Château Villemaurine 2014

Subtle red-fruit nose. Raspberry and cherry notes. Finer style this year. Less overt extraction. Fresh, balanced and harmonious. Limestone terroir shows.

The dense black fruits on the nose, with a hint of plum cake, are open and attractive, and the wine is rich, fleshy, and easy to drink. A very well-made modern wine that needs time to soften the tannins. Give it three years.

Something a bit bacterial lurks in this nose. It leaves an animal sort of character on the nose and a harshness to the tannin. Only for lovers of the most traditional styles of wine. (RH)

Silky, delicate bouquet, red and blue berries, tobacco. Medium-bodied, refined palate with fresh fruit, powdery tannins, light sweet aromatics, muscular structure, and a bitter finish. Can improve further. 16/20 2019 - 2032

Backed by an evidently rigorous selection, the style of the 2014 is hedonistic. The palate is nicely full-bodied, fully ripe, very supple and silky, underpinned by tannins of exhilarating finesse, though already showing a touch of development in its meaty, spicy register.

An elegant, well-structured wine, fairly fresh, medium-bodied, with a hint of vegetal notes on the finish and even a touch of tartness. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. It will need to be reassessed.

Ruby red with good intensity. A youthful bouquet revealing notes of graphite and spices. With aeration, the fruit gains in intensity. The attack is lively and fruity. The wine is juicy, refreshing and endowed with fine tannins. These hold up as best they can against the structure. A wine that deserves a little ageing to show better on the finish. One to follow.

86–88. Barrel Sample. Structured and dark, this wine shows bitter coffee notes. This is a tough wine with high toast flavors and little fruit.

The 2014 Villemaurine has turned out beautifully. Plump and juicy, with no hard edges, the 2014 offers up a compelling mélange of dark red cherry, plum, smoke, chocolate, licorice, tobacco, menthol and pomegranate. The Villemaurine shows the more flamboyant, exotically ripe side of Saint-Émilion in a bold, seductive style that is impossible to resist. There is quite a bit of oak influence, but it is also well judged within this style. Best of all, the 2014 will drink well with minimal cellaring. It has been terrific on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.

Blending 80% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc produced a black raspberry and licorice dominated wine, with freshness, ripe, sweet fruits and lush textures. This should be fun to drink with just a few years of bottle age.

Full of promise, this vintage will truly come into its own in the coming years.

In this bottle, I found the nose fragrant and the palate pleasant and fruity, with a caressing texture, but the overall impression is a bit light. Medium length.

The 2014 Villemaurine did not really impress in barrel, although I was certainly more taken with this Saint-Emilion now that it is in bottle. Here, it has a tightly wound bouquet with iron-tinged black fruit, mineral scents turning more floral with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky, almost Pinot Noir-like entry in terms of texture. Pretty red cherries mixed with kirsch and orange sorbet, finishing with a precise, understated finish that lingers nicely on the palate. It is the detail that has improved so much in this wine, hence the upswing in score. Tasted twice with consistent notes.