2007 Vieux Chateau Palon

(75% merlot and 25% cabernet franc) Bright, medium ruby-red. Cool, rather primary aromas of black fruits, minerals, violet, bitter chocolate and espresso. Pliant in the style of the vintage but with a distinctly primary crushed berry character and excellent clarity of flavor. Finishes firmly tannic but not dry, with good aromatic persistence to the lingering berry fruit. This needs a few years of patience. (A second sample of this wine, which I also scored 88, seemed distinctly more open-knit on the nose and lusher in the mouth, with more early sweetness to its flavors of dark berries, mocha and smoky oak. While it suggested energetic extraction, it finished with serious breadth and a fine dusting of tannins.)