A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Clos de Sarpe wafts from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, cherries, licorice and petals. Full-bodied, broad and layered, it's no blushing violet at 15% alcohol; yet this limestone terroir has delivered a remarkably low pH and concomitant freshness, and judicious extraction during a long but low-temperature maceration means that it remains suave and seamless.

The 2021 Clos de Sarpe is showing beautifully, offering up aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with subtle hints of petals, loamy soil, spices and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and velvety, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a penetrating finish, it shows considerable promise. Maylis Marcenat reported that the vineyard was spared by both frost and mildew but fell victim to poor pollination at flowering, delivering low yields. In the winery, she opted for a long maceration at a very low temperature of merely 23 degrees Celsius for a judicious extraction, and that approach appears to have paid off handsomely.