Unwinding in the glass with aromas of plums, wild berries, dark chocolate and creamy new oak, the 2022 Barde-Haut is medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a taut, youthfully structured profile and youthfully firm tannins. Exhibiting attractive purity of fruit and tension, gentler extraction would have seen it score higher. 91-93 points

The 2022 Barde-Haut is gorgeous. Rich and explosive, the 2022 offers up copious notes of blueberry jam, creme de cassis, lavender, mint and licorice, with pretty jasmine overtones that add exotic beauty. The tannins here are often a bit burly, but in the 2022 much of that is softened. This is an impressive showing. 94-96 points

Inky colour, clear floral aromatics, this is charming and enticiting, with polish and finesse. Love the confident grip of the tannins, that hold the fruit but know just when to let go and let the creamy blueberry and damson fruits expand through the plate. 55% new oak, a reduction from levels in the past, and the subtle smoked cedar character is well judged. 95 points

The 2022 Barde-Haut has a lovely bouquet with pure black cherries, boysenberry, crushed violet and dates. This is rich yet has impressive clarity. The palate is full-bodied with fine-grain tannins, gentle grip, mineralite and a precise finish. It`s quite a bold Barde-Haut whose depth and density suggest it will require several years to soften, but it will be worth the wait because the finesse will bloom with bottle age. This may ultimately rest at the top of my banded score. 93-95 points