Shop Wine

wines

A wonderful and rather exotic white with aromas of pears, lychees, lemons and some green apples that follow through to the palate and show layers of dreamy texture and a long, flavorful finish. The texture is more like a red that a white. Fermented and aged in slightly larger oak barrels. This is a special wine and the best release so far. Very intense. 74% sauvignon blanc and 26% semillon. One for the cellar.James Suckling | 98 JSCheval Blanc’s relatively new white wine, the 2018 Le Petit Cheval Blanc, is a blend of 74% Sauvignon Blanc and 26% Sémillon. This is the first vintage that the Sémillon plantings have come online to make the blend. Profound notions of ripe pineapple, passion fruit and white peaches explode from the glass, followed by fragrant notes of lemongrass, lime blossoms and yuzu zest with a waft of sea spray. The palate is full-bodied with an alluring oiliness to the texture and layer upon layer of tropical fruits, citrus peel and minerals, marked by a refreshing line and finishing with loads of mineral sparks. Put aside all your preconceptions of "Bordeaux Blanc" and don’t even try to compare it to Pessac-Leognan. This has its own gorgeous expression of these grapes, defying regional tradition. Give yourself over to the rich decadence of this flamboyant white that is at once without peers, but is also quintessentially Cheval Blanc.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThis is sappy and bright, very light on its feet; an excellent second wine that is hard to argue with. A yield of 44hl/ha. The production split for this vintage was 74% Cheval Blanc, 10% Petit Cheval and 16% sold in bulk (including all of their press). Drinking Window 2025 - 2040Decanter | 93 DECThe 2018 Le Petit Cheval Bordeaux Blanc is bright and finely cut, with pretty citrus, sage, mint and floral notes. Airy and beautifully lifted, the 2018 is a gorgeous dry white to drink now and over the next handful of years.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGThis shows a juicy edge, with a very focused mix of white peach, ginger, fennel and mandarin notes racing through. Chiseled finish. Drink now through 2026. Wine Spectator | 92 WSWith its ripely herbaceous character, this wine is both rich and intensely fresh. Wood aging has contributed spice to the superripe flavors. Still young, the wine opens onto a blend of citrus and yellow fruits underlined by spice. Drink this wine from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The Grand Vin 2018 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc ratchets everything up a notch, offering a vividly fresh bouquet of crushed citrus, salty minerality, caramelized grapefruit, acacia flowers, and toast. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, and racy on the palate, with bright acidity, yet it still brings beautiful concentration of fruit as well as length on the finish. This is a brilliant white in every way. Give bottles another year or three and enjoy over the following 10-15. I suspect it will evolve well beyond that as well.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDDried apple, apricot, grapefruit zest, flint and a hint of hay on the nose. It’s full-bodied with crisp acidity and tight, concentrated layers of fresh and dried fruit. Incredible depth and focus. Even better from 2022.James Suckling | 98 JSPowerful and rich, this dense wine offers intense fruits and a texture that promises considerable aging potential. White-fruit flavors come through strongly, combining with spice, structure and concentration. The wine will age for many years. Drink from 2025. Organic and biodynamic.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe Smith Haut Lafitte 2018 Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris, aged in 50% new oak barriques. The nose hits the ground running with vibrant notions of fresh grapefruit, yuzu zest and lemon tart, plus touches of lime leaves, sea spray, green mango and wet pebbles. The medium to full-bodied palate quivers with energetic citrus and mineral-inspired flavors, charged with fantastic tension and delivering a gorgeous silkiness to the texture, finishing long and steely. A bedazzling Pessac-Leognan that cannot fail to impress, it should show best after a couple of years of cellaring and then drink for a good 15+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis has a broad mix of lemon peel, gooseberry, tarragon and star fruit flavors that are holding back a bit for now, while wet straw, macadamia nut and shortbread accents emerge through the finish. Quite rich in feel throughout, but has the underlying zip and cut for balance. Seriously long too. Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris. Best from 2022 through 2030. 2,083 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2018 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is airy, gracious and impeccably balanced. Lemon peel, white orchard fruit, jasmine, mint and white pepper give the 2018 lovely freshness and brightness. There is plenty of vintage 2018 richness lurking beneath. The Blanc is going to need a few years in bottle to fully blossom. Time in the glass brings out lovely freshness along with an upper register of citrus and floral notes that is immensely appealing.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThere is plenty of white pear and white peach going on here along with a creaminess through the palate. As it opens it begins to show citrus and honeysuckle, with everything held together by a grip that builds and gathers momentum. Beautiful balance overall, with a prickle of bitterness on the finish giving focus and contrast. 50% new oak. Harvested 24 August to 17 September - the longest white harvest at SHL (three weeks in total, compared with one week normally, because they were harvesting early in some parts of the vineyard to keep acidity in half the grapes and other plots a little later for texture, so composing the blend from the start). Drinking Window 2021 - 2036.Decanter | 94 DEC

