2018 - Feytit-Clinet, Pomerol

The 2018 Feytit-Clinet is exquisite. Inky dark fruit, gravel, spice, menthol, licorice, mint and lavender are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop as the 2018 shows off its compelling, totally unique personality. In most recent vintages, Feytit-Clinet has been explosive and quite powerful. The 2018 doesn't quite have that energy, but its (relatively) suave personality will make it easy to enjoy with only a few years in bottle. I loved it.

The 2018 Feytit Clinet is composed of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. It was aged in 70% new and 30% second year barrels, for around 16 months. The wine has 14.9% alcohol. Deep purple-black colored, it slides effortlessly out of the glass with compelling scents of baked black cherries, mulberries and plum preserves, followed by suggestions of tilled soil, pencil shavings and black truffles, plus a waft of tar. The big, rich, full-bodied palate issues mouth-coating black fruits and a wonderfully velvety texture, offering just enough freshness to support the long, decadent finish. This 6.68-hectare vineyard is situated between Trotanoy and Latour à Pomerol on gravel and sand-based soils. The average vine age is 34 years, and yields were 45 hectoliters per hectare.

I remember enjoying a bottle of a very much older vintage at the Renzland brothers’ Chez Max in Richmond – was it a century ago? This was a property nurtured by Richards Walford, late lamented. Let's see what it's like now! Jeremy Chasseuil has apparently been hard at work on the property, with its relatively high proportion of gravel. Deep dark glowing crimson – one of the darkest colours of any of this collection of 2018 Grand Cercle wines. Most unfortunately there is mild TCA on this wine (even though the cork smells pristine) and the finish is less luscious than I feel it probably should be. But there is ambitiously concentrated fruit on the mid palate, which certainly seems worth 16.5. I'd really like to taste a perfect bottle of this. I'm going to be generous in my scoring and ignore the TCA. (JR)