2022 Ch Canon 1er Grand Cru Classé St Emilion
£720.00 In Bond £883.24 Inc VAT (£147.20 Per Bottle)-
Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 98-99
One of the most exciting wines of the vintage, highlighting the poise and balance of the very finest wines not only in St Emilion, but the whole of Bordeaux. Ethereal and uplifting, it belies the heat of the year. With a magical fragrance of white peach, primrose, lavender and cherry blossom, it seduces with its charm and grace: the combination of fruit, tannins and freshness is in total harmony to create a wine of unbelievable refinement. The finish is juicy and succulent with its deep dark berry fruit flavours, a touch of mocha and roasted coffee bean and very very long. Hitting the road towards perfection!
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 98-99
One of the most exciting wines of the vintage, highlighting the poise and balance of the very finest wines not only in St Emilion, but the whole of Bordeaux. Ethereal and uplifting, it belies the heat of the year. With a magical fragrance of white peach, primrose, lavender and cherry blossom, it seduces with its charm and grace: the combination of fruit, tannins and freshness is in total harmony to create a wine of unbelievable refinement. The finish is juicy and succulent with its deep dark berry fruit flavours, a touch of mocha and roasted coffee bean and very very long. Hitting the road towards perfection!
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 96-98
The 2022 Canon was picked from 30 August to 22 September and is matured in 50% new oak for a planned 18 months. It has a beautifully-defined bouquet with plumes of blackberry, raspberry and subtle violet flower scents. The palate is very fresh on the entry, announcing a relatively linear Canon. The limestone terroir seeps into every pore of this Saint-Émilion. This is one of the more intellectual and saline Canon wines in recent years. A triumph in such a hot growing season, elevated by its limestone soils. Drink 2032-2075
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 96-99
The 2022 Canon is elegant and sensual, with virtually no sensation of tannin. A wine with no beginning and end, Canon is totally seamless. All the Canon signatures are there, but woven together in an effortless, gracious expression of this site. It's the sort of wine that is about subtlety and nuance more than power. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and spice caress the palate, but ultimately, Canon is above all else a wine of exquisite detail. Haute couture. Tasted three times. Drink 2032-2072.
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 99-100
From an estate that is delivering its greatest run of vintages since the superb Post War series that preceded the frosts of 1956, the 2022 Canon is a magical wine that will be worth every effort to track down. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, wild plums and cherries mingled with hints of bay leaf, spices and violets, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with huge levels of concentration, vibrant acids and beautifully refined tannins. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this pure, perfumed and ineffably complete Canon is built for the ages, even if its structural polish is such that it will be approachable at a surprisingly early age.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 98-99
Endless on the palate with plenty of umami character. So Canon in its nature with plenty of fruit and fine tannins, yet almost weightless. The structure is all there. Electric. Long, long, long. 75% merlot and 25% cabernet franc.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 20++
You can read about Canon’s second wine (Croix Canon) in this Report, and, of course, I tasted this wine first. I was shocked at just how rewarding and complex it was, and so when I eventually approached the Grand Vin, it was with a degree of trepidation. Could it soar above Croix Canon, as it should, or would it just taste like a darker and more backward creation? Before climbing into Canon, I also tasted two barrel samples of this wine in the cellar. One was taken from a new barrel, and the second from a 1-year-old barrel. The precise combination of these two exquisite flavours equals Canon. As I climbed the stairs from the cellar to the tasting room, I wondered if the potential shown in the cellar could be replicated in the blended wine. The answer is that Canon is nothing short of perfection in 2022. The flavours power on and then, without warning, unexpectedly grows even riper and richer, and this feeling of profound quality and nobility sensation lasts for an eternity. This is such a pleasing and engaging wine from the very first moment the flavour passes your lips. It then stays there, resplendent and proud. This is a standout wine for Canon, and the density, ripeness and long and keen-edged finish make it so thrilling. I cannot find even the slightest blemishes or imperfections in the whole Canon experience, and I think this will be one of the longest-lived wines in this property’s history.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2023, Score: 17.5++
Elegant and precise on the nose. Red fruit with a chalky freshness. Beautifully textured. Velvety tannins and lovely persistence. Clean, fresh and long on the finish. Harmonious. Spot-on for the vintage. (James Lawther MW). 14.5%. Drink 2030 – 2048
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Jancis Robinson, April 2023, Score: 18
This lovely wine really goes to the limit of unexpected freshness in 2022! Subtle and limpid and dangerously approachable. The lively calcaire note is very obvious. Clean and pure. Lots buried in there. Health juice/mouthwash. More lifted than the Rauzan-Ségla and less concentrated. Drink 2030 – 2050
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 97-99+
Tasted on three separate occasions (and I thought it had the potential to be a perfect wine on one of those), the 2022 Château Canon is an incredible wine in the making, and it might be the finest in the series starting in 2015. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc harvested between August 30 and September 22, it comes from yields of 45 hectoliters per hectare and hit 14.5% alcohol. The élevage will run 16-18 months in just 30% new French oak. As classy as they come, it has a beautiful perfume of red and blue fruits as well as notes of white flowers, truffly earth, woodsmoke, and forest floor. With incredible density, a multi-layered texture, ultra-fine tannins, and integrated acidity, this incredible Canon will evolve for 30-40 years. I finished my rough note on this with "Pure class."
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 98
The inky intensity of the colour might make you worry that the limestone signature will be swamped, but it is very much guiding proceedings on the palate here. Expect waves of red roses, rhubarb, pink grapefruit, salinity, but also real intensity, there is a depth and complexity that quite stunning as the wine expands through the palate, with creamy blue and black fruits, and a mouthwatering oyster shell finish. 45hl/h, 3.5ph, 50% new oak, with four larger-sized oak casks. A standout in the vintage, more proof of the exceptional level that Canon is playing at right now. 50% new oak.
