When I first made the decision to bump my visits to France to twice a year, I expected to have less wine to taste per trip. These trips to France are always with my friend David Raccah of Kosher Wine Musings, and he has been doing this twice a year since the start. When I started joining six or seven years ago, I would only come once a year, and often times, in order to accommodate me, we would ask that certain wines be tasted, even though David had already tasted on the last trip. By no means did we retaste all, but here and there – and so I expected the average number of wines that I would taste would drop per trip as they were now spread out over two trips. I was very wrong. Not because of my logic, which was sound, but because Menachem Israelievitch and Royal wines produced an obscene amount of kosher wine for the 2022 vintage. This tasting consisted of an incredible 58 wines and required two full days to complete. Thankfully, 2022 has turned out to be a wonderful vintage for the big Bordeaux wines. I will save my vintage roundup for the end of this series of four posts on this trip, but bottom line – the 2022 big wines are great.
But if I can say a few words specifically about Royal, the sheer number of wines that they produced and the organization and logistics that goes into that is just incredible. Menachem has upped Royal’s game year after year – with no drop in quality at all. There are no “dropped balls.” This is not true of most other kosher producers, most of whom manage a fraction of the production that Mr. Israelievitch does. The win percentage here is incredible. I think there are 40 wines with a score of 91 (or above and of those there are 15 with a 93 or above! I mean WOW. It’s just a stunning showing and just shows that, while Royal has expanded its lineup, it has done so judiciously and with care and we are now reaping the benefits!
This post is late enough (I got back about a month ago but have been buried with work) – so I will skip all of the story telling and maybe just save that for the last post. This one really deserves to be about the wines because they are for the most part phenomenal. Just a couple of words of caution. All of these wines are EXTREMELY young. In fact, as opposed to, let’s say, 2020 where the wines were somewhat enjoyable on release, these wines are far from that. What I am scoring here is based on what I am able to discern from the wine today. Just because a wine gets a 93 does NOT mean it is ready to drink today. Many of these wines will need 10 or even 20 years before they are really hitting their stride – and some even longer. These are the classic French wines of a great vintage that you want to lay down and forget about for a long, long time. I say this because often with the best wines, when they are tasted too soon, they are deeply disappointing. I don’t put drinking windows in my published notes (I am not a Navi and don’t want to be responsible for someone missing the window, as really, this is all just guesswork and an estimation based on experience and in this case a single snapshot of the wine that was tasted at this point in time), but I do keep them for myself – and so if anyone has a question, I am happy to answer it privately – but assume that NONE of the big wines are remotely ready for drinking unless I write otherwise. Also, as I have noted before, some of these tastings are “snapshot” tastings in a very real sense. We are tasting the wine once – and if we are lucky, we can watch it evolve over a couple of hours. But that’s it. Will they change in a year or two? Well, if I had a few days with a wine, I could get a better sense of its evolution – though it would still be imperfect. And of course I am not retasting year after year and posting new notes – unless I just happen to run into an opportunity. In fact, Menachem had us blind taste three wines of the 2021 vintage. I can say that one wine did improve by two points, one wine stayed exactly the same, and one wine dropped a point and a half (and it was a wine I liked!) Now sure – the wine that improved perhaps deserves a better score and the wine that dropped maybe should drop, but it’s not like we got to sit with those wines either – it was just another snapshot tasting – and it just goes to prove my point. No one can 100% predict how a wine will evolve and age. You can only give your best guess – especially with a snapshot tasting such as this. For the most part, I am usually in the ballpark and do not regret my notes. Every once in the while I am surprised that a wine either didn’t live up to or surpassed expectations. Such is life. Lastly while I often make generalizations regarding a given vintage – that doesn’t mean that it a 100% absolute truth for all wines. Having said that – there is vintage typicity. If 2021 had candied Jalapeno notes in MANY (if not most) wines – 2022 has descriptors and characteristics that come up over and over again (ripe, dark, black, sometimes floral, dense, etc.) – and that is something that you cannot escape in Bordeaux.
But I digress – I’ll get back to all of this when I give my vintage wrap up as part of the last post in this series.
Now, on to the notes.
