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The Chanel groups most recent acquisition in Bordeaux , with its vineyards adjoing their other great St Emilion property Ch Canon is a classic. The soils are a little more diverse, clay, limestone and sand lending itself perfectly for both the merlot and cabernet franc grape varieties. A wine with extraordinary polish, characters of plums, sloes and damson. It reflects a fine composition between a plush richness and bright fresh purity. The finish shows some tannic, limestone tension and the lasting memory is one of sweet blueberry. Nothing is forced and this shows St Emilion at its best.
The Chanel groups most recent acquisition in Bordeaux , with its vineyards adjoing their other great St Emilion property Ch Canon is a classic. The soils are a little more diverse, clay, limestone and sand lending itself perfectly for both the merlot and cabernet franc grape varieties. A wine with extraordinary polish, characters of plums, sloes and damson. It reflects a fine composition between a plush richness and bright fresh purity. The finish shows some tannic, limestone tension and the lasting memory is one of sweet blueberry. Nothing is forced and this shows St Emilion at its best.
The 2020 Berliquet put in a phenomenal showing in this blind peer-group tasting that suggests I underestimated it out of barrel. It has a more savory bouquet than its peers, perhaps due to more Cabernet Franc, with touches of mint, black pepper and dried herbs infusing the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well balanced and harmonious, leading to a precise, complex and lingering finish. It seems to gain precision in the glass and tempts you back for more. Outstanding. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The 2020 Berliquet has an open, quite generous bouquet of high-toned, quite floral aromas (iris and violet petals) mixed with Dorset plum, bilberry and wild strawberry. The palate is medium-bodied with a medicinal, menthol-tinged opening, ripe and again, generous. The candied finish just needs to show a little more restraint. Fine, but it will have to manifest more elegance and composure by the time of bottling. Perhaps it was unfair to pour this against the 2020 Canon, also owned by the Wertheimer family, but it highlighted the difference between their respective terroirs. Drink 2025 - 2038
The 2020 Berliquet is the first wine that shows a real change in direction under its new ownership and the team headed by Nicolas Audebert. Bright and chiseled with energy this mid-weight Saint-Émilion is quite promising. Crushed red flowers, mint, sweet red berry fruit. There is still a bit of grittiness in the tannin, but this is a decidedly more finessed style than the wines of the recent past. Drink 2026 - 2040
The 2020 Berliquet is composed of 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc, weighing in at 14.5% alcohol. It is aging in French oak barrels, 50% new. Deep purple-black colored, it trots casually out of the glass with effortlessly flamboyant scents of stewed black cherries, warm plums and baked blackberries, plus hints of chocolate mint, violets and licorice with a touch of fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly wound with layers of ripe black fruits and earthy accents, framed by finely grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Drink 2026-2046
With a slightly quieter palate than some, Berliquet is fairly shy right now and the oak seems to be dominating the perfume. On the palate, the fruit is composed, elegant, long and refined and it is here that one senses that this is a wine with beguiling potential. Cherry-soaked, pure and persistent, 2020 Berliquet is a rather elegant beast and it shows floral notes and lovely control on its long finish. Do not expect this wine to drink as young as many in this vintage, but when it opens at around the eight-year mark, I expect it will have brought the florals from the back of the flavour to the very front of the perfume, thus signalling it is ready to welcome you to the table. This is a surprise find in 2020 and I urge you to seek it out.
Clean and effortless in style. Delicate summer-fruit notes with a hint of mint. Juicy and fresh with chalky tannins and dry finish. Eminently digeste. (JL) Drink 2026 – 2035
Notes of iron, toasty oak, violets, and ample red and blue fruits emerge from the 2020 Château Berliquet, a medium to full-bodied, gorgeously balanced and textured Saint-Emilion based on 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc. It has a solid kick of background oak, but the fruit is incredibly pure and it has a great mid-palate and outstanding length. Still aging in 50% new French oak, it should benefit from short-term cellaring and cruise for 15 years or more in cold cellars.
Quite floral in nature, with tinges of orange rind, cherry blossoms, licorice, red plum liqueur and minerality on the nose. The wine is elegant, fresh, polished, sweet and long. Silky and precise, with no hard edges, there is length and salty tannins with energetic, pure red fruits squeezed over crushed rocks and stones. This is the best vintage of Berliquet I have ever tasted. The wine blends 69 % Merlot with 31 % Cabernet Franc 14.5% ABV. 94-96
The 2020 Berliquet is another step in a direction favoring finesse over the burly power that often marked the wines of the past. Delicate and nuanced, with pretty floral top notes, this mid-weight Saint-Émilion is a charmer. Drink it over the next decade or so. 2025-2038
South of Pomerol lies the medieval, perched village of St Emilion. Surrounding St Emilion are vines that produce round, rich and often hedonistic wines. Despite a myriad of soil types, two main ones dominate - the gravelly, limestone slopes that delve down to the valley from the plateau and the valley itself which is comprised of limestone, gravel, clay and sand. Despite St Emilion's popularity today, it was not until the 1980s to early 1990s that attention was brought to this region. Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, began reviewing their Merlot-dominated wines and giving them hefty scores. The rest is history as they say. Similar to the Médoc, there is a classification system in place which dates from 1955 and outlines several levels of quality. These include its regional appellation of St Emilion, St Emilion Grand Cru, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, which is further divided into "A" (Ausone and Cheval Blanc) and "B" (including Angélus, Canon, Figeac and a handful of others). To ensure better accuracy, the classification is redone every 10 years enabling certain châteaux to be upgraded or downgraded depending on on the quality of their more recent vintages.
