Clos du Marquis 2016

The 2016 Clos du Marquis was picked from 30 September to 19 October and consists of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, matured in 55% new oak. Yields came in at 40 hectoliters per hectare and the alcohol at 13.55%. The bouquet is very intense at the moment with small black cherries, incense, iris and a touch of shucked oyster shells. The palate is beautiful, perhaps one of the most powerful that I came across in Saint Julien, certainly no shy retiring flower, yet it effortlessly manages to retain the precision and tension one expects from this cru. There is a firm back bone here, but the tannins are so precise that you barely notice, while the aftertaste has superb salinity. This is a majestic Clos du Marquis, but it will require several years in the cellar.

The brambly forest berries are so enticing and really pitched into perfect ripeness, together with boysenberries and mulberries and a layer of red-flower notes. The palate has a very succulent array of fresh, gently tart and tangy red plums and berries with athletically refined tannins that carry unwavering into the finish. A blend of 61 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 39 per cent merlot. Second wine of Clos du Marquis. Try from 2023.