Château La Couspaude 2017, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe

Château La Couspaude is a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe that has been part of the Aubert family's heritage since 1750. The 2017 vintage stylistics is unique, though. The 2017 fruit was expressive yet suppressed; it was the traditional approach of using new oak and extended oak fermentation. This process results in a wine with a light and soft texture, ripe red and black fruits, and an herbal finish on the palate. While it may lack some complexity, these unique characteristics make it a wine that still pleases the senses. It is elegant and exhibits a well-integrated grip with a medium mineral finish. This standard's high and consistent scores are a testament to its unique qualities. For example, WE 93 describes it as a dense wine full of tannins and black currant fruit, solid and concentrated. It has a dark, firm character with fine ageing potential. It is a well-balanced wine with good ageing potential and a recommended drink from 2023.

Andreas Larsson's 93 comment is as follows. Dense dark colour with a purple hue. Ripe nose with wild berries, cassis, fine oak, tobacco, and sage. The palate is ample with lush dark fruit, finely balanced by vibrant acidity and grainy tannin—Digest fruit flavours with finely tuned oak and a long lingering finish.

The Wine Independent also gave 93.

Château La Couspaude consistently garners high scores from wine critics, with most ratings falling in the 90-point range. These scores are a testament to the wine's exceptional quality and its unique character, as recognized by experts in the field. The wine's distinctiveness, resulting from the winery's unwavering commitment to quality, will pique your curiosity and invite you to explore its nuances.

It seems that RP does not score this wine. While current vintages score in the mid-90s, such as the 2018 vintage, which is an RP94. The new wine blends roughly 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes grown on a 7-hectare vineyard with vines averaging 50 years old. Current vintages use aged oak to surface fruit. Regardless of vintages, the grapes are hand-harvested in small crates and chosen by plot. This meticulous process, from the careful selection of grapes to the manual punching of the cap during pre-fermentation maceration and the 18 to 20-month ageing period, ensures a wine of exceptional quality and character. This commitment to quality is a hallmark of the winery and is reflected in every bottle of Château La Couspaude.

Many thanks to Olivier Sublett of CHateau De Roque. If not for Oliver Sublett's introduction to the Auberts, I would not have been able to taste La Couspaude vintages to that extent.