CHÂTEAU MEYNEY

It had been some time since we last visited Château Meyney, and it was a great to be back to taste the 2022 vintage here. It was a salient reminder of quite how well placed Meyney is - particularly in a warm vintage. They must lay claim to being one of the coolest spots in the Medoc, with vines running down to the cooling waters of the Gironde and they're also situated on some of the highest ground around - at a dizzying 13m! Below the gravel lies blue clay in good plots and this also helped retain moisture and add a freshness to the wine. With a generous slug of Petit Verdot too - the alcohol remains low at a very respectable 13.5%, rare in this vintage. Although dark and with a gentle brooding line of savour this remains pure, long and juicily brisk on the palate. Lots of dark forest berries dominate the core and then some hedgerow scents too and citrus kick perk things up and push to a lifted, fresh finish. Good effort. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot.L&S (Apr 2023)

58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot. 37 hl/ha. Cask sample. Deep, bright, crimson hue. Lively and lifted with a touch of well-integrated vanilla oak. Dark fruit and pencil lead as it opens. Ripe and juicy but keen and long as well. Plenty of polished tannin behind. Good acidity and refreshment. Dry but not drying finish. Poised and really rather fine. Clear potential. (JL) 13.5% Drinking range: 2030 - 2047 Rating: 17+ James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)

A rather dense and slightly moody nose here, the dark fruit expressive but captured within a frame of dark, toasted oak. It has a sense of definition though, and the palate also presents this, while it also admits the darker fruit elements alongside the dark, spicy toast of the oak. The texture, however, is delicious, savoury and seamless, sinewy rather than fat, the fruit, structure and oak perfectly wrapped up, and it is only in the very finish that the wealth of tannins reveal themselves. This is an absolutely top-notch composition – it will be great to revisit this in bottle. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)