2016 Château Corbin: A Great Vintage, A Great Address
The vintage is widely regarded as one of the great successes of the last decade. After an exceptionally wet spring, the growing season turned almost perfectly dry and warm, with a long, beautiful finish to the season that allowed the grapes to achieve remarkable ripeness while retaining freshness and acidity. The result is Bordeaux with depth, structure, silky tannins, and the kind of balance that makes great claret so compelling.
One of the things I love about Saint-Émilion is just how large and varied the appellation actually is. It is easy to think of the names at the very top—Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Figeac—and imagine a tiny collection of famous properties surrounding the village. In reality, Saint-Émilion encompasses a substantial vineyard area with an enormous diversity of soils, elevations, and microclimates. Finding the right château in the right location is everything. Château Corbin is one of those addresses worth knowing.
The estate sits at the northwestern edge of Saint-Émilion, immediately adjacent to Pomerol and close to Château Cheval Blanc. It encompasses just over 12 hectares, making Corbin an intimate estate by Bordeaux standards. The history is extraordinary: the origins of the property reach back to the 15th century, with portions of the historic estate dating to the 16th century. Corbin has been in the same family since 1924 and has been a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé since 1955.
XX de Corbin is the estate’s second wine, but this is not an after thought. Château Corbin describes its second wines as receiving the same rigorous selection and care as the grand vin, with a shorter aging period designed to preserve freshness and fruit. The 2016 vintage makes it particularly compelling.
The wine is now approaching that wonderful stage where youthful fruit begins to give way to the more savory, earthy character that makes mature Bordeaux so rewarding. Think black fruits, spice, vanilla, toast, and the beginnings of the secondary complexity that comes with bottle age. Wine Enthusiast rated the 2016 XX de Corbin 91 points, calling it a wine that is maturing well and noting that it comes from a fine vintage.
This is exactly the sort of Bordeaux I want to drink right now: old enough to have developed, young enough to still have plenty of life, from an exceptional vintage and an estate with a genuinely fascinating history.
91 Points, Wine Enthusiast
This is one of two second wines from this estate. Vanilla and toast aromas and rich spicy black fruits characterize a wine that is now maturing well. From a fine vintage, the wine should continue to develop and be ready from 2026.