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2022 Ch La Conseillante Pomerol
£1,326.00 In Bond £1,610.44 Inc VAT (£268.40 Per Bottle)-
Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 98-99
Ch La Conseillante is the understated Holy Grail of Pomerol. This small 12-hectare vineyard an unassuming winery encapsulates all that is so very special about the appellation. Owned by the Nicolas family for over 150 years, La Conseillante is one of Pomerol’s most historic, romantic estates. Today, under the brilliance of wine director Marielle Cazaux, it sets the bar to a new high for both quality and style. Invigorating scents of violet, lavender field, plum and tayberry leap from the glass. With a plush velvet like texture, it is silky over the palate, with powder like tannins. The warming black cherry flavours intermingle with mocha, vanilla pod and agrodolce flavours. The subtlety and polish belie the overall power of this wine. Tremendous, with so much potential to be considered a great in the future.
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 98-99
Ch La Conseillante is the understated Holy Grail of Pomerol. This small 12-hectare vineyard an unassuming winery encapsulates all that is so very special about the appellation. Owned by the Nicolas family for over 150 years, La Conseillante is one of Pomerol’s most historic, romantic estates. Today, under the brilliance of wine director Marielle Cazaux, it sets the bar to a new high for both quality and style. Invigorating scents of violet, lavender field, plum and tayberry leap from the glass. With a plush velvet like texture, it is silky over the palate, with powder like tannins. The warming black cherry flavours intermingle with mocha, vanilla pod and agrodolce flavours. The subtlety and polish belie the overall power of this wine. Tremendous, with so much potential to be considered a great in the future.
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 97-99
The 2022 La Conseillante was picked at 33hL/ha between 5 and 20 September and raised in 70% new oak plus 30% in amphorae. There is 13.9% alcohol. This is quite discrete on the nose, just like L'Évangile, only really opening after several minutes. Blackberry, blueberry, hints of iris flower, perhaps more floral than L'Évangile and Cheval Blanc. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannins plus a fine bead of acidity. Fresh and focused, this is maybe less concentrated on the mid-palate than expected but that maintains an unerring sense of equilibrium. Tensile and very smooth with an underlying sense of strict like its aforementioned neighbors. A rough decant prizes this Pomerol open and reveals its inner core of mineralité. Anyone spending less than 15 minutes tasting this Pomerol is likely to have totally missed it. Saline both on the finish and aftertaste, Marielle Cazaux has crafted one of the most intellectual La Conseillante wines in recent years. Drink 2030-2065
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 96-98
The 2022 La Conseillante is simply fabulous and also clearly one of the wines of the year. Rich, racy and enveloping to the core, the 2022 is super-impressive in this tasting. In fact, the 2022 is one of the best recent vintages I can remember tasting. All the elements are so well balanced for a young wine. Readers will find a Pomerol of stature and total class. That’s all there is to it. The blend is 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc. Yields were 33 hectoliters per hectare, about normal these days. For readers who appreciate technical data, the balance of 14% alcohol and 3.66pH is an example of what makes the best wines of 2022 so compelling. This is a superb showing from Technical Director Marielle Cazaux and her team. Drink 2032 - 2052.
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 97-100
The 2022 La Conseillante is a remarkable wine that has the potential to emerge as one of the wines of the vintage. A blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, it unfurls in the glass with deep aromas of black raspberries and mulberries mingled with notions of rose petals, violets, orange zest and mint. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's velvety and enveloping, with a textural attack that segues into a multidimensional mid-palate that's framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. Checking in at a very healthy pH of 3.65 and 14% alcohol, it is a beautifully supple, suave wine that retains all this estate's signature elegance but in a slightly deeper-pitched and broader-shouldered format than the profound 2020. Congratulations to winemaker Marielle Cazaux, consulting enologist Thomas Duclos, the Nicolas family led by Jean-Valmy, and all the team at La Conseillante who have firmly established this estate at the very top of Pomerol's qualitative hierarchy in recent vintages.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 98-99
This is sensational with extra fine tannins that run the length of the wine. It’s medium-bodied with excellent length and so Conseillante in nature. Silky, silky, silky. Creamy texture. Flowers such as violets at the end. Love this. 87% merlot and 13% cabernet franc.
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Decanter, April 2023, Score: 98-100
A sensational effort in 2022, utterly fabulous and one of my favourites. Smells ripe and potent, an air of opulence and richness, so perfumed and open with soft herbal and spiced elements. This wows on the palate, creamy tannins, rich but silky, so well integrated with cool, wet stone and blue fruit nuances and juicy acidity giving freshness. It manages to give with one hand and take away with the other, a supreme balancing act of providing the sumptuous power and concentration of the vintage but so delicately packaged with layers of energy, brightness and precision. Great movement and direction. Pure Pomerol power and pleasure on offer here, exciting and elegant and really feels like it’s not trying too hard. 5-6% press wine.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 20+
There is a spectacular perfume here, and while it is dominated by massively deep and indulgent black fruit notes, there is an underlying sense of minerality coupled with earth and skin notes that bring an anti-fruit fanfare that is sensational. Everything is perfectly balanced, not least the spectacular waves of ripe fruit. The Merlot berry sizes were not particularly small at La Conseillante, but the Cabernet Franc grapes were tiny, and this Franc element sings loudly and forcefully in this wine. And while this is a very concentrated creation, there is lift, balance, and depth of flavour that seems beguiling and monastically serene. It appears to be approachable already, but this must be an illusion. Either way, the robe of red fruit is both eye-catching and arresting. You cannot fail to notice just how glamorous this wine is, and yet beneath this exterior, there is a steely chassis and a brittle seriousness that will propel this wine forward for decades to come. The graphite notes are rigid (perhaps graphene is a better expression here), and the silky texture is luminous and mirror-like, reflecting all and shining nonetheless. A tiny amount of Duo was made, but I did not taste it, and it will inevitably be a superb effort given the extreme prowess of this Grand Vin. I went back to my glass for one last sip and found even more detail – a millefeuille of exotic spice, florals and cacao appeared atop the wells of dark fruit, and this uniqueness and multi-faceted crystalline structure ensure that this is one of the most spectacular and memorable wines of the vintage.