2023 Château les Riganes, Malbec, Bordeaux – 13% abv – Mevushal – Primarily on the nose you get dark and meaty flavors – that are brightened up with tart red fruit and some floral notes. In the mouth, the wine is extremely tannic, maybe a bit too much, with good acidity, a very fruity front palate with plum and raspberry, followed with some meaty notes. The finish is nice enough but feels a bit thinner at the end. Nice for what it is. 87
2023 Château les Riganes, Merlot, Bordeaux – 13% abv – Mevushal – Purple-blue and red berry on the nose followed by a bit of smoke. In the mouth, you get a very drinkable simple wine with raspberry, some good earth, and a bit of smoke. The acid and tannin are both nice, , though maybe a bit unidimensional. 87.5
2023 Château les Riganes, Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux – 13% abv – Mevushal – The nose here is REALLY nice. Perfumed, complex, earthy with good red fruit. The mouth pretty much follows the nose with red raspberry, nice earth, and a bit of smoke. The only problem here is that the finish is medium, but it is adequate. If the finish was a touch longer and maybe it had a bit more of acidity, it would be nice, but still it’s pretty good for what it is. 88.5
2023 Château les Riganes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux – 13% abv – Mevushal – The nose here is nice with good mineral, toasted herb, and very ripe black and red fruit, followed by the now standard smoke. While all of the Riganes varietal wines are showing more varietally true this year, this one is the most of all with blackberry, raspberry, mineral, and smoke. The acid and tannin are nice. Again, Simple, but really good for what it is 89.5
2023 Château les Riganes, Bordeaux – 13.5% abv – Mevushal – Wow, you can actually feel the blend here. I assume this wine is CS heavy – at least on the nose, with smoke, earth, roasted herb, mineral, and ripe black and red fruit. The wine really is the sum of all of its parts: with the acid, nice tannin, good mineral, raspberry, plum, smoke and more herb. For me the finish was medium-plus with more herb, mineral, tobacco, and some chocolate. Very nice indeed. 91
2022 Clos Triguedina, Malbec du Clos, Cahors – 13% abv – Mevushal – We tasted this wine last year and it has changed somewhat. On the nose, you get a really nice, perfumed bouquet that is still controlled. It feels open. There is also dirt and some muscular meatiness. In the mouth, the wine still shows tannic – but shorter than before. With blackberry, blueberry, plum, smoke, and some earth, I actually think this wine didn’t live up to its potential. It now tastes a bit like the wine has flattened out depth-wise – maybe it’s the mevushal. Still nice, just not what I thought it would be. 89.5
2022 Clos Triguedina, Cahors – 13% abv –While we tasted the lower end Mevushal release last year, there were two additional wines made at the same time non-mevushal, and they are just being released now. The vineyards at Clos Triguedina are divided into three terraces – with the Malbec du Clos being sourced from the lowest one, and this one from all three terraces. The blend here is 85% Malbec, 10% Merlot and 5 % Tannat (which to me was surprising, as you wouldn’t think the extra structure that the Tannat would provide would be required here). The barrel regimen was 40% new oak and 60% in one year old barrels. The wine screams Malbec on the nose, with both floral and meaty notes, ripe red fruit, and smoke. In the mouth, the wine closed at first but eventually starts to give way and is nice and rich with ripe raspberry, black plum, blackberry, smokey meat, more floral notes, good minerality, and tar. The acid comes through nicely and, as expected, the tannin is mouth coating and assertive, but not over the top at all. The finish is long with more violet, ripe raspberry, more tar, and smoke. This is an impressive wine. I am hopeful that this wine can stand some age and will fare better than its mevushal brother. 91.5
2023 Château Romefort, Haut-Médoc – 13.5% abv – Mevushal – This wine is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. On the nose, all you get is Merlot, with some red fruit and herbs and not much else. In the mouth, the wine feels a bit thin – not flavor wise, correct, but it’s just thinner than it should be. In the mouth, perhaps it’s a bit watery and unidimensional with nice herbs and some raspberry. That’s about it. Nothing bad, just nothing to really grab you. 86
2023 Les Lauriers de Rothschild, Montagne Saint-Emillon – 14% abv – Mevushal – There is a ton of ripe red fruit and maybe even some dried fruit on the nose, followed by a bit of earth and herb – but it is dominated by the fruit in a way that I would not expect from Saint-Emillon. In the mouth, the wine presents much more green, but still has some red fruit, earth, and herb. It’s nice enough, though. 85
2023 Les Lauriers de Rothschild, Montagne Saint-Emillon – 14% abv – This wine is clearly related to the non-mevu and is a little more robust. There is almost like jolly ranchers or something going on the nose, with none of the dried fruit and the same earthy and herbal notes. Mouth follows the nose here. It’s a touch better than the mevu-version but those sweet notes I just don’t connect with. 86
2023 Château de Parsac, Montagne Saint-Emillon – 14% abv – Mevushal – Now, I can tell straight off the bat I am going to like this wine more than the Les Lauriers – it’s much more in line with what I would have expected. Less candied, more acid, good earth. In the mouth, you get good focused red raspberry and cherry, with some nice herb and earth. The finish is medium-plus with the flavors repeating. Not the deepest wine in the world, but it gets the job done. 89
