Château Olivier 2016

Fresh and sleek, with plum and black currant fruit that is a touch restrained in style, while light iron, tobacco and black licorice notes line the finish. A singed cedar echo imparts a slight old-school hint, but the fruit is energetic and the acidity fresh. Should be fun to age a bit. Drink now through 2032. 10,000 cases made.

Warm nose showing fine details of tapenade, smoked wood, roasted coffee and blackberries. Fleshy and weighty on the palate, opulent yet balanced by a vibrant refreshing acidity.

A solid column of pretty cool fruit with blackcurrants and stony notes. Full-bodied, with polished, chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Hints of asphalt and smoke to the dark fruit on the close. Drink in 2022.

Deep purplish crimson. Pure, tight, cedary black fruit. A good counterbalance of cedar-like freshness and pure, intense cassis. Rich, dense, and with an attractive dark savoury quality even with all this beautifully ripe fruit. Rich, full, and fresh. Persistent too. Moreish even now. (JH)

The 2016 Olivier is bold and racy from the outset. Dark cherry, mocha, leather and grilled herbs are front and center. Expressive, nuanced aromatics add character to a wine that will drink well right out of the gate. This is very nicely done.

Refined, elegant, ripe and juicy, this is the finest vintage of Chateau Olivier Rouge ever produced. It is the purity in the fruit that defines this medium-bodied, round, soft, fresh, red-berry and leafy-tobacco oriented wine. Drink it young if you must, or age it for 6–8 years to allow it to gain more secondary nuances.

Bright dark purple colour with an opaque core. Pure nose displaying freshly crushed berries like cassis, blackberry and plum, with notes of sage, mint, tobacco, and finely tuned oak. Long, rounded finish with a healthy underlying freshness.

The 2016 Château Olivier doesn’t match the quality of the white, but it does offer attractive herbal, earthy notes, plenty of red and black fruits, and medium-bodied richness and depth. With a firm, focused style and bright acidity, drink it over the coming 10–12 years.

Kunz barrel sample 17: (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 45 hl/ha) Fresh, floral, slender bouquet, cherries, vanilla, roasted notes, red cassis. Medium-bodied, lean palate with light, sweet fruit, sandy tannins, classic structure, subtle aromatics, and a medium finish.

(50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 45 hl/ha) Fresh, floral, slender bouquet, cherries, vanilla, roasted notes, red cassis. Medium-bodied, slender palate with light sweet fruit, sandy tannins, classic structure, light aromatics, medium finish. 16/20 2020 - 2030

The 2016 Olivier is deep garnet in color. It offers up notes of juicy black plums and dried mulberries, with wafts of cassis, tobacco leaf, and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is soft and juicy with plenty of uncomplicated black fruits and a peppery lift on the finish.

A serious, precise wine, likely even more distinguished and promising than the white in this vintage, whose current relative austerity will harmonize with aging.

Deep, with expressive fruit and a rounded palate, this is a highly successful red. It evolves beautifully, with a finish that unfurls noble tannins.

Small black fruits, licorice (Zan), vanilla. Very fresh, juicy, sapid, fruity palate, very long, with velvety tannins.

Garnet red with slight purple highlights. Complex bouquet with notes of redcurrant and blond tobacco. On the palate, the wine is fresh, fruity, and endowed with fine-grained tannins. These provide solid support alongside the structure. Overall, the wine has medium intensity, yet it is fresh, approachable, and still shows some potential. A rather glou-glou wine.

Dark, intense, purple color. Moderately intense nose with pure, very fresh fruit. Delicate on the attack, then supple at mid-palate and more aromatic than it used to be, the wine unfolds with rising intensity, offering flavor and fine tannins, albeit a touch firm. Normal length. Estate on the rise.

Dense tannins are balanced by equally rich fruit in this wine. It comes from vines around a medieval, moated castle on the edge of Bordeaux city. The wine is full of ripe, juicy blackberry flavors that circle of core of dryness. Both will allow the wine to age well. Drink from 2025.