BORDEAUX 2018 FROM BOTTLE - Bordeaux and Strasbourg (1/26/2021)
From barrel, I characterized 2018 Bordeaux for “Hedonists and Intellectuals”, as it came across both decadent in some cases and thought provoking (and sometimes both) in others: For hedonists and intellectuals: Bordeaux 2018 | Wine Chronicles
In recent months, I visited Bordeaux including during official lockdowns in France to taste 2018s on location, after recent bottling. Some bottles were sent to Strasbourg, but it was better to go on location and taste when I could, speak with the winemakers.
The adjective “great” often has been used to describe the next dry and hot vintage in Bordeaux, but – as ever – devil in the details.
Based on barrel tastings, many wines from the less-hyped 2019 vintage could surpass 2018 for lovers of cooler balances, even if alcohol levels aren’t that different. Cooler 2019 summer evenings made a difference. Certainly 2016 is the vintage par excellence for lovers of cooler balances, of which I count myself. However, 2018 wins sometimes in terms of density and top 2018 wines such as Cheval Blanc, Las Cases, Mouton Rothschild, Petrus, Trotanoy and a few others, are hard to beat, and can be categorized as “best ever” if not “comparable to previous legends”. Use whatever superlative you like. I have purchased Les Carmes Haut Brion, Château Canon, Cheval Blanc, Las Cases and Larcis Ducasse among others.
And the good news is that 2018 includes excellent wines between $25 and $50 a bottle, some I list in the tasting notes.
My intro to the vintage as published in Wine-Searcher.com last month posed the question whether the reality in bottle meets the hype from barrel. To some extent, it does. But not as consistent across appellations as 2016 is and 2019 offers generally better pricing, so take both these aspects into account when considering recent vintage Bordeaux purchasing. As I get older, I fish for back vintages that have reached (or sooner will reach) optimal drinking windows.
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2020/12/bordeaux-2018-between-hype-and-reality
Thanks for reading that text before you go to my tasting notes on my website spread over several pages. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
The general “price no object” category
There are also other wines that belong here, such as Lafite, Petrus, Ausone, but you can see those on my website 
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2018 Château Belair-Monange - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
If you could smell wet limestone, here it is. Elegant wet stone freshness. It was just at first difficult to appreciate, after having just tasted the mighty Château Trotanoy, as the wines are very different. While the Pomerol impresses with power and density this plays far more on refinement. The wine exudes ripe fruit, fresh and bright, with plenty of juiciness on the mid palate, leaving one with a sense of great balance between richness and especially elegance overall, along with much contour. Tasted with Jane Anson in Bordeaux. (97+) (97 pts.) -
2018 Château Canon - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
The limestone terroir here lends much needed freshness to this blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc. There is opulence too: the word “exciting” comes to mind. The irrestitable floral perfume of the nose combined with more “serious” wet stone terroir-driven appeal precedes a palate of subtle power that envelopes with ultra smooth yet never glossy tannin leading to a long, lifting finish again marked by floral aromatics. 14% alcohol and a rather low pH of 3.69 ensures balance. Aged in just over 50% new oak. I bought a case. (97 pts.) -
2018 Château Cheval Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Here a case where 2018 surpasses 2016, and by a wide margin. The Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A Château Cheval Blanc elicits complex aromas from rose stem and violet, to ripe, red fruit and fine cocoa powder. The 54 percent Merlot, 40 percent Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon blend has impressive and suave density and depth with elegance and freshness, which director Pierre Olivier Clouet attributes in part to earlier picking and higher yields (about 45 hectolitres per hectare). The tannins may be silky but prominent, providing structure for cellaring. A long finish is marked by floral freshness. Clouet compares 2018 to both 1990 and 1998. For me this is easily in the top three wines of the vintage. The tannin index is fairly low, at 64 IPT, and alcohol just over 14.5% with a solid 3.77 pH for acidity (the Graves are warmer so you get a higher pH, but it all comes together amazingly, consistent from barrel and from bottle!). (100 pts.) -
2018 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Think of Cohiba Esplendido – or another top cigar – and here it is, on the nose. The wine takes the best characteristics of 2018 – veritably opulent and dense – but includes much impressive finesse and elegance and delectable sap. Sure, full body, but never too much, ending with pristine, precise and persistent length. In short, a Top Ten bottle of 2018, with (stiff) competition from the First Growths (all re-tasted except for Latour). Yet more proof that Las Cases qualifies for First Growth status. 2018 easily rivals the superb 2016. While tasting from barrel last year, director Pierre Graffeuille mused that the concentration was such – typically the estate uses about 10% press wine, but only 2.3% was used to make the 2019 – that he considered aging the wine in oak longer than usual, up to 20 months. But fears of too much oak tannin extraction from rather high alcohol wine, clocking in at just under 14.5%, led them to stick with 18 months aging. Indeed, remarkable freshness, too, for this vintage. (99 pts.) -
2018 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tasted blind and somehow I guessed … Lynch Bages (while not guessing so well with the others,
). And, by golly, it comes along strong in bottle. The slight austerity of the tannin is gone, replaced by tannic power and edge, but smoother. And you get floral and dark red fruit aromatics, the cassis to be sure from the Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is pleasingly expressive, with a palate of density and excellent length. I get the feeling that this blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot that was aged 18 months in 75% new oak is a younger version of the 1990. A great wine. (96+) (96 pts.)