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 98-100
A wine that has perfection written all over it is the 2022 Chateau La Conseillante, which is 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 70% new French oak, with a tiny amount in amphora as well. Revealing a vivid purple hue, it offers a perfumed yet incredibly classy, almost discreet bouquet of crème de cassis, spring flowers, red plums, incense, and spice. This terroir never seems to yield the biggest, richest wine in a vintage, yet it's almost unrivaled in its ability to deliver complexity and elegance. Full-bodied on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and again, a purity of fruit that's just about off the charts, it's going to offer pleasure with just 4-6 years of bottle age (these usually enter their prime drinking window a decade after a vintage) and have 30-40 years of prime drinking. The 2022 hit 13.9% alcohol with a pH of 3.65.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 97
Deep inky colour, crushed rose petal and peony, such a beautiful wine, with waves of blueberry and cassis fruit, along with liqourice root, lemongrass, slate and saffran, and one of the clear standout successes of Pomerol. 95% 1st wine this year, with just 5% for Duo de La Conseillante. Slow progress through the palate, this has vintage character but leans into it. 70% new oak, 3.65ph. Harvest 5 to 20.
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2022 Ch L'Evangile Pomerol
£1,338.00 In Bond £1,624.84 Inc VAT (£270.80 Per Bottle)-
Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 97-98
Juliette Couderc’s second vintage at this Rothschild family owned Pomerol estate expresses her careful representation of its very special terroir. Deep opaque in colour, it is cool yet opulent, with layered flavours of fresh tayberry and bilberry vibrantly structured with dark smoky characters on the palate. It balances a deep intensity with lively vigour and sweet black cherry and dark olive on the finish. Excellent.
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 97-98
Juliette Couderc’s second vintage at this Rothschild family owned Pomerol estate expresses her careful representation of its very special terroir. Deep opaque in colour, it is cool yet opulent, with layered flavours of fresh tayberry and bilberry vibrantly structured with dark smoky characters on the palate. It balances a deep intensity with lively vigour and sweet black cherry and dark olive on the finish. Excellent.
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 95-97
The 2022 L'Evangile was picked at 30hL/ha. It is aged in 50% new oak sourced from four coopers plus two recently introduced foudres. There are similarities with neighboring Cheval Blanc on the nose as if it's holding something back in a good way. Beautifully defined, dark berry fruit, crushed stone and bay leaf aromas are succinct and not showy. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth, velvety entry. There's plenty of rondeur, nicely judged acidity, pliant tannins (more than Cheval Blanc?) and pure with a dab of white pepper and clove. Classic in style. A touch of desiccated orange rind appears on the aftertaste that was apparently there during the fermentation. Very harmonious on the finish. This is a lovely, discrete Pomerol from an estate moving in the right direction - fast. 14.3% alcohol. Drink 2030-2070
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 95-97
The 2022 L'Évangile is seriously impressive right out of the gate, dark, rich and enveloping. Dark-fleshed fruit, mocha, spice, leather and a kiss of new oak race across the palate. Texturally, the 2022 is gorgeous. One of the recent changes here (since the 2021 vintage) has been a reduction of wine that undergoes malolactic in barrel, from 100% down to 60-70%. More than anything, the 2022 impresses with its gorgeous inner sweetness and exceptional balance. In short, the 2022 is a classic Évangile. Drink 2032-2062
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 95-97
Given the young average age of this estate's vineyards, its well-draining soils and the extreme vintage, I was a little apprehensive; but the technical team evidently took the conditions in their stride, harvesting the east-facing side of the vines (which sees the hottest afternoon sun) four days earlier. The resulting 2022 L'Evangile is beautiful, offering up aromas of raspberries, vine smoke, black truffles, violets and gravely soil. Medium to full-bodied, supple and velvety, it's seamless and polished, with a bright core of fruit and powdery tannins that temper 2022's inherent sweetness of fruit to sophisticated effect. At this early stage, it appears that the estate's progress with regards to élevage continues too, as Evangile's creamy oak signature is much released, allowing the fruit—and this superb terroir—to take center stage. It's a blend of 82% Merlot, 17.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 96-97
Fresh, wonderfully refined and gorgeously polished and long, with very fine tannins. Medium to full body. Crunchy fruit and chocolate, hazelnut and spice. Exciting to see how this tensioned beauty will evolve. Wonderful clarity.
