France Wines

wines

Has a velvety edge, with notes of steeped plum and warm cherry sauce, flecked with light tobacco and savory hints. Offers a gentle, pretty finish. Drink now through 2024. 3,667 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThe mellow richness and generous scale of this wine helps to keep the tannins in check. Full and juicy. Drink in 2019.James Suckling | 90 JS

Stylish, with creamed plum and cherry reduction notes carried by a velvety structure, picking up anise, black tea and incense accents along the way. The finish is detailed and finely grained, with a subtle minerality lingering at the very end. Drink now through 2032. 6,317 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSEmerging from the Cuvelier family, with advice from Michel Rolland, the 2018 Château Côte De Baleau offers a big, exuberant style that carries lots of kirsch liqueur, blueberries, toasted spice, sandalwood, and balsam-like aromas and flavors. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and mouth-filling, it brings lots of classic 2018 fruit yet also has ripe tannins, a balanced, layered style, and outstanding length. It’s ideal for drinking any time over the coming 10-15 years. (Drink between 2021-2036)Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDRed fruit, blackcurrants and vanilla. Full-bodied with firm tannins and a fleshy texture. Mellow, but with a certain structure due to the wood. Clean, medium-long finish. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 92 JSWell-textured with slate and charcoal giving a sense of minerality, along with cassis, blueberry, black cherry and chocolate. A ton of character, enjoyable. (Drink between 2023-2040)Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2019 Côte de Baleau is classy, super-polished and ready to offer pleasure. Bright floral and spice accents lead into a core of sweet red/purplish berry fruit, spice, mocha, tobacco, licorice and incense. The 2019 has gained a bit of weight in élevage, but it remains gracious and understated in bearing. I loved it.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThe 2019 Château Côte De Baleau shows beautifully, with lots of spicy red and black fruits, subtle background oak, medium to full body, and a great finish. I loved the 2016 and 2018, and this is certainly in the same ballpark.Jeb Dunnuck | 91-93 JDDisplaying an opaque purple color, the 2019 Cote de Baleau bursts with plum preserves, baked blackberries and blueberry pie scents plus nuances of mocha, bouquet garni, tapenade and woodsmoke. The medium to full-bodied palate is coated with rich, dark fruits and oodles of freshness, framed by plush tannins and finishing on a lingering aniseed note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91+ RPPine needles, bark, potpourri, blackberries and currants on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with tight, chewy tannins. Fleshy, textured finish. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 91 JSAustere attack to the wine, with cassis and blueberry fruits that show salinity and mouthwatering qualities but also the flipside of pronounced acidity. This has plenty of life ahead, with a texture that softens as the charred oak adds sweetness and width. Owned by the Cuvelier family with Michel Rolland as consultant. (Drink between 2025-2040)Decanter | 90 DEC