it’s racy and polished with firm tannins and reserved fruit. Medium-bodied with reserved meat and smoke flavors. The texture is polished and tight at the end. Very structured. Aged two-thirds in casks and one-third in barrels. From organically grown grapes. Needs three to four years to soften.

The heat of 2022 gives traces of cumin and rosemary spice, focused and intense, with clear tannin integration even at this early stage, with the alcohol coming through in a creamy texture rather than heat. Plenty of ripe berry fruit, with cocoa bean and espresso. The Bishop Rey wines are impressive across this vintage, worth looking out for and a reflection of how well Castillon performed as a whole. Harvest September 13, Thomas Barbe technical director, Thomas Duclos consultant, Emmanuelle Fulchi winemaker. Ageing in a mix of 33% new oak barrels and the rest in large wooden vats, 0.7ha plot of vines at 93m altitude.