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Decanter, April 2023, Score: 97
Savoury notes on the nose, liquorice, cinnamon, spicy pepper with fragranced blackcurrant and black cherry and strawberry. Appealing juicines and fresh acidity, not at all sharp, but chalky balanced by a sleek frame, giving power and concentration but refreshing too with a crisp, wet stone bite that immediately offsets the acidity and fruit intensity. Doesn’t immediately shine out of the glass, this is more shy and calm. Definitely more straight and almost light in terms of expression (most of the power, opulence and oomph has gone into Blason), but this is extremely well made. So well constructed and delivered, just toned down, less shouty, more sophisticated, one to watch and will age wonderfully. 3.82pH. Ageing 10% foudre, 15% amphora, 50% new oak and the rest in one year barrels. A yield of 28hl/ha. Harvest 29 August - 14 September.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 19.5+
It was a pleasure to taste at L’Evangile with Saskia de Rothschild and winemaker Juliette Couderc, and it is clear that both of the Evangile wines are first-class in 2022. There is an overriding sense of calmness and control, and while this Grand Vin is as measured and refined as I have seen at this stage of its evolution, it does not mean it is closed or uncommunicative. However, I had to keep my wits about me because it only started conversing towards the end of my half-hour visit. Finely detailed and initially strict, there are fascinating layers of fruit here that one must navigate to uncover the tenderness and uniqueness of the Evangile character beneath. In this vintage, the tannins are more active, populating the entire flavour experience from start to finish. It is possible to swirl and coax out the fine details on the palate, 44 and when you do, you will find exquisite cherry, cranberry and rhubarb highlights under the dark fruit exterior. With much smaller berries harvested in 2022, the concentration of the fruit flavours is more pronounced and yet the full array of Evangile nuance is there, and you have to work through the darker tones to find the full peacock’s tail of red notes buried within. The tannins will arm this wine for the long run, and I don’t doubt it is set to be a superstar.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2023, Score: 16.5+
Aromatically reticent but there’s lift and a bit of freshness. Ample fruit on the palate and tannins that are smooth and long. A crunchy note adds to the persistence. Still a little wayward but élevage should help. ((James Lawther MW) 14.5% Drink 2029 – 2040
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 95-97
The Grand Vin checks in as 82% Merlot, 17.5% Cabernet Franc, and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 50% new oak, 15% in amphora, 10% in foudre, and the rest in used barrels. It has another level of purity and class, with ripe red and black cherries, leafy herbs, truffle, and spice-driven aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied Pomerol offering beautiful tannins, a silky, elegant mouthfeel, and a great finish. Hitting 14.2% alcohol, with a pH of 3.84 and an IPT of 75, this classy, balanced Pomerol shines for its purity and finesse, and it should blossom with just short-term cellaring.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 95
Density combined with elegance, this has the intensity and spice of the vintage, with an emphasis on tight black fruits, a clear reflection of the phenolic concentration of the year, slow and steady tannic construction that brings in graphite. Unusually for L'Evangile this feels almost Left Bank in character, with its 28hl/h yield (compared to 33hl/h in 2020 but with almost 20% more berries this year, but they were such small sizes). 3.8ph 2nd year of organic certification.
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LPB, April 2023, Score: 96-98
The 2022 L'Evangile is composed of 82% Merlot, 17.5% Cabernet Franc, and 0.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of swirling to coax out notes of juicy black plums, boysenberry preserves, and black raspberries, followed by hints of garrigue, clove oil, lilacs, and licorice. The full-bodied palate is chock full of rich, multi-layered black fruits with velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and minerally.
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2022 Ch Léoville Las Cases 2ème Cru St Julien
£1,386.00 In Bond £1,682.44 Inc VAT (£280.40 Per Bottle)-
Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 97-98
The 2022 Léoville Las Cases is monumental in its concentration. The flavours leap from the glass: ripe cassis, blackcurrant leaf, smoky cedar, cherry stone, all with a slate mineral edge. The palate is a succession of layers, all building upon one another. It starts surprisingly supple and gentle, with an enlivening lift of acidity. Then, you notice the fine-grained tannins, fanning out delicately as they carry the fruit flavours, with those mineral notes giving a satisfyingly bitter counterpoise. All this leads to a lifted and giving finish that just goes on and on.
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 97-98
The 2022 Léoville Las Cases is monumental in its concentration. The flavours leap from the glass: ripe cassis, blackcurrant leaf, smoky cedar, cherry stone, all with a slate mineral edge. The palate is a succession of layers, all building upon one another. It starts surprisingly supple and gentle, with an enlivening lift of acidity. Then, you notice the fine-grained tannins, fanning out delicately as they carry the fruit flavours, with those mineral notes giving a satisfyingly bitter counterpoise. All this leads to a lifted and giving finish that just goes on and on.
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 98-100
The 2022 Léoville Las-Cases was picked 8-30 September with more infusion than extraction, matured in 84% new oak. Precocious, almost decadent blackberry and blueberry fruit on the nose, there is something lavish and audacious about this Saint-Julien. There is an underlying estuarine element, a whiff off the banks of the Gironde. The palate is medium-bodied with polished tannins, very detailed, extremely pure, what you might call a "vertical" Las-Cases with fabulous precision on the finish. This surpasses the 2018-2020 trio and to use that clichéd expression, is a "tour de force". Drink 2032-2080
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 98-100
The 2022 Léoville Las Cases is stunning. Fine-grained and nuanced, the 2022 Las Cases is breathtaking. Red/purplish fruit, rose petals, lavender, spice and mocha open gradually but what impresses most about the 2022 is its sublime finesse. Silky, plush and exceptionally beautiful, the 2022 Las Cases is shaping up to be one of the wines of the year. Drink 2030-2052.
