Chateau Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol 2016 – 750ml Not specified

96pts James Suckling

Beautiful plums and ripe cherries with dark chocolate and hazelnut undertones. Full-bodied, juicy and tannic with lots of fruit and structure. The length is long and chewy. A blend of 80 per cent merlot and 20 per cent cabernet franc. Needs at least three to four years to soften. Better from 2022. 

93pts Jeb Dunnuck

A surprisingly elegant, medium to full-bodied effort from the genius of the Rolland family (this is their property in Pomerol), the 2016 Château Le Bon Pasteur offers loads of barbecue smoke, graphite, violets, and vibrant black and blue fruits in a complex, layered, classy package. With fine tannins, good concentration, and a pretty, perfumed style, it’s not a blockbuster by any means, but it’s beautifully balanced, with everything in the right place. It will benefit from short-term cellaring and drink well for two decades.

93pts Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

The 2016 Bon Pasteur has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and nose of dark chocolate, kirsch and blackberries with tobacco, bay leaves, damp soil and tar nuances. Medium-bodied with firm, grainy tannins and a lively line, it gives good intensity and an earthy finish. (LPB) 93+ (11/2018)

93pts Vinous

The 2016 Le Bon Pasteur was tasted at the Union de Grand Cru, although I felt this sample was not representative, so my note comes from two bottles sent from Bordeaux. It has a very fragrant bouquet that is much more open than I recall from barrel, and also more floral, with pungent violet scents joining the cassis and blueberry fruit. The palate is balanced and pure, offering a fine thread of acidity and precocious blue fruit on the silky finish. The alcohol is a notch higher than its peers, and tasting one bottle throughout an evening, it felt closer to 15% than to the 14.5% stated on the label. That said, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, joyous Pomerol that is perhaps just a step behind the 2015. (NM) (1/2019)

90pts Decanter

This delivers plenty of Pomerol flourish and seduction, but the extraction is a little over-evident, which shuts things down on the finish and gives a flush of heat. Still, pair this with a plate of food and you’ll be extremely happy. (JA)