| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This Saint Emilion property of 7.5 hectares is well situated on the plateau of Saint Emilion. Previously the wines were made by Nicolas Thienpont from Pavie Macquin and Beausejour Duffau. However in July 2017 the property was purchased by the owners of Chanel and it is now under the control of the wine-making team of Château Canon. Consequently there is a significant change in the style of the wine into something much more sophisticated and smooth than before. The vineyard is planted with 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc.
A brilliant success for this property in the ascendant, the 2020 Berliquet opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of warm spices and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's vibrant and dynamic, with polished tannins, a bright spine and a long, elegantly chalky finish. It represents another step up for Berliquet, which will soon benefit from a new winery. 2025 - 2050
Blackberry with charcoal and dark earth aromas that follow through to a medium to full body with fruit, iron and moss flavors. It’s structured and well-formed with excellent balance of acidity. Drink after 2027.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Berliquet, a blend of 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc, needs a fair bit of coaxing to bring out notes of blueberry preserves, black cherry compote, and blackberry pie, followed by hints of chocolate mint and lavender. The generous, full-bodied palate is jam-packed with ripe, seductive black and blue fruit preserves flavors, framed by velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. This estate, recently acquired by Chanel, is already starting to show its true potential, and what a beauty!
Nicolas Auderbert and Thomas Duclos, the pair that did such brilliant job at Château Canon, have turned their sights on Berliquet, owned by Canon since 2017. There are slightly cooler soils here, a touch more clay and it gives a subdued edge with clear quality and bright brambled blackberry, rhubarb, pomegranate, blood organge, turmeric spice. Tight and full of energy. 50% new oak, 40hl/h yield, harvest September 14 to 24. 7.5ha.
The 2020 is a blend of 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc, which will be aged for 16 months in 50% new French oak. The yield this year is 40hl/ha, making 2,500 dozen bottles. Deep ruby colour in the glass. Seductive kirsch and poached plums with a little milk chocolate on the nose. The palate is succulent and rich, with luscious red fruit tamed by chalky tannins. This rounded, juicy and moreish style remains harmonious and fine through to a long a lightly toasty finish.
69% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Clean and effortless in style. Delicate summer-fruit notes with a hint of mint. Juicy and fresh with chalky tannins and dry finish. Eminently digeste. (JL)
Drink 2026 – 2035
(69% M, 31% CF; 40hl/ha; 14.5% ABV; 50% new)
A persistent nose of blackberry-ripe fruit; concentrated, vital in acidity, quite firm in tannin; long and ripely tasty, both fine and chewy at once, and with excellent length. You can taste the more clayey terroir here of Berliquet’s “Côte”; there is more matter than in Canon (made by the same team) and less finesse. That said, this is very good. 2028–40+.
When I tasted the barrel sample, the 2020 Berliquet was not firing on all cylinders. Now in bottle, the nose is still a bit wanting, with light brambly red fruit and earthy scents, just missing some cohesion and the intensity of its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a gentle grip and a round texture. A smear of dark chocolate appears towards the focused finish that requires more substance. Not bad, though greater wines will emanate from this address down the line.
The 2020 Berliquet has an open, quite generous bouquet of high-toned, quite floral aromas (iris and violet petals) mixed with Dorset plum, bilberry and wild strawberry. The palate is medium-bodied with a medicinal, menthol-tinged opening, ripe and again, generous. The candied finish just needs to show a little more restraint. Fine, but it will have to manifest more elegance and composure by the time of bottling. Perhaps it was unfair to pour this against the 2020 Canon, also owned by the Wertheimer family, but it highlighted the difference between their respective terroirs. 2025 - 2038.
The 2020 Berliquet is composed of 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc, weighing in at 14.5% alcohol. It is aging in French oak barrels, 50% new. Deep purple-black colored, it trots casually out of the glass with effortlessly flamboyant scents of stewed black cherries, warm plums and baked blackberries, plus hints of chocolate mint, violets and licorice with a touch of fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly wound with layers of ripe black fruits and earthy accents, framed by finely grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and fragrant. 2026 - 2046
A slightly cooler terroir than its sibling estate Château Canon, a little more clay-based which gives weight, depth and power while also being austere right now, with grippy tannins and a bite of blood orange. Great stuff, can start drinking this in five to six years to allow the structure to soften while keeping the appeal of the wild cherry and blackberry fruits. 50% new oak for 16 months.
Drinking Window 2028 - 2042
