Château La Confession 2023

Château La Confession is a Grand Cru Classé in Saint-Émilion, on the right bank of Bordeaux, owned by the respected producer Jean-Philippe Janoueix. The right bank favours Merlot, which thrives on the clay and limestone soils around the town, holding moisture through the season and giving the wine its plush, generous fruit, while the Cabernet Franc in the blend adds freshness and aromatic lift. After fermentation, malolactic conversion softens the acidity and adds breadth, then the wine is aged twelve months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange rounds the tannins and lends baking spice and a cocoa note. The 2023 is a medium to deep garnet-purple, with aromas of crushed black plum and blackberry over clove, cinnamon and a hint of earth. The palate is supple and savoury, with ripe dark fruit, fine grained tannin and a long, spiced finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It works with beef, lamb and game.