HAUT MARBUZET 2022

The 2022 Haut-Marbuzet has a tightly wound, slightly reticent bouquet that unfolds with blackberry and melted tar. The palate is medium-bodied with liquorice-tinged black fruit, solid and a little chewy on the finish. A bit out of sorts, I will not score based on this example. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Dark berries, spicy herbs and sea shell undertones. Graphite, too. Ripe but fresh and crunchy with medium to full body and firm, very fine, linear tannins. Long and mineral and delicate on the finish. Really attractive.

As usual, this estate crafted another sensual, delicate wine in a region where power and austerity are often the norm. The 2022 Haut-Marbuzet reveals an elegant, seductive bouquet of licorice, dark berries, cherries and flowers mingled with barely noticeable oak. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered, it's enveloping with a fleshy core of fruit, velvety tannins and a long, mineral, almost saline finish. It's a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.