L'Esprit de Chevalier 2023

An excellent second wine with verve and ripe red fruit. The tannins are a bit tight and the length not as impressive as the grand vin, but this should make a good short-term red before you crack open the first wine.

The 2023 L'Esprit de Chevalier has a well-defined bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and iris flower scents, gaining intensity as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, cohesive and focused, with a harmonious blackberry and cedar finish. Just a classy second wine from Olivier Bernard.

Flowers, tobacco, and red fruits are all over the place in the perfume. The palate already shows off its refined, soft, silky, red berries, with the perfect hint of cocoa in the nose medium-bodied palate. The finish is soft, elegant, and poised. You can enjoy this with pleasure on release while waiting for the Grand Vin to develop. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2026-2036.

Bright and firm, reserved and subdued but good quality with plenty of concentrated black fruits, no need to wait to enjoy but needs a good carafe if opening soon. A value pick.