2017 Betz Family Clos de Betz
Prezzo di mercato
Opzioni di acquisto
Note di degustazione
Moving to the Bordeaux blends from bottle, the 2017 Clos de Betz is Merlot-dominated but includes small amounts of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, structured vintage for this cuvée and has terrific tobacco, smoked herbs, black cherry, and blackberry-like aromas and flavors. This cuvée is normally upfront and ready to go, but the 2017 is going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age. It should evolve for over a decade. While most 2017s show plenty of upfront charm and appeal, the 2017s from the team at Betz buck that trend and are more structured and tannic. The cellar is going to be your friend with these.
Punteggi della critica
Punteggio medio
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
James Suckling
Altre recensioni e punteggi
Full, dark ruby-red. Black fruit and licorice aromas are complicated by a mineral element. Wonderfully sappy, concentrated and ripe, with well-delineated Merlot-dominated flavors of black fruits, licorice and bitter chocolate conveying sexy sweetness. Finishes with plush tannins and excellent length. A superb vintage for this wine, clearly more concentrated and ripe than the 2016. Winemaker Skinner told me that the Petit Verdot element from Olsen vineyard is somewhat Pinot-like and actually softens this wine's tannins. And he noted that the cool late-season temperatures in 2017 allowed for easy picking. (aged until June of '18 in 60% new oak before being moved to neutral barrels for nearly another year of aging)
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, the 2017 Clos de Betz has a vibrant expression on the nose, with plush, generous fruit aromas and an underlying brooding tightness. Full-bodied on the palate, the fleshy, plump fruit tones deliver a velvety lushness over the mid-palate, then the wine becomes more dusty and rigid on the finish, ending with oak spices that linger. I will revisit this swine in 36 months, as I suspect it will show better at a later date. This will easily last a decade and more. 750 cases produced.
The color is deep and the nose has a dark-fruit edge with dark chocolate, cassis and blood plums, all making a complex wine from the get-go. The palate has strong tannins with rich dark-plum and dark-chocolate flavors. Dense but velvety. A blend of 60% merlot, 21% petit verdot and 19% cabernet sauvignon. Try from 2023.