Tons of personality and concentration, delivering on 2016 expectations. Cassis, chocolate, slate, clear oak toasting well handled. One that shows the value at this level of cru bourgeois. The Petit Verdot makes a definite contribution to spice and colour.

The 2016 Charmail is blended of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot aged for 12 months in roughly one-third each new, one-year-old and two-year-old French oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple in color, it delivers intense scents of crème de cassis, cedar chest and pencil lead with touches of yeast extract and menthol. Medium to full-bodied with a firm frame of chewy tannins and plenty of mint-laced fruit, it finishes just a little woody at this youthful stage but should dial that in beautifully with another year or two in bottle.