2017 Meyney

Tasted blind.  Mid ruby colour. Savoury spices, camphor and tobacco together with earthy fruit. Muscular, rich structure. Good bones that are mouth-coating and chewy. The fruit remains intense – bright and red – without being heavy. Sinewy. Perhaps a little too dry to finish but good ambition. (TP)

The 2017 Meyney is building upon its promising showing after bottling. It has a polished, well-defined bouquet of blackberry, cedar, mint and damp clay/potter's wheel, perhaps demonstrating even more precision than a few months ago. The palate displays very fine tannins and good grip on the clove-tinged finish. A judiciously spiced and impressively proportioned Saint-Estèphe; a decade ago, under the same growing growing conditions, Meyney would not have produced a wine nearly as good as this 2017. Tasted at a vertical at Château Meyney.

A terrific effort, the 2017 Meyney is a concentrated, nicely structured wine in the vintage that’s going to have a broad drink window. Lots of black cherry, chocolate, cedarwood, and leafy tobacco notes define the bouquet, followed by a medium-bodied red with a solid spine of acidity, supple tannins, and a great finish. It’s a classic, beautifully done Saint-Estèphe to enjoy over the coming 15 years or so.