Château Montlabert Grâce Dieu 2022

Surrounded by extensive parkland blessed with century-old trees, Château Montlabert is a grand, imposing, 18th-century estate. It lies within the lieu-dit Grace Dieu that lends the property its name. Its vineyards comprise 13 hectares, all in one block, planted on deep sandy, gravelly soils with deep-lying clay to help retain moisture in the drier years. Their wine is a charming, silky claret made mostly, as you’d expect, from Merlot, with a little of both Cabernets to lend cassis notes to the deep plum flavour. 14 months in French oak barrels, half of those new, lend layers of complexity and subtle oak nuances. Let the wine breathe for an hour or two before serving with boeuf bourguignon, confit de canard or a wild mushroom risotto.