Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme 2018
Fresh blackcurrant and blackberry leaf on the nose. Tobacco, violets and mocha, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, finegrained tannins. Nicely structured with a deliciously fragrant, leafy quality. Extremely well done.
$220
The vintage
Winery
Chateau Caronne Ste GemmeAppellation & Region
Haut-Medoc, BordeauxBlend
55% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 5% petit verdotSoil
GravelAlcohol Content
13.5%Average age of vines
30 yearsVineyards & Vinification
Situation: In the St Laurent Médoc area 500 meters south of the saint Julien strip and in the direct neighbourhood of the vineyards of Gruaud Larose, Lagrange, Belgrave, Camensac and Lanessan.
The vineyard, a resurgence of the St Julien occidental mound, forms an island of 38 hectares (94 acres) planted on first class günzian gravel on a base of iron rich sandstone, a little more sandy to the east, a little more clayey to the west.
The wine making The grapes are destalked, then slightly crushed and sent into stainless steel fermentation vats which are thermo-regulated. Fermentation is led at the temperature of 26/28° Celsius with light “over the top” pumping for a soft extraction of the skins. The maceration can last three weeks. The wine ageing of 12 months is made exclusively in French barrels of 225 L., of which 25% are renewed each year. The wine is fined and finally bottled at the vineyard 20 months after the harvest.
In the press
James Suckling | 93 Points
Fresh blackcurrant and blackberry leaf on the nose. Tobacco, violets and mocha, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, finegrained tannins. Nicely structured with a deliciously fragrant, leafy quality. Extremely well done. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Try from 2024. (https://www.jamessuckling.com/tasting-notes/107521/chateau-caronne-ste-gemme-haut-medoc-2018/)
Decanter Magazine 92 Points
A name that I often look to in order to assess how the vintage is going for the Cru Bourgeois-level wines. In 2018 this is steady, enjoyable and full of classic Médoc character, coupled with the same creamy texture that appears in so many successful estates this year. It’s a little subdued right now, but there’s no need to shout when you have this balance of ripeness and structure. Drinking Window 2023 – 2036 (https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/chateau-caronne-ste-gemme-haut-medoc-bordeaux-2018-29821)
Terre de Vins | 94 Points
Une boule de fruits frais et noirs s’impose au nez. C’est le cassis que l’on croque qui sublime l’attaque avec un bel équilibre entre l’acidité et la sucrosité pour une finale avec des tanins encore serrés. Caronne a de la matière!
A ball of fresh and black fruit is essential on the nose. It is the blackcurrant that we bite into which sublimates the attack with a nice balance between acidity and sweetness for a finish with still tight tannins. Caronne has substance!
Jancis Robinson | 16/20 Points
Barrel sample. Black heart with narrow purple rim. Dark-fruited and spicy, with a delicate floral note, perhaps from the Petit Verdot. Attractively fragrant. On the palate, chocolate-smooth but the fruit wins out over the sweetness of the oak. It’s not a blockbuster but it has good depth of fruit and good balance even now. Dry, chewy finish but there’s juicy fruit to keep it fresh. (JH).
Wine Advocate | 89/91 Points
The 2018 Caronne Ste Gemme is deep garnet-purple colored with aromas of baked cassis, kirsch and stewed plums with earth and rose hips. The palate is medium to full-bodied and firm with nice freshness and expression, finishing with an herbal lift. — Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate
VertdeVin | 91-92 Points
The nose is aromatic and offers power as well as a good finesse of the grain. It reveals notes of Boysen berry, juicy ripe strawberry and small notes of juicy ripe raspberry associated with small fine touchesof liquorice, fleshy small fruits, Bourbon vanilla as well as very discreet hints of flowers and a subtle hint of Timut pepper. The palate is fruity, well-balanced and offers a mineral/juicy frame, freshness, precision as well as a fine tension. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fleshy/juicy cassis, fleshy/juicy raspberry, fleshy/juicy red berries and small notes of cherry associated with fine touches of flowers, chocolate, Bourbon vanilla as well as very fine/discreet hints of caramelization (in the background) and a hint of almond. Good length. There is an imperceptible hint of grilled bread on the persistence.
The Winery
Caronne is derived from “Carona” for a local spring source, and Gemme a corruption of “James”.
The vineyard of Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme was first reported in 1648 when a local Landlord, Denys de Mullet of La Tour St Lambert rented it to a farmer in exchange of the wines produced.
In the middle-ages the locality was a parish on the grounds of a subsidiary to the Templar Commanderie at nearby Benon a few kilometres inland. The Parish was abolished during the Revolution and it is about this time that the first records of wine production at Caronne begin to emerge. In 1900 ownership of Caronne passed to Emile and Eugène Borie. The sons of Eugène would later cede their shares to their uncle and purchase Chateau Batailley and later Ducru Beaucaillou whilst Emile’s descendance would remain sole owner of Caronne until this day.
The property is now managed by François, the fourth generation with his brother Georges and his two cousins Michel & Jean François.
