2016 Blankiet Estate Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The Merlot-dominated 2016 Rive Droite (96/4 Merlot and Cabernet Franc) is a pretty, classy, elegant expression of Merlot that has perfumed notes of tobacco leaf, damp earth, graphite, and both black cherry and cassis fruits. Possessing medium to full-bodied richness, a supple, seamless texture, and plenty of underlying structure, drink it over the coming 10-15 years.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard, Blankiet's Merlot-based wine, is magnificent today. Merlot can be very quirky in its youth, especially when just bottled, but the Rive Droite is incredibly expressive, which provides a great opportunity to see its potential. Rich and boisterous in the glass, with tremendous textural resonance, the Rive Droite is gorgeous. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2016 for at least a handful of years. I don't see the 2016 ready to offer its best drinking any time soon.
The 2016 Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard is blended of 95.5% Merlot and 4.5% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 19 months in French oak. It has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and gives up beautifully fragrant red rose, lilacs and damp soil notions with a core of warm plums, mulberries, spice cake and tobacco plus a waft of iron ore. Full, rich, opulent and oh-so-sexy, the palate exudes lovely warm black fruit and spice layers, finishing long and plushly textured. 308 cases produced.
Once again, the 2016 Rive Droite seems quite marked by its Cabernet Franc, especially in its aromatics. A powerful yet beautifully layered wine, the 2016 appears to have a very bright future. As with the 2015, the tannins here are quite imposing and are likely to require quite some time to soften.