2018 Clos Saint-Martin

Brambled, glass-staining blueberry and black cherry fruits, joyful and appealing, with a touch of freshness added by crushed mint leaf, cinammon spice and tobacco. This really gets the balance right betwen fruit, juice and a slght austerity. Has potential to age beautifully and is another vintage where the proof of this site's potential comes through loud and clear. 30% amphora, 70% new oak.

A blend of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Clos St. Martin offers up pronounced scents of stewed black plums, black cherry compote and dried Mediterranean herbs with hints of graphite, crushed rocks and cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied, it has a slightly chewy frame at this early stage coming from the wood tannins and a cedary undercurrent drawing attention from the compelling black fruits, finishing with nice freshness if a little woody. Give it a good 4-5 years for the oak to marry and soften, then drink it over the next 15 years or more.

The 2018 Clos Saint-Martin is a wine that I last tasted from barrel on my final visit to Bordeaux before the pandemic. Now in bottle, it has a sensual, almost understated bouquet at first, but incredibly pure, offering black cherries, touches of blue fruit and iris petals. The oak here is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins, a wonderful seam of acidity and one of the silkiest finishes that I have encountered in Saint-Émilion this vintage. Chapeau !