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 98-100
One of the wines of the vintage this year is the 2022 Léoville Las Cases, a monument in the making that combines unerring classicism with unusual sensuality and charm by the standards of this estate's sometimes youthfully forbidding wines. Exhibiting deep aromas of dark berries, violets, pencil lead, rose petals and tobacco leaf, it's full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, beautiful purity of fruit, abundant but refined tannins and a long, vibrant finish. On the several occasions that I tasted it, the 2022 was surprisingly open for a young Las Cases, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were to shut down after a few years in bottle. It's a blend of 83.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 99-100
This shows no gravity. The tannins are totally melted in the wine and give it fantastic structure, but the texture is so fresh and vivid. Crushed stone. Cloves. Chinese spices. Great finish. Opening and flying away. Orange peel. Very special. Thought-provoking. Endless. 83.5% cabernet sauvignon, 10.5% cabernet franc and 6% merlot.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 20+
Château Léoville Las Cases (Grand Vin de Léoville du Marquis de Las Cases, 2ème Cru Saint-Julien) 83.5 Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5 Cabernet Franc, 6 Merlot 84% new oak 14.25% alc 3.8 pH 85 IPT 37 hl/ha 8% press wine addition I didn’t know this was a thing, but the Las Cases crew recently won the individual and team pruning championships. This is a massive deal in viti-circles, and it must be noted that this wine is sensational, so hats off to the hard work done in this particular estate. They carried out several different picks in the same plots to ensure every single grape was perfect, and with perfect fruit, it is possible to make perfect wine. As there is ongoing work at Las Cases on their new chai, I tasted this wine, and the rest of the Left Bank portfolio, at Nénin in Pomerol. After having tasted a day of Merlot-dominant wines, it was remarkable just how impactful it was to taste an imperial Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was immediately clear to me that this is another unfathomably beautiful creation. This is a big wine. In fact, it is a monumental creation, but you cannot feel the true heft of its flavour because it is so complex and integrated. There is so much Cabernet class here that it defies belief, and the cassis-soaked invasion is tempered by crushed rock salinity, mineral freshness and herbal details. The power and density of flavour are offset by astounding brightness, making Las Cases a shockingly vivid and pervasive wine, and I cannot see how it could be improved.
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 98-100
Looking at the Grand Vin 2022 Château Léoville Las Cases, it has an almost Pauillac-like style in its ripe, powerful aromatics of graphite, lead pencil shavings, cassis, and liquid rock-like minerality. Full-bodied, massively concentrated, and powerful on the palate, it nevertheless stays flawlessly balanced, has just about off-the-charts purity, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. This will clearly rank with the truly greats from this address and reminds me slightly of a mix of the 2016 and 2018. It is not, however, going to be for those looking for instant gratification.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 97
Heading to Léoville Las Cases in a super ripe year is always a good idea, as the musuclar tannins are balanced by a riper mouthfeel. As quietly confident as you would expect, this is packed with depth and intensity, taking the 2022 vintage and reshaping it in the character of this St Julien powerhouse. Graphite, crushed rocks, liquorice root, cassis, bluberry, slate, saffran, smoked earth, all held in by tannins with grip and length. 3.8ph, and high alcohols for this estate, giving a seductive mouthfeel that is unusual in young Las Cases. 84% new oak, 37hl/h yield. Harvest September 8 to 30.
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2022 Ch Figeac 1er Grand Cru Classé A St Emilion
£1,518.00 In Bond £1,840.84 Inc VAT (£306.80 Per Bottle)-
Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 98-99
Fully deserving of its promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Figeac’s technical director Frédéric Faye has made a superlative 2022 wine. Comprised of almost equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, it highlights the strength of the property’s soils to cope with both the drought and heat. Taking into consideration the exceptional quality of the fruit at harvest time, Frédéric took a more delicate line on his vinification in 2022, focusing on lighter extraction and cooler fermentation temperatures to preserve both aromatics and finesse. A herbal lift from the glass gives way to black cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, graphite and cedarwood. With noticeably full fruit, the taut, well-defined structure is reminiscent of the Médoc, sitting comfortably alongside the abundance of black fruits and the fine yet powerful tannins. Extraordinary persistence. A classic in the making.
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 98-99
Fully deserving of its promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Figeac’s technical director Frédéric Faye has made a superlative 2022 wine. Comprised of almost equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, it highlights the strength of the property’s soils to cope with both the drought and heat. Taking into consideration the exceptional quality of the fruit at harvest time, Frédéric took a more delicate line on his vinification in 2022, focusing on lighter extraction and cooler fermentation temperatures to preserve both aromatics and finesse. A herbal lift from the glass gives way to black cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, graphite and cedarwood. With noticeably full fruit, the taut, well-defined structure is reminiscent of the Médoc, sitting comfortably alongside the abundance of black fruits and the fine yet powerful tannins. Extraordinary persistence. A classic in the making.
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 97-99
The 2022 Figeac was picked between 1-26 September with the pH of 3.7 and 14% alcohol. This wine combines both Left Bank and Right Bank traits due to its blend (as usual), but this year leans more to the Right Bank despite a slightly lower contribution of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is very well defined, fresh and shows lively black fruit, incense and nuanced Chinese tea aromas. The palate is beautifully balanced with a lightly spiced entry, fine depth and with plenty of concentration counterbalanced by finesse toward the graphite-infused finish. Its saline aftertaste beckons you back for another sip. An appropriate way to start your tenure as a Grand Cru Classé "A". Drink 2032-2070
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 96-99
The 2022 Figeac is a magnificent, super-classic Figeac, as odd as that might sound in this freakish vintage. A wine of sublime delicacy and nuance, the 2022 possesses tremendous aromatic presence, finely sculpted fruit and phenomenal persistence. I especially admire the wine's freshness, energy and clean, mineral finish. The 2022 is a towering Figeac, a wine that brilliantly showcases the unique qualities of this site. Figeac is a rare Right Bank estate with gravel and blue clay soils that are not often found here, planted approximately with equal parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink 2032 - 2052.
