2018 Le Crock

Cru bourgeois exceptionnel. 45% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. 14–18 months in oak, 30% new. Deep cherry red. Smells rich and inviting with lots scented black fruit. Deep, firm and very chewy on the palate, the tannins polished but assertive at the moment. This needs more time than most but there's a flow of freshness across the palate even with 14% alcohol. (JH)

One of the standout Cru Bourgeois of the vintage, and full of signature St Estèphe flesh and power. Plenty of chewy tannins to hold in the blueberry and blackberry fruits, alongside black pepper, turmeric and cinammon spice. Give it a good few hours in a carafe, and in fact when I drank this I went back to it the next day and it had held up perfectly. 30% new oak, 35hl/h yield. Owned by the Cuvelier family of Léoville Poyferré.

Composed of 45% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 le Crock has a deep garnet-purple color and vibrant, open-knit scents of crushed blackcurrants, redcurrant jelly and minted black berries with hints of mossy tree bark and pencil lead. The medium-bodied palate delivers a good amount of crunchy black fruit with a lightly chewy texture and a refreshing finish.