A richer, darker-fruited wine than its big brother Canon, the 2022 Château Berliquet comes from slightly more clay soils and is always a bigger, broader wine, especially when compared to Canon and its neighbors on the upper plateau. It offers more currant and black cherry fruit as well as scorched earth, chocolate, and truffly aromas and flavors that gain persistence and intensity with time in the glass. These carry to a rich, full-bodied Saint-Emilion that has a beautifully layered mouthfeel, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. The level of purity and precision here is exceptional. The 2022 is 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, from a mix of clay and limestone soils on the upper plateau, that spent 16 months in 44% new French oak, with 8% in amphora. It will evolve nicely over the coming 20-25 years. Maturity: 2025-2050.

February 2025

The 2022 Berliquet offers up lovely aromas of raspberries, cherries, violets and pencil shaving, followed by a medium to full-bodied, lively and seamless palate that's dense and muscular, with rich tannin and a mineral finish. As readers will remember, this is an estate on the rise, with changes including opting to retain higher canopies, which means that the fruiting zone of rows planted along the slope are now shaded, preserving freshness.

Gorgeous perfumed aromas on the nose, very inviting. Still a little shy and tense, this is straight and incredibly focussed with grip to the fine, salty tannins. Lively and juicy red fruit is there but the texture and frame are doing all the talking as well as the lingering stone, pencil lead and graphite touches on the finish. It's shy right now but I love the cool freshness all the way through, no signs of the heat of 2022 in the fruit profile and the oak is incredibly well integrated at this point. Finessed and elegant. Drinking Window: 2050-2040.

Georgina Hindle, January 2025

A small 7.5ha vineyard with limestone cellars underneath, on plateau overlooking the valley below. Investment from owners Chanel over last few years is beginning to make its presence felt. This is really tasty, love the sense of lift and chalkiness to the structure that gives a cushion to the fruit, a great quality Berliquet, delivers on En Primeur promise. 44% new oak barrels, 8 amphoras, the rest in one year old barrel, 45hl/h yield. In organic conversion. Drink From: 2027-2038.

January 2025

Aromatic and fresh with sandalwood and dark fruit as well as bark and mushrooms. Medium-bodied with creamy tannins and a savory finish. Juicy is the word. Very attractive now but better in three to four years. 

January 2025

The 2022 Berliquet continues to impress under its new ownership. Deep, plush and generous, Berliquet shows the richness of the year in its broad-shouldered, ample personality. Plum, black cherry, rose petal, cedar and leather build nicely. This was the last vintage made in the old cellar. It spent 16 months in a combination of French oak barrels and amphora. Drinking Window: 2027-2042.

January 2025

The 2022 Berliquet has a little more horsepower on the nose compared to its stablemate, Château Canon, although it does not possess the same mineralité and delineation. Black cherry, blueberry and light violet scents mix with iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with a sapid black fruit note and quite grippy tannins. This is an assertive Berliquet that deserves four to five years in bottle. It’s very fine…but I think there will be even better with age. Drinking Window: 2030-2055.

January 2025

65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Poised and elegant on the nose. Red fruit to the fore. Palate juicy but refined. Tannins finely honed. Length and persistence on the finish. Continues its upward curve. (JL)

A sister property to Canon in St-Émilion since 2007. Only one-third on the limestone plateau. 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 16 months ‘in quarries’ and 44% new barrels and eight amphoras. Cask sample. Very deep crimson. Rich, sweet and burly compared with the Canon but still with purity. Such polish! Clean and fresh. Sleekissimo. (JR)

65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc. Deep crimson. Intense cassis and cassis-leaf aroma. Surprisingly leafy for this vintage. Lots of freshness but overall a bit austere in a generous vintage. Big up front and powerful on the finish but leaner in the middle. Sweet/sour finish. (JH)