Château Loudenne 2022

Very ripe fruit, smoked tea, pumpernickel; shows power, opulence, noticeable tannins that dry out the wine. Feels heavily extracted, needs to age.

Sleek and bright, juicy and ripe, with a cool, refreshing grip to the liquorice, cola, tobacco and espresso-edged tannins. Really quite compact at this stage, a mouthful of tannins that doesn’t deviate too far, but the initial fruit was bright and juicy and this has appealing density and chewiness with nuances of cola, vanilla, mint, crushed stone, aniseed and clove. Harvest 14 September - 4 October. Ageing 18 months; 33% new barrels (225L and 500L), 66% two-wine (225L and 500L). Derenoncourt consultants.

Certified HVE and organic. 54% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc. They were terribly affected by the June hail and harvested only 8 hl/ha across the estate. Amazingly, the vines are recovering – perhaps stronger because of the organic viticulture, suggests Philippe de Poyferré. Because yields were so low, they fermented 50% in 500-litre barrels to get more fruit richness. The rest in tank. The blend is then aged 50% in new 500-litre French oak barrels and 50% in one-year-old 225-litre barrels. Cask sample. Black core with purple rim. Pure, dark cassis aroma, very Cabernet on the nose. Slightly oaky/charry on the palate but the fruit has remained pure, and the tannins are nicely dry and savoury. A refined Loudenne vintage. (JH)

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Red berry nuances, fresh cherries, some liquorice and tangerine zest. Cherry, dark nougat, freshly structured, slightly leafy on the finish, perhaps the hail has left its mark here.

The nose offers tension and concentration. It delivers concentrated notes of red fruits (wild strawberry, raspberry coulis), black fruits (blackberry, black plum, morello cherry), as well as herbal, spicy and floral notes (licorice, clove, freshly cut mint, cornflower, violet). The palate is fresh and refined, fruit-driven (wild strawberry, black plum, morello cherry), with a spicy touch of licorice. Pleasant bitterness on the finish and fine herbal notes in the background. Lovely freshness and good potential.

Opaque, deep colour; both the nose and palate are marked by the ageing, with intense oak character and, for this first organic-certified vintage, the concentration and tannic structure—both very rich—need a little more time to soften. Clear potential.

90-92 Barrel sample. Rich Cabernet is showing well in this ripe wine. Acidity and structure go well with the black-currant fruits. The wine is showing well.