Bordeaux 2022

The 2022 Lune d’Argent from the Bernard family of Domaine de Chevalier perfectly balances the natural opulence of the vintage with a zingy spine of acidity, fresh citrus, pineapple and subtle floral notes. Sourced from vineyards that neighbour those of Châteaux d’Yquem and Guiraud, this is always a lot of wine for your money. Yet again, the Lune d’Argent is an absolute bargain.

Tasted April 2023. 87% Semillon, 13% Sauvignon Blanc. The highest proportion of Semillon ever used in the blend. Full of fragrant, white peach aromas, lilac and white flowers on the. There's lots of concentration on the palate from the Semillon, with lemon peel giving a welcome bite on the palate, alongside more aromatic flavours. Well-balanced and fresh.

Tasted April 2023. 86% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Sauvignon Gris. This is the tenth vintage of the white wine from Puygueraud, where their cool soils worked wonders in this warmer vintage, keeping a tension and freshness to the wine. They use clones from the Loire, and this vintage there's a sunny, peachy feel to the fruit, with intense mineral notes.

Tasted April 2023. 94% Sauvignon Blanc, 6% Semillon. There's a seam of limestone at La Garde which always gives their white wine a chalky bite, especially refreshing in this warmer year where there's a lot of ripe lemon, passionfruit, and peach fruit. It's fresh and mineral on the palate with some delicate floral notes and vibrant acidity.

Tasted April 2023. Attractive, fragrant nose with ginger, saffron, and honey on the nose. Lemon peel and juicy peach on the palate, with more ginger and honey adding to the viscous texture.

Tasted April 2023. Fresh, floral and elegant with bright lemon, clementine, peel, floral notes and richer peach fruit. This has some richness at its core but remains lifted and refreshing. Waxy and pithy in texture. There's salinity and stony notes on the finish. A very impressive white from the 2022 vintage.

Tasted April 2023. Lovely citrus peel, fresh pineapple and clementine flavours, this is very impressive. Only moderate botrytis influence on the nose, but plenty of richness in the style of the ripe fruit flavours. There are plenty of mineral notes, bringing some freshness to the wine and making it very clean and appetising on the finish.

Tasted April 2023. Sweet citrus and some apricot fruit. Sweet on the palate but not overly so, retains some fresh fruit character. Nice seam of acidity throughout unlike other Sauternes this vintage. Not a lot of botrytis character but some savoury hints and marmalade.

Tasted April 2023. Some warm, ripe lemon along with orange peel and a pithy note. Hints of botrytis but the opulence is more driven by fruit ripeness than noble rot this year. There's a beautiful long, fresh finish and lots of floral complexity.

Tasted April 2023. Some warm, ripe lemon along with orange peel and a pithy note. Hints of botrytis but the opulence is more driven by fruit ripeness than noble rot this year. There's a beautiful long, fresh finish and lots of floral complexity.

Tasted April 2023. Very ripe, with a viscous texture and opulent, exotic fruit flavours with pithy notes as the palate continues.

Tasted April 2023. 100% Semillon. Incredibly golden colour considering its youth. This has incredible concentration and purity, with masses of depth and richness. There are some mineral flavours and more bitter orange peel cutting through that, creating a balanced and beautifully long finish.

Tasted April 2023. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Complex and energetic with lots of layered aromatic blue fruit and raspberry. Red cherry, black cherry and plum make a juicy, concentrated mid-palate and there are cooler, saline notes towards the finish.

Tasted April 2023. 78% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc. Friends Christophe and Arnaud have two vineyard plots, totalling just over 1.5ha, and from this they make this intense and elegant St-Emilion. In 2022 there's plenty of rich dark plum and cherry fruit, some fruit cake, some creamy notes, and plenty of stony, mineral notes too.

Tasted April 2023. 66% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc. 14.8% abv. Chateau de Ferrand has been going through a renaissance, increasing their proportion of Cabernet Franc and showcasing this expressive clay-limestone terroir. They have the second highest spot in St-Emilion, behind Troplong Mondot. This is a St-Emilion estate on the rise, and their 2022 shows lots of frangrant, pure red and black berry fruit, with subtle coffee, tobacco and pepper complexity. The tannins are fine and there's plenty of stony freshness. This is layered, expressive, powerful but refreshing.

Tasted April 2023. 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot. A spectacular 2022 with a record 70% whole bunch used this year. Gentle extraction, lower fermentation temperatures and careful use of new oak (replaced with large old casks) has left this year’s Carmes Haut Brion silky, pure and very fresh. There’s a taut, chalky feel on the palate, with fresh pepper and mint adding complexity.

Tasted April 2023. Fragrant on the nose with blackcurrant, bramble and violet. Rich on the palate with structured, ripe tannins and smoky, earthy hints.