Château La Violette 2023

Perfumed and aromatic on the nose. Cool straight away, blueberries and blue cherries, really quite fresh and minty. Quite light, perhaps missing a touch more plushness, but it’s direct and streamlined with a really long finish. Smooth tannins, well built and nicely structured. Ageing 70% new oak.

The 2023 La Violette has an ebullient bouquet, as usual, clean and pure black cherry and cassis fruit, a floral component emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with that typical lush mouthfeel, although the acidity imparts freshness. There is a veneer of dark chocolate toward the finish but, overall, it retains a sensuality that I found in barrel, and it should age well in bottle.

Dark in color, the wine is equally intense on the palate with its layers of black and red fruits, dark chocolate, black cherries, black raspberries, black plums, and chalk. There is depth, concentration, and richness with power, lift, and opulence in the mid-palate that carries through to the finish. The key to the vintage was the long hang time, with harvesting starting September 11–20. The length of the harvest is due to manual destemming. The wine was produced from 100% Merlot, 14% ABV. Drink from 2029–2050. 95–97 pts.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate rim brightening. Nuances of cranberry, tree resin, subtle smoky wood, green tea, semi-bitter chocolate, peppery undertones, some plum and the eponymous floral notes. Also gingerbread (from the wood). On the palate, the wine is dense in a relaxed way, well endowed with tactile minerality, and despite the round, supple body, there is also juiciness and elegance. The finish develops a distinctive saltiness.

100% Merlot, 70% new barriques. Densely interwoven bouquet, cooling cassis spice, delicate violet perfume and blueberry jelly. On the palate, complex and straightforward, with a tight-knit tannic framework, supporting verve and a well-toned body. In the concentrated, never-ending finish: blackcurrant, deep-seated terroir spice and a powdery astringency.

This is intense, with rich character—grilled coffee, blueberry—slightly heavy through the mid-palate, though it has good depth and texture, Pomerol typicity, and very much the estate’s signature. Close to the church plots in Pomerol, Vignobles Parent.

Score: 92–94. Quivering and delicate, the nose enchants with floral aromas of violet and iris, lifted by nutmeg and white pepper. Very pure, energetic fruit is balanced by a fresh, velvety texture. Still monolithic, the finish remains gourmand, brightened by a touch of acidity that awakens the palate.

A lovely, elegant and precise nose, offering bright, vibrant fruit, a sense of freshness, fine detail and a layered character. The texture is fine-grained, fresh and intense, with great delicacy. Aromas of black blackberry and tobacco emerge, along with hints of fleshy small black berries, violet, lily and camphor, delicate infusion notes, bright blueberry, and a touch of mocha and cardamom, plus a discreet hint of cornflower and an almost imperceptible, Mediterranean-like nuance in the fruit. The palate is beautifully guided—delicate, supple, generous and airy in its pulpy feel—remarkably precise, with a lovely, elongated profile, depth, a tangy acid thread, a strong sense of detail (like a square of silk) and a precise, delicate, mouthwatering touch. A fine expression of delicacy. On the palate, the wine delivers notes of juicy, fleshy blackberry, bright blackcurrant and, more lightly, gleaming small blue fruits, alongside touches of raspberry, vivid fleshy cherry, violet, and hints of cornflower, infusion, tonka bean, a touch of roast character and toasted almond. The tannins are chalky, elegant and savoury. A discreet touch of pleasant cocoa bitterness lingers on the finish/persistence.

A friendly red, with an up-front and caressing feel to its dark plum and blackberry confiture notes, all dusted with cocoa and framed with perfumed black tea on the finish. For fans of the showier style. Drink now through 2038. 322 cases made.