2006 Destieux

Proprietor Christian Dauriac’s 12-acre vineyard in St.-Emilion’s commune of Ste.-Hippolyte can produce beefy, tannic, rustic-styled wines, but over recent vintages he has tamed the tannins, producing more charm and finesse in his cuvees. The deep, opaque purple-tinged 2006 reveals attractive creme de cassis and blackberry notes intermixed with hints of graphite and roasted herbs. Dense, medium to full-bodied, and powerful with high, but sweet, well-integrated tannins, this lovely wine should be at its finest between 2013-2026.

Neat and slightly dusty nose. Mouthfilling and voluminous on the palate. Slight sweet chocolate – the Cantenac Brown of the right bank? Or is that cruel? A little bit stodgy but certainly makes an impact. Reminds me of the smell of a greengrocer's. (JR)

Relatively pale. Light, fruity and relatively simple. Pretty obvious, less than fully ripe tannins on the finish. Chewy. Too high a yield? (JR)