2018 Petit Village (Pomerol)

This is a bigger vintage than some years at Petit-Village, with an excellent balance and an impressive swagger, giving notes of pencil lead and liquorice through the mid palate that give it a fairly Left Bank feel. There is clear concentration here with raspberry fruits that have an attractive floral edge and an abundance of silky and plump tannins. They are HVE3 but not organic and had a yield still lower than usual at 23hl/ha due to mildew and difficult fruit set which meant extremely careful sorting was required. 40% new oak was used. Winemaker Dania Berrouet-Garcia. 93 points

72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 80% old vines. 15 months in oak, 40% new. Spanish technical director Diana Berrouet-Garcia is married to J-F Berrouet, son of Petrus`s Jean-Claude. Darkest cherry red. Subtly spicy dark-fruited nose, quite restrained though the sample is relatively cold. Opens up to a more pencil-like perfume. Upright, and tastes as if there is more Cabernet Sauvignon than there is, perhaps because the Cabernet Sauvignon was so intense this year so that it needed to be infused not extracted, as many winemakers said. The tannins are fine and fresh, deceptively delicate. Light on its feet and fresh but long with a touch of dark chocolate on the finish. The tannins divert you from the sweetness of fruit. 17 points

Yields are down this year at Petit Village. They had a little coulure and battled a serious attack of mildew. Later, winds from the north dehydrated some fruit. In the end, they came in at 35 hectoliters per hectare. A blend of 72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Petit Village springs from the glass with bold expressions of warm plums, Black Forest cake, black raspberries and kirsch plus hints of rose petals, chocolate box and spearmint. The palate is full and generously fruited with a firm frame of rounded tannins that have just a b it of chew, finishing with soft-spoken freshness and fragrance. 90-92+ points

The 2018 Petit-Village offers striking depth and textural richness, all in a mid-weight style that is undeniably appealing. Dark red cherry, tobacco and cedar add nuance, with an added touch of savory complexity from the Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. The finish is a bit tight at present. Hopefully élevage will take care of that. Half of the estate is farmed biodynamically. Yields are 23 hectoliters per hectare, which is about a third less than normal. Mildew was an issue, but according to Technical Director Diana Berrout-Garcia the drying northerly winds were an even more determining factor in reducing the crop. The blend is 72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 90-93 points