La Conseillante 2022

The freshness and aromatics are really beautiful. Flowers such as orange blossoms with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. Medium-bodied, this has ultrafine tannins that run the length of the wine and caress every inch. Very elegant and vivid at the end. Such refinement and loveliness for the vintage. 87% merlot and 13% cabernet franc. Try after 2028.

Deep inky colour, crushed rose petal and peony, such a beautiful wine, with waves of blueberry and cassis fruit, along with liqourice root, lemongrass, slate and saffran, and one of the clear standout successes of Pomerol. 95% 1st wine this year, with just 5% for Duo de La Conseillante. Slow progress through the palate, this has vintage character but leans into it. 70% new oak, 3.65ph. Harvest 5 to 20.

A wine that has perfection written all over it is the 2022 Chateau La Conseillante, which is 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 70% new French oak, with a tiny amount in amphora as well. Revealing a vivid purple hue, it offers a perfumed yet incredibly classy, almost discreet bouquet of crème de cassis, spring flowers, red plums, incense, and spice. This terroir never seems to yield the biggest, richest wine in a vintage, yet it's almost unrivaled in its ability to deliver complexity and elegance. Full-bodied on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and again, a purity of fruit that's just about off the charts, it's going to offer pleasure with just 4-6 years of bottle age (these usually enter their prime drinking window a decade after a vintage) and have 30-40 years of prime drinking. The 2022 hit 13.9% alcohol with a pH of 3.65.

There is a spectacular perfume here, and while it is dominated by massively deep and indulgent black fruit notes, there is an underlying sense of minerality coupled with earth and skin notes that bring an anti-fruit fanfare that is sensational. Everything is perfectly balanced, not least the spectacular waves of ripe fruit. The Merlot berry sizes were not particularly small at La Conseillante, but the Cabernet Franc grapes were tiny, and this Franc element sings loudly and forcefully in this wine. And while this is a very concentrated creation, there is lift, balance, and depth of flavour that seems beguiling and monastically serene. It appears to be approachable already, but this must be an illusion. Either way, the robe of red fruit is both eye-catching and arresting. You cannot fail to notice just how glamorous this wine is, and yet beneath this exterior, there is a steely chassis and a brittle seriousness that will propel this wine forward for decades to come. The graphite notes are rigid (perhaps graphene is a better expression here), and the silky texture is luminous and mirror-like, reflecting all and shining nonetheless. A tiny amount of Duo was made, but I did not taste it, and it will inevitably be a superb effort given the extreme prowess of this Grand Vin. I went back to my glass for one last sip and found even more detail – a millefeuille of exotic spice, florals and cacao appeared atop the wells of dark fruit, and this uniqueness and multi-faceted crystalline structure ensure that this is one of the most spectacular and memorable wines of the vintage.

The 2022 La Conseillante is a remarkable wine that has the potential to emerge as one of the wines of the vintage. A blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, it unfurls in the glass with deep aromas of black raspberries and mulberries mingled with notions of rose petals, violets, orange zest and mint. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's velvety and enveloping, with a textural attack that segues into a multidimensional mid-palate that's framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. Checking in at a very healthy pH of 3.65 and 14% alcohol, it is a beautifully supple, suave wine that retains all this estate's signature elegance but in a slightly deeper-pitched and broader-shouldered format than the profound 2020. Congratulations to winemaker Marielle Cazaux, consulting enologist Thomas Duclos, the Nicolas family led by Jean-Valmy, and all the team at La Conseillante who have firmly established this estate at the very top of Pomerol's qualitative hierarchy in recent vintages.

Bottled at the end of May 2024, the 2022 La Conseillante takes time to open in glass, as I anticipated after its showing out of barrel when it needed time. There is a mixture of red and black fruit, touches of black truffle and a hint of crushed violet—all very finely delineated. The palate is quite well balanced with a little more red fruit compared to its showing from barrel and a killer line of acidity that imparts a lot of freshness. Gentle grip lingers with just a touch of black pepper as it gains weight toward the finish. Maybe more classical in style than you might expect, this is a fresh, classic La Conseillante that will age supremely well in bottle. 2029 - 2060

The 2022 La Conseillante was picked at 33hL/ha between 5 and 20 September and raised in 70% new oak plus 30% in amphorae. There is 13.9% alcohol. This is quite discrete on the nose, just like L'Évangile, only really opening after several minutes. Blackberry, blueberry, hints of iris flower, perhaps more floral than L'Évangile and Cheval Blanc. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannins plus a fine bead of acidity. Fresh and focused, this is maybe less concentrated on the mid-palate than expected but that maintains an unerring sense of equilibrium. Tensile and very smooth with an underlying sense of strict like its aforementioned neighbors. A rough decant prizes this Pomerol open and reveals its inner core of mineralité. Anyone spending less than 15 minutes tasting this Pomerol is likely to have totally missed it. Saline both on the finish and aftertaste, Marielle Cazaux has crafted one of the most intellectual La Conseillante wines in recent years. 2032-2065

This is sensational with extra fine tannins that run the length of the wine. It’s medium-bodied with excellent length and so Conseillante in nature. Silky, silky, silky. Creamy texture. Flowers such as violets at the end. Love this. 87% merlot and 13% cabernet franc.

A sensational effort in 2022, utterly fabulous and one of my favourites. Smells ripe and potent, an air of opulence and richness, so perfumed and open with soft herbal and spiced elements. This wows on the palate, creamy tannins, rich but silky, so well integrated with cool, wet stone and blue fruit nuances and juicy acidity giving freshness. It manages to give with one hand and take away with the other, a supreme balancing act of providing the sumptuous power and concentration of the vintage but so delicately packaged with layers of energy, brightness and precision. Great movement and direction. Pure Pomerol power and pleasure on offer here, exciting and elegant and really feels like it’s not trying too hard. 5-6% press wine.