2011 La Confession, 2015 Clos de la Cure, 2015 Fonplegade, 2017 Château Soutard, 1998 La Gomerie, 2005 Château La Dominic, 2018 Château de la Grenière cuv’ Chartreuse

The Jürade de Saint-Émilion du Singapour met for a formal dinner on 01 March 2023 at Tunglok Signatures, featuring a line-up of estates less commonly known from Saint-Émilion. With only eighty-five estates being classified as Grand Cru Classé or higher (in the 2022 revision) out of more than a thousand growers and producers spread over the commune and its satellite districts, it is tough for most of those at the lower tiers of Grand Cru or below to get a shout in the commercial market although, with greater know-how and sophistication, the gap in quality has narrowed tremendously between the top and bottom tiers. This was easily seen in the line-up that evening, generously supplied by the Wine Council of Saint-Émilion, where it would have been really difficult to tell, if blinded, that we were drinking from lower tier estates. It is best to approach Saint-Émilion with an open mind and NOT be swayed by labels.

2018 Ch de la Grenière Cuvée de la Chartreuse. From Lussac Saint-Émilion. Deep crimson. Attractive warm ripe plummy tones on the nose, displaying excellent density of fruit that’s almost succulent, structured with fine precision and subtle intensity. Very well integrated and refined, finishing with good length. This wine is unclassified, but it’s really excellent by any standard.

2015 Clos de la Cure. Grand Cru. Purplish crimson, proffering distant ripe mulberries on the nose. Excellent presence of fruit though not quite as dense as the preceding wine, displaying lovely suppleness and intensity with fine acidity and a sense of delicate warmth. Very fine.

2011 Château La Confession. Grand Cru. Deep purple, exuding dryish hues with a softly contoured medium-full palate imbued with a supple depth of dark fruits, still tinged with a splash of vanillin and varnish. Very agile with fine clarity and structured intensity though its acidity is a tad too prominent. Didn’t quite really gel as well as I’d hope it would as with the 2012.

2017 Château Soutard. Grand Cru. Deep inky purple. Quite highly aromatic, boasting broad swathes of dark currants and sweet black berries matched by a structured medium-full palate imbued with excellent vigour and firm high-toned acidity, fleshing out with greater fullness and better integration of finely grained tannins though it is still quite tightly wound.

2015 Château Fonplegade. Grand Cru Classé. Deep garnet. Surprisingly beguiling on the nose, beautifully deep and elegant with early cedary characters. Very fleshy and agile, layered with ripe dark fruits and currants that impart supple intensity, lit with some bright spots within. Drinking way above its classification. A real gem, if you can find it.

2005 Château La Dominic, courtesy of Calvin. Grand Cru Classé. Deep garnet. Dark fruits and currants dominate with rich overtones of cedar and ripe plums. Medium-full, well layered with sleek acidity and velvety warmth, oozing with a trace of sweetness from well-mannered tannins.

1998 Château La Gomerie. Grand Cru. Deep garnet. Distant forest characters and mahogany on the nose. Well-integrated with supple intensity and refined acidity though the fruit is just a tad backward, displaying cool raspberries and ripe wild berries with some rustic hint.

Cillario & Marazzi Cassis 1880, courtesy of Sandy. Marked dominance of blackcurrants, ginger and ginseng that exude sweetish overtones, exerting powerful intensity on the dark richly layered palate. Almost unctuous and port-like, though it certainly isn’t. Not for the faint-hearted. The perfect end to a lovely evening.