2017 Le Dome

Planted on sandy soils and the normal 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, the 2017 Le Dôme offers a gorgeous bouquet of blueberries, violets, spring flowers, and spice. It's incredibly polished, medium to full-bodied, has integrated acidity, and a gorgeous, gorgeous finish. It has more textural richness than just about every other wine in the vintage and is one of the few superstars produced in 2017. Hats off to winemaker Jonathan Maltus.

You can feel the slight difference in style that one degree less alcohol makes this year, but it retains rich notes of coffee bean, chocolate, liquorice and blue berry fruits. The 80% new oak is very well integrated, and there is good volume in the mouth. It's an enjoyable wine that, for me, benefits from the less overplayed style, even if it doesn't have quite the complexity of last year. The vines are pruned to four bunches pretty much every year at Le Dôme to keep the yields low, meaning that despite no frost this saw a yield of 32hl/ha.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Franc with 20% Merlot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Le Dome has a reticent nose of crushed black cherries, raspberry preserves and kirsch with hints of pencil shavings, cast iron pan, violets and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, firm and with great freshness, it has a perfumed/mineral character and great length.