Bordeaux
Tasted Friday, May 10, 2019 by PanosKakaviatos with 833 views
Dear readers, my full notes on the vintage from barrel are online at wine-chronicles.com. You can see plenty of photos and some video as well, but the point is that I am not quite as bullish as others about 2018, which I would characterize globally as very good but not great. That is to say that you can find great wines, to be sure. But some appellations like Graves are weaker than others like Pomerol or Saint Julien. It is a fascinating vintage - as you can read on my website - that will demand final judgments once the wines are bottled, hence the importance more so than ever of hyphenated scores. I divide these notes into two flights: one flight of top wines that tend to be pricey, the other flight for wines that promise to have excellent price/quality ratios, with price tags no more than $40 or $50.
The great thing about 2018 is that the vintage includes many wines that have excellent price/quality ratios - and across all appellations. These are wines whose prices are unlikely to rise once on the shelves so no rush to buy any futures, but certainly to keep a lookout once they are available in bottle. At least based on the barrel tastings.
Not all the selections here from my website are über expensive (sure I include wines like Cheval Blanc and Lafite Rothschild), as I include some really excellent wines - such as GPL, Gruaud Larose and Carmes Haut Brion - which are rather expensive but not just for millionaires. Indeed, Carmes Haut Brion is as I write this available for under $100. The 2016, in bottle, and also a superb wine, is well over $150. So that is an incentive to buy futures (I have already done so).
Please do consult my website for more details and inside quotes from the trade.
2018 Pichon Comtesse Réserve
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
This second wine of the great Pichon Comtesse de Lalande exudes freshness and elegance. Indeed, much of the blend comes from vines planted in 2011, which will be used in later years for the first wine. Alcohol is set at 14% precisely, with high tannin and enough acidity for balance. Bravo! 92-94
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2018 Château de Lamarque
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Has some cassis and plum on the nose. Ripe fruit. This is fine overall, a smooth delivery with a certain tannic edge, albeit supple. I like the palate substance midway through leading to a fresh finish. This is just a very consistent estate in recent years. Bravo ! Tasted at the UGCB. 92-94
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2018 Château Moulin Riche
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Bargain alert! This wine was cropped at 43 hectoliters per hectare. It blends 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 17% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. You recall my initial text on 2018 for the extra use of Petit Verdot? Well here another example. I like a certain cedar like freshness to this wine, along with ripe fruit, and spice! A wine to seek in this vintage, with tannin and volume (80 IPT tannin, and 14.1% alcohol with a pH of 3.7). Editing error: I had initially called this a “second wine” to Léoville Poyferré and of course should have known better! Since 2009, Château Moulin Riche has no longer been considered “second wine” to the grand vin Château Léoville Poyferré, which makes sense, as it had been classified Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 1932. 92-94
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2018 Château Corbin St. Émilion Grand Cru
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Has glycerin to be sure. A sweet nose, but with mint, too. The palate is rich and flavorful, with some heady aspects. Overall a rather sumptuous expression, à la 2015. Nice job, but I am not surprised as this estate is quite consistent indeed for good quality. 92-94
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2018 Château de Pressac
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
A whopping 36 hectares of prime terroir! The estate takes advantage, too, of the 17% Cabernet Franc and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon planted. The 2018 exhibits a lovely nose, rather fresh, floral and fruit driven. Perhaps the best that I can recall tasting en primeur. There is a touch of that oak derivation on the finish, but not as pronounced as in other vintages. And the alcohol is well integrated. Overall quite smooth. Nice! 92-94+
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2018 Château La Serre
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Bargain alert! This seven hectares vineyard plants to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc excelled in 2018. The wine shows grip and is even driven by dark red and ripe fruit. Sure some oak derived aromas like vanilla, but more as seasoning that dominating. But even that concern dissipates as the palate is so darn smooth. Tasted three times and all very positive. The finish ends a bit tight, but not astringent: a good sign for aging, as there is grip. 92-94+
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2018 Château Simard
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion
Another bargain alert! Such succulent fruit here, with nicely managed extractions. After tasting at Château Ausone, as this wine belongs to the same owners, I noticed how many visitors kept taking the free piece of wood with the name “Ausone” that is always offered to people who taste from barrel at the estate, but many Simard wood pieces (perfect for cheese plates) were left behind. I grabbed a Simard! 92-94
