Ch.Le Dome 2013 750ml

Wine Advocate #227, Oct 29, 2016 by Neal Martin
The 2013 Le Dôme is a very respectable Saint Emilion from Jonathan Maltus OBE, a wine that I appreciated from barrel and likewise in bottle. It has a crisp, focused bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow and subtle orange blossom notes. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin but they are cloaked in plenty of crisp, almost citrus-fresh fruit. It is still a tad masculine compared to recent vintages, but it will soften up and drink well for the next decade.

Still in its infancy, Le Dome was purchased in 1996 by Englishman Jonathan Maltus, who created the vineyard by bringing together parcels located close to Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot, Chateau Canon and Chateau Angelus.

The vineyard is part of the much larger Chateau Teyssier, which heads up a range of other wines – namely super cuvees – including Chateau Laforge, Le Carre, Les Asteries and Vieux Chateau Mazerat. At a very small 3.5 hectares, Le Dome is without its own cellars or chateau (and is made at the larger Chateau Teyssier itself), which is why the label lacks an official classification – although most agree the wine is at minimum a Grand Cru Classe.

The vineyard utilises one of the highest concentrations of Cabernet Franc in the Right Bank, 75%, and is planted with these vines at least 60 years old. The wine was originally produced according to ‘garagiste’ principles but has since outgrown the movement to become a highly-regarded – and difficult to obtain – wine in its own right.

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