Château Corbin Michotte 2018

Aromas of violets, currants, bark, pine needles and sandalwood. It’s medium- to full-bodied with firm, sleek tannins. Perfumed and refined. Savory and lightly earthy. Try from 2023.

The 2018 Corbin Michotte has what you might describe as an old-school nose of earthy black fruit, cedar and a touch of mint, quite “cool” considering the growing season. I find it well defined and focused. The palate is fresh and vibrant, offering ample red fruit on the entry, and tinged with chocolate chips, mint and cedar. Maybe the oak is not quite as well assimilated as I was hoping, but there is certainly a lot of flavor contained in this Saint-Émilion, and it should provide drinking pleasure over the next decade.

Medium-bodied and spicy with a drop of licorice and herbs, this wine is forward, bright and light and will be ready for drinking upon release. 84-86 pts

Medium deep colour with a purple hue. Pure and youthful nose offering red berries, plum and pain d’épices with mild oak. Youthful texture but no hard edges, ripe tannin, quite dense fruit and good length.

A charming, complex, already delicious Saint-Émilion, the 2018 Château Corbin Michotte offers up a savory array of red and black fruits, saddle leather, lead pencil, and tobacco. Complex, medium-bodied, and light on its feet, it has lots of character and is best drunk over the coming 5-7 years.

While Merlot dominates the Corbin area of Saint-Émillion, Cabernet Franc enhances a natural elegance imparted by the gravel covering the estate’s loamy sands. This natural elegance, the signature of the Grand Cru, is expressed through a classic profile, a touch reserved yet so reassuring. The intense fruit is balanced on the palate by a vertical tannin that lays the foundations for a fine wine for ageing.