2022 Barons Edmond & Benjamin de Rothschild, Haut-Medoc – 14.5% abv – Mevushal – On the nose, this wine is a classic Haut Medoc. You get nice ripe red and black fruit with nice mineral and tar. You can actually smell the acidity/tartness that carries through in the mouth. Good grippy tannin. Really nice with earthy black plum, black cherry, and blackberry, graphite, mineral, tar, and a bit of herb. This is wine with fine potential. 91.5
2022 Château Larcis Jaumat, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 14.5% abv – The blend here is 90% Merlot and only 10% CF. On the nose, you get raspberry – both tart and jammy with black plum and some smoke. In the mouth, you pretty much get what you smell – big and jammy raspberry and plum, some sweet herb, all balanced out by acid with a good tannic core. This finish is long with good earth, sweet oak, toasted herb and sweet spice. It is a big wine that is really well made and works. 92+
2022 Château Royaumont, Lalande de Pomerol – 14.5% abv – This wine is also a blend of Merlot and CF (70/30). It is another big wine in the same vein as the Larcis. Really very similar notes except that for me the wine has a medicinal overtone (in the mouth, not on the nose, which detracts a bit. It is herbaceous and dark. Other than that, it has good fruit, nice mineral, graphite, etc. But that medicinal thing really throws me. I know this is s a well-made wine, I’m just having a problem connecting to it. 90.5
2022 Les Roches De Yon, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 13% abv – This wine is a blend of 81% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot (yes – very exact and precise percentages here) . Wow, what a nose. When this wine hits, it hits. You get mounds of wonderful mushroom and earth, toasted herbs, roasted meat, ripe black and red fruit, and mineral. Yum! In the mouth, while the bottle says 13%, it feels a bit heavier than that with more presence and gravitas – with good mineral, loads of earth, blackberry, black cherry, black plum, ripe red raspberry, and smoke. The acid does a wonderful job of balancing that all out. The finish is mineral driven with wonderful graphite, more earth , herb and toast. Wonderful! 93+
2022 Château La Fleur, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 14.5% abv –The nose here is really dark and ripe with mostly black and some blue fruit, herb, some chocolate, and a little dirt lurking in the background. In the mouth, you basically get that same profile. This wine is less dirty than the Roches we just tasted, plus it is bigger and darker with black plum, blackberry and some raspberry with toasted herb and some sweet oak. I happen to prefer the profile on the Roches, but this is still very nice. It just needs to shed some baby fat. 91.5
2022 Château Montviel, Pomerol – 15% abv – Another BIG wine here. On the nose, you get really nice tart red fruit, graphite, mineral, smoke, and tar. In the mouth, this is a whopper. Beautiful acidity and loads of mineral drive this wine with great tart raspberry, plum, earth, mineral, some earth, and forest floor. The acid just keeps you asking for more, with beautiful mouth- coating tannin holding it all together. This is a beautiful, elegant wine. The finish is long – I mean endless with more mineral, some black pepper, more red raspberry, and some smoke. Wow! 93.5
2022 Château Fontenil, Fronsac – 14.5% abv – This wine is 100% Merlot. Some big ripe black fruit and some really intense oak are what you get on the nose. In the mouth, you do have acid and a mouthful of really black ripe fruit like blackcurrant and blackberry, with some smoke and oak and then more and more oak. You get the point. It’s not a bad wine; it’s actually made really well. But it is not typical French. I would say this is a great gateway wine for those who are used to American style wine and want to try something French, because this is a Parkerized French. Quality is there but there is a ton of oak behind the crazy ripe black fruit. 90
2023 Les Marronniers, Petit Chablis – 12.5% abv – Mevushal – On the nose, you get funk, peach, flint and pear. Nothing that’s gonna blow your mind, but the peach is not over ripe and for the most part unobtrusive and is balanced out by the rest. Unfortunately, in the mouth the peach is WAY up front for me, I know that this is a personal preference, but the wine just is a bit too much for me in that department. It does have very nice acidity and overall, it’s another well-made wine, that’s just not for me. 89
2023 Les Marronniers, Chablis – 12.5% abv – Mevushal – Ok – this one is peach-city. Sure there is a little smoke and maybe some apple, but it is one dimensional overall. There is just enough acid to hold the wine together, but this one is hard for me. 87
2023 Château Bellevue, Morgon, Grand Cras – 13.5% abv – Château Bellevue belongs to Mason Jean Loron, who is one of the top 2-3 producers of Beaujolais. Their goal is to make higher end Beauj out of their high-end estates (they make millions of bottles per year on the lower end). On the nose, you get nice red fruit, funk, and some floral notes with a hint of mineral. In the mouth, it is expectedly light, but really bright with cherry, raspberry, and plum – a little funky, a little floral – good mineral, really nice, and interesting. The finish adds a bit of coconut, some red fruit, and some smoke. This is a really well made interesting bright Beaujolais. A pleasure to drink. 92
2023 Cave De Tain, Crozes Hermitage – 13% abv – This wine is 100% Syrah, and on the nose we get classic notes of red fruit, mineral, and a ton of black pepper. In the mouth, this wine is really closed – to the point that it was hard for me to get a read. I had to put it down and move to something else. But eventually it started to show, and overall it is nice with dark fruit – mostly plum and blueberry and some black pepper with nice mineral. The finish is long with more meaty notes and maybe some tar. Nice bottle. Time will tell as to whether this fully comes into itself or not. 91
