CHÂTEAU BERLIQUET, SAINT-ÉMILION GRAND CRU CLASSÉ 750ML 2019

The 2019 Berliquet is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, sweet spices, violets and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and elegant, with terrific depth at the core, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, it concludes with a long, mineral finish. It's produced from a 9.5-hectare vineyard that encompasses three soil types: Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau (like its sibling, Château Canon); the slope, characterized by deep clay; and then sandy, colluvial soils at the foot of the slope. Right now it's planted with 70% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc, but the percentage of the latter is increasing as replanting progresses.

Vibrant damson in colour. I love the deep creaminess that is evident from the first nose, with hints of cocoa and gunsmoke. There is more clay here than at Canon; about 50% of the vineyard has a clay layer over the limestone whereas at Canon it is closer to 10%, meaning Berliquet is less ethereal, more urgent and powerful, still with precision and feathery chalky tannins. They have restored the underground limestone cellars for barrel ageing. A yield of 45hl/ha. 45% new oak, for what is the 2nd full year of the Canon team working the vineyard. Thomas Duclos consultant.