Château Laroque, Grand Cru Classé, St Émilion, 2022
David Suire's Laroque must rank amongst the best value wines of the right bank. Since his arrival in 2015, critics have heaped praise in his wines, and for the time being, they remain relatively affordable (relative to wines with similar scores). The 2022 is another wonderful effort. It's big and ambitious, but not overblown. Redolent with ripe sloes and plums with hints of violet and liquorice. The palate is sweet and lush with waves of mineral flecked raspberry and dark cherry. Beautifully contoured, with an impressive well of fruit enveloped by attractive tannins; this promises to be another excellent and rather moreish Laroque.
critic reviews
The 2022 Laroque just lacks a bit of fruit expression on the nose, more austere than its peers, with light pencil shaving scents joining the rather sultry black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight bitterness on the entry. Moderate depth, fine salinity with good persistence on the finish. Give this two or three years in bottle because I think this is entering a closed phase. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.
The grand vin from David Suire and team is a blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, and the élevage was partly in 225-litre barrels, partly in 500-litre barrels, and partly in wooden cuve. Dark fruit with a polish on the nose here, with threads of toast and liquorice, currants and dried black cherry. The eastern plateau character comes across strong, the palate filled with saline black olive, currants, dried black cherries and liquorice, with a touch of tobacco toast, and a frame of beautifully melded tannins which simply melt across the palate. Beautiful freshness here, with lovely density of structure. This is a very stylish Laroque and has to be the best David Suire has yet produced here. Superb. Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is 14.5%.
Superb quality delivering grip and lift, with the fleshy black fruits underpinned by steel, crushed slate and softer crayon. Well defined black fruits, mouthwatering, vivid, energetic, one to look out for. 3.55ph reductive ageing on fine lees, 1st racking after 6 months, harvest September 14 to 30, Vineyard located on the limestone plateau and slopes at one of highest points of St Emilion in St Christophe des Bardes, owned by the Beaumartin family, David Suire director.
Another impressive performance from this estate, the 2022 Laroque offers up aromas of sweet berries, violets, iris and exotic spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered palate with a rich core of fruit that's framed by lively acids, concluding with a taut, chalky finish. Once again, it's the result of a strict selection that sees only 45% of the production released as the grand vin.