de Pressac 2016 (750ML)

95 DE / 95 JS / 94 WCI / 93+ VM / 93 FS / 16.5 JR

During our En Primeur tasting trip to Bordeaux in 2023 we had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Saint-Emilion property Chateau de Pressac. We tasted the 2022 vintage and a selection of older vintages with the owner, Jean-François Quenin, and the GVWM tasting team were blown away by the quality of the wines. One of the highlights of the tasting was the impressive 2016 vintage.

With a prime location on the eastern edge of the Saint-Émilion plateau, it enjoys some of the most spectacular south-facing terraces in Bordeaux. The château itself is ancient - in 1453, the armistice ending the Hundred Years War was signed here! The estate is also where the Malbec grape variety was introduced to the region in the mid-18th century. At the time the variety was known as “Auxerrois" in Cahors where the chateau’s owner came from, who brought and planted Malbec at Chateau de Pressac. It became known as "Noir de Pressac” and was planted around Saint Emilion until phylloxera devastated the region’s vines and which were then mostly changed over to Merlot in Saint Emilion. Even today, Malbec is sometimes referred to as “Pressac” in Saint-Émilion. But the centuries took their toll on the property, and by the time Jean-François Quenin purchased the estate in 1997, it was in serious decline. It took replanting of three-quarters of the vineyard, with 71% Merlot—under the consultation of revered soil scientist Claude Bourguignon—to restore de Pressac to its former glory. It is the only Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé to grow all six permitted red Bordeaux grapes on its 42 hectares. In 2016, the blend was 72% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 2% Carmenère, aged in 65% new oak. 

The 2016 vintage received great press and represents not only one of the best buys in Saint-Emilion, but one of the best buys in all of Bordeaux. Finding under the radar wines in Bordeaux is not that easy these days, so it is immensely gratifying when we unearth something as good as this. Don't take our word for it...buy a case or two for your cellar and we are certain you will impressed!

This château was the site of the English surrender in 1453 at the end of the Hundred Years War. Owned since 1997 by JeanFrançois and Dominique Quenin, it is the only St-Emilion grand cru classé to grow all six permitted red Bordeaux grapes on its 42ha, including Malbec, whose historic name is Pressac. In 2016, the blend was 72% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 2% Carmenère, aged in 65% new oak. Georgie Hindle: Gorgeous red berry fruit with a bite, and slight strictness to the tannins. Not yet ready to drink, but sleek and stylish. Concentrated and muscular, excellent pure acidity, and salty minerality, too. Vincenzo Arnese: Good structure, vibrant with good intensity and ripeness. Tannins are integrated and oak is well blended. Good finish. Arthur Coggill: Spicy, aromatic, inviting nose, touches of clove and wild bilberry. Juicy, succulent, full-on redcurrant and damson. Grippy but delicate tannins dominate for now, so leave a few years. - Decanter 

A very impressive wine for a chateau that’s not so well known. Deep and rich with a ton of elderberry and bitter-chocolate aromas, but still dry and very straight, thanks to the beautiful, fine-grained and lively acidity. A blend of 71 per cent merlot, 16 per cent cabernet franc, nine per cent cabernet sauvignon, two per cent carmenere and two per cent malbec.-James Suckling

The spicy note adds complexity to the licorice, vanilla, wild cherry and smoke in the nose. The wine is silky, soft, polished sweet and uplifted, with loads of elegant, polished, sweet, perfectly ripe red pit fruits in the finish. 94 Points-Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

One of the sleepers in Saint-Émilion, Pressac is once again striking in 2016. Big and vertical in feel, with tremendous fruit density, the 2016 has a lot to offer. Inky dark fruit, graphite, menthol, plum and lavender mesh together in this dark, potent wine. The 2016 is wonderfully fresh and also quite structured. Readers will have to be patient, as it will be a few years before all the wine starts to drink well. As always, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Carmenère play an important role in shaping the personality of one of Bordeaux's most unique and intriguing wines. The 2016 spent 18 months in oak, 50% new. Alain Raynaud consults. Tasted three time-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Black fruit with nougat and roasted aromas, mineral note, pleasant herbal savouriness. Juicy, subtle fruit sweetness, chocolate note, fine tannins, elegant and balanced, red berry nuances, mineral freshness on the finish.-Falstaff

Notably dark, almost blackish, crimson. Interesting, distinctive nose. I wonder whether the unusually wide range of grape varieties is a factor? A little brutal and meaty but full of life and interest. Is this cultivated in a particularly organic way? Very good tannin management. Real vitality here. Though admittedly the fruit is much more obvious than the tannin until the very end. I liked this much more than when I first tasted it.-Jancis Robinson