The 2017 Marquis d'Alesme Becker is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a very serious, classic nose of warm cassis, cedar chest, pencil lead and fragrant earth with wafts of violets and dark chocolate. Medium-bodied, it has a solid backbone of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and a muscular mid-palate of tightly wound layers, delivering lovely purity and great length. RP
The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, and it has 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs considerable swirling to unlock notes of ripe blackcurrants, wild blueberries and Morello cherries, plus suggestions of violets, star anise, underbrush and Sichuan pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is charged with energy, featuring loads of red and black fruit preserves layers and a finely grained texture, finishing long and mineral tinged. RP
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Marquis d'Alesme Becker leaps from the glass with gregarious notions of plum preserves, creme de cassis and Black Forest cake with hints of potpourri, star anise, menthol and tapenade. Full, rich, firm and grainy, with fantastic freshness lifting the densely packed palate, it has a long, beautifully fragrant finish. RP