent vintage to lay down and should be a very pleasant surprise for wine lovers.

• 2002

  2002

  Superb appearance. Incredibly deep black colour with a dark purple hue. The bouquet is just as pure, with exquisitely noble notes of dark berries, the freshness of mint and candied apricots. The fresh and woody palate is a classic for this cru: strength, class, velvety smoothness and length. Yet another exceptional success for this complex vintage.

  

  Bronze Medal
  For the Clos de Sarpe 2002

  International Wine Challenge 2005

  

  Silver Medal
  For the Clos de Sarpe 2002

  Brussels International Contest

• 2001

  2001

  Superb appearance. Exceptionally deep dark colour with a purplish hue. A sumptuously complex nose, still a little closed, with liquorice fruit, mocha and creamy notes. On the palate it is hugely powerful, fleshy and voluminous with tannins of a rare quality and freshness. The finish seems to be never-ending. A truly exceptional and rare wine that everyone should have in their cellar.

  

  Bronze Medal
  For the Clos de Sarpe 2001

  International Wine Challenge 2005

  

  Bronze Medal
  For the Clos de Sarpe 2001

  The International Wine and Spirit Competition

• 2000

  2000

  Superb presentation. Incredibly deep dark wine with a purplish hue. An exceptionally pure bouquet of dark berries, cherry, blackberry, lightly truffled mineral notes associated with fine woody notes and well-married with the fruit. In the mouth, we discover a wine that is charming with its suave and enveloping tannins and ultra-powerful through its volume and length at the finish. An exceptional wine worthy of the greatest accolades.

• 1999

  1999

  Beautiful appearance. A deep garnet red colour with a slight carmin edge. A fresh, fruity bouquet, beginning with dark fruit aromas, liquorice and gingerbread. After a powerful first impression the wine develops smoothly towards a perfect balance, a wooded wine with grand tannins and a surprising structure for the vintage. An extremely classy wine.

• 1998

  1998

  Beautiful appearance. Deep garnet red with an amber hue. A powerful and suave bouquet with compoted fruits and smoky, cherry brandy aromas. The mouth is fleshy, dense, well structured with poweful tannins that are well-developed within a noble and high quality woodiness. A great wine for laying down.

  

  Bronze Medal
  For the Clos de Sarpe 1998

  International Wine Challenge 2005

  

  Gold Medal
  For the Clos de Sarpe 1998

  General Agricultural Contest - Paris 2000

• 1997

  1997

  Attractive, deep brick red colour with an amber hue. A complex, candied and vinous bouquet with ripe fruit, liquorice and quince jam. On the palate, the wine expresses wonderful volumes with still deep tannin roots. The finish is full and very aromatic. A fabulous wine that can be kept another 2 or 3 years before reaching its full potential.

• 1996

  1996

  Lovely appearance. A red brick colour with good intensity, edged in orange. A peppery, menthol bouquet with notes of black cutch and oriental spices. In the mouth it is lively with a light and elegant structure. The finish is crisp and spicy. A delightful wine.

• 1995

  1995

  Beautiful looking. A deep red brick colour edged in orange. A very expressive flowery bouquet with compoted fruit, leather and resin notes. The palate is fresh, vinous and dense with coffee and gingerbread notes. The finish is long and persistent. A fantastic wine to drink today or lay down.

• 1994

  1994

  Beautiful looking. A deep red brick colour edged in orange. A powerful, vinous bouquet with fruit jelly, candied fruit and oriental spice notes. In the mouth it reveals all the fragrances of very ripe fruits and chocolate, the volume and mouth-feel are still well-defined. The finish is fresh and quite persistent.

• 1993

  1993

  Beautiful looking. An intense orange colour. A pungent bouquet of caramel, port and cooked prunes. On the palate it is still fresh, suave and chocolatey with a soft finish.

• 1992

  1992

  Attractive intense red brick colour with an orange hue. In the bouquet, the smoke, menthol and resin notes are very present along with orange peel. In the mouth it reveals fullness, generosity and strength with tannins that are still present at the finish.

• 1991

  1991

  An attractive intense red brick colour edged in orange. A very expressive bouquet with peppery, spicy notes with blond tobacco and cinnamon. The initial impression is fresh mineral developing harmoniously and fully to the finish, where acidity is still present, associated with smoky camphor notes.

