Red Bordeaux Blend Wines

wines

The flagship 2018 Château Beychevelle is a more serious, concentrated, focused wine that still has that classic Saint-Julien purity of fruit as well as a wealth of fruit. Gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered blueberries, violets, spring flowers, tobacco leaf, and cedar notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with sweet tannins, moderate acidity, and a great, great finish. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it’s one of the sexiest, most up-front and irresistible wines in the vintage. Don’t let that scare you, though; it’s going to drink beautifully for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDAn unabashedly flamboyant, exotic wine, the 2018 Beychevelle possesses tremendous richness and raciness right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, spice, menthol and espresso infuse this sumptuous Saint-Julien with striking aromatic and flavor complexity. Soft contours and silky tannins add to its irresistibly sensual personality. Time in the cellar should help the new oak assimilate, but readers should be prepared for a full-throttle, heady wine.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGAged for around 18 months in barrel, 60% new and 40% second fill, the 2018 Beychevelle needs a fair bit of swirling to release classic notes of cassis, plum preserves and ripe blackberries, with emerging suggestions of unsmoked cigars, tilled soil and cedar chest, plus a waft of pencil lead. The medium to full-bodied palate is still very tightly wound, offering finely packed black fruit and earthy layers within a frame of firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. This will need a good 5-6 years to come around and then will drink beautifully over the next 20+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPViolet and warm cassis aromas and flavors lead the way, melding with applewood, ganache, açaí and blueberry reduction notes along the way. Almost lush in the end, but there’s a buried tarry streak giving it just a bit of grippy texture for contrast. Serious juice. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2038..Wine Spectator | 95 WSCurrants and blackberries with crushed stone and fresh herbs. Some flower stem, too. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and linear with firm, driven tannins. This needs four or five years of bottle age to open and come together. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 94 JSThere is attractive tension in this wine between the dry tannins and opulently ripe black fruits. That sets the wine on a course of long-term aging. Bold, dense fruits are matched by the dry core. The wine will take time. Drink from 2027. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEGorgeously brushed tannins with a smoked oak nose. This is excellent, firm and bright, layered and nuanced, gently inviting you in, with plenty of promise of life ahead. Has some austerity and although this is not in 2016 territory of 360-degree expansion, it is highly successful. A yield of 55hl/ha, with 50% of production going into the grand vin. 60% new oak. Drinking Window 2026 - 2036.Decanter | 93 DEC

Very attractive aromas of currants, tile and sandalwood with black and red currants. It’s full-bodied with a tight, dense center-palate that remains closed in and tight. Yet there is underlying seriousness and length to this. Perhaps the greatest Branaire-Ducru ever made. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 97 JSThis is well-packed, with blueberry, açaí and blackberry fruit flavors and licorice snap and fruitcake notes. Long and refined despite the copious fruit, showing polish and poise through the finish.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 2018 Branaire-Ducru is every bit as captivating as it was en primeur. Ripe, silky tannins give the 2018 a striking air of sensuality that only grows as the wine sits in the glass. Succulent red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint, spice and gravel inflections all open more over time. Even with all of its natural radiance, Branaire remains a model of grace. It is unquestionably one of the under the radar wines of the year.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGA deceptively smooth texture and black fruits hide a wine that has great density and richness. Firm tannins lie beneath the ripeness. They will allow this wine to age, giving future concentration and depth. Drink the wine from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA beautiful Saint-Julien, the 2018 Château Branaire-Ducru reveals a deep purple color as well as ample, earthy cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with sous bois, earth, lead pencil, and cedar. With that classic Saint-Julien pure fruit, sumptuous aromas and flavors, sweet yet present tannins, and a solid spine of acidity, it's going to need 5-7 years to hit maturity yet should keep for 20-25 years or more. I don't think it's going to match the blockbuster 2009 (it's more in the pretty, elegant style of the 2016), but it's a gorgeous, elegant wine you will love to have in the cellar.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2018 Branaire-Ducru has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and an upfront, expressive nose of baked black plums, boysenberries and Morello cherries with an undercurrent of dried mint, spice box and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate packs a very pleasant fruit wallop, featuring juicy black fruits and a firm, grainy frame, finishing long with lovely purity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPA little subdued, this has firm tannic hold, clear raspberry, blackberry and cassis fruits, along with hawthorn, brambles and touches of black pepper. Young and will go the distance, though lacks a little magic. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040.Decanter | 92 DEC

This is now performing as one of the top Margaux estates. Their latest release shows structure, elegant black fruits and rich tannins. Densely textured and vibrantly fruity, the wine has a fine future. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2018 Brane-Cantenac opens with a super-classic bouquet of dried herbs, pencil shavings, licorice and mint. Medium in body and wonderfully nuanced, Brane-Cantenac marries the natural richness of the year with a classic structural feel. This is one of the most elegant, restrained 2018s readers will come across. I loved it.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGA quintessential Margaux as well as one of the finest wines I’ve tasted from this estate, the 2018 Château Brane-Cantenac is based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all aged in 70% new French oak. Beautiful cassis and mulberry fruits as well as notes of leafy tobacco, spice, cedarwood, and spring flowers emerge from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant, it has loads of fruit, a seamless texture, and a good spine of acidity. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDDeep and generous blackberry fruits and rich chocolate, there is good balance here with depth and interest and a ton of flavour. Really good stuff, with juice and a drive forward through the palate. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the blend - there was no Carmenère in the grand vin in 2018. A yield of 45hl/ha. 70% new oak. Drinking Window 2026 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of mushroom, meat, bark and iodine with blackberries and blackcurrants, following through to a full body with firm, creamy tannins that give structure and form to the wine. Tight on the finish. Long and persistent with presence. Drink after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2018 Brane-Cantenac is medium to deep garnet-purple in color, leaping from the glass with vibrant notes of kirsch, black raspberries and warm cassis, plus suggestions of roses, forest floor and cinnamon stick with a waft of cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate is wonderfully elegant and refreshing, weighing in at just 13.5% alcohol, while not scrimping on the interplay of red and black fruits. It has lovely soft tannins and a long, perfumed finish. Impressive!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

