2016 Tour de Haut-Moulin

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. 30% new oak for 12–15 months. Label modernisation since 2011! Deep crimson. One of the deepest 2016s in fact. Really interesting, complex nose already. Although on the palate it is still unformed. Some dried herbs and lots of tannins. Very dry finish and a hint of rather spicy oak – the first wine that has made me conscious of oak in fact. (JR)

This offers an attractive array of dark chocolate, berries and plums, as well as more earthy nuances. The palate has a deep, firm feel and delivers really attractive flavors in assertive, long and juicy form. Drink or hold.

The 2016 Tour du Haut Moulin, which is matured in 40% new oak, has a very classy, svelte, black cherry and blueberry scented bouquet that blossoms in the glass, quite floral in style. The palate is medium-bodied with smooth tannin, just a hint of chocolate on the entry but there is plenty of fruit underneath the carapace of new oak. Give this two or three years and it will be a lovely Haut-Médoc to savor. Tasted at the Oenoconseil tasting room in Bordeaux.