2022 Marsau (Cotes de Bordeaux Francs)

This medium to full-bodied 2022 Marsau is an attractive wine produced from 100% Merlot. It has a delightfully pure bouquet of peony, violet, iris, menthol and cassis, followed by a crunchy and juicy yet fresh texture and then by a mineral-driven finish of remarkable purity, expressing elegant notes of licorice and pencil lead. Anne-Laurence and Mathieu Chadronnier have produced a red wine that punches above its weight. Bravo! 92-94 points

Floral notes on the aromatics, shows the heavy spice of the vintage with black pepper, rosemary and turmeric notes, begins to lift through the palate as it opens. An unusual spot in Franc Côtes de Bordeaux with a lot of clay in the soils, and this is powerful and concentrated, with a flash of heat on the finish. 12ha vineyard, entirely clay, entirely Merlot, organic since 2018, no till farming, 25hl/h yield. Harvest September 7 to 12, to be aged 80% large oak casks (no new oak), 10% one year old, 10% neutral oak and amphora. 92 points

The 2022 Marsau is powerful, rich Cotes de Bordeaux. It emerges from a 12-acre, biodynamically farmed parcel of Merlot on clay 20 kilometers east of Saint-Emilion. Dense and vibrant, the 2022 possesses notable density in its fruit and also plenty of structure. Marsau is unique in that it is aged 80% in foudre, the rest in used oak, tank and amphora. Larger format oak naturally yields a wine that is quite reticent within the context of Bordeaux, especially en primeur. 90-92 points