Easily the greatest example from this château that I’ve tasted, the 2018 Château Calon Ségur checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot aged 20 months in new French oak. This dense purple-hued beauty boasts a stunning nose of blackcurrants, crème de cassis, tobacco, baking spices, chocolate, and cedarwood. With full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, gorgeous tannins, and one seriously long finish, it hits that palate with 15% alcohol, yet you wouldn’t know it by tasting it, and the wine is perfectly balanced, has incredible purity of fruit, and stays fresh and lively, with a clean finish. This magical Saint-Estèphe can be drunk any time over the coming 20+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDA distinctive bouquet with notes of iodine, flowers, fresh fruit and graphite, but its floral character takes on a dominant role with airing. Gorgeously juicy mouthfeel brimming with energy lengthening a finish that consolidates its profound substance but also reveals surprising subtlety and delicacy. This 2018 is perhaps an atypical Calon Ségur in the context of recent vintages, but it joins the ranks of the great ones and should gain in elegance over time. Cellaring may be required for up to twenty-five years. (Drink between 2030-2060)Decanter | 99 DECThe 2018 Calon-Ségur is blended of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot (14.9% alcohol). It is anticipated to age for 20 months in barriques, 100% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs just a little coaxing before it reveals seductive notes of baked cherries, warm cassis, licorice and smoked meats with nuances of hoisin, camphor, Chinese five spice and dried roses with a waft of cardamom. Full-bodied and completely packed with concentrated black fruit and spice layers, it has a firm frame of grainy tannins and a wicked backbone of freshness giving an energetic lift to the very long finish. There’s lots of brightness coming from the Cabernet Franc component in here, but it is nonetheless a decadent expression.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPAromas of redcurrants and plums with blueberries and black licorice, following through to a full body that’s so refined and polished, the tannins integrated wonderfully into the fruit. Fresh, linear and persistent. Real clarity and purity to this. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 97 JSThis is a dense, generous wine. Swathes of black fruits are packed with concentrated tannins. Its power is palpable, as is its luxuriously rich future. The wine will take plenty of aging, so don’t drink before 2027. .Wine Enthusiast | 97 WERipe, fresh and well-defined from start to finish, this lets cassis and dark plum notes race through, carried by a graphite edge and backed with dark tobacco, warm earth and chestnut accents on the finish. Has serious grip and drive. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2018 Calon-Ségur has a classic Saint-Estèphe nose. Rather obdurate at first, it takes time to coalesce, revealing black fruit, charcoal and warm gravel scents, well defined but distant and not predisposed to charm the imbiber. In a funny way, I quite like that stubbornness. The palate is well balanced with firm tannins and fine acidity. Maybe this feels a little pinched compared to recent vintages; it does not possess the amplitude of the 2016 and 2017 and it is rather serious on the brine-infused finish. This is a fine and very typical Calon-Ségur, though it is not the most finessed in recent years.Vinous Media | 92 VM

This estate is regaining its rightful place in the prestigious crus classés. Richly textured, this latest release shows luscious blackberry fruits and layers of firm tannins. The wine will age well, so wait to drink until 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WELovely deep ruby colour with excellent oak finesse on the aromatics, not overpowering but adding layers of smoke against cassis and black cherry fruits. You can find both nuance and complexity in this wine. This is gourmet as it opens with black chocolate and liquorice also. Clear interest and potential for ageing. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042.Decanter | 92 DECBlueberries and dried currants on the nose with savory oyster shell, tobacco and graphite. Dried violets, too. It’s medium-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Layered and flavorful. Balanced. 55% cabernet sauvignon and 45% merlot. Try from 2023.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2018 de Camensac has retained its attractive aromatics, needing just a little coaxing to reveal blackberry, bilberry, light marine scents and those iris petals that I remarked upon out of barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with good backbone and well-judged acidity. I admire the substance of this de Camensac, and there is wonderful salinity on the finish. This comes recommended and I can see it aging well.Vinous Media | 91 VM

A well-constructed wine that is ripe with black fruits and integrated tannins, this is in a good place for aging. Black-currant fruitiness is balanced by a dry, smoky core that holds promise. Drink this wine from 2026. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WERich aromas of blackberries, dried currants, chocolate, walnuts and tile on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Polished and structured with a nice core of black fruit. Give it at least a couple of years of bottle age. Lovely balance to it. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 93 JSSome reduction on the first nose here. Really takes some time before the fruit starts to come out, showing nuanced layers of raspberry and chocolate, with a tiny touch of bitterness on the finish. There is clear power and depth here. Give it time in bottle. (Drink between 2026-2042)Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2018 Cantenac Brown is fabulous. Dark rich and expansive, the 2018 wraps around the palate with stunning depth. Dark red/black fruit, iron, cedar, chocolate, dried herbs and a whole range of earthy notes are pushed forward as this ample Margaux shows off its considerable allure. The 2018 is a big, rich wine. Give it at least a few years to fully come together.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGRipe black fruits shine through this balanced wine, showing strongly against a backdrop of rich, generous tannins. This estate is one to watch as it achieves the form the vineyard deserves. Expect this wine to be ready to drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEShows a touch of dark earth out front, with a mix of smoldering tobacco, espresso crema and singed alder notes before the core of warmed plum and blackberry reduction flavors finally starts to unwind. Just a touch burly for a Margaux, but certainly lots to like here and ample range and length. Time will likely add that last bit of refinement. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2036. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThis has a lot of elegance even though it is a powerful wine; there is a lovely lifting freshness through the palate along with ripples of blackberry and damson fruit. Just a touch of heat on the finish that dampens things down. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042.Decanter | 94 DECRich and polished aromas of blueberry, lavender, dark chocolate, hazelnut and sweet tobacco. It’s full-bodied with firm, velvety tannins. Creamy layers of ripe fruit and wood. Long and caressing. Lovely ripe fruit in the center palate. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2018 Cantenac Brown has a medium to deep garnet-purple color, wafting gently out of the glass with fragrant scents of redcurrant jelly, Morello cherries, plum preserves and fresh blackcurrants, plus suggestions of red roses, cedar chest and pencil lead. The medium-bodied palate (13.5% declared alcohol) has a sturdy frame of grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the delicately styled red and black fruit flavors, finishing savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPA classic, elegant Margaux based on roughly 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot (I don’t know the exact blend), the 2018 Château Cantenac Brown offers up a pretty perfume of red and black currants, sandalwood, dried flowers, and cedar pencil. It’s not the most powerful or concentrated wine in the vintage, yet it has fine tannins as well as a wonderfully balanced, classical style. I suspect it will benefit from just short-term cellaring and keep for 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

