
Celebrating the Great Right Bank Bordeaux Reds
of St Emilion and Pomerol
While not quite as significant an event in the global fine wine calendar as it used to be in years gone by due to more and more top chateaux wines being held back and sold later once bottled, the annual En-primeur tastings do, however, still serve as a truly valuable snapshot into a vintage that is coming fast and furious down the tracks. But it is especially important for high quality, small production wineries like many of the top St Emilion and Pomerol chateaux who normally do indeed sell out all of their meagre production at En-primeur. During the mayhem of the En-primeur tastings, a visit to the properties of Martin Krajewski always provides an oasis of calm. Martin, and the winemaker’s daughter Charlotte, are plain speaking and always openly honest about the vintage conditions, and you feel you can really get under the skin of the wines rather than trying to work out what isn’t being said.
2022 was, of course, a year of unprecedented heat everywhere, but even with vineyards only five kilometres apart, the differences between Pomerol and St Emilion were stark. The Clos Cantenac vineyards are west of St Emilion and close to the Dordogne River, on gravel which sits on a deep layer of clay and which is close enough to the river to retain moisture even in hot years. At Château Séraphine, on the other hand, Charlotte carried out no fewer than three green harvests to reduce the load on the vines and ensure that the remaining grapes could find enough moisture to ripen fully. Pomerol had unprecedented permission to irrigate in 2022, but, as with most growers, the option was only exercised to keep young vines alive. In the case of Séraphine, some of the young Cabernet Franc was fermented and will age in amphora whilst the remaining wine is being aged in 300-litre barrels (as opposed to the more normal 225 litres Bordeaux barriques), all in the pursuit of fruit precision and reduced oak influence.
Both properties produced exceptional wines in 2022, both despite and because of the weather, and they will give a huge amount of pleasure in the mid to long term. Indeed, Charlotte thinks it is the best wine they have ever produced at Clos Cantenac – and from a hard taskmaster, that is some high praise. Needless to say, we believe the Petit Cantenac second wine is also one of the best they have produced to date and exceeds the quality of even some of the Grand Vins from many St Emilion Grand Cru chateaux.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
#AnInformedOpinionNo18
Château Petit Cantenac 2022
St Emilion Grand Cru

94+ Points – Greg Sherwood MW
94 Points – Christy Canterbury MW, New York
95 Points – Andrew Caillard MW, Langtons Australia
“I have been a passionate Bordeaux second wine follower all of my career, as the value, quality, and focus often defy the excellent value for money in the bottle. With many second wines only revealed when the final Grand Vin are in bottle already, this Petit Cantenac certainly rises to the occasion and shows at its confident best from the youthful barrel samples. The aromatics are fabulously high-toned and expressive, with beautifully perfumed notes of fresh violets, cherry blossoms, salty red liquorice, and a melange of crushed red and black berry fruits. This wine may still be in barrel, but the purity, focus, and seamless caressing palate texture are quite incredible, showing accessible, polished tannins together with tart lemon-like acids and a silky, seamless core of red cherry, bramble berry, dark plum, and subtle, smoky notes of chocolate praline. The accessibility and seductive allure of the Petit Cantenac cuvée are legendary, and this 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon blend capture the essence of St Emilion Grand Cru terroir in its truest sense. Persistent and deliciously forward in style with judicious use of oak, this 2022 is an absolute star that will be ready to drink on release and over the next 10+ years. “- Greg Sherwood MW.
Château Petit Cantenac 2022
St. Emilion Grand Cru

95+ Points – Greg Sherwood MW
97 Points – Christy Canterbury MW, New York
95+ Points – Andrew Caillard MW, Langtons Australia
“This is a truly impressive St Emilion red that typifies the high quality of wine this very special region is capable of producing in warm, dry, stand-out vintages. The 2022 is certainly ripe and opulent but also shows an incredible purity and precision both on the aromatics and on the palate. The nose is deliciously opulent with complex layers of ripe black currant compote, black cherries, mulberries, freshly cut cigars, incense, and black chocolate ganache. Undoubtedly, a very confident and polished creation displaying a silky, seamless palate texture packed full of black cherry, crème de cassis, saline oyster shell, and subtle picante bitter black chocolate nuances. Quite a remarkable vintage that combines fabulous ripe red and blackberry fruit concentration with super sweet, suave tannins over a classically dry limestone and graphite minerality. Drink this right bank beauty on release and over the next 15 to 20+ years.”- Greg Sherwood MW.
Château Seraphine 2022
Pomerol

97 Points – Greg Sherwood MW
96 Points – Christy Canterbury, New York
96+ Points – Andrew Caillard MW, Langtons Australia
“The 2022 Chateau Seraphine Pomerol is the 6th vintage from Martin and winemaker daughter Charlotte Krajewski which was harvested at a meagre 30 hl/ha and matured in 50% new oak and 1 x 1000 litre clay amphora. This is opulent, exuberant Pomerol at its exotic best! The aromatics are delightfully rich and alluring, welcoming you in and wrapping its arms around you like a warming hug. Beautifully lifted and perfumed, the nose boasts notes of pressed violets, rose petals, and hints of lilac before an overwhelming wave of blue and blackberry fruits, crème de cassis, and kirsch liquor washes over the senses, finally being punctuated by vanilla essence, sweet cherry tobacco, and cinnamon spice. On the palate, the wine is silky soft and wonderfully lithe, coating the mouth with alluring creamy blackberry and mulberry fruits before a swashbuckling finale loaded with sweet satin tannins and vibrant tangy acids. This wine will still gain additional weight and flesh as well as further structural refinement in the coming months with added time in barrel. But there is no doubting that this wine is already a very impressive Pomerol that embraces the opulent ripeness and warmth of the vintage without conceding to any excesses at the expense of refinement and finesse. With only 4,000 bottles produced, this is definitely a wine for the Bordeaux hedonists. Drink from 2026 to 2045+.” – Greg Sherwood MW.