2022 Chateau Cissac, Haut-Medoc

A blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 5.5% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Malbec, the 2022 Cissac confirms its evolution toward a charming, delicate bouquet of dark wild berries, smoke, licorice and cigar wrap. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and layered, it has structured tannins, a fleshy, delicate core of fruit and a well-balanced finish with a spicy aftertaste. This is a real effort.

The 2022 Cissac has a "correct" bouquet with blackberry, briary and light tobacco scents emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with strict tannins, fresh and grippy, with a slightly minty finish. A kind of "carefree" Cissac…and I like that. But it doesn't quite get the pulse racing.

Cru bourgeois supérieur. 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 5.5% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Malbec, on gravels over clay-limestone. Yield 26 hl/ha. Aged for 14 to 16 months, with 25% new wood. Ageing test in amphora and 20-hl wooden vat. Light nose. Then rather stodgy on the palate. More lift and life, please! (JR)