This structured, dense wine is packed with as much tannins as fruit at this stage. Balance is coming and this ripe wine, with its solid, dark texture and black-plum fruits, holds good promise. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WETightly drawn, with a cloak of alder and juniper over the core of steeped plum and black currant flavors. Lots of tar, bramble, loam and sweet bay accents score the finish, which sports heft and muscle. Superb showing. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2038. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSI loved the 2018 Château Carbonnieux. This Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Pessac sports a deep purple hue as well as ripe, sexy aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, chocolate, leafy tobacco, and earth. Beautifully textured, with silky tannins and outstanding balance, it’s already drinking brilliantly yet has a solid 10-15 years of longevity ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDBlackberry, dried-violet, gravel, chocolate and iodine aromas. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins. Chewy, flavorful finish. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2018 Carbonnieux turned out beautifully. Deep, ample and so expressive, the 2018 possesses quite a bit of density and pure power. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, gravel, licorice, menthol and scorched earth infuse this Pessac-Léognan with quite a bit of intensity. The 2018 is a powerhouse. Give it a few years to fully come together.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGA more savoury Cabernet-dominant profile than with the Carbonnieux, with a hint of tomato leaf. This is good but a little austere. The slight bitterness on the finish seen during en primeur is a little more evident now after the ageing, and it certainly needs another five or so years to soften. I am bringing the score down slightly from en primeur. 5% Petit Verdot finishes the blend. 40% new oak and a yield of 33hl/ha. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040Decanter | 92 DECDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Carbonnieux gives up wonderfully pure scents of ripe black cherries, mulberries and cassis, plus suggestions of Ceylon tea, black olive and lavender with a pinch of ground cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers loads of spicy black fruit flavors, supported by grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with a peppery kick.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Exquisitely fine tannins to the currant, lead-pencil and chocolate character. The palate is full, yet very refined and linear with a long, lingering finish. Such polish and tension. The tannins are intense, yet so fine, giving almost a powdery texture. So Lafite-like. Best Carruades ever? 56% cabernet sauvignon and 38% merlot, the rest cabernet franc. Drink after 2026.James Suckling | 97 JSWhile a lot of estates’ second wines can have a distinctly different style than their Grand Vins, that’s not the case with Lafite. Their 2018 Carraudes De Lafite has a beautiful Lafite-like elegance and sense of nuance that’s always present in the Grand Vin. Based on 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, its ruby/purple-tinged hue is followed by a beautiful nose of cassis, lead pencil, black cherries, tobacco leaf, and forest floor. With medium to full-bodied richness, it has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe yet present tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. This juicy, textured, balanced 2018 can be drunk today or cellared for 15-20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2018 Carruades de Lafite is a blend of 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 5.5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes skipping out of the glass with bright, cheery scents of redcurrant jelly, blackcurrant pastilles and Morello cherries with hints of candied violets, pencil shavings, menthol and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied and elegantly styled, with layers of crunchy red and black fruits, it has a beautifully ripe, fine-grained texture and loads of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThis is a ripe, juicy wine that’s rich and generous in texture, with light touches of spice and fine tannins. It has both weight and freshness, giving a wine that is elegant and ripe.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WESeductive, with mulled plum and black cherry fruit that is infused with dark tea, singed cedar and bay notes. Iron note nicely imbedded through the finish, which has a subtle tug of earth. Very restrained in feel, but with some seriously sneaky length. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WSAn understated and enjoyable Carruades, which has that sense of Lafite effortlessness, with a mouthwatering finish. Dark spice and great balance, where you see the beginnings of acidity, tannin and fruits but you don’t see their end as they meld into each other. Savoury Cabernet fruits abound. This is hugely elegant, with smoky notes that come out more obviously as the wine opens up. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2018 Carruades de Lafite is delicate, sensual and elegant, with a striking interplay of finesse and power. A wine of total allure and translucence, the 2018 Carruades is so silky, so finessed, so classy. Sweet red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and spice are all finely knit in a Pauillac of tremendous class. Harvest started on September 17 and wrapped up on October 5 for the Cabernets.Antonio Galloni | 93 AG

The 2018 Des Fougères Clos Montesquieu is terrific. Black cherry, espresso, licorice, dried flowers, mocha, blood orange, gravel and baking spices open gradually in the glass. More than anything else, I admire the wine’s persistence and overall balance. Clos Montesquieu is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGClove and chili to the dark-berry and pine-needle undertones. It’s medium-bodied with a solid core of ripe, fine tannins and dark fruit. Drinkable now, but better in 2022.James Suckling | 91 JSA blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 20% new oak, the 2018 Château Des Fougères Clos Montesquieu has a pretty, incredibly floral perfume of blue fruits, mulberries, leafy herbs, cedar, and rose petals. These all carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium-bodied, has a lively thread of acidity, light tannins, and solid length. It’s one of those wines that grows on you with time in the glass and shines more for its finesse and elegance than power. It’s going to benefit from 2-4 years in the cellar and should keep for a decade. (Drink between 2023-2033)Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

