2016 Cadet Bon

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Cadet-Bon rocks up with gregarious black and red cherry preserves, baked plums and mulberries scents with touches of chocolate box, unsmoked cigars and wild sage. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm, fine-grained texture and tons of freshness lifting the vivacious fruit to a good, long finish.

A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aged in one-third new oak, the 2016 Château Cadet-Bon offers a complex nose of leafy herbs, tobacco, underbrush, and cedar, with attractive red and black fruits. It's medium-bodied and focused, with moderate depth yet terrific purity and elegance, and a firm, focused feel to its tannins. Drink it over the coming 10-12 years. Tasted twice.

The 2016 Cadet-Bon perhaps just tips over the edge in terms of ripeness, hints of prune and fig infusing the dark cherry fruit and lacking a little definition. The palate is sweet and rounded on the entry and plump in style, offering ample freshness and tapering slightly toward the finish. Szechuan peppers tingle on the aftertaste. Not bad at all.