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 98-100
A blend of 35% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2022 Figeac is a brilliant wine with which to celebrate this property's elevation to Premier Grand Cru Classé "A" status. Wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries and cassis mingled with notions of iris, forest floor, cigar wrapper and pencil lead, it's medium to full-bodied, pure and perfumed, with a deep and multidimensional core of fruit, bright acids and beautifully refined tannins. Serious yet civilized, it's the quintessential Figeac, testament to the late Thierry Manoncourt's vision to plant such a large proportion of Cabernet, and on drought-resistant rootstocks. Such is the inherent complexity of Figeac's terroirs that harvest took place sub-block by sub-block between September 1st and 25th. Congratulations are in order for the Manoncourt family, director Frédéric Faye, consulting winemaker Thomas Duclos and all their team.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 97-98
This is the earliest ever harvest for Figeac and the fruit is something else. Flowers such as violets. Blackberries. Currants. Cherry blossom. Full-bodied with lovely freshness and depth. Crunchy and juicy. Perfect al dente fruit. 35% merlot , 34% cabernet franc and 31% cabernet sauvignon
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Decanter, April 2023, Score: 98-100
An incredibly impressive wine in 2022 shaping up to be the wine of the vintage not only as it seems to defy the hot and dry conditions in every way but delivers such confidence and charm it makes it hard to resist. Gorgeous aromatic expression on the nose, open and alive, generous scents of bright bramble fruit and floral notes as well as graphite and cedar. Smooth, supple and generous on the palate, tannins are silky and perfectly weighted giving roundness but also structure with a red berry juiciness and saline bite that is so compelling. Vibrant, dynamic, balanced and precise, the energy is outstanding yet there’s still depth, weight and power underneath. There's not a single thing out of place - utterly seductive and totally moreish. A great effort from the estate now proudly displaying their upgrade to St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A for the first time as of the new classification. 3.7pH. 8% press wine. 82% grand vin production. Harvest 1 - 26 September, the earliest ever.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 19.5+
2022 Figeac has all of the ingredients of a monumental wine. In common with other estates that have made incredible wines this year, the fruit was pristine when it arrived at the winery. Then the skills of the winemaking team were deployed in not extracting any more depth of flavour or perfume than was necessary. A gossamer-smooth extraction and a cool, long fermentation were all that was needed to create one of the silkiest and most enchanting wines on the Right Bank. The deep-rooted Cabernets hold firm here, with Merlot decking the powerful Cab structure in beautiful finery. It is easy to get lost in the flavour, but the tannins mount a stealthy attack twothirds of the way into the experience, warning that this is a gloriously serious wine with a very long life ahead. Powdery, laser-sighted, drenched in graphite, and with ultra-fine sootiness, this is a masterclass in how tannins can make a delicious wine into a genuinely exultant experience. This is my favourite young Figeac of all time. As I left the Château, I walked through the winery, explicitly designed to isolate individual parcels of fruit to increase the complexity and intricacy of the final blend. It is clear that this new facility has had a profound effect on 2022 Figeac, and I have a feeling that this is not the first time that I will go gaga for a new Figeac release. By all accounts, Petit Figeac is a wine worth tracking down, too, although I am sworn to secrecy as to why.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2023, Score: 18
A signature Figeac, the Cabernet coming through on the nose and palate. Floral, cassis and graphite notes. Plenty of energy, the fruit juicy and rich but not excessive. Ripe, abundant tannins behind. Long, persistent finish. Just a hint of oak in the background. (James Lawther MW) 14% Drink 2032 – 2050
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 96-98+
A beautiful wine that, shockingly, reminds me of the 2016, the 2022 Château Figeac checks in as 35% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 31% Cabernet Sauvignon that was harvested from the 1st of September to the 25th. Director Frédéric Faye commented that verasion took longer than usual, and they had to do a slight green harvest to get uniform ripeness. The results are stunning. The wine has a vivid purple hue as well as remarkable freshness and purity in its black and blue fruits, which are followed by notes of wild herbs, chocolate, graphite, spring flowers, and a touch of classic Cabernet Sauvignon graphite. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a silky, elegant mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. This classic, ultra-precise Figeac is going to warrant a solid decade of bottle age and be very long-lived given its purity and balance.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 98
Vibrant damson in colour, edges of gunsmoke and red rose petals on the aromatics, as you so often find in Figeac, with dense cassis, black cherry, incense, graphite, slate, mint leaf, cocoa bean, cappucino and liquorice on the palate. This is creamy but airy, and full of joy. Close to the 2016 vintage in its construction and effortless confidence, no question of the ageing ability of this wine, and a fine vintage to mark the first year as Premier Grand Cru Classé A. Breaking down how they got here, you find inevitably careful winemaking with no pumping over, cool 26C for fermentation, making use of techniques learnt in the hot, dry summer of 2018, from cover crops to minimum green harvesting. Blend finished including 8% press in March, 3.7ph, harvest began September 1, earliest on record, until 26, second vintage in new winery. Frederic Faye director.
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2022 Ch Ausone St Emilion
£1,700.00 In Bond £2,049.61 Inc VAT (£683.20 Per Bottle)-
Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 96-98
Once again showing how great terroir, and a family winemaking heritage stretching back 12 generations, can make one of the best wines in the world. Walnut, cedar, sweet spice, ripe bilberry, blackcurrant and cool plum all rise from the glass. There’s such depth here. On the palate it’s supple, soft and sweet, so gentle on the approach, yet with high concentration and a counterpoint of tart black cherry juice towards the mid palate. The bracing acidity dovetails beautifully with the fine-grained tannins.
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 96-98
Once again showing how great terroir, and a family winemaking heritage stretching back 12 generations, can make one of the best wines in the world. Walnut, cedar, sweet spice, ripe bilberry, blackcurrant and cool plum all rise from the glass. There’s such depth here. On the palate it’s supple, soft and sweet, so gentle on the approach, yet with high concentration and a counterpoint of tart black cherry juice towards the mid palate. The bracing acidity dovetails beautifully with the fine-grained tannins.