The 2018 Pibran is fabulous, just as it was en primeur. Juicy, rich and expansive in this vintage, Pibran offers terrific richness and verve. Dark cherry, spice, new leather and cedar build as this stylish Pauillac shows off its considerable charms. The 2018 is unquestionably extroverted. It is also shamelessly delicious.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThe 2018 Château Pibran emerges from a cooler, gravelly terroir in Pauillac and is close to an even split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, all raised in 50% new oak. Lots of red, black, and blue fruits as well as lead pencil, violets, camphor, and smoked tobacco emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a terrific sense of freshness, ripe yet firm, polished tannins, and a great finish. This is another classic Pauillac that’s going to benefit from 3-6 years of bottle age (it’s far from unapproachable today) and keep for 20-25 years in cold cellars. (Drink between 2024-2049)Jeb Dunnuck | 93+ JDBlackcurrant, blueberry, pencil-lead, clove and walnut-husk aromas. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Nice minerality. Try from 2024 and onwards.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2018 Pibran is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Merlot, matured for 18 months in barriques, 50% new and 50% one year old. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes skipping out of the glass with bright, cheerful scents of Morello cherries, mulberries and wild blueberries, giving way to a core of cassis, dark chocolate and violets, with a waft of woodsmoke. Medium-bodied, the palate is delicately styled with fantastic freshness and fine-grained tannins supporting the crunchy black fruit layers, finishing long and lifted.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPRich in both structure and fruit, this wine has ripe tannins and a full, generous texture that is given shape by full-bodied, black-fruit flavors. From the northern part of Pauillac, the wine is good for medium-term aging. Drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA very tasty, enjoyable Pibran that comes from a cooler site than the main Pichon Baron wine, from gravel soils over a bed of limestone, and always the last for the team to harvest as was the case again in 2018. You can certainly feel the freshness and juice through the dark fruits – a wine that will be limbered up after just four or five years in bottle. 50% new oak. A yield of 37hl/ha. (Drink between 2024-2038)Decanter | 90 DEC

The progression of this property continues to be evident in the glass with a beautiful classicism, full of life and layers comprising dark spice and touches of black pepper against blueberry and cool fruits, pumped up by black chocolate and liquorice.It’s confident and clearly has a fierce quality to the tannins giving a long life ahead of it. The harvest started on September 17, one week later than Mouton because of its cooler terroir, with the blend completed by 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmanère.This is the last vintage with Jean-Emmanuel Donjoy at the helm as he’s making his way over to Mouton-Rothschild to work alongside Philippe Dhalluin. A tough gig to turn down of course, but I will miss the work he has done here and look forward to seeing what his successor will add. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040Decanter | 96 DECThis opulent wine is as bold with its fruit as with its tannins. The initial velvet texture masks the dense structure that will allow it to age impressively. Blackberry flavors, acidity and intense richness are coming together in a welter of ripe fruits. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEBlackcurrants, tobacco, graphite, cloves and dried leaves on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Structured and compact with a long, mineral finish. Tight and austere. Very pretty structure here. Wait until 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2018 Clerc Milon is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it has a very pure, beautifully delineated nose of crushed blackcurrants, fresh black plums and boysenberries with hints of wild thyme, damp soil, tar and black olives. The medium to full-bodied palate offers taut, muscular black fruit with loads of savory layers and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and mineral tinged.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThe 2018 Clerc Milon is showing beautifully today. Gorgeous savory notes from the Cabernet Sauvignon open first, showing the modern direction of Clerc Milon towards a more Cabernet focused wine. Dried flowers, menthol, licorice, graphite and black cherry are all laced together effortlessly. The tannins have settled down a bit since en primeur, which is a very good sign for the future.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThis throws off a lovely stream of violet and cassis aromas and flavors that are sleek and pure in feel, picking up dark cherry, iron and sanguine details along the way. Refined and cellarworthy. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Best from 2023 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFrom an estate located on the east side of highway D2 and between Château Lafite and Château Mouton Rothschild, the 2018 Château Clerc Milon is a ripe, sexy, full-bodied Pauillac that brings plenty of richness while still staying reasonably elegant. Blackcurrants, blackberries, smoked earth, new leather, and cedary herbs all flow to an impressively endowed, layered Pauillac with chewy tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 50% new French oak, this outstanding 2018 needs 4-6 years of bottle age to round into form and will evolve nicely for 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JD

Aromas of blackberries, blueberries, herbs and cedar. It’s full-bodied with elegant tannins. Fleshy and well balanced on the palate. Beautiful, pure fruit at the finish. Second wine of Talbot. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2018 Connétable de Talbot has a fragrant bouquet with black cherries, blueberry and light crushed stone aromas. The oak is nicely integrated (15%). The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and plenty of freshness on the structured, graphite tinged finish. This is simply the best Connétable de Talbot that I have tasted.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMBright, ripe and defined, with bay, violet, cassis and dark plum fruit all racing along in unison. Excellent energy and tension through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2028. 18,335 cases made. Wine Spectator | 90 WSFilled with gourmet notes of chocolate shavings and brioche, with sweet black fruits and firm tannins. This is an enjoyable second wine with well-ripened fruits and a charcoal edge through the finish. A little austere as things close out. The tannins have a pretty muscular bite to them. (Drink between 2023-2036)Decanter | 90 DEC

