Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Vieux Château Palon – 2021
Montagne-Saint-Émilion AOC – Right Bank, Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A distinctive Right Bank Bordeaux, this cuvée flips the classic Merlot-dominant Saint-Émilion script. Instead, it is crafted from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc, making it unusually bold, structured, and aromatically lifted for the appellation.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, blackberry, and cassis dominate, with graphite, cedar, and tobacco leaf from the Cabernets. Subtle violet and peppery notes emerge from the Franc.

Mouthfeel
Firm tannins, medium-plus body, and a long, savory finish. More muscular and linear than many Montagne-Saint-Émilions, leaning toward Left Bank style but with Right Bank elegance.

Food Pairings
Grilled ribeye, lamb chops with rosemary, cassoulet, duck confit, aged Comté or Tomme de Savoie cheeses.

Verdict
An atypical but fascinating Montagne-Saint-Émilion that highlights Cabernet structure over Merlot plushness. For those who love Pauillac or Saint-Julien, this bottle is a bridge into the Right Bank world. Cheers!

Did You Know?
Montagne-Saint-Émilion is one of the four “satellite” appellations of Saint-Émilion, known for offering excellent value Bordeaux reds. Few estates here lean so heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes Palon stand out stylistically. — 7 months ago

Aravind A

9.2

Pop and pour. Well, wow, I should have bought more of this. On the nose: dense plum, strawberry, cinnamon, intense without being over the top. On the palate: tar, blackberry, charcoal, dense and dark fruited...so well-balanced, fantastic length and juiciness and the finely grained tannin sneaks up on the finish. — 5 years ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

8.9

Just a tiny bit fatty but good. Total pencil shavings on the nose. Vanilla cream as I opened the bottle. — 6 years ago

Andrew Neblett

9.3

Nice slight fizz. Bright fruit. Medium body. Easy drinking. — 8 years ago

Neal Krishna Devaraj

9.1

Chalk earth five day old raspberries. — 8 years ago

Park Si Young

9.5

Natural Wine — 9 years ago

Rob Rob

9.3

Great wine, — 9 years ago

Michael Patrone

8.9

Not much depth but decent — 10 years ago

Lois Fancher

9.0

All of the flavors I live in a Bordeaux! — 11 years ago

with Al

Paul Courtright

9.5

Danke Ludwig! — 13 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.3

Great cork & freshness, needs air to fully evaluate,
K&L notes as follows

This property was a Bill Blatch favorite-and as usual I have never visited the property which is located in Begadan. Château Vieux Robin is a family owned Cru Bourgeois estate located in Begadan at the far north of the Médoc. 5th generation owners Maryse and Didier Robin have made huge strides in terms of quality since they took over in 1988. Didier Robin, who learnt his trade at Château Clarke, is a skilled winemaker and now produces 4 different cuvées of ascending quality.There are only 18 hectares of vines and Vieux Robin is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. Old school Bordeaux with 12% alcohol. Over 20 years old and still lively and fresh. No fancy oak here-just good Merlot and Cabernet.
Drink from 2021 to 2025 — 4 years ago

Peter Wassam

9.0

Juicy black fruit, firm tannins, iron and red twizzler nose, perfect with ribeyes. Always been a bargain of a wine — 6 years ago

Neel Master

9.2

Love this one. Strawberry delight. — 7 years ago

Narelle Burke

9.0

A lovely red wine for our evening! — 8 years ago

Michael Bandelato

9.2

Intoxicating nose. Ultimate dessert wine — 8 years ago

with Jessica

Phil Forzley

10

85 merlot 10 cab 5 malbec — 9 years ago

Alexis Whitesides

8.9

Oscar's night 🍷 Light Brodeaux, nice price. Dusty and tannic, tart berries and white pepper. — 9 years ago

with Andrew

Andrew S

9.1

Very enjoyable. Dark fruit, pepper, bacon. — 11 years ago

Rachel Tarpy

9.0

with my honey — 11 years ago

Pouyan Haidari-Tabrizi

10

OMG!!!!!!! Kavian's BDay!!!!!!! — 13 years ago

Michael Phillips

9.2

Mature but should be good for a few more years. Good fruit and balance — 4 years ago

aik

9.0

it has high alcohol, but i feel cool nuance, because it has sharp acidiy and lifted aromas. Well balanced and enjoyable classic Syrah beauty. — 5 years ago

Joe Weinberger

9.0

Probably held on to this a year too long but it showed well for the first night (mouse had set in by the following day). Citrus, white flowers, orange blossom. — 5 years ago

Inseon Hwang

9.0

Very approachable St E. Dark cherry, licorice and barnyard. Medium body. Drinking nicely. — 6 years ago

Saman Hosseini

Writer Maison Abattoir

9.1

All zest at first, develops firm yellow orchard fruit, orange oil, and anise with time, mineral throughout and saline on the finish but pure, not microbial. Paired with brick chicken.
— 8 years ago

Nikolay Dimitrov

9.1

Very fruity for Saint Emilion. Smells like will all the way, but might be the bret that shows through. — 8 years ago

Rick Riddle

9.0

Notes of ripe peaches with subtle oak. Well balances, smooth finish. Stronger notes than most French Whites. Great with spicy food. — 9 years ago

Alex Papanicolaou

9.4

Ganevat for the win! — 10 years ago

Robert Toro

9.0

Finely structured! — 10 years ago

Phil Gurin

9.1

Truly delicious Okanagan Syrah... Drinkable and delicious — 11 years ago

with Grant