2022 Château Roubine, Cru Classe, Premium, Côtes de Provence – 14% abv –On the nose, you get a ton of candied red fruit and a bit of smoke. In the mouth, the wine simply does not have the acidity to pull it off, and it feels flat with strawberry and raspberry and some oak. This one a is a miss for me. 86.5
2022 Château le Rey, Les Rocheuses, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – 15.5% abv – This wine is 80/20 Merlot/Cab Franc. On the nose, you get smokey, meaty, ripe red fruit and good mineral. At 15.5%, you are expecting a hot mess. But NO. Yes the wine is very full bodied and packs a punch, but the mineral really keeps the dense black fruit in check. You have blackberry, black plum, more mineral, and a little red raspberry. But the mineral does the heavy lifting here and really drives this big, dense, rich wine. The finish softens a little bit, and you end up with more oak, an influence of chocolate, and even some tobacco, plus more black fruit. Could it use a bit more acid? Maybe, but I am nitpicking. It is really nice the way it is. 92
2022 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils, Châteauneuf du Pape – 15% abv – This wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise. The nose screams Rhone with nice blue and black fruit and a hint of black pepper and some roasted meat. I rarely comment on the color, but this one is super delicate, and beautiful in the glass. In the mouth the wine is RIPE, but it fits with the Rhone profile, with loads of blueberry and raspberry, nice mineral, black pepper and coffee with cream. The wine does drink a little hot. The acid is what saves it, in my opinion, and this wine has a load. But I do get that it may be a bit over the top for some. The finish is long with more candied fruit, coffee, mineral, and a touch of black pepper and sweet spice. I think it’s a nice effort, the heat is the only problem. 90
2022 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils, Châteauneuf du Pape, Vielles Vignes – 15% abv – This wine has the same varieties as the wine above. This is a more elegant and less in your face Rhone. You have almost the exact same descriptors, but the ripeness is more controlled on the nose. In the mouth, when you taste the Old Vines after the regular, it is a real contrast. You have all of the complexity – but none of the over-the-top ripeness – and, more importantly, none of the heat. While clearly related to the first wine, it simply presents much more elegantly. The finish too – all of the same stuff – perhaps you get more distinct notes of baking spice – but it just comes off as such an elevated version. Really nice stuff. 92+
NV La Maison Bleue, Blanc de Blanc, Brut – 12.5% abv – Mevushal – On the nose, you get nice funk, apple, and some orange citrusy notes. In the mouth, this wine doesn’t really do it for me as it presents as sparkling apple juice with a twist of Orange. It does have just enough acid to carry it, though. As a Mevu entry level sparkler – its fine. Nothing that you are going to want to stock, but perfectly acceptable to drink. 85
NV La Maison Bleue, Blanc de Blanc, Demi-Sec – 12% abv – Mevushal – Ok – you need to take this wine for what is – ultimately this is geared to your Moscato drinker who wants more of an elevated experience. The wine presents the same mouth as the previous, though with added sweetness (its demise after all) and a touch more acid. I actually like it a bit more – the sweetness gives it a touch more complexity. 86
NV La Maison Bleue, Rose Brut – 12% abv – Mevushal – On the nose you get nice raspberry and some lemon notes. Simple – but it works. In the mouth, if this wine had a touch of acid, it would be a huge win. As it is, it’s nice enough and the nicest of the three. With nice raspberry and some citrus. Not bad at all. 87
NV Drappier, Brut, Champagne, Carte D’ Or – 12% abv – Mevushal – This is the latest disgorging, dated 10/24. On the nose, you get those yeasty notes, apples, some lemon, maybe some pear and some crème fraiche. In the mouth, you get lemon and orange, apples, pears, brioche, and some mineral. Really nice stuff as usual. 92
2022 Philippe Le Hardi, Mercurey, Les Champs Michaux – 13% abv – On the nose, you get red and green fruit, herbs, nice bramble, and some smoke. In the mouth, this is really nice, good structure – excellent acid – super closed at first. But really it’s an acid bomb. In the mouth, you get less red fruit than I would have expected, and the wine less ripe than even the nose lets on. Really elegant. As it opens, you get a ton of herbs, and then finally the cherry, some roasted meat, and some spice – but really herbal. The finish is long with a bit of espresso, raspberry, and cherry. 91.5
2022 Philippe Le Hardi, Mercurey, Premier Cru, Les Croichots – 13.5% abv – On the nose up front, you get wonderful earthiness and herbs. The wine is also a bit redder than the previous wine with a lot of cherry, tart plum, raspberry, and maybe a little green apple. The mouth for the most part follows the nose, but you add smoke and richer earth, which gives the wine even more depth and heft. This is a wonderful wine. 92.5
2022 Philippe Le Hardi, Aloxe Corton – 13.5% abv – Very similar nose to the Mercurey 1er crus, perhaps more smoke here and some coffee. The mouth follows the nose with earth, toasted herb, smoke, cherry, dark plum, raspberry, some saline, and more rich earth. On the long finish, you get even more complexity with some mineral, saline, coffee, earth, cherry, and smoke. Wow! This one is a stunner. 93
Yes – there is another Le Hardi 2022 – the Clos De Vougeot, Grand Cru. Unfortunately the warehouse omitted this by mistake, but Menachem promised that we will taste next time – I hear it is wonderful though. Moving on…..
