Château Meyney 2018

Interesting aromatics of spices and ripe berries; full-bodied entry, unhurried development, delightfully mouth-filling, first-class tannins, powerful, long finish; a generous, characterful wine that should mature well.

Pliant, with a touch of softness (for St.-Estèphe) along the edges, as a mix of dark tobacco, bay and warm earth hints blend with dark plum and black currant fruit. An echo of cedar lingers on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030. 16,665 cases made.

It’s clear that this is hugely concentrated, as is the Montrose right next door, but there’s also beautiful juice and freshness beneath 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.

Blueberry, blackcurrant, clove, dark chocolate, praline and gravel on the nose. It’s full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Focused, chewy and layered. Fantastic effort here. Try from 2025.

Barrel sample. Black core with a 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. (JH)

The 2018 Meyney has opened up slightly on the nose since I tasted it from barrel, gradually revealing attractive scents of brambly black fruit, raspberry, Indian ink and hints of sage and clove. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, well-judged acidity and plenty of graphite toward the finish, which just needs to develop more precision. This feels a bit blocky at the moment, but I am sure it will eventually come round.

Smoke, espresso, spice box, black cherry, tobacco and blackberries create the perfume. Round, rich, lush, supple-textured red fruits taste and feel great on the palate and in the finish. This is so good now and it is only going to get better from here as it should offer up to 2 decades of pleasure. Fans of Meyney should be all over this. The wine was made from blending 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 18% Petit Verdot.

Opaque purple with a black core and a violet rim. Densely woven black-berry bouquet, with cassis spice, cardamom and mulberries rising behind. On the palate, fleshy, with powdery extract, a tight-knit frame and demanding tannins; the typical St.-Estèphe claws have been trimmed. Never-ending finish with dried wild cherries, rosemary and licorice. Belongs on every en primeur shopping list again this year.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 18% Petit Verdot) Concentrated, velvety, fruity, dark bouquet, cassis cream, black berries, fine plums, black currant, mahogany, black truffle. Finely concentrated, multi-layered, powerful palate with dense, dark, creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, an elegant, finely muscular structure, a diverse dark aromatic profile, and a long, aromatic, creamy finish. Still has room to improve.

Dense, deep, dark, powerful bouquet: black berries, currants, fine woods, dark tobacco, truffle, cold smoke. Powerful, dense, dark palate with concentrated dark fruit, a lot of very fine tannins, a dense, finely muscular structure, complex dark aromatics, very long, aromatic finish with plenty of lingering flavors. Can improve further. 18/20 2026 - 2050

This could easily be kept for another five years before opening, but honestly you’re going to get a ton of pleasure if you don’t wait and instead make sure you’ve given it a good three or four hours in a decanter. It’s a consistently high-quality estate, with 51ha of vines right next to Château Montrose but unclassified, and often one of the best-value St Estèphes—particularly in 2018, when Estuary breezes were so helpful during the heat of September. Focused on fleshy, almost primary blackberry and raspberry fruit, powerful yet restrained, with plenty of spice through the finish. Reactive winemaking choices too, as they ensured a one‑week longer maceration of the grapes with their skins than usual to make sure the ripe fruit wasn’t overplayed. Yield 49 hl/ha. Harvest from 24 September to 11 October.

The 2018 Meyney is deep garnet-purple in color. It storms out of the glass with notes of baked plums, crème de cassis, and blueberry, plus suggestions of unsmoked cigars, wood smoke, and cracked pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate has a sturdy frame of chewy tannins and seamless fruit, with a savory finish.

True to its cru, the 2018 shows fine precision, with noble tannins and ample volume on the palate. A wine built for long ageing.

We all know it well, 2018 is a sunny vintage… so the bouquet should be sunny too… well, no! This may be the particularity of Meyney: when it’s cold it doesn’t freeze, and when it’s hot it doesn’t scorch! The bouquet is fruity, inviting and, I readily admit, slightly confit… The terroir makes its presence known through hints of graphite, thereby ensuring freshness. On the palate, the wine has body, breadth and plenty of elegance. The tannins are suave and silky, while the structure provides vigor and aromatic persistence. There’s even some tension. What a great success.

Logo on the cork: LA

This estate, whose magnificent vineyards slope down to the Gironde estuary, is situated between two classed growth properties. This wine, rich and structured, powered by solid tannins as well as serious black fruits and youthful juicy acidity, is going to take its time to mature. Wait to drink until 2027.