CHÂTEAU BARDE HAUT

All about tannins and texture, extremely well assembled with grip and personality. Smoky grilled coffee bean, gorgeous depth of fruit, liquorice root and freshly cut herbs, clear intensity set against floral fragrance, mouthwatering finish. 50% new french oak 3.4ph, 45hl/h yield, harvest September 14 to 29. Drinking range: 2029 - 2042 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2024)

The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with sweet and crunchy fruits, tense blackcurrant, currant, dark chocolate and crushed gravel. A nice presence at the start of the palate, with a sinewy substance, with a nicely buried core of dark and integrated tannins, the fruit profile savoury and dark, and it has the bright acidity of the vintage. This has concentration, freshness and grip, with a deliciously bright and perfumed fruit, and smoky structure. It finishes with harmony, the curtain of fruit parting to reveal a lingering frame of rich tannin. A promising Barde-Haut here, but as always let’s see how it looks after the élevage. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

The 2023 Barde-Haut is a blend from the entire property that was picked from September 14 to 28, vinified without SO2 until just before bottling in order to preserve aromas. This has an intense, attention-grabbing bouquet with layers of black plum and wild strawberry fruit, cohering with aeration after five minutes. The palate is medium-bodied with quite plush tannins, plenty of grip in the mouth. A finish with layers of blackcurrant and blueberry fruit with a liberal sprinkling of black pepper complete a fine and quite Rubenesque Saint-Émilion. Drinking range: 2028 - 2045 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)