Les Cruzelles 2019

Lots of smoked grilled herb and black fruit notes here, this has the same reduction as La Chenade, but it's gorgeous, with an espresso edge and a ton of liquorice bud. Lots of fresh acidities, carefully placed, tiptoeing through the palate. The 2018 is a more exuberant Les Cruzelles, but this is a serious wine, with real character and life ahead. 40% new oak.

Tasted blind. Some rich fruit and real generosity. There is lots of tannin but no excessive drying sensation on the finish. GV 14.5%Drink 2026– 2040

Ripe black cherries, blueberries, iron, spring flowers, and a touch of chocolaty minerality emerge from the 2019 Château Les Cruzelles, another incredible success from Denis Durantou. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, you should buy a case and drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years.

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc; 40% new oak. Barrel sample.More depth and intensity than sister La Chenade. Lovely, pure, almost burgundian red-fruit aromatics with cherry, raspberry notes. Palate bright and vivacious with delicious fruit and an additional floral note. Finely honed tannins, the wine overall gently poised and balanced. Should be GV. (JL) 14.5%Drink 2024 – 2034

The 2019 Les Cruzelles is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged in 40% new oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little swirling to unlock beguiling scents of kirsch, mulberries, lavender, and tree bark with hints of cracked black pepper and tilled soil. Full-bodied, the palate is taut and muscular with a firm line of grainy tannins and compelling tension, finishing long and fragrant.

The 2019 Les Cruzelles offers disarming aromas of blackberry and blueberry fruit, perhaps a little more discreet than some of Durantou’s other cuvées and requiring more coaxing from the glass. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannins and perfectly judged acidity, the 40% new oak neatly integrated. Fans out with confidence on the aftertaste, which turns increasingly peppery courtesy of the 20% Cabernet Franc. This is very promising. 2023 - 2033

The 2019 Les Cruzelles, the late Denis Durantou's Lalande-de-Pomerol estate, was picked between 18 and 28 September and matured in 30% new oak. It has a very really gorgeous bouquet with disarmingly pure blackberry and blueberry fruit. The oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with dark berry fruit mixed with dried orange peel and a pinch of sea salt. This has so much character and personality, the salinity on the finish lingers wonderfully. 2023 - 2033

This is smoky, spicy and meaty with blueberry character. It’s medium-bodied with a chewy texture and a tight, pronounced finish. Serious.

This wine is produced by Denis Darantou and family of Château L’Eglise-Clinet. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Les Cruzelles (a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc) opens with powerful black fruit scents of ripe blackberries, black cherries and mulberries with underlying floral notions of lilacs and wilted roses and hints of dark chocolate, fertile loam and mossy tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock-full of expressive, crunchy black fruits, framed by chunky tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with a peppery kick.

For me this stands out above La Chenade, in the yin and yang of these two terroirs. Has more signature of the Pomerol side of Lalande, with rich coffee-tinged blackberry fruits, still with beautiful control and lift. Silky, elegant, concentrated. This is a wine that stands as a tribute to the brilliance of Denis Durantou in these smaller appellations, and is one that you will drink with emotion. Drinking Window 2023 - 2036