critic reviews
This is a blend of 55.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38.5% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, the press wine is a confident 18.5% of the total, and the élevage was in 39% new oak. This is dark and brooding on the nose, the fruit focused and fresh, but there is a perfumed, crushed chalk edge to it as well. The palate presents a fine harmony, with dark fruit, rather saline in character, with black olives, currants, black cherry, with a ripe wrapping of tannins buried deep beneath the dark fruit, and only really showing at the end. This shows great substance and savoury depth, and is a good example of a second wine for this vintage. It is worth considering this for medium-term cellaring. The alcohol on the label is 14%.
Smudged crayon, lovely deep dark fruit, there are firm tannins here that give shape and form to the wine, waves of dark pepper spice, great quaity, edges of floral aromatics as it opens, raspberry bud, the floral aspect to the nose appears as it opens up, has a lot of restrained power, chalky textire, opens up beautifull. 39% new oak for ageing. First vintage when the 2nd selection of Clos du Marquis is also included in le Petit Lion.
The 2022 Le Petit Lion has turned out nicely, offering up aromas of cassis and plums mingled with hints of mint, violets and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, it's dense and concentrated, with a bright core of fruit and a penetrating finish.
The 2022 Le Petit Lion has a classy bouquet, perhaps one of the best that I have tasted to date: beautifully defined black fruit, black olive, hints of cedar, juniper and wilted violets. It just blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a degree of salinity and more weight than expected, although it just loses a little delineation toward the finish. Nevertheless, it is a quite delicious Deuxième Vin, albeit one that requires two or three years in bottle.