Ch. La Conseillante
Grand Vin
Pomerol
2016

The producer

La Conseillante can trace its history back to 1735, and in 1870 is acquired by the Nicolas family who still own the property today. 13 hectares of vineyards are located in the eastern part of Pomerol, adjacent to the border with Saint-Emilion – La Conseillante’s land is bordering that of L’Evangile and Vieux Chateau Certain, on the Pomerol side, and that of Cheval Blanc, on the Saint-Emilion side. 

The Grand Vin is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc sometimes with a little Malbec in the blend and spends 18-20 months maturing in 90% new oak barrels. This is a wine bursting with rich dark fruits and a silky interlacing of fine tannins. Taking on a little more power over the last decade or so, there has been no loss of finesse. In towering form, this is one of Pomerol’s best.

The wine

Sourced from on average 35 year old vines on the Catusseau plateau in Pomerol, Conseillante’s grape composition varies with vintage conditions but usually comprises a high - 85% plus - Merlot content, which is complemented with Cabernet Franc and sometimes a little Malbec. Fermentation takes place in cement vats and is followed by around 18 months of ageing in 75% new oak barrels. This is a wine bursting with rich dark fruits and a silky interlacing of fine tannins. Taking on a little more power and muscle over the last decade or so, there has been no loss of finesse. In towering form, this is one of Pomerol’s best.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.