Château Penin, Les Cailloux, Bordeaux Supérieur, 2017

A rich and expressive nose of baked dark fruits and vanilla spices. Dark purple in the glass, the palate is grippy and tightly knit. Black cherries and plum jam flavours emerge on the palate alongside a cooling mouthfeel with eucalyptus notes. The texture is smooth with round tannins and good structure. All the elements are there - fruit density and oak structure but this needs more time to soften and integrate fully. A smaller production cuvée than Grande Sélection at 20,000 bottles, still 100% Merlot, from terroir comprising a 50cm layer of pebble-covered clay subsoil. The wines are aged in oak barrels for 12 months, six of which are spent on the lees.