Capbern 2022 (750ML)

94-96 JD / 92-93 JS / 91-93 WI / 90-92 WA / 90-92 VM / 91 JA / 91 DE

One of the more opulent, sexy wines in the vintage, the 2022 Château Capbern just about jumps out of the glass with its sweet red, blue, and black fruits as well as notions of chocolate, graphite, and leafy herbs. Full-bodied, concentrated, and textured on the palate, with ripe tannins, this stunning Saint-Estèphe is up there with the finest vintages I've tasted from this château. - Jeb Dunnuck

A firm and tight red with blackberry and currant character. Medium body. Bright and savory. - James Suckling

Made from 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Capbern is deep garnet-purple in color. It sashays out with flamboyant scents of warm cassis, fresh blackberries, and cherry pie, followed by suggestions of sassafras, cedar chest, and iron ore. The concentrated, full-bodied palate is jam packed with black fruit flavors, supported by finely grained tannins and just enough freshness, finishing decadently rich and with great persistence. pH 3.8. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine independent

Notes of dark berries and cherries mingled with licorice and loamy soil introduce the 2022 Capbern, a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy wine framed by ripe, powdery tannins and concluding with a long, somewhat heady finish. It's a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, picked between the 6th and 27th of September. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

The 2022 Capbern was cropped at 26hL/ha between 6 and 27 September, a 20-day cuvaison and matured in 60% new oak for a planned 18 months. The Cabernet Sauvignon berries were tiny this year, which underlies why the Merlot comprises a higher percentage of the blend. It has an airy, floral bouquet with blackberries, wild strawberries and a touch of raspberry confit. There's an almost Pinotlike purity. The palate is medium-bodied with a grippy, peppery entry, fullbodied and muscular at the moment. I'm seeking a bit more grace here - perhaps this SaintEstèphe is slightly overrevving on the finish? - Neal Martin, Vinous media

Attractive inky ruby colour, sculpted slightly heady iris flowers on the aromatics, opens to damson fruits, cocoa bean, liquorice root, slate, clear concentration and a flash of heat. Harvest began on September 6, earliest ever seen here, through to September 27. 26hl/h yields. 60% new oak. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Smells gorgeous, rich and vibrant with dark bramble berry tones. Blackcurrant and black cherry. Quite tannic straight away, they make the impression, slightly grainy and chalky giving a wide, expansive and mouth coating feeling. Bold, but clean and clear, it has a nice crispness as well as depth with some minty, herbal liquorice, flint and clove aspects on the finish. Slightly lifted in terms of alcohol impression at the end, sticking out a touch, but overall this is quite streamlined and sleek, not plush at all but cooly concentrated with a subtly juice core. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.25% pH. Ageing 18 months, 60% new french oak barrels. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter