CHÂTEAU SIGOGNAC | Medoc | 2016
cabernet franc | cabernet sauvignon | merlot

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Today we are going to review a classic, ‘left bank‘ Bordeaux blend from the famous Médoc sub-region of Bordeaux – Medoc 2016 by Château Sigognac. This wine is a blend of three of the most famous Bordeaux grape varieties: 34% cabernet franc, 33% cabernet sauvignon and 33% merlot (also known locally as merlot noir), where cabernet sauvignon forms the wine’s main body and structure, cabernet franc forms a more refined mid-palate and delivers local terroir notes to the forefront, while merlot adds up-front richness and rounds up the final blend, delivering some much desired smoothness on the finish. Château Sigognac is located in Saint-Yzans de Médoc, between the ocean and the estuary of the Gironde river. The estate’s vineyards benefit from an unique terroir, with vines planted on clay and limestone-rich soil, which benefits the merlot variety the most, making it the prime, and in some vintages, the dominant grape variety of the blend. This particular wine is the winemaker’s flagship blend (the so called ‘first wine‘) that has been promoted to the prestigious ‘Cru Bourgeois‘ status. The name of this distinction came from the bourgeois who were the inhabitants of the “village” of Bordeaux and who became the owners of the best lands of the region. In order to soften the tannins and add extra complexity to the final blend, the wine has been aged for 12 months in new, french oak barriques. But enough with all that theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: medium-deep garnet color
clarity: hazy copper shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & jammy
fruit profile: black fruits | dried fruits
__black fruits: black plum | blackcurrant | black mulberry
__dried fruits: dried black cherry | dried black plum
fruit character: overripe | jammy | dried

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | sweet | other
__spice: peppercorn | cloves | tonka seeds
__oak: roasted oakwood | sweet tobacco | liquorice
__sweet: black cherry jam | black plum jam | black mulberry jam | figs | dates | molasses
__other: mint | pencil lead | varnish | tar | bitumen
primary layer: fruit & sweet

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: medium+
tannin: high
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: round | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits & dried fruits
fruit character: overripe & jammy
non fruit: jammy fruits & sweet spice
finish: medium
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
CHÂTEAU SIGOGNAC | Medoc | 2016
variety: cabernet franc | cabernet sauvignon | merlot
country: France
region: Bordeaux | Médoc
rating: 92.3

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or age for 2 to 3 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of France and, with a total of 92.3 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is an overripe, rich and jammy Bordeaux blend, with a grippy palate and an expressive nose. The wine is right there, near the peak of its development curve, therefore we would recommend to drink it today or within the next 2 or 3 years, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the brings a mixture of overripe, dried and jammy black fruits in the foreground, followed by a spicy-oaky background and a subtle earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers vibrant, but at the same time, overwhelming acidity, ripe tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves nicely into a seedy-crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is a firm, nuanced and slightly angular Bordeaux wine that feels a bit unbalanced and unpolished – a wine that in its current state lacks some much desired finesse and elegance. Judging by the wine’s structure and those nuanced, overripe and jammy flavours, we would suggest to pair this wine with spicy meats, like for example a peppercorn filet mignon steak. Oh, and don’t forget to use the decanter for at least 30 minutes, as this is a wine that requires quite a bit of aeration, like all the old-fashioned Bordeaux wines do. Cheers!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.