Chateau Brown

Lisa Perrotti-Brown: The 2022 from Brown, equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, has seen 12 months of élevage in 40% new oak and 60% second-fill barrels. A glorious combination of dark and sweet fruits on the nose here, all black cherry, damson and currant, with some savoury notes of salted olive, coffee bean and toast. The palate steps it up a notch with a luscious start and midpalate filled with savoury black fruits, grained with saline energy, alongside the toast and coffee bean. A deliciously constructed palate follows, with all the dark and brooding substance of the vintage, but with freshness too. Long and charged with shimmering energy in the finish, this has a great future;surely one of the best Brown reds ever, and certainly well above where I had it when I tasted the primeurs sample. Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is 14.5%."