Reviews

The 2021 Charlemagne Grand Cru comes from two parcels, the En Charlemagne lieu-dit picked a week after Le Charlemagne. This has one of my favourite noses from Vougeraie; it's quite refined and complex, more mineraldriven with hints of dried white flowers. The palate is well balanced with a tangy opening, fresh and crisp with a touch of bitter lemon and orange rind towards the finish. This should age well in bottle and conveys a sense of class.

This sports a toasty edge, but there's a good gush of warmed cassis and steeped plum behind that, while the finish offers a lush, flattering feel as it picks up licorice and fruitcake hints. Drink now through 2032. 1,580 cases made.

This throws a gush of warmed cassis and creamed plum notes out front, with polished structure and toast along the edges that then blossoms through the finish. A late tug of loamy earth keeps this just honest enough. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2030. 177 cases made.

A ripe, lush style, with flattering waves of cassis and creamed plum laced with sweet toast, light anise and apple wood. A nice underlying structure provides balance while letting the fruit hold center stage. Drink now through 2032. 1,502 cases made.

Lively, with a chaparral streak running through a mix of steeped plum, blueberry and blackberry fruit. Light alder and anise accents hang in the background. Juicy and open through the finish, too. Drink now through 2030. 194 cases made.

Ripe, juicy and fairly open-knit, with black currant and blackberry notes leading the way, backed by light licorice snap and tar. A juicy edge drives the finish. Drink now through 2030. 262 cases made.

A lovely beam of creamed raspberry, blueberry and açaí fruit streams through, with a polished structure that lets everything glide through the finish seductively, picking up light anise and sweet bay leaf notes. Drink now through 2035. 88 cases made.

The 2015 Surrealist is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. It delivers maturing, tertiary notes of unsmoked cigars, incense, fragrant soil, and crushed rocks over a core of blackcurrant pastilles, black cherry preserves, and preserved plums, plus a touch of dried mint. The full-bodied palate is firm, grainy, and lively, with muscular fruit leading to a lingering ferrous note on the finish of this wonderfully sophisticated wine.

The 2015 Leopard is composed of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, and 11% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it needs a little swirling to reveal notes of charcuterie, tapenade, and black pepper with a core of blackcurrant cordial, prunes, blueberry compote, and menthol, plus a hint of tobacco leaf. The full-bodied palate is rich, firm, and grainy with a lively backbone, finishing long and energetic.

Deep garnet in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon No 10 bursts with notes of baked blackcurrants and stewed plums with hints of sauteed herbs, pencil lead, and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is rich and powerful, coating the whole mouth with firm, rugged tannins, finishing long and earthy.