2017 Petit Bocq

The 2017 Petit Bocq, Cru Bourgeois from Saint-Estèphe, has a classy bouquet that unfurls nicely on the nose, delivering crisp blackcurrant, blueberry and cedar notes without any fuss. There is less emphasis on the "tertiary" characteristics that you usually find in this appellation. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, well judged acidity and lovely black fruit laced with espresso and sea salt. This constitutes a stylish Cru Bourgeois that will drink well for the next decade. Recommended.

50% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot. Deep cherry red. Fragrant with cassis but also something riper and more plummy. Smells sweeter than many. Oak is more obvious on the palate, and there’s not a lot of flesh in the middle. Chewy and rather dry on the finish. Hard work. Hard to assess the ageing potential here. (JH)

The 2017 Petit Bocq has a light bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, a touch of iris and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with rather tough tannin compared to its peers, chewy in the mouth with a grippy finish that would benefit from a little more flesh. Let’s see how this turns out in bottle.