Château Couhins 2017

Still restrained in style, juicy and crisp, compact, with bitter, robust, even somewhat harsh tannins: needs to age.

The 2017 Couhins is composed of 45% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. It was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 33% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple color, it features notes of baked plums, warm cassis and black raspberries with hints of black tea, tapenade and lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate is a little hollow with a chewy texture and an abrupt finish.

Another extremely reliable name that highlights the difficulties of this vintage. The tight cassis fruits are fairly heavily extracted, with firm tannins that are not quite finding their balance. It should deepen and lengthen with time spent in 35% new oak barrels; definitely a wine where the next year or so is going to be key.

Solid Pessac with currants, hot stones and crushed berries that follow through to a medium to full body, firm tannins and a fresh, bright finish. A blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 45% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Drink after 2021.

50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. 35% new oak. Dark with a purple rim. Dark, brooding and inviting cassis on the nose. Lots of lovely lead pencil, too. Dry, tight and zesty. A little lean in the middle so the tannins stand out on the finish. (JH)

A sleeper in this vintage, the 2017 Couhins is a bold, pleasantly hearty wine to drink now and over the next handful of years. Dark cherry, tobacco, menthol and leather infuse the 2017 with a good bit of character. Couhins is not especially complex, but it is quite tasty.

Soft, fresh red fruits, wafts of tobacco and smoke work perfectly with this medium-bodied, elegant style. It will not only be enchanting upon release but can also age for a decade.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, the 2017 Chateau Couhins sports a vivid ruby/purple color as well as impressive blackberry and black raspberry fruit, notes of leafy herbs, damp earth, and spice, medium to full body, and present, firm yet ripe tannins. It's a solid, balanced effort that's going to benefit from a year or three of bottle age and keep for over a decade.

Kunz barrel sample 18: (34% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc) Light, delicate bouquet, red plums, red berries, fine caramel, toasted notes. Light, slender palate with sweet fruit, fine sandy tannins, a firm, crunchy structure, medium aromatics, light finish.

(34% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc) Light, delicate bouquet, red plums, red berries, a fine touch of caramel, roasted notes. Light, slender palate with sweet fruit, finely sandy tannins, a firm structure, medium aromatics, a light finish. 16/20 2023 - 2034

Round wine, tannins still a bit grippy, long finish, tense.

Since the En Primeur tasting, this wine has gained in expression, both on the nose and on the palate. A compact, intense bouquet with many facets. Mineral, floral and fruity nuances where ripeness and freshness coexist perfectly. A gourmand, juicy attack. On the palate, the wine is luscious and perfectly supported by its structure, which lends breed and upholds the aromatic expression. A serious and convincing wine.

The nose is fresh, fruity, with a touch of energy, minerality and a fine juiciness. It reveals notes of blackcurrant, fleshy wild berries and, more subtly, small hints of wild strawberry and fleshy blue berries, joined by subtle/discreet touches of flowers, chocolate and spices/cardamom. The palate is fresh, fruity, juicy, mineral, characterful, balanced, airy and tense. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crushed blackcurrant, crushed blackberry and fresh red berries, with subtle touches of refined minerality, graphite and sweet spices, along with a very discreet hint of chocolate, flowers and licorice. The tannins are fine, a little firm and very slightly dry. Good length.

Dark, intense, and vibrant color. Moderately intense nose with fresh fruit. Soft on the attack and smooth as it develops, very fruity; the wine unfolds aromatically with a pleasant presence from mid-palate through the finish. Lovely persistence.

This wine is dry, firm with dark tannins that dominate at this stage. Black fruits in the background give weight and will develop to produce a powerful wine. It needs time, so do not drink until 2024.