The richness and beauty of this wine is impressive with blackcurrant, cherry, berry and fresh cloves. The fruit is so pure here. Full-bodied with tannins that are so integrated and refined that you don’t feel them, yet they are there! Very creamy and layered with great length and beauty. It turns to tar and licorice at the finish. Tight now, but the texture is special. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 98 JSAn incredible wine from this estate that’s as good as anything in the vintage, the 2018 Château Cos D’Estournel checks in as 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot that was brought up in 50% new French oak. While some 2018s are going to offer pleasure right out of the gate, this isn’t one of them, but rather it’s a backward, tannic powerhouse of a wine that has flawless balance as well as a level of purity that’s off the charts. Thrilling crème de cassis fruit, notes of lead pencil, damp earth, cedarwood, violets, and acacia flowers, full-bodied richness, masses of ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish all make for a legendary Saint-Estèphe that will need a good decade of bottle age yet evolve for 50 years or more. If you are tempted to try a bottle in its youth, it needs lots of air.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe 2018 Cos d’Estournel is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak barriques. The alcohol weighs in at just over 14.5%. Sporting a deep purple-black color, it needs a lot of swirling to begin to unlock a powerful nose of crème de cassis, stewed plums, wild blueberries and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by nuances of Sichuan pepper, star anise, tree and clove oil, plus a waft of charcoal. The full-bodied palate is densely packed with taut, muscular black fruits and earthy layers, framed by super firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and wonderfully earthy. A very impressive behemoth, this is going to need a good seven to 10 years to truly show its stuff and should drink for a good 40 years and beyond.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThe 2018 Cos d’Estournel is a racy, powerful Saint-Estèphe that is going to need quite a bit of time to find its center. Today, it is tightly wound, but all the energy is there. Lush and extravagantly ripe, the 2018 possesses tremendous depth and plenty of energy to back it all up. Here, too, I found the wine a bit more expressive and giving en primeur.Antonio Galloni | 98 AGA little closed on the nose, and also on the attack. There is a wall of tannin here but backed up by voluptuously ripe fruits that major on damson and fig, overlaid with cinnamon and saffron spices. Lilting acidity through the finish keeps a sense of momentum. This is powerful with ambition, and it carries it off perfectly. 65% of production went into the grand vin. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the blend, and the wine was aged in 50% new oak (a little lower than the usual 60%). Drinking Window 2028 - 2045.Decanter | 97 DECBig, rich and smoky in nature, with powerful fruits and dense tannins, this is a wine that is straining at the limits but still within balance. Rich, smoky flavors shine along with the black plum fruit and bright acidity. It will age for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis is a bird of a different feather, with a ripe, sleek, and very polished feel as creamed loganberry, plum and boysenberry flavors spill forth, flanked for support by singed alder and incense notes, while black tea and savory threads curl around the finish. Long, showy and lovely. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2038. 16,600 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 2018 Cos Labory has a deep garnet-purple color, bursting from the glass with bold notes of warm cassis, blackberry compote and Morello cherries, plus suggestions of roses, unsmoked cigars and tree bark. The medium-bodied palate has a very sturdy frame of firm, grainy tannins and tons of freshness supporting the rather delicately played fruit, finishing long and earthy/minerally. The structure stands out a little now, which I enjoy, but for those preferring softer, rounder expressions, give this a good 3-5 years in the cellar and drink it over the next 15-20 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2018 Cos Labory is fabulous. An extra kick of richness from the warm year and a bit more Petit Verdot than usual result in a Cos Labory that is wonderfully savory, powerful and layered. Black cherry, plum, cloves, chocolate and dried herbs build as this potent, exotically ripe Saint-Estèphe opens in the glass. Today, the 2018 is dark, brooding and in need of cellaring. Cos Labory is a bit wild, but that just adds to its considerable allure.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGA lovely sense of balance and restraint. Plenty of black fruit, lots of cassis and bilberry. A good wine that is going to age very well, with plenty of tannic bite, if a little high in acidity. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042Decanter | 92 DECAromas of blackberries and blueberries with cloves, graphite and dark chocolate. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Sleek and refined with an austere, mineral finish. But polished texture. Better from 2024.James Suckling | 92 JSThe Audoy family has produced a structured wine, dense with tannins and backed by dark plum and berry fruits. It is rich, with a good future ahead of it, textured with richness as well as initial dryness. Drink the wine from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WELots of rich red and black currants, tobacco, savory spice, and new leather notes emerge from the 2018 Château Cos Labory, a medium-bodied Saint-Estèphe with terrific overall balance, ripe, velvety tannins, lots of character, and outstanding length. It’s well worth cellaring and drinking any time over the coming 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

Complex aromas of blackcurrant, black olive, clove, oyster shell, pencil lead and tobacco. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Concentrated and focused with a very long, spice and mineral finish. Fantastic bottle. Try from 2026.James Suckling | 95 JSDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 D’Armailhac (a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot) hits the ground running with wonderfully open-knit, flamboyant scents of Morello cherries, black raspberries, blackcurrant jelly and rose oil, leading to an undercurrent of cinnamon toast, aniseed and mossy tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is charged with energy and expressiveness, delivering red and black berry layers with loads of spicy sparks, framed by plush tannins, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPThe core of ripe cassis, plum sauce and raspberry purée flavors have a succulent feel, while licorice snap, graphite and singed alder notes play along the edges. Nice glycerine feel through the focused and fine-grained finish. Tempting now, but time will bring more nuance. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 93 WSAwesome notes of camphor, new leather, cedar pencil, chocolate, and cassis emerge from the 2018 Château D’Armailhac, a full-bodied, concentrated Pauillac that stays nicely focused on the palate, with firm yet ripe tannins, wonderful purity, and a great finish. In short, it’s a classic Pauillac that needs 4-6 years of bottle age and should have two decades of prime drinking.Jeb Dunnuck | 93+ JDA ripe, juicy wine with great freshness and swathes of black-currant fruits, this is already delicious. Plenty of tannins back up the fruits and push the wine towards a rich future, but the balance is already there. Drink this wine from the Mouton-Rothschild stable from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2018 d’Armailhac is bright, fresh and so inviting, just as it was en primeur. Sweet red cherry fruit, cedar, spice, tobacco and anise add lovely aromatic complexity. All of the intensity of the year comes through nicely and yet the personality of Armailhac is evident also. I would cellar the 2018 for at least a few years, to allow some of the baby fat to melt away. There is a bit more breadth and richness that is the result of yields that were just 32 hectoliters per hectare as opposed to the more typical 42 or so. It was a vintage marked by heat stress, small berries and lower juice to skin ratio, as well as some parcels affected by mildew. Antonio Galloni | 92 AGAustere, textbook limestone flavours given a plump mid palate by damson and black cherry fruits. Owned by Stephan von Neipperg. (Drink between 2023-2036)Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2018 D’Issan is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, aging in 50% new and 50% second year barrels for an estimated 18 months. With 13.97% alcohol and a deep garnet-purple color, it features baked berries, warm cherries and cassis with spice box and fragrant earth plus tea hints. Medium to full-bodied, it has a great core of muscular fruit with firm, fine-grained tannins, with nice freshness, finishing layered with mineral notions.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPAromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, iodine, clove and graphite. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Tightly wound and mineral at the moment, with dusty gravel and graphite notes, yet with focus and precision. Such balance and harmony for the vintage. Try from 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSThe top wine, the 2018 Château D’Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that spent 18 months in 50% new French oak. It offers a beautiful, singular bouquet of blackcurrants, new leather, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, and camphor. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Margaux with wonderful tannins, beautifully integrated acidity, and just a flawlessly balanced, elegant, layered style that’s going to evolve for 20-25 years. It’s one classy 2018 that has loads to love.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDWell-balanced, fleshed out by redcurrant, raspberry and black cherry fruits. There is tannic build-up, gently layering but adding up to quite the wall at this stage, suggesting a long life ahead, and beautifully judged cigar smoke edging through the finish. Good stuff from Issan, and a wine I have tasted both at en primeur and during ageing in barrel. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2026 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2018 d’Issan is a potent, backward wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. Dark and brooding, with serious intensity, the 2018 shows off real depth in its blue/purplish fruit, chocolate, spice, smoke and leather flavors. The tannins are imposing today, but, then again, everything about the 2018 feels large in scale. I can’t wait to see how the 2018 ages.Antonio Galloni | 94 AG

