Château d'Agassac 2022

Steeped red and black currant fruit rolls along steadily, with tobacco leaf and warm humus notes emerging through the finish. Drink now through 2029. 2,500 cases made.

Cool and fresh, a lovely calm gentle expression still with concentration and density but delivered really well with creamy blue fruits and vanilla touches and tannins that have a salty, flint grip to them. Nicely round and dense with plenty of succulent juicy appeal. HVE certified. 3.6pH. Harvest: Merlot 13 - 27 September, Cabernet Franc 19 September, Cabernet Sauvignon 23 September - 4 October. Derenoncourt consultants.

A solid, well-balanced Haut-Medoc showing dark berries, wet stones, graphite and baking spices. Medium-bodied and driven, this has a pulpy berry character at the center, sinewy tannins and a structured frame on the edges. Focused with a compact, flavorful and persistent finish. Try from 2028.

Exceptional Cru Bourgeois. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, on two gravelly ridges and an area of sandy gravel. Yield 35 hl/ha. Aged 60% in new barrels, 40% in stainless-steel vats. Quite aromatic. Rather like Reysson, there is nothing to object to but nothing to lift the spirits either. Just a tad stodgy. And with no shortage of tannin! (JR)

The 2022 d'Agassac is soft, open-knit and quite pretty. Cedar, tobacco, grilled herbs and leather lend notable aromatic complexity. This mid-weight Haut-Médoc is expressive and also very much ready to go.

Currants, orange spice, flowers, and cigar wrapper scents kick the wine off. The medium-bodied, blackberry palate has a softness to the tannins, and ample fruit in the round finish. Drink from 2025-2038.

Deep ruby, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Ripe plums, dark cherries, a touch of orange zest, a fine hint of nougat in the background. Juicy, ripe plums, subtle fruitiness, pleasant acidity, delicately salty and lemony, mineral finish, already accessible.

Inky, bright and youthful. Fine purity with notes of ripe dark fruit, cassis, dark cherry, fine tobacco and well-judged oak. A palate combining freshness and density with crunchy young fruit flavours, fine extract, ripe tannin and a pure, long finish.

Gentle white pepper spice, fennel, cocoa bean and smoked caramel; this shows structure and grip that translate to high austerity in the tannins right now. Give it time, as pretty violet and peony notes emerge as it opens up, but it struggles to expand through the mid-palate. Just beginning the works of building a hotel on the estate. 60% new oak for ageing, gravel soils with a section of sandy gravel, owner Gerard Jicquel. Yield of 35 hl/ha. 50% new oak, 40% stainless steel vats, 10% amphora for ageing.

So much detail and diversity in the bouquet of Agassac 2022, which creates a convincing symbiosis of blackcurrant, blackberry and sweet spices. Supported by velvety, suave tannins, the wine forges a link between charm, vigor and temperament. Highly consistent, it aims to shine as a whole without favoring any single element, which only underscores—and amplifies—its harmony and sapidity. A fine achievement!

The wine shows a certain discretion on the nose, leaning toward crisp red fruits. On the palate, the supple texture brings out tannins that are still a touch rough and slightly pronounced bitters. Overall, it offers lovely drinkability and immediate approachability.