Clos Manou 2020

The 2020 Clos Manou has turned out brilliantly. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, spices and licorice, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of vibrant fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, violet-inflected finish. Seamlessly constructed, it's a terrific example of haute couture winemaking that would embarrass numerous classified growths.

Medium-bodied with a chewy tannin structure and blackcurrant and graphite character. The texture ends polished and focused. Very structured.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Clos Manou flows easily out of the glass with up-front scents of crushed blackberries and mulberries giving way to suggestions of fragrant earth and potpourri with a hint of iron ore. Full-bodied, firm, and grainy, the palate delivers seamless freshness to lend definition to the intense fruit layers, finishing long and earthy.

Inky colour, sinewy muscular tannins, cassis fruits, cocoa bean, rich and nuanced dark fruits, peppered with turmeric spice and crushed rocks, proving yet again why this is a Médoc wine that any serious Bordeaux lover should get to know. Still very much in its primary, almost en primeur phase, but has all the necessary ingredients to soften over next two to three years, and to age for many more, with old school Left Bank signature. Owned by Françoise and Stéphane Dief, the property is located in St Christoly du Médoc. 60% new oak, with the rest in the mix of terracotta jars known as Dolia and concrete eggs. Unfined, and only lightly filtered.