Certan Marzelle 2006

Another tightly knit wine, despite the fact it is made from 100% Merlot and was showing an opulent, flamboyant character from barrel, this wine now displays excellent density, sweet black cherry fruit intermixed with pain grille, hints of crushed rock, and a distinct earthiness. There is plenty of density, but the wine exhibits relatively high tannins in the finish and seems to be going through an extremely closed state. Give it 3-4 years and drink it over the following 15.

Tasted blind at Farr Vintners' blind horizontal tasting, the 2006 Château Certan-Marzelle has a slightly loose-knit bouquet with savoury red berry fruit, black tea, black pepper and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with fine and quite supple tannin, fresh in the mouth and composed, though it needs more complexity to come through on the finish.

This wine has a beautifully floral nose, including a hint of dried flowers. On the palate the fruit is a little darker and plumper - juicy black cherries supported by silky, round tannins. This is ripe yet perfectly balanced with a very good level of complexity that sets up a long, elegant finish. Delicious.