Château de Sales 2022

Expressive, with violet, citrus notes, coriander, blueberry, smoky hints, a touch of cream; creamy attack, showing opulence and elegance, ripe fruit picked at the perfect point, distinct fine tannins supporting the crisp fruit, the 14.5% perfectly integrated, plenty of energy, breed and very good length, echoing with red-fruited notes. Top buy!

Gently steeped raspberry and black cherry fruit shows density and grip, with light anise, black tea and savory notes adding energy through the lightly toasted, slightly dusty finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2036. 9,000 cases made, 1,500 cases imported.

Sweet strawberries and vanilla cream on the nose – very inviting. Smooth and easy on the palate, refined and delicate, almost focused on bright red berry fruit, clean minerality and super-fine tannins. A restrained take on the vintage with so much finesse and joy on offer. A full mouthfeel with a chalky, liquorice-laden finish, hinting at real power currently masked by the acidity and tangy fruit. Great ageing potential.

The 2022 Château de Sales lacks a bit of fruit intensity and vigor on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied and a little hard on the mid-palate with dry tannins and a sapid finish. It just needs more flesh around its bones. I really wanted to like this more than I did.

On the bright red fruit side of the style range, so you encounter more red plums, strawberries, and raspberries here. The wine is soft and refined and delivers elegance over power, finishing with vibrancy, freshness, and a silky touch to the finish. This is a contender for the best vintage of de Sales ever produced. Drink from 2025-2038.

Deep dark ruby in colour with an opaque core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, subtle hints of fine oak, black forest berries and dark cherry with a pleasant tobacco spice. The complex palate is juicy with fine fruit, redolent of ripe berries with ripe, supporting tannins and some nougat notes, a long, powerful food wine with certain potential for ageing.

Red and black fruits, savory flowers, spice, and menthol notes all emerge from the 2022 Château Sales, a pure, seamless, very pretty, elegant wine from this team, a medium-bodied, round, supple, elegant Pomerol that will need to be drunk over the coming decade.

Inky plum in colour, with plenty of ripe fruit across the palate that edges towards overripe but stays on the right side, with pulsing waves of saffron, mandarin peel, pomegranate and red cherry. A little soft through the mid-palate, but this is an enjoyable de Sales, deftly handled. 18% new oak, 82% one- and two-year-old barrels. Harvest from September 7 to 21. August temperatures were 2°C hotter than the average of the last 10 years, and de Sales’ location in a warmer spot close to the city of Libourne will have challenged a few plots, particularly any young vines, making the result particularly impressive.

Plenty of tenderness, fleshiness, and floral aromas (peony, rose) share the nose, while ripe black fruits bring a delectable touch. The wine’s fleshiness is matched by a fresh, almost tangy backbone that evokes cherry in brandy and crème de cassis. The finish lacks freshness, but the density of the substance and its satin-like texture suggest a promising future.

Aged for 16 months in barrels, 18% of which are new, completed by barrels of one and two previous uses. The 2022 bouquet certainly shows freshness—highly polished, moreover—followed by fruity nuances with aromas of black cherries, elderberry, and tea leaves. The attack, with good density, announces a wine combining breadth and temperament. Thus, it is focused on tension and volume; when these two elements are present, Château de Sales has truly honorable credentials! The tannins, perfectly integrated, carry the wine, together with a structuring acidity. This bodes well for aging potential, but also if you wish to enjoy the wine in its youth. As I already noted during the en primeur tastings, this is, for me, certainly the best de Sales I’ve had the chance to taste. It is fine, elegant, vigorous, vivid, and flavorful. There is something here for everyone: temperament in youth, wisdom over time.

91-93 Barrel sample. This estate, largely known for Pomerol, has produced a firm and structured wine. Its black Merlot fruits give it weight and power while the black-plum flavors create a core of solid tannins.