Château Beaumont, Haut Médoc, 2022

A property under the same management as Beychevelle, this is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. I find a rather sweet nose here, with delicately dried blackberry fruits, with a touch of sweetly caramelised sugar perhaps from the oak (and clearly already fading on a second sample tasted weeks later), as well as a rather toasty, perfumed, sandalwood lift. The palate seems nicely coherent, fresh with a lifted and charming grip, which is wrapped around the dark fruit, with all its white peach and white flower nuances. While the nose initially lacks a little focus the palate holds up well, and there is ripe and tightly defined structure here, with dark and juicy fruit, all of which should see this forward for five or ten years, but I suspect no longer. Good harmony, and a long grip of modest tannin. A Beaumont for the (short-term) cellar. Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is 14%.

The 2022 Beaumont has a tightly wound nose with blackberry, briar and light tobacco scents unfolding nicely with each swirl of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins. It’s quite structured and firm at the moment but will loosen up with time. Sapid and fresh, this is a delightful, traditional-styled claret that should age well in bottle.