• 1990

  1990

  Garnet-violet, very dense almost opaque colour. A deep, full, powerful and complex nose where blackcurrant and red berries are relayed by plum, cocoa and cedar notes. In the mouth it is immediately generous and structured with a certain suaveness from this specific vintage. Excellent balance in an exceptional richness (you can taste the perfectly ripened grapes), with a chewiness, vinosity and good length. All this predicts a very positive and long-lasting development for the wine.

• 1989

  1989

  Very dark garnet colour, darker than the 1990. The bouquet is strong and penetrating, intense and complex, currently dominated by violet which lends a certain finesse. On the palate it is very well-balanced with more acidity than the 1990 and firmer tannins. The fleshiness is also superb, understated. This is characteristic of a traditional hillside Saint-Emilion, simultaneously rounded and well-structured. The long and firm finish promises a great future.

• 1988

  1988

  Very dark garnet, almost black, very young. A heady and complex bouquet blending very young plant aromas of sweet pepper, eucalyptus and violet with more evolved aromas of chocolate, leather and cedar. The mouth is less corpulent than previous years, firmer, almost austere but chewy and with a persistent finish. A rustic but characterful wine that will improve a great deal with ageing.

• 1987

  1987

  Pale cherry colour, slightly advanced. A discreet and developed bouquet of cherry brandy and celery. Light and flowing on the palate with no thickness. Pleasant in its sincerity and clarity. A wine that faithfully reflects its vintage and has a certain charm. Serve today.

• 1986

  1986

  A dark garnet with orange tints. Ripe, deep bouquet over rich and developed flavours of plums, leather, tobacco and wax. A powerful and solid palate full of chewiness and sap, almost too tannic for some who find the finish dry, but nobly rustic for others who enjoy a liquorice, persistent finish that leaves a feeling of invigorating freshness.

• 1985

  1985

  Pretty, very dark dense garnet colour. The bouquet is heady, mellow, with very ripe Merlot blending smoothly with dark berries (blackcurrant, blueberries), liquorice, cocoa, game and humus. In the mouth it is corpulent and rich, the first to have such smoothness, fullness and depth. Expertly balanced: attractively smooth tannins support opulent fleshiness. The finish is round and firm. A great vintage to serve now and to lay down.

• 1983

  1983

  Orange-garnet colour, dark verging towards brown. The bouquet is expressive and ripe, intense, with citrus peel, wax, game and tobacco and a touch of cinnamon. Initially, the palate is coarse, full-bodied and very aromatic (fruity and fleshy), with volume and structure. The finish is long which some find dry and others enjoy. A characterful Clos de Sarpe, to drink with a meal or "eat" by itself.

• 1982

  1982

  A quite dark colour with an orange hue. Very developed cherry brandy and porto bouquet which seduces some tasters with its decadent charm and disappoints others. In the mouth there is not much flesh nor structure and the whole is dominated by acidity. It evokes gingerbread and is not lacking in charm or finesse but seems on the decline. This wine is not typical of Clos de Sarpe or the generation we expect from this vintage.

• 1981

  1981

  A dense and sombre colour, lightly browning in the centre. A firm bouquet clearly with liquorice and havana, and with cooked fruit (prune) in the background. The palate is straightforward, classic, balanced and elegant with attractive fruit in the centre and a fresh, clean liquorice finish. A wine that is perfectly balanced and, because of that, more elegant than the others. A great success for this year.

• 1980

  1980

  An orange-garnet colour, quite intense for 1980. The expressive bouquet quickly develops in the glass: raspberry, cherry, then animal and spice notes followed by leather and undergrowth... Finally, a light acetic touch. In the mouth it is round and fresh, less bulky, but with fruit and fleshy flavours. Not very structured but charming, a good softness. A sincere wine that expresses its vintage and is ready to drink today.

• 1979

  1979

  An orange-garnet colour, underdeveloped. The bouquet is quite expressive, more lively than heady over brown tobacco, mushroom, pepper and fleshy notes. The dominant on the palate is acidity, weak for some, nervous and well-balanced for others. Not too much bulk with a tannic finish judged harsh and bitter for some who think this wine is going downhill, whilst others believe it is worth waiting a little longer.

• 1978

  1978

  A dark garnet colour with an orange hue, still young. The heady and fresh bouquet is dense and dominated by humus and game but also reveals delicate fruit and a touch of mint. The mouth is immediately full and fleshy blending firmness with velvetness and great balance. There is fullness and richness in the middle, good length and a rich and fresh (mint) finish. A grand and classic Saint-Emilion.

