Château de Ferrand 2023

Highly floral with clear fruit, blackberry, cassis, chalky minerality; light-footed on the palate, creamy texture, delicate, crunchy fruit, silky tannins, feels chiselled from stone, lots of tension, red-fruited finish, spicy finale. A multifaceted Saint-Émilion with freshness, breed, and finesse.

Aromas of ripe blackberry, damson and wet stone precede an almost velvety attack and a vinous mid-palate, marked by ripe red fruit, expressed with tannic finesse: “We extracted less this year compared to prior vintages, less pumping over,” remarked director Gonzague de Lambert. Long, supple finish marked by limestone freshness. One of the best Ferrands I recall tasting from barrel, rivaling the excellent 2020. Tasted twice with similar results. Ageing in 36% new oak, with a low pH of 3.51.

65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Aromatically reserved. Builds on the palate, though, with rounded but firm tannins. Chalky freshness on the finish. Slightly taciturn but should open. (JL)

Chocolate, flowers, mint, truffle and red pit fruits form the complex aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is even better with its gorgeous display of silky, elegant fruit, soft, refined textures, and a beautiful purity to the chocolate-tinted berries on the mid-palate that carries through to the finish. The wine blends 65% Merlot, with 35% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2040.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Ripe plum fruit, dark wild berries, a hint of blackberry confit, nuances of orange zest. Juicy, elegant and balanced, ripe tannins, good freshness, subtle fruit on the finish, a harmonious food wine with certain ageing potential.

One of the Saint‑Émilion classifieds that is always worth checking in with, benefitting from increasingly impressive winemaking and consistency. Delivers the spiced intensity of the fruits of the vintage combined with floral aromatics, pumice stone, bitter chocolate, mint leaf and slate. Axel Marchal consultant.

Shows a gloss of singed mesquite over a core of mulled red currant and black cherry fruit, while red tea, iris and chestnut notes fill in steadily through the supple and lengthy finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2027 through 2037. 8,000 cases made, 800 cases imported.