Château Marsau 2012

Sleek, with good cut and underlying iron notes carrying pure red currant and black cherry fruit. A backdrop of singed cedar and tobacco leaf emerges on the finish. Not big, but pure and fresh. Drink now. 2,500 cases made, 300 cases imported.

A pure Merlot. Reserved on the nose but fleshy red fruit on the palate. Fresh and digestible.

Blackish with a purple rim. Cedary and leafy. A little too herbaceous on the palate, but it’s fresh and the tannins are fine. Good if you like leafy, though it tends towards bitterness on the finish. (JH)

Dark red cherries, smoke, licorice and tobacco meld together in the 2012 Marsau, an attractive if somewhat rustic 100% Merlot from the Côtes de Franc. Firm tannins balance some of the overtness in the fruit, making for a hearty, bistro-style red to drink over the next few years.

Already mature, this 100% Merlot wine is juicy, sweet, and lushly textured with a medium body, finishing with a round note of black cherry, mocha, and licorice.

Pure and floral, dark berries, classic medium-bodied palate with firm tannin, fresh and quite long finish.

Fairly open wine; the nose offers a complex array of black cherries, licorice and fresh oak, while the palate is fairly extracted and will require a few years of cellaring.

The 2012 grand vin retains its smoothness and is evolving gently. We love its full-bodied, generous profile.

Made exclusively from Merlot, Marsau’s nose is coffee-mocha, and the wine is soundly made with good length.