The 2016 Rouget is an especially racy, voluptuous Pomerol with all the elements in the right place. Sweet tobacco, herb, anise and leather add lovely aromatic topnotes. Sexy and inviting, with no hard edges and terrific overall balance, the 2016 Rouget is a winner. I loved it. Tasted two times.

Showing lots of upfront oak influence, the 2016 Château Rouget nevertheless has some serious density and depth, with beautiful fruit. Notes of chocolate, smoked earth, and camphor all develop with time in the glass, and on the palate, it's full-bodied, firm and chewy. It could use more elegance, but this is going to round into form with 2-4 years of bottle age, at which point the tannins are going to be more integrated and it's going to show more charm. It should keep for 15 years or more.