Château Larmande 2022

Ripe and concentrated aromatics on the nose, expressive and open. Smooth and crunchy, this has a lovely delicacy to the texture and purity to the juicy red fruit. Clean and crystalline, straight and effortlessly delivered with a mineral-edged finish. A lot to like here as it doesn't feel at all pushed or overdone. Fresh and cool with a powerful core but covered in bright acidity and salinity alongside dark chocolate, espresso and lingering tobacco touches on the finish. Almost a light take on the vintage in terms of texture.

A refined red with blackberry and blueberry character as well as fresh herbs on both the nose and palate. It’s linear and refined with a long and lively finish. There’s tension and focus to the finesse. Drink in 2028.

79% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Attractive red and dark-fruit aromas. Juicy and fresh on the palate. Medium-bodied but harmonious. Light but fine tannic frame. Early appeal but potential for medium-term ageing. Simple but handled with care. (JL)

The 2022 Larmande is a very sexy wine. Floral, silky and medium in body, the 2022 is all finesse. Crushed flowers, sweet red cherry, cedar, new leather, spice and blood orange all meld together effortlessly. Larmande is, quite simply, exquisite.

A floral, cherry- and plum-scented wine on the nose, with a medium-bodied, soft, elegant, polished, and fresh palate. A nice touch of minerality emerges on the finish of the black-raspberry- and cherry-driven palate. Drink from 2027–2040.

Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate rim brightening. Delicate herbal savouriness, dark wild berries, a touch of orange zest. Juicy, red berry nuances, good freshness, a touch of chocolate on the finish, balanced, an animating companion at the table.

Red and black fruits, spring flowers, and a lively earth and mineral streak all emerge from the 2022 Château Larmande, a medium-bodied, fresh, focused, elegant Saint-Emilion. Based on 79% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, it's not massive but shines for its overall balance and finesse. It’s going to shine for 15+ years.

Delicate red-berry bouquet, dried rosemary, walnut and blackcurrant nectar. On the compact palate with a supple texture, grainy extract, a tightly knit tannic framework and a muscular body. In the encapsulated finish, plum skin and dark minerality paired with crumbly astringency, rounded off.

Cherry pit, raspberry, smoked earth, fruit a little overpowered by the alcohol, struggles to maintain balance. La Mondiale Group owners, 60% new oak for ageing

A lively, sparkling, racy nose, like a bouquet of flowers. The palate shows aristocratic elegance: fresh fruit carried by superb salinity. A very fine wine.

Delicate, fresh and fruity, the bouquet of Larmande 2022 is inviting, uplifting and subtle. The precise aromatic character is echoed on the palate from the very first attack, with striking energy and precision. The wine fully embraces its character devoted to finesse. It knows it is not made for exuberance and opulence, so it focuses on its undeniable gifts for elegance… And it is right to do so, because this is (at last) contemporary.

Dark, intense, vibrant color. Moderately aromatic nose with ripe, subtle fruit. The palate is all about a gentle, pleasing tactile smoothness, with a lovely return of the aromas on the finish. Average length. Fine texture.

The 2022 Larmande has turned out beautifully in bottle, offering up aromas of sweet cherries, minty berries, licorice and peony, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and supple palate that's long and layered. This estate's wines are always charming, but the 2022 possesses an additional dimension of depth and interest.