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 95-97.5
The 2022 Ausone was picked from 5 to 30 September and matured for 20 months in French oak. These aromatics take a little time to open in the glass. Once they do, they are precise with wilted iris flowers infusing the black fruit and background pencil box and incense hints. The palate is medium-bodied with silver bead acidity threaded through the blackberry and bilberry fruit. Fresh and focused, this Ausone possesses a structured finish with a pinch of black pepper on the finish. Elegant in style, this Ausone almost creeps up in you and seduces, intellectual and persistent in the mouth. Upon departing, I couldn't help wondering if I had witnessed this Saint-Émilion demonstrates its full potential, hence the plus sign against my score. 14.4% alcohol. Drink 2030-2065
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 95-97
The 2022 Ausone is dense, powerful and quite brooding in demeanor. Dark-toned fruit, spice, leather, licorice and dried herbs add to an impression of somber intensity. In so many vintages Ausone is immediately alluring, but the 2022 is a potent, backward wine that is going to require many years to be at its finest. The blend is equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Harvest took place between September 5 and 9 for the Merlot and September 21 and 27 for the Cabernet Franc. The 2022 is a decidedly hedonistic Ausone.
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 94-96+
A blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Ausone unwinds in the glass with aromas of plums, raspberries and cherries complemented by hints of crushed mint and spices, framed by a lavish patina of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, layered and rather muscular, it's deep and concentrated, its vibrant core of fruit framed by a serious chassis of rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. Given its imposing levels of structuring extract, it will require patience.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 97-98
This is really open with bright and flamboyant aromas of cassis and cherries. Blueberries. Some peaches as well. I don't remember a young Ausone like that. Full-bodied with flamboyant fruit and energy. Very fine tannins. They are there but you don't feel them. Supple but very fruity. And intensely fruity at the end.
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Decanter, April 2023, Score: 96
Quite intense nose, strongly perfumed and scented with purple flowers and a mix of red and black fruit. Fragrant with chocolate, tobacco, cedar, cinnamon, crushed stones and liquorice. Aromatically very inviting. Plush and sapid, tannins are ripe but the acidity gives it real tension so you get some intensity of texture and sharpness of fruit on the palate making it a bit serious and tense right now though with lovely detail and lots of precision in terms of tannins and fruit. Mouthwatering acidity is at the fore, really giving some zing and electricity to this while the crushed stones, liquorice and clove spice give the accents around the edges. Clear strength and concentration, such power underneath - you do feel the heat from the alcohol (15.4%!) but the acidity and soft mineral elements help keep the balance and frame though it’s not as demonstrably mineral as some years. Acidity does settle and this expands slowly - keeping the linearity and sense of focus but also giving hints to its power and ageability. Sculpted and well delivered, characterful and confident with long ageing potential. Long finish with graphite, pencil lead and toasted spices on the finish. 3.57pH 85% grand vin, 20,000 bottles. Harvest 5 and 9 September for Merlot, 21 and 27 September for Cabernet Franc. A yield of 38hl/ha. Potential upscore in bottle.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 19+
Bright, floral, plummy and perfumed, this is a stunningly pure Ausone with a buoyant front palate and a clean, long, grainy and subtle finish. It is perfectly proportioned, not as intense nor as concentrated as many, making up for this lack of grunt by showcasing precision and beauty. Plum and cherry-themed, this is a sensationally classy wine. The depth of aromatics, which is amazingly open and ready for inspection, is staggering. 2022 Ausone is all about the perfume right now, and I expect the palate to follow once its shackles are removed.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2023, Score: 18
Unusually aromatic at this early stage. Complex floral and red- and dark-fruit notes. Uncompromisingly dense with plentiful but fine tannins. Smooth texture. No hard edges but firm and persistent. Plenty of potential. (James Lawther MW). 15%. Drink 2032 – 2055
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 96-98
The Grand Vin from this hallowed terroir is an even split of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that was fermented in wooden vats and will spend 20 months in new barrels. Its saturated purple hue is followed by an up-front, sexy, full-bodied Ausone offering a wealth of fruit as well as notes of black cherries, blueberries, chocolate, scorched earth, and an incredible sense of spring flowers. Concentrated and incredibly pure, with silky tannins on the palate, it has the texture and fruit to almost shine even now but should still evolve for 30 years or more.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 98-100
Intense and concentrated, with fennel, aniseed and liqourice root. Where Chapelle d'Ausone celebrates a wave of opulence in the vintage, this focuses more clearly on black tea, slate, intense black chocolate. Precise and well cut, this is creamy and exuberant without sacrificing elegance and balance. Amazing depths of flavour and grip. A true En Primeur sample where you know you are a long long way from this being ready to drink. The first year, incidentally, of not Premier Grand Cru Classé A, although the ranking has not been featured on the label since 2012. No irrigation at Ausone. 100% new oak. Harvest September 5 to 27. 7.25ha. Conversion to organic farming since 2020, Philippe Baillarguet cellar master, Pauline Vauthier owner and winemaker. Potential 100.
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2022 Ch Palmer 3ème Cru Margaux
£1,788.00 In Bond £2,164.84 Inc VAT (£360.80 Per Bottle) £1,804.03 Duty Paid-
Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 97-99
There is no doubt that 2022 Palmer is destined for the roll call of the Chateau’s great vintages. This is a cracker; quite frankly there is nothing not to love about this stunning wine. A perfume of blueberry, damson is underpinned by fresh summer red berries. A wine of sublime depth, the sense of power is hidden by the wine’s juicy succulence, like liquid heaven. The tannins are fine and lacelike, flowing through from start to finish. The epitome of what we expect Margaux to be: graceful and exuberant, and yet with refined power.
