Domaine de l'a 2019

Crafted by Stephane Derenoncourt on the Cotes de Castillon, just east of Saint-Emilion, Domaine de l'A is the consultant's own estate and his most personal statement. Merlot and Cabernet Franc are farmed on limestone slopes with painstaking care. In the ripe, structured 2019, the wine outreaches its modest appellation by some distance.

Deep purple-ruby, it leads with blackberry, dark plum and the graphite edge of limestone soils. Cabernet Franc adds violet and a leafy, peppery lift above the fruit. The palate is polished and firm, tannins ripe and chalky, acidity bright. Liquorice, cocoa and a stony savour close on a finish longer than the label suggests.