Ripeau 2022 (750ML)

94-96+ JD / 95 JA / 93-95+ WI

A château that deserves more recognition in the market today, the 2022 Château Ripeau comes from 16 hectares of vines located in the northern part of Saint-Emilion. The blend is 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, vinified with a touch of stems and carbonic maceration, with the élevage in new barrels. Incredibly pure notes of red and blue fruits, spring flowers, violets, and forest floor give way to a medium to full-bodied, silky, seamless Saint-Emilion with ultra-fine tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. The tannins here are first-rate, and this ripe, sexy, incredibly impressive 2022 could be a real superstar of a wine. Tasted multiple times. - Jeb Dunnuck

The Grégoire family is quietly producing increasingly impressive wines at Ripeau, and this is a truly excellent vintage, with silky supple tannins, soft campfire, red liqourice, smoked caramel, blackberry and damson fruit, just extremely classy and balanced, ripe but measured. Clear ageing potential. I'm always reluctant to use the term best ever, but this is surely right up there. Harvest September 12 to 23, 31hl/ yield. Claude Gros oenologist. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2022 Ripeau has a deep garnet-purple color. It is a little closed and reduced at this nascent stage, revealing hints of tar, tilled soil, and cast-iron pan, over a core of stewed black plums and blackberry preserves. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with bright, expressive red and black fruits, supported by a lively backbone and soft tannins, finishing long and minerally. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent