Château Lapelletrie Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2017.
90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc.
I saw this vintage when it was hanging from the vine in the summer of 2017 and the black clusters looked perfectly unassuming but, two years later when I first tasted the wine that resulted from those sweet berries, it was a rambunctious mouthful, tannic and uncouth! But five years on from that and tasting the same vintage again with winemaker Anne Biscaye in France in February and it was a real treat to see how time had worked its magic. There’s a brick red edge to the dark garnet heart now and the nose is wonderfully complex with red fruit, roses, tobacco, oak, stewed plums, smoke and earth, but the palate in particular has mellowed delectably, soft and enveloping now and chock-full of flavours like leather, truffle, cigars, cinnamon and clove spice, and more. The palate is still substantial but those tannins are now svelte, giving body and substance to the wine, making it gentle, round, and firmly fleshy. It still has another decade in the tank but this is now drinking very well and definitely in its prime.
Drink now to 2035+
14% ABV
