Château Haut-Marbuzet 2023

Château Haut-Marbuzet sits in the village of Saint-Estèphe in the Haut-Médoc, the estate assembled from 1952 by Hervé Duboscq among the prestigious classed-growth châteaux of the northern Médoc. The blend is led by Merlot alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, planted on the gravel terraces and clay-limestone of Saint-Estèphe. The deep gravel drains freely and stores daytime heat, helping the Cabernet ripen, while the cooler clay beneath retains water and gives the appellation its firm, structured reds. The wine is aged for eighteen months in oak barrels, the house favouring a high proportion of new wood; slow oxygen exchange through the staves softens the tannins and the toasted barrel adds vanilla, cocoa and cedar spice that frame the fruit. The colour is deep, near opaque ruby. The nose shows ripe cherry and plum over tobacco, cedar and cocoa, with a leathery savoury depth. The palate is full and polished, the tannins firm but ripe, the finish long and marked by dark fruit and oak spice. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It is built for roast and grilled red meats.