• 1976

  1976

  Fatigued brown in colour. An unpleasant bouquet of musty, decomposing port. On the palate it is flat, linear where very ripe fruit notes pulse fleetingly. The remaining alcohol has a mellow almost sickening allure, with no length at all. A finished wine that used to be generous and charming a few years ago (and undoubtedly suffered on the journey to Paris). The least interesting of the past twenty years tasted.

• 1975

  1975

  A dense garnet colour with orange edges. Bouquet: strong and penetrating, complex and smooth where incisive leather, humus, cocoa, tobacco and cinnamon aromas blend. Tasting: very firm and strong, where flesh can be guessed at more than felt, wrapped in a cocoon of tannins and acidity, with clear form and concentration, a long finish. This is a wine of character with good consistency.

• 1973

  1973

  Very dark, "yellow" sombre garnet colour. The bouquet is direct, frank, still young of violet and humus. In the mouth it is extremely structured and full where tannins set the tone, with the risk of crushing out the fruit according to those who find this wine very (too) rustic, whilst others enjoy the exceptional chewiness of the aromas (prune, violet) when they appear during retro-olfaction. An archetypal Clos de Sarpe wine with its macerated collection of very ripe (because of the late harvests) and not too plentiful fruit. For people who love old-style wines (a great contrast with these diluted 1973s that have been dead for so long).

• 1971

  1971

  Orange-brown colour. Very developed fleshy bouquet of aromatic herbs and camphor. The initial impression on the palate is limp, soft and flowing with toasted, roasted flavours. A certain charm and a good finish. Drink it soon.

• 1970

  1970

  An orangey-garnet, underdeveloped and dense colour. An attractive and penetrating bouquet, very stable, full and complex with aromas of fruits that are leaning towards candy but above all havana tobacco, cedar and undergrowth (evoking a synthesis of 78 and 75). A superb taste of classicism and fullness, a perfect balance of rigour and solidity (some find this wine still somewhat closed), structure and roundness, lots of matter and chewiness with a finish that is still very tannic, disconcerting some but convincing most. A grand Clos de Sarpe that perfectly expresses the soil and the vintage. For some, this is their favourite.

• 1966

  1966

  Dark orange colour leaning towards red brick, very developed. A very advanced bouquet evoking prunes in Armagnac, candied cherry...slightly acetic. In the mouth it is gaunt and drying...such a shame! It was surely very lovely judging by the alcohol and tannins that are still present but rather separate. Two very old wine enthusiasts among us found it charming. Clearly suffered on its journey.

• 1964

  1964

  A slightly orange garnet colour, deep, underdeveloped. Bouquet: very crisp, fine, expressive, complex and heady with the nobility of cedar, tobacco leaves, leather, undergrowth and spice notes. On the palate: perfect. Soft without limpness, rich and balanced over fruity, animal and roasted notes. Charm and harmony for this truly lovely old wine that still holds its own at the age of 47.

• 1962

  1962

  Orange colour verging on brown, still dense. Very developed bouquet of mushroom, coffee, meat extract...fragile oxidation in the glass. Soft, suave and toothsome in the mouth for this very old wine which pleases many whilst others judge it to be on the decline, almost worn out. The middle is dense and balanced, the finish decadent and occasionally pleasing (reminiscent of rum). Certainly reserved for unconditional fans of old Saint-Emilions (to drink in situ preferably).

• 1961

  1961

  An exceptional wine! A great year for Chateau Clos de Sarpe.

• 1959

  1959

  A very grand wine to lay down, from a hot and dry year coupled with difficult vinification.

• 1955

  1955

  An enormous pleasure for wine enthusiasts.

• 1953

  1953

  An enormous pleasure for wine enthusiasts.

• 1952

  1952

  An enormous pleasure for wine enthusiasts.

• 1949

  1949

  This very good year is reminiscent of 1947.

• 1947

  1947

  An exceptional year (out of stock).

• 1945

  1945

  An exceptional vintage for a year marked by the disastrous frost of 2nd May 1945, resulting in a concentrated and astonishing wine.

2009

The 2009 is a truly indulgent pleasure! Strength, freshness, vinosity, smoothness but unfortunately a very limited production because of the awful hailstorm in early May. The hard work after the storm created a wine of exceptional quality but only 210 cases of 12 bottles.