Château Lespault-Martillac 2021

Château Lespault-Martillac lies in Pessac-Léognan, the northern district of the Graves where the reputation for elegant, long-lived Bordeaux reds was first made. The wine blends Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and a measure of Petit Verdot, planted on the region's deep beds of gravel. That gravel drains freely and stores daytime heat, radiating it back to the vines at night to help the Cabernet ripen its tannins fully while keeping the fruit fresh. The wine ages fourteen months in French oak, where slow oxygen ingress through the staves builds and integrates the tannic structure and adds cedar, smoke and a fine spice; malolactic fermentation in cellar softens the natural acidity into a rounder frame. It shows deep ruby in the glass, with aromas of cherry, dark plum and red currant lifted by tobacco, cocoa and woodsmoke. The palate is structured and savoury, the tannins firm but polished, with a long, mineral finish that reflects the gravel soils. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. Suited to roast lamb, beef and game.