2018 Château La Pointe

Community Tasting Notes (8) Avg Score: 91.4 points

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  6/23/2023 - Rossodio Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Total Wine Summer VIP Wine Tasting, Greenville, SC (Total Wine, Greenville, SC): 74% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon (verified at the chateau's website; another taster below cited different percentages which may be reflective of the amount of land devoted to each varietal rather than how much in the 2018 blend). A wall of tannins shrouds the inner character of this wine presently even though this bottle was opened 3 hours prior to tasting. Based upon others' notes and their timeframes it leads me to believe that this is shutting down right now but still can't help but show its beautiful bones. Excellent underlying structure and flavors with enough cabernet to provide the building blocks to make this have fantastic potential. Leave this alone for at least 5 years with a long decant, and up to 10 years or possibly more.

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  4/23/2022 - Brendel Does not like this wine: 89 Points

  Decanted for one hour. There is a lack of harmony in this wine: it is not clear what it is trying to accomplish. Very round on the palate with a lot of fruit, simple, less obvious structure than the St Emilions we have been tasting—as if perhaps trying to be a fruit bomb. But at the same time it is tannic with some astringency and even Chinese medicine bitterness. This results in a battle between these two strong directions, to no good effect.
  
  This is our second La Pointe and it seems similar to the first: a fine wine but not one that we would pick above the alternatives at this price. Will update with more air.
  
  On day two, the wine has settled down a bit and seems more coherent, if not more complex. A fruit-forward round Merlot. The nose is jammy, overripe and over-extracted fruit—characteristic of new world Merlot and not what we like—and this is on the palate as well. It’s easily drinkable and will please many, but this doesn’t have enough structure and complexity for our taste.

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  2/26/2022 - Sundbyberg wrote: 93 Points

  Very nice wine, with dark fruit, and just slightly sweet.
  Opened on Thursday, double decanted on Friday night, and then double decanted again 2-3 hours before dinner on Saturday.
  Worked pretty well. The wine did not get too much air, that is for sure.

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  11/17/2021 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 93 Points

  La Pointe's 2018 is an opaque ruby blend of 84% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc. This particular bottle was Vinturi-decanted and serially tasted over the ensuing three hours, demonstrating how (at this stage) it requires at least two hours of aeration in order to fully strut its stuff. Ripe and direct, it delivers loads of black currant and dark cherry fruit that is buttressed with violets, graphite, savory herbs and loamy earth. Full-bodied, freshly acidic and with nicely integrated alcohol (14.5%), it coats its flavors with an abundance of fine-grained tannins and offers an aliquot of oak that is nicely in tune with the wine's other structural components. Lengthy and energetic on the backside, this is an excellent young Pomerol that will likely garner a higher score after sleeping a bit in the cellar. Its longevity has been underestimated by the pundits. Only 1,500 cases were produced, so those who are happy with their early impressions should not procrastinate in procuring some for the longer term. Drink 2025-2038.

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  6/21/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote:

  Amsterdam UGCB Tasting (Amstel Boathouse, Amsterdam, NL): Dry and tannic. Lacks fruit and charm. Hint of TCA? Not rated.

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View all 8 Community Tasting Notes

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