Le Dome, St Emilion Grand Cru,

This, the first vintage of le Dôme, consistently over-performs. In the most part, the right bank is overshadowed by the Medoc in 1996, but this wine always seems to transcend expectation. Perhaps it is the dominance of Cabernet Franc in the blend that makes this so successful. There’s a very Cabernet bouquet of cassis, cedar, herbs and graphite. It’s not a blockbuster, but there is ample, sweet, floral fruit. There is a real sense of cohesion, elegance, and balance. We have been fortunate to chart this wine’s evolution over the last five years, and it never disappoints. It displays complexity and nuances one associates with bottle age, yet its development has been glacial, hinting at a long future ahead.