2022 Château Greysac, Medoc – 14.5% abv – Mevushal – This wine is earthy and dirty up front – with red notes behind buried deep. A real earth bomb. Great structure here too with good tannin and nice acid. In the mouth, you get really nice clean fruit – raspberry, plum, dark cherry, and a little blueberry, with mineral and dirt. Really nice tannic core and good acid – really what more do you want at this price point – and Mevushal! 92+
2022 Château Fourcas Dupre, Cuvee Hautes Terres, Listrac-Medoc – 13% abv – Mevushal – On the nose, we get both red and some green fruit, some earth, and a ton of floral notes. In the mouth, the tannin hits you first – it is bold and mouth- coating. The acid is nice. The problem is the profile. This wine shows much greener overall, with a ton of floral notes, nice earth, herbs, and raspberry. It is a bit hollow in the middle. The finish is floral and medium-plus. It is hard not to automatically compare this wine to the Greysac. Both Mevu, both Medoc, etc. The easy winner here is the Greysac. This one gets an 86.
2022 Château Fourcas Dupre, Listrac-Medoc – 13% abv –As one would expect the Fourcas, the wine is closed tight. Swirl, sniff, closed, repeat. Next visit, I need to remember to bring a vinturi. Raccah has this method where he shakes the glass violently while covering it. Each time I have tried this I have made a massive mess. Eventually, you get some red and black fruit dripping through with some Fennelly-licorice-anise, and some nice herbs. In the mouth, the wine has great acid and tannin and overall is super closed at first just like the nose. I put this one aside and came back to it a bit later – and finally you get really nice dark red and black fruit – blackberry, black cherry, some raspberry, good smoke, and some really nice minerally lead. The finish is long and intense. With loads more acid, good smoke, herbs, lead, tar, and more dark fruit. Beautiful stuff. This wine has huge potential to improve – but even in its current close state it’s an easy 93.
2022 Château Malmaison, Moulis-en-Medoc – 13.5% abv – On the nose, call this big, red and ripe with some nice warm baking spice, smoke, and herbs as well. In the mouth, we have another wine that is super-closed. Sometimes when a wine is closed, while tasting it, try to not aerate it in the mouth, but let the enzymes work on the wine, which I think sometimes helps open things up. Not here. This wine just needs time. It eventually opens a little on the sides, and it absolutely has the acid to back up that ripe profile, with blackberry, raspberry, mineral, and earth. The finish is long and tannic, with notes of chocolate, herb, and blackberry peeking through. Another super-closed wine with tons of potential. 92.5
2022 Gazin Rocquencourt, Pessac-Leognan – 13.5% abv – Nice expressive nose here with lots of floral notes, hints of chocolate, coffee, clean ripe red and blue fruit, with good minerality running through it. In the mouth, another super-closed wine (sensing a theme here?) – but with a crazy amount of aeration, the wine slowly opens a little. Again – incredible structure here, great tannin and acid, darker than on the nose with blackberry, black plum, and maybe a little black cherry – there is wonderful minerality here as well. The wine almost is chewy as it opens. The finish here is long and tannic – with more black fruit, some of those floral notes and even a little milk chocolate at the end. This is a wine that also has incredible promise with potential to improve for a long time. Currently I peg it at a 93+.
