Château Desmirail 2007

Dark-hued with garnet tints. Intense nose of ripe red and black fruits(Cassis, plum) with fine oak. Clean, fruit-forward attack on the palate supported by silky tannins in the style of most 2007. Balanced primary, secondary, and tertiary tone despite 15 years of ageing. The mid-palate is slightly too oak(vanillin, tobacco) with undergrowth tones at 13% ABV. From Arsac and Cantenac and recalling the character: simple but still with a certain richness. One may need to spend a little time to allow the wine to open up. Scores: GG91, DD92.

Château Desmirail is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blends(mostly 70% or above). The Third Growth in Margaux, this property named by Jean Desmirail has been established towards the end of the 17th century. Several years before the 1855 classification, Desmirail was in the hands of Théophile Sipière, then the manager at Château Margaux. He elevated Desmirail to its third growth status, while Margaux was named the first growth. The modern Desmirail property was bought later by Denis Lurton of the Lurton family, who own several wine estates, including Château Climens, among others. The 30-hectare (74-acre) Desmirail vineyard is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a small amount of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Grapes are destemmed and fermented according to their parcels and the age of the vines. After blending, the wine is aged in French oak barriques, of which at least 30 per cent is new. In addition, Desmirail makes a second wine called Initial de Desmirail. Depending on the market in which it is sold, it can be labelled as Château Fontarney or Origine de Desmirail.