Château Marjosse : Anthologie de Marjosse Cuvee les Truffiers 2018

From a clay-limestone parcel from Château Marjosse, the 2018 Cuvée Les Truffiers, deriving from old Merlot vines, shows a profound, dense bouquet with aromas of wild dark berries, licorice, oak and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it’s seamless and built around ripe, powdery tannins. It’s approachable now but also built to evolve with grace.

Blackberry, blueberry, wood and mushroom on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied with chewy tannins. Juicy and fruity at first, with freshness and crisp acidity. Flavorful finish. Drink now.

The first vintage of Pierre Lurton's trio of 100% Merlot wines from three distinct vineyard parcels. The 2018s will be sold as a trio in a gift box. According to the Marjosse press release, “The three single-parcel cuvées are the latest step in a significant shift in winemaking that began in 2017 at Marjosse. Whilst the property had been well-regarded for years for its classic Bordeaux blends, both red and white, it was only three years ago that Pierre Lurton decided to take a turn towards a more artisanal way of making wines, vinifying a good part of his parcels separately, harvesting grapes by hand and experimenting different methods of fermenting and ageing, including the use of 225-litre barriques, concrete eggs and amphorae. Les Truffiers, a parcel sitting on a limestone plateau with poor soil, yields the most intense and powerful of the three merlots, which was aged for 18 months in a mix of 400-litre and regular-size new barrels.” Deep glowing crimson. The oak is initially quite obvious in spice and chocolate tones but that seems to disappear and be replaced by a lovely, gently floral/herbal purity to the black fruit, plus a savoury aroma that is quite hard to describe, very slightly earthy/smoky, but it’s that delicate herbal character that keeps coming back. On the palate, this is a powerful and structured wine but the alcohol is well hidden in the intensity of the fruit purity. The tannins are remarkably fine and refined for a wine that has seen so much new oak but they are firm and built for the longer term. Lively, scented on the palate too. Elegant in its power, and persistent. Deceptively approachable, even with the structuring tannins, but likely to gain in complexity. (JH)

Complex bouquet with notes of blond tobacco, strawberries, and redcurrants. A tasty, creamy attack. The tannins are creamy, silky, and perfectly integrated. The wine has charm, breed, freshness, and a long finish.