2014 Lanessan (Haut-Medoc)

The 2014 Lanessan has an open-knit bouquet with red cherry mixed with blackberry and raspberry scents, perhaps needing a little more mineralité and focus? The palate is medium-bodied with firm, quite grippy tannin. This is a more masculine 2014 Left Bank, nicely structured with a chalky-textured final half, offering cedar and tobacco-stained black fruit on the finish. Fine, if just missing some grace and elegance. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 87 points

The 2014 Lanessan is gorgeous. Wild cherry, herb and tobacco give the wine its distinctive savory aromatic profile, while firm tannins add energy. The result is a touch rustic, but it is also immensely pleasing. There is lovely depth in the glass, although the 2014 appears to have shut down a bit post-bottling. 91 points