2022 Le Comte de Malartic, Pessac-Leognan – 13.5% abv – While Gazin is owned by the same family that owns Malartic, it is a separate property. This is the actual 2nd wine of Chateau Malartic (through the 2019 vintage it was called La Réserve de Malartic) – and of course you can’t help but compare the two. It’s about 10% cheaper than Gazin. Another closed wine. But again with swirling, it does come out. The wine is EXTREMELY similar to the Gazin in terms of descriptors both on the nose and in the mouth – blackberry, black plum, mineral, smoke, etc. It is a drop behind the Gazin in terms of acid and structure. Nice wine, but not in the same league as the Gazin – nor do I think it will last as long or has as much room to grow. Still it’s a nice bottle that I would be happy to drink any day. 91
2022 Château d’Agassac, Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Medoc – 13.5% abv – This winery is now owned by Gérard Jicquel, the same person who bought Froucas Dupree in 2019, with D’Agassac being purchased in 2020-2021, making 2022 the first vintage fully under new ownership – and the first Kosher vintage. Very expressive on the nose, with nice rich red and black fruit, good mineral, smoke, and earth. Another wine in which you can smell the acid. Lovely! In the mouth, you get rich blackberry, blackcurrant, some raspberry and cassis, with excellent rich earth and great minerality. The acid here is just incredible and keeps you coming back for more. Real tannic core too. Wow! This wine fires on all cylinders. On the finish you get that scraping minerality, great dark fruit, earth, smoke. and some roasted herb. This is a wonderful wine and one of my favorites so far! As this is my first go around with this winery, I’ll be conservative, but know, this is one to watch! 93.5
2022 Château Clarke, Baron Edmond de Rothschild, Listrac-Medoc – 14.5% abv – On the nose, this wine is all black and ripe with dense black fruit, dense smoke, tar, earth, and herb. A powerhouse. In the mouth, this wine is actually one of the more expressive wines we have this time around – and is a touch softer with softer tannins making it more enjoyable for now. It is also surprisingly less bombastic than the nose would have you believe, with nice blackberry, blackcurrant, black plum, smoke, and herbs. The finish is long and complex with blackberry, some raspberry, herb, mineral and, smoke. Really nice stuff. 92.5
2022 Chevalier de Lascombes, Margaux – 13.5% abv – Lascombes was recently bought by Lawrence Wine estates, a large, well-known Napa producer that owns the famous Heitz Cellar, among others. I happen to think it’s a perfect fit for the direction Lascombes has taken, big, ripe, but elegant and well made! On the nose, you get rich blue and black fruit, with oak influences like dill and chocolate and a bit of smoke. In the mouth, the rich and dense ripeness is on full display – but it totally works because it has the acid to back it up! You get blueberry, blackberry, black plum, smoke, graphite, and herb. Did I mention that this wine has great acidity? Yes? Well, that’s because it does. Talk about balance! The finish is long and ripe with again, heavy oak that works, with milk chocolate, coffee, dill, thyme, and more rich blackberry and blueberry. Great stuff! 93+
2022 Château Saint Corbian, Saint-Estephe – 14% abv – The nose here is bright with tart red fruit and some floral notes, followed by some smoke. In the mouth, the wine starts off OK with raspberry, plum, and some tart cherry with a ton of floral influence with some herb and smoke. The wine is a bit out of balance, missing some acid. But the real issue is the finish, which is short, IMHO. 87
2022 Château Le Crock, Saint-Estephe – 15% abv – This wine a is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Merlot. When you see 15%, you might get scared, but the wine works, with a ton of dense and ripe black fruit, tar, smoke, and earth on the nose. In the mouth, while I think a little more acid would not have hurt, the wine has just enough to pull this off with blackberry, blackcurrant, graphite, smoke, and earth. Although it could use a little bit more acid, the rest of the makeup is great – with the minerality keeping things interesting and some nice mouth coating tannin. The finish is long, tannic, and mineral driven, with graphite, rock lead, and some herb, backed up by smoke and some more black fruit. Nice. 91.5
2022 Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre, Saint-Julien – 14% abv – Mevushal – Here we have a much riper expression than I am used to for Saint Julien, dark and brooding. On the nose, you have nice black and blue fruit, with some smoke – but overall it is fruit prominent with oak influence coming through. In the mouth, you get good acid and tannin, just enough of both to keep it all together. It’s just a little darker than I would have guessed – with blackberry, black plum, and even some boysenberry. But overall it is nice with good mineral, which really saves the wine here – as otherwise it wouldn’t have enough to get it to where it needs to be. This wine was sent by mistake (as it is the mevushal version). I really do wonder if the non-mevu presents differently. Still overall, nice stuff. 91.5