Lots of crushed black and blue fruit on the nose with licorice and crushed gravel, too. Hints of tobacco. It’s full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Balanced and precise. Tight at the finish. Tannins are integrated and mouth filling. The grow nicely on the palate. 68% cabernet sauvignon and 32% merlot. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 94 JSVery fresh and silky in feel, with a bright display of raspberry coulis and cassis notes that glides through, infused gently with rooibos tea, incense and savory details through the caressing finish. Understated style, but there’s a lot to like. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2034. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSVibrant purple in colour with clear fruit aromatics of redcurrant and raspberry, this has vibrancy and lift and is full of life. The juicy fruit is shot through with peppery spice and herbs, along with touches of slate and tobacco leaf. The acidity is on the higher side, making it more perky than seductive, with good persistence and no intention of going anywhere fast. Dauzac was still owned by insurance company MAIF during the 2018 season but the estate has since changed hands, so the maturation will be overseen by new owner, French businessman Christian Roulleau, with director Laurent Fontin remaining in place. A new system of extraction called Air Pulse keeps the berries in permanent suspension during fermentation, so a hard ’marc’, or cap of skins, never forms. It means they have no need for traditional pumping over, and in theory ensures softer extractions. Harvest September 17 to October 8.A 45hl/h yield, which is impressive considering they are using algae-derived treatments against mildew to reduce use of copper. 65% new oak. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2018 Château Dauzac is another charming, nicely balanced, textured wine from Margaux with plenty of ripe red and black fruits, notes of dried flowers, chocolate, and incense, light tannins, and outstanding length. It’s a fleshy, balanced, flavor-filled beauty that is already drinking nicely today yet is going to keep for 15 years in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDPowerfully structured, this is a big wine. Black fruits, ripe tannins and concentration are not shy in their richness. Juicy blackberry flavors are just beginning to develop and integrate with the structure. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEMedium to deep garnet-purple colored, 2018 Dauzac comes galloping out of the glass with powerful notes of blackcurrant cordial, stewed black plums and blueberry compote, plus suggestions of violets, clove oil and underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with ripe black fruits, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long with a peppery kick.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThe 2018 Dauzac, a wine that I did not taste out of barrel, has a concentrated bouquet of layers of blackberry, raspberry, violet and just a touch of pitted black olives. The palate is medium-bodied with good grip on the entry. This felt angular when I first poured it; allowing it 2–3 hours to soften, it does remain quite strict and linear. There is just a touch of herbaceousness toward the finish, though it is minor and I fully suspect it will be subsumed with time. So my advice is: be patient.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

This wine is rich, generously textured and ripe. Acidity is comfortably integrated into the wine’s texture, offering hints of tropical fruits, taut minerality and a spicy and warm future. Drink from 2024. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 de Fieuzal rocks up with gregarious scents of baked plums, stewed cherries and dried mulberries plus suggestions of Chinese five spice, unsmoked cigars and sautéed herbs. The rich, full-bodied palate has loads of exotic spice and raisin cake layers with a firm, chewy frame, finishing just a little hard.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPA beautiful, classic wine from this appellation located south of Bordeaux, the 2018 Château De Fieuzal reveals a dense purple hue as well as textbook notes of ripe black cherries, currants, smoked earth, tobacco, and chocolate. Textbook Graves all the way with its smoky, earthy, yet voluptuous and medium to full-bodied style, it’s going to benefit from 3-5 years in the cellar and shine for 10-15 years. It’s the finest wine I’ve tasted from this Château since the 2009 and is well worth seeking out.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDA touch of reduction on the palate right now. This has clear, bright berry fruits, clearly at full ripeness, with liquorice and black chocolate. The tannins are chewy and just a tiny bit overpowering right now, but they will soften and there is a lot to enjoy here. Showing its potential. (Drink between 2023-2040)Decanter | 93 DECFresh blackberry, bark, cedar, oyster shell and gravel. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Fresh and flavorful with a juicy, savory finish. Velvety-textured tannins. Try from 2023.James Suckling | 93 JSPlum and raspberry compote notes are juicy and delicious, while dark licorice, fruitcake and mesquite note fill in on the finish. Nice tarry edge at the very end. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2030. 7,000 cases made. Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The intensity and perfumes on the nose are extremely impressive, offering pure blackberries and violets, as well as bark, wild-mushroom and raw-tile notes. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins that envelop the wine and a gorgeous, subtly complex center palate with all the flavors found on the nose. Endless finish. Love the finesse and length to this. Greatest ever. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2018 Domaine de Chevalier is easily one of the wines of the vintage. A wine of mind-blowing precision and regal elegance, Domaine de Chevalier dazzles from the very first taste. Dried herbs, rose petal, mint, blood orange, pomegranate and bright mineral notes all build in the glass. Richly layered but also translucent, the 2018 is a real head-turner. Don’t miss it!Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 2018 Domaine De Chevalier is a beauty. Based on 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in 35% new French oak, it has a beautiful sense of elegance and purity, which is very much in the style of the vintage as well as the domaine. Blackcurrants, black cherries, cold fireplace, damp earth, tobacco, and chocolate are just some of the nuances here, and this complex, medium to full-bodied 2018 has gorgeous tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. It has suppleness in its texture that allows it to offer pleasure even today, yet given its balance as well as purity, it deserves 5-7 years of bottle age and will keep for 30+ years. It is another brilliant wine from the team of Olivier Bernard.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDOne of the iconic white wines of Bordeaux, produced in small quantities, this is a powerful and rich expression of ripe Sauvignon Blanc. The fruitiness, with its tropical hints, is enhanced by the wine’s complexity, touches of spice and density. Drink this impressive wine from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEDreamy, with a velvety, caressing feel to a mix of warmed cassis, plum reduction and cherry preserve flavors that glide through slowly, but surely, letting anise, sweet tobacco and mineral accents peek in throughout. Very long, very refined. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2038. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSLovely rich depth to the nose. This is a successful wine with balance, power and elegance. Subtle with a ton of complexity: blackberry and autumnal fruits, touches of hedgerow, slate, chocolate and crushed stone, with sweet raspberry purée as it opens up. Just a lovely wine that you would be very happy to own. One-third new oak. Maintained its success from en primeur. Drinking Window 2024 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DECA blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, aged for approximately 18 months in oak barriques, 35% new, the 2018 Domaine de Chevalier has a deep garnet-purple color, pouncing out of the glass with energetic scents of crushed blackcurrants, fresh, juicy blackberries and ripe plums, with suggestions of crushed rocks, bay leaves, unsmoked cigars and lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with muscular black fruits, framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and great tension, finishing long and mineral laced. Give it another 4 years in bottle to flesh out and drink it over the next 25+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP

