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The riverside road on the east of St Estèphe is a wonderful route to see the unique terroir and great classified growth vineyards of this fine appellation. Pass the grandeur of Ch Montrose and immediately next door is the charmingly humble property of Ch Meyney – you will be instantly struck by how special its terroir must also be. One of our “value buys” of the vintage. Shining purple colour, with open aromas of dark hedgerow fruits, this is plush, polished and luscious. The tannins are very ripe and rounded, and it has a lovely warming sensation on the finish.
The riverside road on the east of St Estèphe is a wonderful route to see the unique terroir and great classified growth vineyards of this fine appellation. Pass the grandeur of Ch Montrose and immediately next door is the charmingly humble property of Ch Meyney – you will be instantly struck by how special its terroir must also be. One of our “value buys” of the vintage. Shining purple colour, with open aromas of dark hedgerow fruits, this is plush, polished and luscious. The tannins are very ripe and rounded, and it has a lovely warming sensation on the finish.
The 2018 Meyney is very closed and backward on the nose, possibly due to the oak becoming more prominent at this stage during its élevage. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, fresh in the mouth with a linear, tobacco and graphite tinged finish. All the component parts are here, but its very tight and I am sure it will need several years in bottle. Could this be the best value in the appellation this year? I'll leave it to tussle out with Lafon-Rochet.
The 2018 Meyney is powerful, dense and super-expressive. Gravel, game, scorched earth, smoke, licorice, incense and spice infuse this potent, virile Saint-Estèphe. The fruit profile and oak integration point to a transition towards a less extracted style. Even so, there is plenty of the richness readers have come to expect from Meyney. Tasted two times.
The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Meyney gives up blackcurrants, black berries and plums on the nose with earth and spices plus fried herbs and lots of oak. The big, full-bodied palate has some promising fruit but is a bit hard and oaky.
A very dense yet tight and focused red with blackcurrants, blackberries and hints of spices and walnuts. Full-bodied, very compact and long. Intense finish.
It's clear that this is hugely concentrated, as is the Montrose right next door, but there's also beautiful juice and freshness underneath the black fruits and the powerful grip. Tannins, acidity and fruit: it's all there. This is great quality and should be long-lived, with a rich palate, evenly balanced and austere in all the right places. Another good vintage at this increasingly impressive property. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040
Pure and direct, featuring damson plum and cherry fruit flavors streaming through, laced with tobacco and chalk notes. Good streamlined finish.
Black core with deep purple rim. Very oaky on the nose, sweetly toasty as a counterpoint to stony, dark fruit. The oak really dominates the palate, the tannins thereby thickened, like thick chocolate. Chewy finish but it does have enough freshness. Drink 2025-2035
St Estèphe is the most northern of Médoc communal crus. Its unique terroir is made up of layers of gravel which are supported by a dense clay base. This subsoil retains water in dry seasons and works particularly well with Merlot, a largely planted variety which is used to flesh out Cabernet Sauvignon. This clay base also creates powerful, textured tannins which enable St Estèphe to stand out from the pack. Like St Julien, it is one of the four most important communal appellations of the Médoc which does not contain any first growths, despite its southern border being a stone'sthrow from Château Lafite. Nonetheless, it is home to some excellent châteaux making fine wines such as Cos d'Estournel, Montrose, Calon Ségur and Lafon Rochet.
