Château Destieux 2012 – Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé

On the nose, the wine offers a nice complexity, depth, varied and pure aromas. On the first nose, it expresses very subtle tertiary notes of forest floor, fallen leaves and a fine touch of truffle in the background. The second nose offers a spiciness and delicate notes of torrefaction. It expresses aromas of liquorice, cumin, freshly ground nutmeg, as well as a touch of toasted vanilla and coffee in the background. There are also notes of flowers (dried cornflower, fresh peony, dried rose, a touch of fresh violet) and fresh herbs (peppermint, cut thyme, fresh bay leaf) that offer youth to the wine. The fruity aromas are ripe, slightly roasted (but without sweetness or stewed notes): there are notes of morello cherry, morello cherry jam, roasted red cherry, blueberry jam, crushed strawberry, raspberry coulis, plum blackcurrant and blackcurrant jam. On the palate, the attack is supple, ripe, concentrated and fruity: the wine first expresses notes of morello cherry, morello cherry jam, black plum, blackberry jam, roasted red cherry and wild strawberry. Then, it expresses notes of sweet spices (ground cumin, white pepper, liquorice, a touch of toasted vanilla and cinnamon), cocoa powder, coffee, aromatic herbs (dried rosemary, dried mint) and flowers (dried cornflower, dried rose petals), as well as a touch of graphite on the finish. The tannins are firm, still grippy, but enveloped and softened by a nice acidity. The wine is very persistent in the mouth and develops on the finish towards chocolate and spicy notes. A wine that has developed well in the bottle and still has aging potential.