2022 Grand Corbin Despagne
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Empty bottle 540 g. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. From the northern limit of St-Émilion bordering Pomerol. Hand-harvested. Five tables for sorting, plot-by-plot winemaking. 20 days’ maceration. Aged 50% in 2-year-old barrels and 50% in vat. Organically farmed. Free SO 2 25 mg/l, total SO 2 58 mg/l, RS 0.2 g/l. Exclusive in the UK to The Wine Society. No 'price held' neck label! Sweet and layered. Very much new-wave, more restrained St-Émilion. Curranty, with very fresh fruit and the potential to age. Long. Spicy and focused. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2022 Grand Corbin-Despagne is ripe and generous, bursting with aromas of sweet berries, plums and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a suave, gourmand profile, it will offer a broad drinking window.
The 2022 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne is another inky-hued, powerful Saint-Emilion in the vintage. Possessing a pure, nicely oaked nose of ripe red, blue, and black fruits as well as sappy flowers, violets, and graphite, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a juicy, lively mouthfeel, nicely polished tannins, and outstanding length. It offers ample pleasure today yet will have 15-20 years of overall longevity.
The 2022 Grand Corbin Despagne has improved on the nose compared to its showing in barrel with more delineation and freshness. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and fine acidity. It's quite peppery on the finish. This is not as complex as its peers, though it deserves a higher score than I awarded it at primeur.