This has a complex nose of dried apple, green mango, grapefruit zest, dried honeysuckle and crushed almonds. It’s full-bodied with bright acidity and a dense, phenolic texture. Vivid and layered with fantastic precision. Very, very long. This needs time. Better from 2026.James Suckling | 98 JSOne 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 WEGorgeous, with both rich and racy elements as lemon curd, shortbread and honeysuckle notes contrast with lemon pith, thyme and fleur de sel notes. Long finish has wet straw and paraffin hints, adding length and range. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2030. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSOne of the top whites in the vintage, the 2018 Domaine De Chevalier Blanc is mostly Sauvignon blended with 25% Sémillon that was raised in 35% new French oak. A forward, approachable vintage for this cuvée, it has a beautiful, medium to full-bodied style as well as loads of lemon curd, white grapefruit, toasted bread, spice, and a kiss of chalky minerality. Balanced, pure, and elegant, drink this killer Bordeaux Blanc over the coming 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe Domaine de Chevalier 2018 Blanc, a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon, offers up a gorgeous perfume of ripe Bosc pears, grapefruit oil, mandarin peel and lemongrass, leading to wafts of sea spray, lime blossom and beeswax. The medium to full-bodied palate has a seducing opulence, delivering layers of citrus, pear and floral-inspired flavors with a satiny texture and seamless freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. It makes for a complex, decadently delicious wine right now, but give it 4-5 years in bottle to see it take on even more savory/toasty layers, and drink it for the next 10-12 years or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2018 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc has come together beautifully over the last two years. Rich and unctuous in feel, the 2018 offers terrific nuance to match its creamy, enveloping personality. Dried pear, marzipan, lemon confit and white flowers all build as the 2018 blossoms in the glass. The poised, deeply resonant finish is striking. I am so impressed with the 2018, a wine that is far more convincing in bottle than it was from barrel.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThis clearly has focus and stone-fruit steely determination. Clear opulence and density if not quite the grip of this wine in the very best white vintages. Excellent white pepper spice as it opens. Drinking Window 2021 - 2034.Decanter | 94 DEC

Beautiful aromas of lime curd, dried pear, grilled white peach and flint on the nose. So exotic on the nose. Some cream and honey, too. It’s medium-bodied with bright, tangy acidity. Creamy and focused with lingering dried-citrus and crushed-gravel notes. Long. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSA beauty from the start, with shortbread, acacia and honeysuckle details leading the way, quickly followed by fennel, tarragon, salted butter and lemon peel notes. Long, focused finish is carried by superfine acidity that puts everything in perfect lock step. Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle. Best from 2022 through 2030. 1,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSAlways high on the richness scale, this estate’s white wine is vibrant with white fruits and hints of apricots. It is structured with wood aging and a tight texture that shows that the wine needs to age. The wine will be ready to drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2018 Blanc is a blend of 57% Sauvignon Blanc, 39% Sémillon and 4% Muscadelle. It was aged for around 14 months in 55% new and 45% second-fill French oak barrels. It races out of the gate with flamboyant scents of pineapple upside-down cake, lemon meringue pie and honey-drizzled peaches, plus suggestions of orange blossoms and yuzu peel. The medium to full-bodied palate has a decadent touch of oiliness to the texture with loads of spicy sparks to the tropical fruit layers, finishing long with a refreshing burst of zestiness. It’s a richer expression, for sure, but it really works and it is seriously scrumptious.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThis estate has fashioned a pretty, elegant white in the vintage. Light gold-hued, with lots of pineapple, lemon curd, white flowers, and a touch of honeyed citrus and chalky minerality, the 2018 Château Pape Clement Blanc hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, solid depth of fruit, and a great finish. It doesn’t match recent great vintages, but it’s a balanced, layered, outstanding white to enjoy over the coming decade or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2018 Pape Clément Blanc is quite pretty and understated. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, mint and chamomile all grace this wonderfully expressive dry white from proprietor Bernard Magrez. As with all of these wines, the Blanc is done in a less opulent style than in the past, an approach that works beautifully here. Antonio Galloni | 93 AGHoneysuckle and lemon curd, pretty tropical, rich and powerful, just lacking some lift on the finish although this has gourmet patisserie notes and is enjoyable. (Drink between 2021-2032)Decanter | 92 DEC