CHÂTEAU LE BOSCQ

2017 Saint Estèphe

EN PRIMEUR

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. Lovely toasty oak on the nose. Warming and enticing. Lots of juicy sweet fruit on the palate. Not too much extraction. Cedar wood provides the framework. The tannins counter the sweet fruit and add an attractive drying sensation near the end. Notably Saint-Estèphe in style. An excellent option in 2017. Rating: 89-90 L&S (May 2018)

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The 2017 Le Boscq is soft, fruity and easygoing. I expected to see a bit more depth and overall structure, but the 2017 is certainly a pleasant, everyday drinker. Supple, silky red fruit and floral notes come together in a nicely balanced Saint-Estèphe that has a good bit of near-term appeal. Drinking range: 2020 - 2027 Rating: 88 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2020)

The 2017 Le Boscq has a slightly staid bouquet that is correct but lacks real flair or excitement. The palate is very approachable thanks to its very pliant tannins and there is a fine bead of acidity. Yet, there is a need for ambition on the finish and does not really imprint itself upon your vinous memory bank. Drink over the next five years. Drinking range: 2020 - 2025 Rating: 87 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2020)

The 2017 Le Boscq has an impressive bouquet with plenty of blackberry, raspberry and smoke aromas that are detailed and neatly integrated with the oak. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well judged acidity, nicely balanced with a fresh and sophisticated finish. This is a Saint-Estèphe that performed extremely well in 2017 and perchance is one of its hidden gems. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

A Dourthe wine. 56% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Incredibly dark with black core. Dark and savoury aroma of black fruit with a slight oak char. Blackcurrant jam on toast. Nice contrast between fruit sweetness and oak savour. Lots of fruit in a firm tannic structure that needs time but the freshness and fruit are there in harmony. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

This shows a focus and pretty density with finesse and balance at the same time. Medium body and a bright finish. Serious for the vintage. No effect from frost apparently. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

A solid effort, with a ripe edge to the kirsch and blackberry fruit, carried by nicely embedded acidity. Sweet tobacco notes and an echo of lilac run through the finish. Rating: 88-91 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

Château le Boscq sits at the far northern end of Saint Estèphe with it’s fine late 19th Century mansion commanding fine views over the River Gironde, and the southern portions of the vineyard gazing across the Chenal de Calon at Calon-Ségur. Unusually for this part of the Haut-Médoc, the majority of Le Boscq’s vineyard – 60% - is planted with Merlot which accounts for a rounder fleshier style to the wine.

Of note, historically, is that the Barton family owned Château le Boscq before they moved south to Léoville and Langoa in Saint Julien. Since 1995, le Boscq has been in the ownership of Bordeaux négociant and merchant Dourthe.

It was classified ‘Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel’, in the 2020 Cru Bourgeois Classification for Médoc wines. The property has already been awarded HVE level 3 (High Environmental Value), and is working toward organic certification.