The purity of the fruit here is so impressive, with raspberry, lead pencil, cedar and sandalwood. Medium to full body with very fine and intense tannins that run the length of the wine. Mineral. Tensioned. Beautifully integrated and sophisticated at the end. Lightly salty. 78.3% merlot and 21.7% cabernet franc.

The 2023 Quintus is a rich racy Grand Vin. Ample and resonant the 2023 offers up copious dark-toned fruit cedar mint tobacco incense and French oak. There's tons of power and breadth but also more freshness than the early vintages even if the oak is a touch present today. 2028 - 2048

This year, the 2023 Quintus is a well-performing wine, possessing a dense, complex bouquet of smoke, dark wild berries and licorice intertwined with a delicate, oaky frame. Fleshy and ample, medium to full-bodied, it’s perfectly balanced with a delicate, lively core of fruit and a long, ethereal and chalky finish. The influence of the Grand Pontet limestone plateau lends additional straightness and precision to this wine, a blend of 78.3% Merlot and 21.7% Cabernet Franc.

78.3% Merlot, 21.7% Cabernet Franc. 25% of the production. Cask sample. Purple-violet colour. Dense if a little shy on the nose but more of a floral complexity. Succulent, even opulent, fruit with fine but plentiful tannins. Tension and freshness from start to finish. Mouth-wateringly saline end. Serious pretentions. (JL)