2022 Château Moulin Riche, Saint-Julien – 14% abv – Another big, rich, dense, yet closed wine! This one is totally locked down. It took a VERY long time to open – but it did, and it actually finally started showing itself after some intense swirling. The nose is great with really rich, dense, blue and black fruit, followed by intense floral notes that are balanced out by tar and bright red notes. In the mouth, the first thing you get is really dense violet, followed by blackberry, black plum, blueberry, raspberry, loads of rich minerally earth, smoke, and tar. The acid is rocking here and keeps all of that rich dense fruit in check. The tannin is fine and elegant. The finish is long – almost endless, with more rich dense fruit, tar, lead, more mineral, herb, and mint. WOW. This is a mouthful and is likely to be the one of the QPR stars of the year. 94+
2022 Clos Triguedina, Probus, Cahors – 13.5% abv – When we talk about classic Malbec notes – this is what you want: really nice meaty notes – but it also has clean black fruit, floral notes, smoke, and some nice char. For me this is the missing link. I often don’t see Malbec fitting into a Bordeaux blend – but this would work! In the mouth, you basically get many of the same notes – with blackberry, black plum, blueberry, smoke, roasted floral notes, and nice warm baking spice. The acid is nice here and the tannin is mouth coating yet not overly aggressive. Really nice and almost mellow. The finish is more mineral driven with graphite lead, tar, more black fruit, and spice. Really nice stuff!!!! 92.5
2022 Château Bellefont-Belcier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe – 15% abv – This wine is a blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is very, very ripe on the nose. Dark, brooding, but controlled, intense ripe black fruit, lots of oak showing through, with tons of toast and char, smoke, and some ripe red fruit peaking though as well. I know this will be over the top for some, but for me it works. In the mouth, you get a replay of the nose with blackberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, smoke, rich earth, etc. – but with nice saline and mineral (this also seems to be a theme of 2022 – minerality to the rescue!). The wine has just enough acid to keep things balanced and the tannin is intense here. The finish is long and dense with nice mineral, fruit, milk chocolate, warm spice, and more dark fruit. As I said, I know some people will think this one is over the top, but for me this wine works and is a nice improvement of the 2020 (which WAS over the top). Solid. 92
2022 Château le Gay, Pomerol – 14.5% abv – Another really dense rich nose of black and blue fruit with minerality and acidity you can smell. The wine is again really closed – and needs an obscene amount of swirling, shaking, and time to open up. Whatchagonnado – its 2022! The structure, wow. The acid, wow. The oak makes itself felt not on the palate but in the structure. You get that fine powdery tannin that coats your mouth. You have blackberry, raspberry, crazy minerality, graphite, loads of acid, black plum, and more mineral. It comes at you in waves of flavor and acid. Really impressive wine. The finish is long and tannic, with loads more black fruit, some baker’s chocolate, more graphite and mineral, some tobacco, toasted herb, and some sweet cedar. Wow. I am going really high here, but this one is special – 95!
2022 Château Giscours, Margaux – 14% abv – The nose on this wine is very un-Giscours like – really ripe and bombastic with heavy black and blue fruit, oak, and creamy, minty milk chocolate, and some herbs. The mouth though is a different story. It is far less dense and rich and while black, it’s not overripe. You have nice blackberry, boysenberry, black plum, and raspberry. While not overripe, it did drink slightly hot – which was a massive shock, and then you start to feel that ripeness again. There is acid here, but with the heat, it sort of doesn’t sit well. It just feels off kilter and out of balance. There is really nothing WRONG with the wine other than the heat and lack of balance, but it’s hard to really shine when you have those kind of issues. It’s not bad, just not what you would expect from a Giscours. 90.5
2022 Château Lascombes, Margaux – 14.5% abv – Like the Giscours, this wine is a bit bombastic on the nose – with black, dark red and blue fruit on the nose, plus nice baking spice and smoke. I have a high tolerance for ripe – and I thought to myself, as long as this wine brings the acid, I’m gonna be happy. For me it just makes it – I think for this level or ripeness, it just hits the mark. It’s no acid bomb, mind you– and I know for some that is what would have been required to make this wine a hit, but if you don’t mind a little ripeness, this wine works! In fact, I think if this was less of a quality winery, this could have easily become a pushed hot ripe mess – but it isn’t! It’s ripe, it’s big – and maybe it’s a little less Bordeaux-ish than you would expect, but it’s done right. You get blackberry, boysenberry, some blueberry, dark plum, raspberry, tar, graphite, mineral, and smoke. Very nice, mouth coating tannin – and yes – enough acidity to make this work. The finish is long and tannic with more black fruit, milk chocolate, toasted herb, tobacco and cigar box. Nice stuff! 93