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 97-99
There is no doubt that 2022 Palmer is destined for the roll call of the Chateau’s great vintages. This is a cracker; quite frankly there is nothing not to love about this stunning wine. A perfume of blueberry, damson is underpinned by fresh summer red berries. A wine of sublime depth, the sense of power is hidden by the wine’s juicy succulence, like liquid heaven. The tannins are fine and lacelike, flowing through from start to finish. The epitome of what we expect Margaux to be: graceful and exuberant, and yet with refined power.
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 96-98
The 2022 Palmer was cropped at just 22hL/ha due to the berries being 25-30% smaller than usual. It bursts forth on the nose with precocious black cherries, blueberry, violet and touches of marmalade and tobacco in the background. Complex and expressive. The palate is structured, with the tannic backbone, that winemaker Thomas Duroux talked about, lending this Palmer a sense of verticality. Hints of black pepper emerge with time, multi-layered, a powerful Margaux and yet the IPT is actually lower than elsewhere (76). Quite linear on the tobacco-infused finish, which is just quintessential Palmer. Do reserve a bin in your cellar for this and let it gather dust for at least a decade. 14.4% alcohol. Drink 2035-2080
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 96-98
The 2022 Palmer is a wine of sublime beauty and refinement. Silky, caressing and super-expressive, the 2022 is also one of the most surprising wines of the year in that it does not show the drought or heat of the growing season at all either in its flavor profile or feel. Succulent black cherry, plum, leather, licorice, spice and dried herbs lend notable complexity throughout. The 2022 starts off rather slow, and then really explodes on the back end. It is a magnificent wine in every way. Drink 2030-2052.
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 95-97
As is the case at neighbor Château Margaux, the 2022 Palmer is one of the most powerful wines this estate has ever produced. A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, it offers up aromas of blackberries, burning embers, violets, iris and sweet soil tones, followed by a full-bodied, broad and expansive palate, its velvety attack segueing into a rich and layered core. Supple, seamless and concentrated, it checks in at 14.4% alcohol and a rather high pH of 3.79.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 98-99
So much class in the nose with a sophisticated kaleidoscope of dark fruit such as blackcurrants, and spices such as salt and pepper, as well as cloves and nutmeg. Full-bodied. Compacted and dense yet weightless. It opens beautifully. The tannins go on and on with wonderful presence. Salty undertones.
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Decanter, April 2023, Score: 97
Sharp, energetic, racy and electric. The power and concentration is evident in the dark, rich, concentrated fruit with tannins that grip and take hold with a crushed stone texture, liquorice, graphite, tobacco and cool mint spice. The expression is exceptionally delineated with focus and push from start to finish. Quite bold and charged, but I love the succulence, the perfumed fruit, chalky sensation and overall sense of confidence. In high definition in terms of sharpness and tang to the fruit. A big wine but delivered with poise. 3.79pH. 13% press wine. Harvest took one month from 7 September to 5 October. 70% grand vin, 30% Alter Ego.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 19.5+
Darker, stormier, more action-packed and thunderous than any Palmer I have tasted En Primeur, this wine relentlessly rolls across the palate in search of taste buds to surprise. This is such a beautiful Palmer with its elite fruit flavours, precision build and refinement, yet there is a restlessness here that signifies more to come. There is tension, controlled anger and taut musculature under the surface, yet it presents an overriding sense of serenity. I asked winemaker Thomas Duroux how this wine has come to pack in so much flavour and gravitas while at the same time being so refreshing and chiselled. His answer said it all, ‘I don’t know where it has come from’. Thomas trusts in his vines and his slavish viticulture practices, but there were no human interventions here that can account for the sheer scale of complexity and completeness exhibited by this wine.
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 97-99
The 2022 Château Palmer is utterly brilliant, so much so that I questioned in my notes if this would challenge the 2018. A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, from tiny yields of 22 hectoliters per hectare, its mammoth-sized personality offers layers of blue and black fruits, notes of melted chocolate, crushed stone, and spring flowers, building, velvety tannins, and a great, great finish. While many estates commented that they extracted less in the vintage, Palmer went in a different direction and extracted more during the vinifications to provide a solid backbone to match the concentration and power of the vintage. It appears to have worked brilliantly, and hats off to Thomas Duroux for having the confidence to go his own path. He has produced a truly Grand Vin in 2022. The alcohol here is a normal 14.4%, and the pH is a healthy 3.79.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 96
Dark brooding fruits, this is intense and concentrated, ripe flavours with an exotic edge, cassis, roasted plum, damson and star fruit with a curl of woodsmoke and tobacco leaf, set against fresher edges of blueberry and iris. This is serious, structured, with everything turned up pretty high, giving the imprint of the vintage in its black pepper, rosemary, turmeric, mandarin peel and clove. 3.79ph, harvest September 7 right through to October 5. Blend done by December, yield 23hl/h. Ageing sees the first year in barrel, then second year in larger sized oak casks to minimise oak impact, something that will be particularly important in a year with these unusually high alcohols.
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LPB, April 2023, Score: 96-98+
Composed of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Palmer is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of shaking and swirling to lure out a soft-spoken perfume of roses, lavender, star anise, and cloves, leading to a profound core of Morello cherries, fresh, juicy blackberries, and blackcurrant cordial. The full-bodied palate is stacked with layer upon layer of black, blue, and red fruits, supported by a skyscraper structure of very firm, very ripe, grainy tannins and superb tension, finishing with epic length and depth. This is a monumental achievement. pH 3.79
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