Chateau Villemaurine 2022

JEB DUNNUCK: "Newly acquired by the Lefévère family (Sansonnet, Soutard Cadet, and Moulin du Cadet), Château Villemaurine covers eight hectares of vines (six are in production) planted on pure limestone soils just beside the village. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc aging in 70% new barrels, the 2022 Château Villemaurine has a killer bouquet of black raspberry and cassis-like fruits interwoven with liquid flowers, camphor, and chalky minerality. With integrated oak, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a great mix of both richness and freshness, this is a brilliant wine in the making, and I suspect the best is still to come from this address."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Lots of blue fruit with chalk and white pepper. Medium body. Linear and bright. Tight and very long. Excellent potential. Tasted twice with consistent notes."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart nussig unterlegte, reife Zwetschkenfrucht, ein Hauch von Nugat und kandierten Orangenzesten, Herzkirschen sind unterlegt. Stofflig, elegant, saftig, reife Kirschen, frisch strukturiert, mineralisch und gut anhaftend, etwas Schokolade im Abgang, gute Länge, vielversprechendes Potenzial."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: „The 2022 Villemaurine, 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, is very deep purple black in color. It has a wonderfully fragrant nose of candied violets, cinnamon, cloves, and Sichuan pepper with a powerful core of blueberry pie and black cherries. The full-bodied palate is dense and muscular, with black and blue fruit layers supported by a refreshing backbone and soft tannins, finishing with an exotic spice lift. pH 3.42."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Flowers, red pit fruits, espresso and cocoa notes get the wine going. The wine is elegant, creamy, and fresh, with a strong underpinning sense of minerality that adds a salty touch to the vibrant red and black fruits from the mid-palate, through to the finish. The wine blends 85% Merlot with 15% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2025-2042."

DECANTER: "Cool blue fruits and crushed stones on the nose, smells fresh and lively. Supple and juicy, really quite fun with high acidity giving this a just shy of sharp tang before a cool, stony mentality comes in providing freshness. Well worked, they didn't push too far here and this has lovely terroir markers, linear, focussed and straight to the point. Appealing energy, density and push. Still quite chalky and powdery on the finish, almost too much, but it keeps the enjoyment while the power runs subtly underneath. A success in 2022. A yield of 38hl/ha. Ageing 16 months, 70% new French oak barrels, 30% second fill 500l wooden casks and two amphoras. HVE3 certified. Same owners as Ch Sansonnet, Moulin du Cadet and Soutard Cadet. Rolland & Associés consultants."

WEINWISSER: "Intensives blaubeeriges Bouquet, geröstete Haselnuss, edle Cassiswürze und heller Tabak. Am kompakten Gaumen mit weicher Textur, sandigem Extrakt, nerviger Rasse, straff ausgerichtetem Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale Kirschenhaut, Estragon und dunkler feinmürber Mineralik. 2030 – 2045."