2022 Château Malartic Lagraviere, Grand Cru Classe de Graves, Pessac Leognan – 14% abv –This wine might have the most perfect nose we have seen all day. Again, you can smell the acid and freshness, with great ripe black and dark red fruit, tar, smoke, earth, warm spice, graphite, and toasted herb. The mouth is a monster – both elegant and rich with rich blackberry, raspberry, black plum, blackcurrant, mineral, mint, smoke, herb, tar, and graphite. The acid really does the work here and, combined the mineral and tannin, really gives you a complete package. The finish is long and continues to unfold in a mineral-driven way with more black fruit, lead, tar, graphite, and herb. I really loved this one! 94+
2022 Château Meyney, Saint-Estephe – 14% abv – I hope by now we understand the theme of 2022 big wines – and this one holds to it. The nose is big and ripe with black fruit, earthy mineral, smoke, and floral notes – but this is another one that smells super fresh and tart despite the ripeness. In the mouth, yes it’s ripe, but it is managed – with great acid, excellent minerality, blackberry, black plum, blueberry, some smoke, tar, and even more mineral. Have I mentioned the great acid here? That, plus the wonderful mouth-coating tannin and the mineral – it just all balances the ripe profile. The finish is long with nice earth, smoke, black fruit, and graphite. A great wine at a relative steal pricewise. 93+
2022 Château LaGrange, Saint-Julien – 14.5% abv – This wine is VERY similar to the Malartic in terms of descriptors on the nose – It is near perfect – you can smell the acidity and freshness, with great ripe black and dark red fruit, tar, smoke, earth, warm spice, graphite, and toasted herb. It is slightly different in the mouth – as it is riper – but, and it’s a big but, it also has even more acid and so, it really balances that ripeness out – with blackberry, blackcurrant, black plum and raspberry, with really nice earthy mineral, and smoke. The finish is long, with more earth and mineral and black fruit with some smoke at the end. Another lovely wine! 94+
2022 Château Leoville Poyferre, Saint-Julien – 14.5% abv –On the nose, this wine is less ripe than the last few – with the fruit less up front and less dark. You get tar and mineral, fresh and toasted herb, red and black fruit, smoke, and mineral. In the mouth, the wine is more open than most of the previous wines and, quite honestly, a bit more elegant – probably due to it having a bit less of that in-your-face fruit. We get the blackberry, black plum, raspberry, lead, and graphite. Many of the 2022 wines have loads of mineral, but as this wine is less ripe, you feel that minerality even more intensely. With less ripeness, you do need and indeed do feel a drop less acid, but that is a minor quibble. The finish is long and, as expected, mineral driven with graphite, earth, lead, some herb, and some red fruit. Absolutely beautiful. 94.5
2022 Château Pontet-Canet, Grand Cru Classe en 1855, Pauillac – 14.5% abv – This is another super-closed wine – and might have been the most closed of all that we tasted. We gave it its due and shook (I had David shake mine for me as I got tired of swirling). Eventually the wine opens a crack. On the nose, you get clean ripe black fruit. I mean super clean. There is wonderful minerality here with dense smoke, really rich earth, and nice floral notes. You can smell precision. In the mouth, we have the most elegant and clean wine we have had today. Hands down. Yes – I wrote it is ripe, but the ripeness here does not feel out of place at all, with blackberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, black cherry, scraping mineral, herbs, graphite, earth, smoke, and really excellent salinity that runs just under the surface. The acid is screaming – but clean and in place, the tannin is super fine but absolutely mouth coating – and in place. You really have super clean lines and just stunning balance throughout. It feels like the wine was delicately built to achieve maximum balance and enjoyment. The finish – is of course – first and foremost balanced, but also long, and as one would expect, mineral driven with graphite, more smoke, blackberry, and roasted herb. Wow – just stunning. Easily best wine of the day. I am not sure if it has the wow factor of 2019, but it is damn near close. 96
2023 J De Villebois, Sancerre, Silex – 13% abv – A wine we forgot to taste yesterday. This is intriguing. On the nose, it is really nice and has a bit more gooseberry up front than I would expect – but otherwise classic Sancerre, with really nice citrus and floral notes and a touch of smoke behind. In the mouth, you get all of that citrus goodness, orange, lemon, pomelo, with smoke and mineral. The finish is long with more citrus, mineral, smoke, and flint. Really, really nice! 92
2022 Château Piada, Sauternes – 14.5% abv – This wine is nice, with maybe a bit more tropical notes than usual on the nose, with guava up front and nice tart pineapple, honey, some apricot, and maybe even some mango. In the mouth, you get even more tropical – with the primary descriptors repeated, but there is some nice mineral here, which really elevates this. There is a really pleasant full mouthfeel as well and the acid is really nice and balancing. A really nice showing for Piada and a wonderful way to finish! 92.5
Wow! What a tasting! I want to sincerely thank Menachem Israelievitch and Royal Wines for sharing these wines with David and myself. As I noted earlier, the sheer quantity and consistency of quality is amazing! Let me also thank Menachem’s wife and children who put up with us in their house for this two day extravaganza. No easy task and it is much appreciated.
