2016 Château de Pressac

Vineyard planted with 70% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Pressac (Malbec), 2% Carmenère. Notably dark, almost blackish, crimson. Interesting, distinctive nose. I wonder whether the unusually wide range of grape varieties is a factor? A little brutal and meaty but full of life and interest. Is this cultivated in a particularly organic way? Very good tannin management. Real vitality here. Though admittedly the fruit is much more obvious than the tannin until the very end. I liked this much more than when I first tasted it. (JR)

Plenty of bay leaf, forest floor, and spring flower notes emerge from the 2016 Château de Pressac. This beauty has plenty of sweet cassis and black raspberry fruit, medium to full body, nicely integrated tannins, and outstanding purity of fruit. It's not the richest or most concentrated out there, but it's beautifully balanced. It shows more and more minerality with time in the glass and is an impressive, outstanding Saint Emilion from this estate.

A very impressive wine for a chateau that’s not so well known. Deep and rich with a ton of elderberry and bitter-chocolate aromas, but still dry and very straight, thanks to the beautiful, fine-grained and lively acidity. A blend of 71 per cent merlot, 16 per cent cabernet franc, nine per cent cabernet sauvignon, two per cent carmenere and two per cent malbec.