La Confession 2022 (750ML)

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

Blackberries, black olives and dark chocolate with some volcanic salt undertones. Medium body. Juicy and chewy. A blend of 70% merlot, 27% cabernet franc and 3% malbec. - James Suckling

Austere in its construction, with fresh acidity running through the palate, this opens to show creamy raspberry and red cherry fruit, intense but with a sense of restraint. Smoked sandalwood oak on the finish threatens the balance, but this has charm and is impressive. Jean-Philipe Janoueix owner. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Proprietor Jean-Philippe Janoueix has brought in consultant Thomas Duclos to initiate a stylistic shift in the direction of less oak and extraction, and the 2022 La Confession is the first vintage to see the effects of this new approach. Offering up aromas of dark berries, cherries, licorice and rose petals, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and supple, with a lively core of fruit and a saline, perfumed finish. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

The 2022 La Confession is a heady, intense Saint-Émilion. Black cherry, plum, gravel, incense, licorice and chocolate add to an impression of richness. This exuberant, flashy SaintÉmilion will be an absolute delight to drink pretty much upon release. Tasted two times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Juicy and pure, tannins make the mark almost straight away but they are fine with real bite and precision, nice intensity and drive. Lovely energy and sleekness, I like the salty chewy but firm tannins, they give nice support to the blackcurrant and cherry fruit with a lifted fresh finish. Energetic, sculpted, serious and fun! So much easy drinking pleasure to be had here, still with grip and focus. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

The 2022 Château La Confession should be outstanding. It has good ripeness in its black cherries and assorted darker fruits, which give way to more chocolate, graphite, and earth with air. Medium-bodied on the palate, nicely textured, and balanced, this blend of 70% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Malbec is going to evolve for 15-20 years if well stored. - Jeb Dunnuck