Tour Saint Christophe 2019

The Vignobles K are becoming essential wines for sure-fire quality. Plump black cherry and damson fruits, a little upfront with the grilled oak right now that makes things a touch austere, but there is freshness running underneath and it will soften over the next few years. Good quality. Tasted twice. 37hl/ha yield, 40% new oak for ageing.

The 2019 Tour Saint Christophe was picked from 27 September until 15 October at 37hl/ha. Matured in 40% new oak, this has an incredibly concentrated bouquet that needs to shrug off a little reduction when I taste it. Layers of blackberry and blueberry, wilted violets and orange rind burst from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe grippy tannins that frame the layers of dense black fruit tinged with allspice and graphite. It is a Saint-Émilion clearly built for the long-term, powerful and uncompromising, perhaps one that will be in need of cellaring for several years before it becomes approachable. 2024 - 2045

This is tight with finesse and focus. Minerally and salty with an ultra-fine palate and polished tannins. It goes on and on and on. Strength and finesse at the same time. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc.

The 2019 Tour Saint Christophe is deep garnet-purple in color. Black cherry preserves, dried mulberries, and baked plums all waft from the glass followed by hints of Indian spices, fragrant soil, and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating, bright black fruits with a lively backbone and soft, ripe tannins, finishing with a skip in its step. The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc

In 2012, Hong Kong-based Peter Kwok purchased this vineyard located in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes. The average age of vines is 30 years old. The wine is aging in 40% new oak barrels, 40% one-year-old barrels and 20% two-year-old barrels. The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with fruit from the Cassevert lieu-dit, and the wine has 14.3% alcohol at a pH of 3.6. Deep purple-black in color, the 2019 Tour Saint-Christophe leaps from the glass with gregarious notes of fresh red and black cherries, mulberries and wild blueberries plus suggestions of eucalyptus, chocolate pie, cinnamon stick and clove oil with a waft of cedar chest. The full-bodied palate has seriously impressive freshness, featuring a firm, finely grained frame and loads of energetic black fruit layers, finishing long and spicy.