2018 Moulin St Georges

This estate couldn't be considered for the St Emilion classification, as Château Fonbel is made in the same cellar - even if its sibling estate Ausone wanted to still be part of the ranking - but no question that it is equal in quality to the vast majority of classified St Emilion properties. This vintage is a brilliant example of why, and although it needs another four or five years in bottle, you can already sink into the sappy blueberry and raspberry fruits with edges of tobacco, rose petal, crushed stones and slate. 3.4ph.

The 2018 Moulin Saint-Georges has a broody, introspective bouquet, so I allowed it 90–120 minutes to open. It reveals enticing blackberry, seaweed and light graphite notes with aeration, perhaps a little more sophisticated than recent vintages of the Vauthier family’s estate. The immediate impression on the palate is the texture, which is satin-like and very harmonious. Veins of blue fruit infuse the black, and blood orange surfaces toward the finish, which is almost Burgundy in style. A wonderful Moulin Saint-Georges that will be difficult to resist.