Château Closiot : Bonneau 2019

The 2019 Bonneau is richer and fleshier than the 2018, exhibiting aromas of ripe stone fruits, papaya and green mango mingled with beeswax, apricots, candied ginger and marmalade. Full-bodied, satiny and vibrant, it's a textural, sensual wine that I suspect will take on additional cut and tension as it ages.

The 2019 Closiot Bonneau, located just above Coutet and owned by Jean-Marie Guffens, is conspicuously darker in color than its peers, though not worryingly so. It is well-defined aromatically, dried honey commingling with saffron, dried apricot and marmalade. The palate is well-balanced with fine acidity, a bit oaky at the moment, although that will be absorbed with time. Lightly spiced, fresh and vibrant, there is a sense of vivacity on the finish, yet it needs more persistence on the aftertaste. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Pale to medium lemon-gold in color, the 2019 Bonneau opens with notes of fresh hay and fallen leaves over a core of baked apples and peach cobbler, with hints of toasted cashews and butterscotch. The palate is a little evolved at this stage, with opulent fruit, soft acidity, and a nutty finish.