The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot sourced from Rothschild (Lafite) vineyards in the Pauillac AOC inside the Haut-Medoc AOC on the Left Bank or westside of the river in the Bordeaux region of France.
The Légende line of Rothschild (Lafite) is their drink-it-now export brand. It features wines from the premier Bordeaux growing areas but sourced from contract vineyards, not Estate vineyards. It gives you real, quality Bordeaux wine, but at a more affordable price.
The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is the exception. The grapes are from Rothschild estate vineyards grown near the town of Pauillac and the oak barrels are from their own in-house cooperage.
A cooperage is a barrel maker and with high-end wine, which forest is used to procure the oak trees, how the boards a cut and the barrels assembled, and how the barrel is flamed or toasted is immensely important.
Pauillac is one of, if not the best growing regions in the world. Three of the first five First Growth Grand Cru vineyards from 1855 are located in this small area.
The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is not cheap, a quick check of the web showed it selling for, between $40 and $50. While that may not be the typical CheapWineFinder price range and it is not a wine that is meant to be cellared (it will last 5 to 7 years, but it is ready to go now). It is well-priced for what it is.
The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is a taste of the best of Bordeaux but in a ready to go more affordable configuration. A top-notch AOC, high-end Estate vineyards, and a legendary cooperage, it is expensive, yet reasonably priced.
The 2016 vintage is Pauillac was excellent, while vintage ratings are more important for cellar-worthy wines than drink-it-now wines. You do not want to wait twenty years to drink a bottle of wine only to find out it was not worth the wait.
60% of this Red blend was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. The other 40% was aged, probably in stainless steel tanks (they did not specify). Since this, a drink-it-now wine the oak aging mainly for flavor, and blending the oak barrel-aged wine with the unbaked wine will give the wine a bright fruit flavor along with the oak conditioning.
The alcohol content is 13% which is in contrast with the typical California Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine where the alcohol is often 14.5% or more. Bordeaux red wine will be leaner and sleeker than its California competition.
Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 Tasting Notes
The color is a barely see-thru plum red. The nose is blackberry, blueberry, molasses, licorice, black pepper, strawberry, lilac, and soft spice. This is a medium-bodied Red blend with distinct flavors and excellent balance.
It tastes of ripe blackberry, mocha coffee, a hit of sharp spice, a few herbs, and raisin spice. The mid-palate adds raspberry, orange zest, a little dark chocolate, and soft blueberry.
The tannins are there, you can feel them but they do not “pull”, the acidity is nicely balanced giving the Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 excellent length, the flavors go on and on.
The Summary
- The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is a very tasty Red blend. The interplay with the Cabernet and the Merlot is a joy with every sip.
- This is not a shy wine, the flavors are loud and proud.
- This is Bordeaux wine for folks who love California Red wine. It has French style, sleek, balanced, and lean, along with some excellent flavor.
