2017 Château Berliquet, St Emilion, Bordeaux

The 2017 Berliquet was cropped at 30hl/ha and matured in 50% new oak. It offers attractive blackberry, blueberry and light vanillary scents on the nose, a little sleeker and more opulent in style than the 2017 Canon. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannins and compact black fruit. An abrupt finish just needs to manifest more persistence. I appreciate the mintiness that begins to appear on the aftertaste.Drink 2021 - 2035Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (September 2019)

The chocolate and mint nose leads into an attractive palate, fairly dense if a touch short. It's a well-balanced and enjoyable wine from a new team led by Nicolas Audebert, who took over after the estate was purchased in late July 2017, and with Thomas Duclos consulting. Among other tweaks, they have adjusted the ageing time to reduce the impact of the oak. This is from clay-limestone soils, close to Canon but mostly on slopes, whereas Canon is mostly on the plateau. Currently, every plot is planted with both Cabernet Franc and Merlot, but they will be planning to raise the percentage of Cab Franc slightly. Unaffected by frost in 2017.Drink 2025 - 2038jane_anson_mw, Decanter.com (April 2018)

The 2017 Berliquet has really come together nicely over the course of its élevage. From bottle, the 2017 shows terrific freshness and nuance to match its mid-weight personality. Sweet red cherry fruit, tobacco, cedar, spice and licorice are pushed forward in a sensual, open-knit Saint-Émilion that will drink well right out of the gate. More than anything else, the 2017 shows a lot of potential for the future. It is the first wine vinified by Nicolas Audebert and his team, but most of the important farming decisions had already been made by the time Chanel acquired the estate, so the 2017 is really a wine of transition. Tasted three times.Drink 2020 - 2029antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (December 2019)

Some berries and smoke with stone and tar. Full-bodied, creamy and beautifully crafted. Tight and focused. A little lean, but shows balance and juiciness. Bitter lemon and smoke at the end. A blend of 70% merlot and 30% cabernet franc.Try after 2022james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (January 2020)

Deep purple-black in color, the 2017 Berliquet has a lovely perfume of violets, pencil lead and baking spices over a core of kirsch, wild blueberries and red currant jelly plus a waft of underbrush. Medium-bodied, fine and fresh in the mouth with firm, chewy tannins, it's elegant and perfumed with a long finish.Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 27/04/2018

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Berliquet gives up expressive notes of baked plums, blackberry preserves and mulberries with hints of licorice, crushed rocks, chargrilled meat and wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate has a great core of elegantly played flavors framed by soft, plush tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and minerally. The blend is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc and it was aged for 18 months in French oak, 50% new.Drink 2021 - 2039Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (March 2020)