From the partner estate to Château Giscours, this wine is as elegant as you would expect. While it is structured, it also has ripe fruits, rich tannins and great potential. The dry and firm core of this wine will propel it forward. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEVery seductive, with warmed plum sauce, cassis and raspberry confiture flavors stitched together with singed sandalwood and light mineral notes. Ends with a velvety edge while a flash of alder darts in the background. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2036.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2018 Château Du Tertre is solid, offering an attractive bouquet of red and black fruits, vanilla bean, dried flowers, balsam (which I always seem to find in this wine), and sandalwood. It’s beautifully complex, has medium-bodied richness, moderate tannins, and a forward, charming, already delicious style that’s ideal for enjoying over the coming 15 years. (Drink between 2021-2036)James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2018 Château Du Tertre is solid, offering an attractive bouquet of red and black fruits, vanilla bean, dried flowers, balsam (which I always seem to find in this wine), and sandalwood. It’s beautifully complex, has medium-bodied richness, moderate tannins, and a forward, charming, already delicious style that’s ideal for enjoying over the coming 15 years. (Drink between 2021-2036)Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD Brushed grilled cedar edge on the nose here, deep silky texture and lots of lovely fruit. Touches of heat on the finish but a clear bitter chocolate ending keeps things focused. 50% new oak. 14% Petit Verdot makes up the blend. (Drink between 2026-2042)Decanter | 92 DECJust as it was from barrel, the 2018 du Tertre is a powerful, virile wine. Game, scorched earth, incense, savory herbs, licorice and tobacco lend a distinctive aromatic profile. On the palate, the 2018 comes across as a bit compact, but otherwise it is nicely done.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGMedium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 du Tertre delivers a good intensity of stewed black plums, kirsch and black raspberry notes, plus hints of dried Provence herbs, tobacco leaf and cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate offers plenty of red and black fruit preserves flavors with a soft texture and loads of freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Vintage 2018 was generous to the style of Ducru-Beaucaillou. The rich character of this wine is enhanced by the ripeness and concentration of the vintage, yet at the same time it keeps an amazing freshness. This will go down in the annals of this historic estate. It is not likely to approach drinkability before 2028.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WEAromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, new leather and bark follow through to a full body with a dense, deep palate that goes on and on, but is still shy and reserved. Large amount of ultra fine, cashmere-like tannins that are silky, sleek and wonderfully integrated. Extremely long and focused. Needs at least four to five years to start opening. A beautiful wine for the cellar. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 99 JSThe Grand Vin 2018 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou checks in as 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that was harvested at the end of September through October 10 and brought up all in new French oak. This is a gorgeous, incredibly complete, classic expression of this terroir, offering a heavenly nose of crème de cassis, cedarwood, unsmoked tobacco, new leather, spring flowers, chocolate, and a touch of chalky minerality. With full-bodied richness, a monster of a mid-palate, remarkable purity, and a great, great finish, it's one of the most concentrated, impressive wines of the vintage, and might also be one of the longest lived. It actually reminds me of an improved version of the 1996 or a hypothetical mix of the 2010 and 2016. For the tech geeks out there, the IPT checks in at a massive 95 and the pH is 3.7.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, aged 18 months in 100% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.7, 14.5% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 95. Deep purple-black colored, it has a powerful nose of baked black cherries, blackberry preserves and crème de cassis with nuances of menthol, pencil lead, cedar chest and Indian spices, plus fragrant wafts of violets and licorice emerging after a few minutes. Medium to full-bodied, the palate bursts with impactful black fruits and exotic spices layers, supported by firm, ripe grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. There is a brightness to the wine—surprising freshness—and yet it remains very rich and hedonic, presenting an extraordinary vinous paradox that will blow away fans of this great estate.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPStunning concentration, power and finesse, with a ton of chocolate, charcoal, slate and liquorice, set against sweet blueberries, damson and cassis. This is silky and polished, with a ton of layers and complexity. With 18 months' ageing in 100% new oak, this has delivered on its en primeur potential, but still needs a good decade in bottle. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is surprisingly reticent at this stage, almost shockingly so. I imagine that won't be an issue in time. If anything, I am quite struck by the wine's energy and drive. Dark-fleshed fruit, spice, mint, lavender and new oak build in the glass. From barrel, the Ducru was opulent and sensual, but it appears to be going through a closed phase at the moment. Decanting helps, but I would not be in any rush to drink this. The 2018 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak.Antonio Galloni | 96+ AGAnother rock 'em sock 'em St.-Julien here, brimming with nearly exotic blackberry, plum, blueberry and açaí berry reduction notes, bristling with brambly energy and racing through a graphite-edged finish. Shows gorgeous perfume throughout, despite the fairly obvious level of concentration. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.Wine Spectator | 96-99 WS

