2017 Crabitey
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Tasting notes
50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep blackish crimson. Very left bank on the nose! So, skinnier than the Montagne St Emilion 2018 just tasted. Though it’s smooth and approachable on the palate, albeit with a bit of fine tannin on the end. Some freshness and a mineral note. Actually, this might appeal to lovers of typical St-Estèphe! Dry finish. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Crabitey is a bold, exuberant wine. Black cherry, graphite, smoke, cured meats, licorice, lavender, chocolate, and spice flesh out in this dark, brooding beauty. There is plenty of character, that much is pretty clear.
Blackberry, gravel, grilled herb, smoke and game notes give the 2017 Crabitey its rather dark, somber personality. This mid-weight Graves is long on nuance and personality. This is very nicely done.
Owner M de Butler was not happy with the first sample, which he had aerated a lot before bottling it to send to London for the Grand Cercle tasting in March because the barrel samples were quite reductive. But when he tasted it later, he realised he had overdone it, but by then the samples had been sent. Second bottle, hand-carried, is described here. Deepish crimson. So much fresher in intense dark fruit than the first (which had been a bit pruney). Ripe but fresh. Thick and richly fruited on the palate, firm, rounded and quite powerful. (JH)