The blend here is 58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc, of which 37% comes from the old Grand Pontet vines, and it accounts for just 22% of the crop. The élevage was twelve months in 38% new oak. It takes fruit only from the...
The blend here is 58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc, of which 37% comes from the old Grand Pontet vines, and it accounts for just 22% of the crop. The élevage was twelve months in 38% new oak. It takes fruit only from the highest vines, on the plateau around Quintus, and the very top part of Grand Pontet. A beautifully fragrant nose, filled with sweet blackcurrant and bramble fruits, crushed oyster shells, smoke, rose petals and tar. The palate is beautifully correct, polished and bright, with a dark and spicy texture, filled with liquorice, smoke, black bean and soy, with a rich wrapping of fine, tightly knit but very evident tannins, and a bright, vivacious acidity. Plenty of dark structure and dark fruit here, with a length filled with smoky tobacco and firm tannin. We have a really impressive Quintus in 2022, showing dark and juicy energy but also great cellaring potential in the structure. The alcohol on the label is 15.5%, although remarkably this does not show as heat on the palate. Difficult to predict how this will age with this composition, but I would view it with a cautious eye. I would give a higher score if the alcohol was at a more conventional level.