G d'Estournel 2024

Quite a savoury, toasted nose, lots of clove, cedar and tobacco edges to the blackcurrant fruit. Gently succulent and chalky, this has a push of light black cherries and strawberries with a mineral grip. Calm and cool, really quite light in terms of texture and length, with nothing out of place. It remains lifted and sleek, not really a showstopper, but it’s equally nice that it’s more restrained as there’s no dryness. Lovely liquorice and slate aspect on the finish. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Aged in 12% new barrels. pH 3.61.

61% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 29 hl/ha. Cask sample. Fruity and open but with a touch of green. Some sweetness on the attack but light in the middle, the acidity pronounced. Dry and grainy on the finish. (JL)

Black cherries, licorice, and cocoa are what you notice in your initial sniff and sip. The medium-bodied palate is fresh, forward, and open, allowing you to enjoy its black cherry profile, with salty-accented fruit and chocolate on release. The wine blends 61% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2027–2034. 89–91 pts

Score: 87–89. A flamboyant, showy, seductive wine, as if dusted with glitter: it opens straightforwardly with freshly picked black fruit and a delicate touch of rose leaf. On the palate, the expression is spicy, flavorful, resolutely hedonistic, mingling licorice and graphite.

Focus and purity to the fruit aromatics, careful construction, leafy character that manages to turn into sappy juiciness on the finish, but lacks the concentration of recent vintages. 29hl/h yield, harvest September 23 to October 7, lower temperature fermentation around 26C than in the past, and shorter maceration, 3.61ph.

Still youthful, the bouquet of G d’Estournel reveals plenty of freshness along with fruity notes. Supported by compact tannins, the wine is vigorous and mouthwatering. They provide a solid backbone and are perfectly integrated. A precise, flavoursome wine. It can be enjoyed in its youth, but it has what it takes to age for a little while.