Château Ampélia 2019

Aromas of ripe plums with some orange peel and crushed stone follow through to a medium to full body with very well-integrated tannins and a long, persistent finish. Shows class for the appellation. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc. From organically grown grapes. Drink after 2025.

A François Despagne wine from Castillon, this is a study in limestone influence, with the vineyard set at 100m up on the limestone plateau of St Philippe d'Aiguilhe. You see it in the violet-ringed ruby colour suggesting a healthily low pH, and feel it in the saline finish that pushes the plum and black cherry fruits into order. Lovely, precise, a little austere right now.

Pretty cassis, black raspberries, graphite, and chalky mineral notes emerge from the 2019 Château Ampelia, a nicely balanced, medium-bodied Castillon offering some background oak, ripe tannins, and a great finish.

The 2019 Ampelia has a deep garnet-purple color, slowly unfurling in the glass to reveal notions of baked plums, Black Forest cake and Sichuan pepper with hints of black truffles, tapenade, Marmite toast and bouquet garni. The medium-bodied palate delivers energetic black fruits, backed up by oodles of freshness and well-managed, approachable tannins, finishing savory.