L'Aventure : Optimus 2022

Black olive tapenade on the nose, quite savoury with dark black fruit aromas, some vanilla and chocolate elements too. Smooth and silky with amazingly high acidity that you don't expect from the aromatic display. Lively and clean, tongue-scraping with a long length of almost tart strawberry and wet stones. Biting acidity with tons of mint and minerality. Mouthwatering but not too much, a little clipped on the finish but more due to tension at this point, I think. A cooler-climate feel to this, definitely not jammy; it has concentration but a fresh aspect to the fruit with pronounced acidity and minerality. Clean and focused. Very drinkable. Ageing 18 months; 81% in one-year-old French oak, 19% new, with malolactic fermentation in barrels.

Lifted and perfumed nose with aromas of bramble berries, cedar and mocha. The palate is full-bodied with finely integrated tannins and fresh acidity, showing notes of blackcurrants, tobacco leaves and graphite. Very well constructed and balanced. A blend of 66% syrah, 25% cabernet sauvignon and 9% petit verdot. Drink or hold.

The 2022 Optimus checks in as 66% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Petit Verdot. This deep ruby/purple-hued effort offers a terrific nose of ripe blackberries, peppery herbs, violets, and game, followed by a full-bodied, concentrated yet beautifully balanced palate. I love its tannins; it has a soft, supple mouthfeel and a great finish. It’s already drinking beautifully and will evolve nicely for 8–10 years.

66% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot. Late-season heatwave: 10 days at over 40 °C from 31 August. Harvest 26 August to 3 October. Aged for 18 months in French oak, 18% new, remainder second use. Bottled without fining or filtration March 2024. Been on the Place for years. Mainly Japan and UK sales apparently. Ripe and round on the nose though it doesn’t really follow through. Pleasant rather than stunning. Stringy finish. (JR)

The 2022 Optimus is 66% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Petit Verdot aged in 19% new French oak. The nose displays a combination of ripe, seductive dark fruits with a pointed, menthol-like sharpness, giving off aromas of pine sap, green peppercorns and incense. The palate is medium-bodied but quite sappy and concentrated, transitioning to a hard finish that calls back the astringent notes found in the nose.