TASTING NOTES:
Here's a seriously fun Bordeaux wine that offers jaw-dropping great value, made by French native, Napa super-star winemaker Benoit Touquette. The 2016 Arbalest is a blend of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The Petit Verdot and the Cabernet Sauvignon come from the Left Bank. I’m not allowed to tell the name of the Château, but it’s in the Saint-Estèphe area. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc come from the Right Bank, where the soil is clay-limestone on limestone rock, with a southwest exposure.
Medium garnet-purple colored, it charges out of the gate with notes of warm black plums, Black Forest cake, licorice and candied violets plus hints of fallen leaves and cedar chest. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with juicy black fruit, framed by ripe rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy.
-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 pts
WINEMAKER'S NOTE:
An elegant blend, Arbalest displays aromas of graphite, minerality, red plums and boysenberries. The integrated tannins show balanced flavors of kirsch, plums, graphite and cassis. With a beautiful hints of umami on the mid palate, this savory and fruitful beauty pairs well with pasta, game, meats and cheeses.
Blend: 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc & 5% Petit Verdot
