The second time to do the vertical tasting at the winery, with Etienne Charrier and Lise Latrille.

Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2018 was a little youthfully shy to begin, it unfurled to reveal the austere and classical yet graceful and beguiling smells of…(for all the details, please subscribe)…featured a solid backbone of powdery but delicate tannin. The most successful opus of the estate so far, capable of lasting 30 or more years. Differ from the previous vintages, Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2019 was a beauty of modernism instead of classicism. A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, this refreshing and elegant wine showed the emblematic aromaticity of Prieure-Lichine, copious perfumes of…(for all the details, please subscribe)…culminated in a fresh and animated finale that had an ideal balance between minerality and fruitiness. While holding more than 25 years of longevity, it would be the most drinkable Prieure-Lichine in its youth as well. Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2020 was closed but pure. Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2021 was freshly fruited (citrus, cranberry, candied raspberry) and herbal on the nose and palate with lots of dried flower and stone as well as a hint of spices. Austere on the finish though the taste was approachable. The barrel sample (has spent 10 months in oak barrels) of Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2022 indicates the same blend (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot) as Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2018 and Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2020. The most expressive wine of the lineup. A hint of baby fat led to subtle roundness so that it's fuller-bodied than the 2021 without doubt, but overall still precise and refined on the complicated nose that was filled with…(for all the details, please subscribe)…that added the vibrancy and the mouth-watering sense to supple end that revealed terrific layer, texture and persistence. Wonderful.