- Nick's Import
2015 Chateau le Bon Pasteur
Other reviews...
The 2015 Bon Pasteur was unusually tight on the nose when I tasted it, coaxing out black cherries and raspberry fruit laced with sous-bois with time. I appreciate the delineation and focus here. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of dark chocolate on the entry. It has grainy tannin, moderate depth, just a little abruptness towards the finish, although the acidity is nicely tuned. It just feels a little linear and constrained at the moment, but it should spread its wings after bottling.
90-92 points
Neal Martin - eRobertParker.com #224 (Apr 2016)
Shows gusto, wrestling a thick structure into a very ripe, concentrated core of dark fig and boysenberry confiture notes. Offers ample but well-integrated toast. A decidedly not-shy style, with enough cut for balance.
90-93 points
J.M. - Wine Spectator
Ripe and creamy with dark fruit and spice notes. The palate is rich and layered with a solid tannic frame but the tannins are finely honed.
91 points
Decanter
This is very powerful and bright with lots of mineral, salt and white pepper character. Full body, velvety tannins. Velvety texture. 70% of this is made in barrel. A small percentage of co-fermentation of merlot and cabernet franc. 80% merlot. Racy winemaking. Showing more finesse in tannins compared to the past. Wow.
95-96 points
James Suckling
The 2015 Le Bon Pasteur is a dark, radiant wine laced with the essence of dark cherry jam, spice, menthol, licorice and plum. Beams of underlying tannin give the wine its power, structural intensity as the finish extends beautifully. The ripe, later-harvested style works well. I expect the tannins will need at least a few years to calm down, but there is plenty of potential.
90-92 points
Antonio Galloni