HAUT-MEDOC

Owned by Philippe Austruy since 2012, this is a 40ha estate with one of the best locations in the Haut-Médoc, just off the D2 ‘Route des Châteaux’ road in the commune of Lamarque, south of St-Julien, on a gravel-dominant series of outcrops. To ensure high quality for the first wine (which comes from specific plots), yields tend to be kept to about 35hl/ha, compared to 45hl/ha for the other estate wines, Le Moulin Rose de Malescasse and La Closerie de Malescasse. The team is impressive: technical director Bertrand Chemin was previously at Cantemerle and Gruaud-Larose, arriving here in the mid-2000s; vineyard manager Nicolas Dubedout was at Château Latour for three years before joining in 2014. Malescasse has had serious owners over the years, including Guy and Alfred Tesseron from Pontet-Canet from 1970 to 1992, but it is only since Austruy arrived that it feels to have consistently upped. Recent years have seen soil studies that have led to the replanting of grapes and rootstocks that better reflect the soils. The grape mix stands at 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. The determination to keep quality at its highest is also clear – this was one of the properties that made no wine at all in 2013, because they felt the quality was simply not good enough. Stéphane Derenoncourt is consultant, since 2012.

Château Malescasse, Haut- Médoc CB 2016 93 £ 11.67 (ib)-£ 27.50 Cambridge Wine Merchants,

Crump Richmond Shaw, Fine & Rare, Millésima, Montrachet, Richard Kihl

A broad-shouldered Haut-Médoc that feels true to the vintage, fleshed out with cassis and blackberry fruits and confident tannins, traces of heat through the mid-palate making it a little uncharacteristic of the appellation, but this has swagger and interest – an excellent wine. Drink 2022-2040 Alc 14.5%