Château Villemaurine 2022 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé

James Suckling
94-95/100 punten
Lots of blue fruit with chalk and white pepper. Medium body. Linear and bright. Tight and very long. Excellent potential. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Jeb Dunnuck
(94-96+)/100 punten
Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc aging in 70% new barrels, the 2022 Château Villemaurine has a killer bouquet of black raspberry and cassis-like fruits interwoven with liquid flowers, camphor, and chalky minerality. With integrated oak, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a great mix of both richness and freshness, this is a brilliant wine in the making, and I suspect the best is still to come from this address.

The Wine Independent (Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW)
(93-95)/100 punten
The 2022 Villemaurine, 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, is very deep purple black in color. It has a wonderfully fragrant nose of candied violets, cinnamon, cloves, and Sichuan pepper with a powerful core of blueberry pie and black cherries. The full-bodied palate is dense and muscular, with black and blue fruit layers supported by a refreshing backbone and soft tannins, finishing with an exotic spice lift.

Colaris:
93/100

Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider)
(93-95)/100 punten
Flowers, red pit fruits, espresso and cocoa notes get the wine going. The wine is elegant, creamy, and fresh, with a strong underpinning sense of minerality that adds a salty touch to the vibrant red and black fruits from the mid-palate, through to the finish.

Decanter
93/100 punten
Cool blue fruits and crushed stones on the nose, smells fresh and lively. Supple and juicy, really quite fun with high acidity giving this a just shy of sharp tang before a cool, stony mentality comes in providing freshness. Well worked, they didn't push too far here and this has lovely terroir markers, linear, focussed and straight to the point. Appealing energy, density and push. Still quite chalky and powdery on the finish, almost too much, but it keeps the enjoyment while the power runs subtly underneath. A success in 2022. A yield of 38hl/ha. Ageing 16 months, 70% new French oak barrels, 30% second fill 500l wooden casks and two amphoras. HVE3 certified. Same owners as Ch Sansonnet, Moulin du Cadet and Soutard Cadet. Rolland & Associés consultants.

Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
93/100 punten
Inky in colour for Villemaurine, intensely concentrated while still delivering the limestone signature and fingerprints. Expect cocoa bean, mirabelle plum, saffran, white pepper, closed down at first then deliciously stretched out as it opens through the palate. Impressive. The Lefevre family of Château Sansonnet took over as new owners in 2021 so this is their first full vintage. 70% new oak, plus a few amphora.

Falstaff
94/100 punten
Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Delicately nutty in the underlay, ripe plum fruit, a touch of nougat and candied orange zest, cherries in the background. Full-bodied, elegant, juicy with ripe cherries, freshly structured, mineral and well lasting. Some chocolate on the finish, good length, promising ageing potential.

Neal Martin (Vinous)
(92-94)/100 punten
The 2022 Villemaurine, is the first vintage made entirely by the Lefevre family, matured in 70% new oak with two clay amphora in the cellar. It has an intense and opulent bouquet with blackberry and blueberry fruit, a light estuarine scent tucked underneath. The oak is neatly integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe tannins, cohesive and focused with an engaging tensile finish. Top class.