2022, Château Cantemerle, HAUT MEDOC 5ème Grand Cru Classé

Bordeaux Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc.

The finest wine this estate has produced in some time is the 2022 Cantemerle, a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc that bursts from the glass with aromas of sweet blackberries, violets, rose petals and spices. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with an enveloping core of sweet, perfumed fruit framed by supple tannin, it concludes with a long, mouthwatering finish. The pH is a very healthy 3.6 this year, and yields were low at 29 hectoliters per hectare. 92-94 William Kelley, Wine Advocate. 

Currants, blackberries and hints of bark and forest floor. Medium-bodied with creamy tannins and a flavourful finish. Pretty balance to this. 93-94 James Suckling.

Intense in both colour and structure, a wine that knows how to make an impact, and it is carrying itself with confidence. Impressive, full of nuanced cassis and bilberry fruit, with liqourice and smoked earth, hints of richly spiced vanilla patisserie cream showing the ripeness of the vintage. This is good, a little abrupt on the finish with a bitter almond kick. Tight tannins at this point. 40% new oak for ageing. 93 Jane Anson, Decanter.