Crayères Reserve: “pencilly cabernet, smeared with dark chocolate”

It’s a pleasant surprise to find that this ‘Reserve’ offering has an air of understatement about it. It makes no attempt to hit you between the eyes. It has presence, for sure, but it’s medium-bodied and fluid, with dust and herb notes as important/prominent as red-and-black-currants. It’s a pencilly cabernet, smeared with dark chocolate, smoked with oak but not dominated by it. Indeed it’s even a little undergrowthy, and perhaps reductive too. Its true worth and value will be at maturity.”