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2018 Château Lanessan
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Fresh and sap driven, a lovely wine. Wow, one of the best Lanessans that I have tasted from barrel in a while! 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, aging 12 months in one third new oak. Buy this! Tasted at the negociant Joanne. 92-94+
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2018 Château La Louvière
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Balsamic, black olive, deep red fruit richness and this from a rather classically minded estate. The palate is medium bodied with some austerity on the finish but the mid palate is juicy and there is ripe fruit. Give it time; should be like a 1990 or 2009. 92-94
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2018 Les Tourelles de Longueville
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
The 66% Merlot here, with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, really shines in 2018, exhibiting freshness and elegance. A lovely Tourelles! There is indeed “gravity” to the Merlots, but also freshness. Aging just 12 months in 30% new oak, the tannin is à point here, and the aging will refine the wine even more. I would seek this out for its ripe red fruit aspects and notions of wet stone seriousness. Excellent! 91-94
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2018 Château Les Trois Croix
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac
Really like the refined tannin here, not just soft, but with a certain vigor as well. Three cheers for this one! Even a bit of tobacco like “minerality” here. This gets my nod as the overall favorite Fronsac! 91-94
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2018 Château La Prade
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux
Nice fruit on the nose! The palate is smooth and well defined. Lovely! 90-93
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2018 Château Pibran
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Bargain alert! Another late ripening terroir that excelled in the vintage. The blend – at 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot – has slightly more Cabernet than the average as they were “magnificent”, remarked Christian Seely. But the Merlots also were “the best we have seen here”. So, win-win. I think the wine is ripe and delicious and deep. Of course the tannins lack the refinement of Pichon Baron, or even Les Tourelles, but the wine is seductive, and it reminds me of the excellent 2009. 90-93
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2018 Château Belle-Vue (Haut-Médoc)
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Just next to the famous Château Giscours of the Margaux appellation, this wine proved lovely for the vintage, with robust opulence but freshness on the nose as well, nicely balanced. There is ripe Cabernet (48% of the blend) but also loads of expressive Petit Verdot (20%) with the Merlot at 32% lending some smooth tannin. Good mid palate sap here. 91-93+
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2018 Château Potensac
France, Bordeaux, Médoc
Some 60% went into the first wine to blend 45% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Quite nice indeed, rather rich and yet contained. Very good impression here as the wine has power and some tannic austerity. Now, at just above 14.4% alcohol and a rather low pH of 3.57, the balance is there, but maybe not the same level of pristine love that I had for this in 2016, which I recall coming across just a bit brighter and with less alcohol. But why nitpick? The mid-palate is rich in dark fruit, and there is a lot of wine here overall. The second wine, Chapelle de Potensac, blending 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc is clean and fine and even less expensive. 91-93+
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2018 Château Brillette
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc
Bargain alert! This is a lovely, elegant wine. And inexpensive wine. Not as large scaled as Poujeaux, but wins on charm and barrel aging will fill it out. Tasted at the negociant Joanne. 91-93
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2018 Château Laffitte-Carcasset
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Coming from a rather large 40-hectares vineyard, this barrel sample exhibits a lovely nose, fresh red fruit, all in finesse, and the palate is refined if a bit tight, but that is of course to be expected. The blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc is nicely balanced and smooth. Bravo! 90-92+
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2018 Château Clarke
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Listrac-Médoc
Nose is deep ripe and dark fruit. Brownie and plum. The tannins are velvety yet somewhat imposing as this is a high tannin vintage. The palate is full bodied, not the most layered or complex, but with density and just a touch of headiness. 91-93
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2018 Château de la Rivière
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Fronsac
Among the more “serious” of the Fronsac wines assessed, as it has a 2009 like appeal with ripe black fruit, but with more grip and structure in evidence. 91-93
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