The best St-Julien 2022 in bottle

Beautifully lifted floral, blue fruit and cola aromas on the nose. Expressive and open. Effortlessly finessed but tightly packed and knitted down still. This impresses from the first sip with a burst of cool, fresh acidity against ripe, almost fleshy summer berry fruit - strawberries, cherries and juicy blueberries. Tannins are silky and well integrated and this has such forward motion from start to finish. Undeniable power meets grip and intensity in the wet stone, liquorice, graphite and slate minerality markers. A crisp and confident grand vin with plenty of structure and ageing potential.

Richly concentrated on the nose with evocative aromas of blackcurrant, tobacco, vanilla, chocolate, clove and violets. Punchy and alive, this has both strength and elegance giving smooth, silky tannins with fleshy fruit and high acidity. It manages to marry quite a muscular frame with beautiful freshness and focus to give a round mouthfeel with plenty of flavour and kick. It's on the opulent side with concentrated blackcurrants and cherries but has a cooling, minty undercurrent too. I like this a lot. Not as openly friendly at this point as some but it's extremely well executed and has great ageing potential.

Compelling from the first sip, this has excellent balance on the palate delivering a wine with freshness and lift as well as depth and breadth. Lovely licks of bitterness and salty stones join ripe blackcurrants and juicy plums. You can feel the power no doubt but it's under the silky frame tempering it and making this rich but utterly charming. A great Gruaud and comes in at 13.5% ABV.

This impressed during En Primeur and totally delivers on a promise of freshness, charm and drinkability. Juicy and succulent with the clean and crystalline fruit at the fore. Tannins meld seamlessly into the wine with only a hint of bitter chocolate and liquorice spice on the finish giving nuance. Layered and shiny - down plays the vintage in terms of concentration - this is sleek and glossy. Polished and well crafted. A tiny bit shy still - this will age very well - but also feels as if you could start to enjoy this soon. Wonderful.

Wonderfully evocative scents on the nose - perfumed and alluring dark berry fruit. Rich and juicy - fully concentrated fruit meets powdery tannins giving a fleshy aspect to the palate. Smooth and supple, slightly chewy fruit give a cushioning before crisp mineral aspects of wet stone, graphite and toasted liquorice come through. Fully flavoured with a long finish. A great wine that delivers the vintage in a stylish way.

Structured and so appealing on the palate, this has a rich texture but doesn't come across as too much. Filling but lifted giving freshness and ripe fruit. I love the delicacy of the tannins, this is finessed with so much detail on show. Feels cool and calm, not shouting, everything in harmony and delivering a really classically styled wine. Power is there for sure but this has poise too. A lovely Lagrange.

<p>Highly concentrated and deep on the palate, this extends vertically from the beginning with layers of fleshy blackcurrant, super juicy cherries and salty stones. I love the feeling in the mouth, it's still got some sticky liquorice spice that edges the tannins, but this feels confident and showy. I like the force - it's taking the power of the vintage but edging the glamorous side with elegance and precision. Chewy and totally moreish. Great work. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.77pH.</p>

Juicy and really appealing straight away on the palate, Fruit forward, this has energy and focus with emphasis on bright fruit and racy acidity. The overall frame is structured but not overwhelming in any way. I love the focus and this feels confident without shouting too much. On the ripe side in terms of concentration but the overall feeling, and lift on the end, is one of cool cola, blueberry and minty freshness. A lovely Beychevelle.

A rich nose full of chocolate, cherries, espresso and perfume. Smooth and supple, this is full of juicy berry fruit - crystalline and pure - with a chalky mouthfeel. I love the touches of wet stone, cool cola, fresh mint and blueberries. Feels extremely finessed and totally moreish. It's a bit richer than some in terms of tannins, they're more crushed velvet in texture giving a certain thickness to the palate and it really works. Lively with great energy and focus. A lovely wine.

Glossy and shiny, with lots of energy to the clean red berry fruit and slightly mineral-edged tannins. Easy to enjoy, this is smooth and round. More direct than overly plush or wide, but with great persistence to a long finish. The purity of the fruit and acidity give this strong appeal even at this early stage.

Ripe and glossy, this has vibrant fruit with a heady spiced aspect alongside cool freshness. Lovely frame and structure, filling and wide but controlled with a lovely freshly picked strawberry juiciness. A touch powdery and mineral towards the finish, a chalky aspect lingers, but this has nice terroir markers and a calm confidence overall.

Scented and expressive on the nose, lots of purple flowers, blackcurrants and mocha aromas. Intense and concentrated on the palate, this has rich blackcurrant and sun-kissed cherry fruit with a really juicy core but edged with sticky liquorice, clove and cedar touches giving this quite a serious feel. Dark and brooding. Tannins are super fine and well integrated, it's the flavours that are more ripe and opulent. Plenty of power and kick, this just needs time to relax a bit more. Great potential for ageing.

Richly concentrated, this has beautifully presented black fruits with a lovely chewy frame. Feels full and wide in the mouth with tannins that cover the mouth while a layer of cedar and tobacco spice flows underneath. Feels quite serious, it's structured and has lots of flesh and bones with brooding fruit and lots of oak notes but it feels well constructed and very purposeful. I love the energy and the persistence of flavour and while it's charged, all the elements really work together. Will be great to approach in five or so years. Tannins are finessed and this also carries acidity which keeps this lifted rather than becoming too heavy.