Black currant, dried-blueberry, oyster-shell, black-olive, black truffle, and bitter-chocolate aromas. It’s full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Savory and mineral layers interplay with the black fruit. Powerful and chewy yet very polished and beautiful.. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 97 JSAlways a significant wine, this latest release with powerful while also stylish black fruits fits into a well-regarded tradition. The density and broad fruitiness of the wine make fine foils for each other. It is firmly structured and set for aging. Drink this wine from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEVery expressive, with violet and lilac notes followed by creamed plum and mulled blackberry and black currant fruit flavors. Subtle anise, juniper and sanguine notes thread the very long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2036.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2018 Giscours was tasted alongside the 2019 for comparison. This is more extravagant on the nose, delivering slightly more red fruit, black pepper and touches of graphite. This has opened since I last tasted it. The palate is medium-bodied with bold tannins, very smooth and more sensual than the 2019, and more flamboyant, though perhaps without the same precision. Still, this is very fine.Vinous Media | 94 AGLots of ripe black cherry and cassis fruits as well as graphite, lead pencil, and scorched earth notes emerge from the 2018 Château Giscours, a medium-bodied Margaux that has a fresh, focused texture, plenty of underlying structure, and the purity of fruit that’s the hallmark of the vintage. This beautiful Margaux builds nicely with time in the glass, and while it plays in the more elegant side of the spectrum, it has terrific mid-palate depth, stunning balance, and outstanding length. I think the 2019 might ultimately surpass it, but it’s certainly in the same ballpark as the 2016. Give bottles 3-5 years and enjoy over the following 20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDBrushed damson, fine but firm tannins, lots of dark deep fruits and powerful oak that slightly detracts from appellation typicity. This is confident and good-quality but needs a lot of time in bottle. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042.Decanter | 93 DECDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Giscours delivers expressive notions of baked raspberries, Black Forest cake and sautéed herbs with a core of crème de cassis, pencil lead, fertile loam and fallen leaves. Full-bodied, taut and muscular in the mouth with earth-laced baked black fruits, it has a firm, chewy texture and refreshing herbal sparks on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

A youthful, unevolved 2018 with lots of up-front blue and black fruits as well as cedary herbs, violets, and scorched earth, the 2018 Château Gloria is medium to full-bodied and has a beautifully balanced, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and both richness and freshness. The purity of fruit is spot on. It’s another brilliant wine from this estate that readers will love. It’s going to benefit from 2-4 years in the cellar and cruise for two decades in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDA full-bodied red with a dense, juicy palate of blueberries and blackcurrants. Some black tea and tree bark, too. Tight yet long and linear finish. Very structured and polished. Drink after 2024.James Suckling | 94 JSThis wine has all the structured intensity and ripe fruitiness of a Saint-Julien. At the same time, it displays a light touch with the black fruits and open texture, promising an attractive wine. Drink the wine from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2018 Gloria has turned out beautifully. Medium in body, with terrific balance and tons of class, Gloria will especially appeal to readers in search of a wine that is not super-exuberant, as so many 2018s are. Bright floral notes, blood orange and red berry fruit all run through this wonderfully expressive Saint-Julien. Give the tannins at least a few years to soften.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGFresh and energetic, with violet, licorice and cassis aromas and flavors spilling forth while bramble and graphite run underneath. Applewood streak gives the finish some spine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 93 WSGloria is fast becoming one of the most exciting insider wines of the entire Bordeaux region, and that rare species of a non-classified St-Julien. The fruit here is brambly, textured and autumnal, and again the alcohol seems generous but balanced, with plenty of St-Julien finesse. It has a feeling of not needing to go too far to convince anyone. This is some austerity here but there’s a bounce to the tannins through the mid-palate, while the alcohol is clearly there but not dominant, helped I would expect by relatively generous yields of 46hl/ha. Very good quality. 5% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2018 Gloria is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, aged for approximately 14 months in oak barriques, 40% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it sashays out of the glass with flamboyant notes of kirsch, black raspberries and cassis, plus hints of potpourri, unsmoked cigars and star anise. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a good amount of juicy black and red fruit flavors, backed up by slightly chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing spicy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

The 2018 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fabulous, just as it was from barrel. Strong Cabernet inflections soar out of the glass, giving the wine a compelling aromatic profile laced with the essence of graphite, dried herbs, menthol and dark fruit. One of the most classic (for lack of a better word) wines in the Left Bank in 2018, Grand-Puy-Lacoste is super-impressive right out of the gate. Grand-Puy-Lacoste is ultimately a wine of tremendous class that remains restrained and aristocratic in breeding. Don’t miss it.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGJuicy and compact now, with dark currant, blackberry and fig notes at the core, surrounded by lots of warm earth, singed alder and tobacco leaf notes. Cast iron note helps extend the finish, with the fruit and earth notes keeping pace. Has a slight throwback feel, so if you like old school, ageworthy Pauillac, this is your wine. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2038. 10,000 cases made. Wine Spectator | 95 WSSweet black cherry fruits, bilberry and hedgerow. A little austere at this stage but confidently so, with a slice of bitter black chocolate. Big Pauillac tannins, no question - a little more prominent than they were en primeur. The wine has taken on weight over ageing so I am slightly extending the drinking window. Harvest 21 September and 5 October. 12% press wine. 75% new oak. A yield of 40hl/ha. Drinking Window 2026 - 2044.Decanter | 95 DECCherries and walnuts with dried flowers on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with very fine tannins, creamy texture and a bright, vivid finish. Plenty of currant and tar. Such polish and beauty. Drink after 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2018 Grand-Puy-Lacoste displays a deep garnet-purple color and slowly emerging notes of ripe blackberries, blackcurrant pastilles and redcurrant jelly plus hints of cedar, underbrush, cinnamon stick and potpourri. The medium-bodied palate has well-managed, slightly chewy tannins and a refreshing line lifting the black and red berry layers, finishing earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThis is a relatively soft wine, its tannins already embracing the black-currant fruits. The structure is there, smoothly textured and ripe with fruitiness as well as good acidity. This wine is likely to develop relatively quickly, so drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE