CHÂTEAU LE THIL

2017 Pessac-Léognan

EN PRIMEUR

The 2017 Le Thil is the first vintage to include Cabernet Franc from a sélection massale (like the 2017 Pensées de Lafleur funnily enough!) It has a clean, fresh, slightly minty bouquet that is nicely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, clean and quite mineral-driven black fruit with a touch of chalkiness towards the finish. This has good tension and depth, a fine and surprisingly detailed Le Thil that I can envisage being drinkable after a year in bottle. Drinking range: 2020 - 2032 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

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Composed of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 le Thil has an earthy nose of truffles, tilled soil and tar with a core of black currants, mulberries and wood smoke plus a waft of charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied with good mid-palate density and plenty of juicy fruit layers, framed by plush tannins and lovely freshness, finishing earthy. Rating: 88-90 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)

From south-facing parcels of limestone and clay, the 2017 Château Le Thil is a rough blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that’s still aging in 20-25% new French oak. It’s a medium to full-bodied, rounded, sweetly fruited beauty that offers light tannin, a wealth of fruit, and a good finish. It’s not going to make old bones, but it’s certainly a pleasure-bent Pessac-Léognan that has lots to love. Rating: 88-90 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)

A very pretty and juicy young wine that’s medium-bodied, salty and pleasantly fruity. Round. Very attractive for the vintage. Rating: 90-91 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Offers a good juicy feel, with bright plum and red currant fruit laced with light mesquite and tar notes. Rating: 89-92 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

This estate is in the same ownership as Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, the Cathiards having purchased the vineyard in 2012. The vineyard has undergone some development, some Cabernet Sauvignon grafted over to Cabernet Franc, and this was the first vintage in which these vines have borne fruit. The blend here is just 5% Cabernet Franc, with 95% Merlot. The aim is to have the blend up to 20% Cabernet Franc, maybe in the next three or four years. It has fresh dark cherry and plum on the nose, with a sooty, olive-stone concentration. I see attractive fruit on the palate, broad, with black plum, cocoa bean, coffee grounds and black olive, black bean too, all underpinned by a spicy, peppery and tannic backbone, dry and energetic. Overall, this is fresh, bold and characterful. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)

A very pretty little Château set in parkland, with 11 hectares of vines attached, on the top and south-facing slope of a clay-limestone hillock. The clay soil has prompted the planting of a high proportion of Merlot, and Florence Cathiard calls this 'the Pomerol of Pessac-Leognan'. The Cathiards of Smith Haut Lafitte bought the property in 2012, reuniting it with Smith, as it has previously been under the same ownership in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the two Châteaux were linked by a long drive. Viticulture is done in the same way as at Smith, using the Cathiards system of 'bio-precision'. This is a wine at a modest price which benefits from all the expertise of its great neighbour, and is excellent value.