2025 Château De La Dauphine

The 2025 La Dauphine has a clean, well-defined bouquet with pure black cherries, blueberry and light cassis scents, the oak neat and tidy. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannins, dark berry fruit, quite linear in style with a much lighter chassis on the finish than I expected. As such, it should drink well after a couple of years in bottle. 
- Neal Martin (05/2026)

Medium- to full-bodied and cohesive, with contained, evenly distributed dark fruit and fine-grained tannins. 
 - Jacobo García Andrade (04/2026)

Deep ruby/plum-hued, the 2025 Château De La Dauphine comes from a great estate in Fronsac that's well worth seeking out. Based on 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc that will spend 12 months in a mix of oak, foudres, and amphorae, it has remarkable purity in its black raspberry, cassis, graphite, and chocolaty, floral, exotic aromatics. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, graceful, layered mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It checks in at 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.5, and plays in the focused, pure, precise style of the vintage. It's beautifully done and should be snatched up by savvy readers. (05/2026)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 de la Dauphine jumps from the glass with gregarious scents of stewed blackberries and blueberry compote, followed by hints of violets, licorice, and garrigue. The full-bodied palate is packed with baked black fruit flavors, supported by lightly chewy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. (04/2026)