2016 Peby Faugeres

The 2016 Château Péby Faugères is flat-out awesome and easily up with the finest Saint-Emilion out there. Incredible notes of ripe black cherries, truffly earth, iron, graphite, and spicy oak all emerge on the nose, and it's full-bodied, with a deep, layered mid-palate, sweet tannins, and incredible length on the finish. It's made in a pure, slightly modern, nicely oaked style yet has incredible limestone-like character, flawless balance, and riveting purity of fruit. It's a gem that flirts with perfection. It's still a baby and has another two decades or more of prime drinking.

The 2016 Peby-Faugères has a very ripe bouquet of crème de cassis and blueberry scents, high-toned and a little gregarious. The palate is sweet on the entry, offering candied blue and red fruit, and supple and lithe, although I would like a little more grip and acidity on the finish. Not bad, although it showed better 12 months earlier. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Tasted blind. Neat and well balanced. Spicy, fresh and dry on the end. Good vigour. Sandpaper tannins on the end. (JR)