Beauregard

(a 75/25 blend of merlot and cabernet franc; 14% alcohol) Opaque ruby-purple. Very ripe aromas of cassis, black cherry and spicy underbrush, along with an element of smoky chocolate; this borders on overripe. Sweet and lush on entry, with plenty of breadth to the smoky plum and milk chocolate flavors, but then finishes with mounting, somewhat harsh tannins. This is aging in 65% new oak, and perhaps this percentage is too high. General Manager Michel Garat, who is also responsible for the very good Sauternes of Bastor-Lamontagne, told me that Beauregard hopes to increase the percentage of cabernet franc in the blend to at least 30%; that's why more of this variety was planted five years ago at a tight spacing of 9,000 plants per hectare. Like most successful estates in the area, the merlot was harvested early (on September 20), while the cabernet franc came in on October 8.