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2018 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
What mouthful of wine, opulent and with superb balance. Set along with the other classified growths, in a blind tasting in November of 2020, the Montrose won handily. But it is interesting to note how it compares to an experience I had back in the summer of 2020, when compared to the Montrose 2019 from barrel, and how I preferred the 2019… Does the plot thicken? Read on! The in-bottle label will indicate 14.5 but in fact the level is 14.8% with a pH of 3.7. Only 53% of the harvest, which lasted some two weeks, made it into the first wine. At the estate non-blind, I got a fine sense of balance, indeed, but will it have the same energy as in 2016, which has 13.2% alcohol and 3.6 pH? Still, the wine has an enveloping palate and downright silky tannins. “We had to pick quickly, to get fair (enough) degrees,” remarked director Vincent Decup. “The grapes were so very small and yet so very rich, we had to be careful about extraction and this stopped pumping over the must after a certain time; yes, we had to limit extractions so as to avoid too much massive tannins.” Furthermore, the macerations were a bit cooler. For Decup, 2018 is comparable to 2010. Tasted at the estate last summer, the 2018 is exuberant, strong, large and long, while the 2019 is more classic, albeit with certain flamboyance, too. Alcohol is lower than last year, at 14.45% as opposed to 14.8%, although the pH at 3.7 is about the same as 2018. But the impression in 2019 is more floral, slightly cooler fruit, even somewhat crunchy fruit, and, dare I say, a bit more serious. Indeed, the cooler evenings of August lent more energy and vivacity to this vintage. I also found the oak integration to be superior and, at this (very early) stage, I prefer the 2019. But let us give the 2018 the highest score among the wines of Saint Estèphe, as it is impressive! (96+) (96 pts.) -
2018 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Utterly gorgeous wine, a Top Ten to be sure: the 100% new oak is well integrated with 3.7 acidity lending freshness, verve and tonicity. As at other estates this year, less pumping over and more care so as to avoid too much tannic extraction, and the proof in bottle surpassed my expectations from barrel. The blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc included “highest ever” alcohol content for Cabernets that director Philippe Dhalluin had seen, at 13.8%. But here the balance works so well, with much impressive density and power, and the expected seduction from this estate! Lots of deep, dark ripe fruit, blackberry and dark cherry, with graphite and black tea. Very expressive indeed. The barrel aging has calmed things down a bit and we have a wine that is not as imposing as it was from barrel but with plenty of cellaring potential. (98+) (98 pts.) -
2018 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Bottled in late July, this more than lives up to its from barrel greatness. We know how much the terrible mildew of 2018 struck this estate leaving it without its Alter Ego, but director Thomas Duroux and his team pulled the fine wine cat out of the hat to craft some 60,000 bottles of superb juice. Just as from barrel I love the purity of fruit – deep expressions of cassis and plum – leading to a wine of impressive density. The foreboding tannins from barrel have softened now to the point of adding more grace to that density and indeed an overall expression of fresh fruit on the finish. Duroux says that the biodynamic practices enable higher acidity in the grapes, which certainly help in vintages like 2018. As for the tannin, the wine comes across as “the most powerful ever made” at the estate, Duroux says. Yes, there is a Pauillac aspect as well but with much “Margaux refinement.” It clocked in at 14.3% alcohol, having aged in 70% new oak. (97 pts.) -
2018 Château Trotanoy - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Power and glory! From barrel, I was calling this blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc a “Right Bank Montrose” and it has proven to be that, and then some. This has power, nuance, freshness… and length. One of the top wines of the vintage that – like Cheval Blanc and Lafite – transcends the vintage nature. Orange rind freshness on the long finish. This is gorgeous. Tasting with Jane Anson, we both agreed how special this wine is. Could it be the cooler western facing slope? Of course at its highest point of exposure, the soil contains a good proportion of gravel, but it gets progressively more dominated by clay as the elevation declines and under this clay is a subsoil of red gravel and an impermeable layer of hard, iron-rich soil known as “crasse de fer”, which certainly keeps things fresh. (98+) (98 pts.) -
2018 Château Rauzan-Ségla - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Lovely floral aromatics leap from the glass, leading to a brisk attack that shows tannic bite, again that almost Pauillac like power from this vintage for some estates. The blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 2% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot leave you with the impression of density and power albeit with floral aspects reflecting Margaux. Aged in 65% new oak, the tannic elements are well integrated but best to cellar for 10 years for its early drinking window. Tasted again at Château Canon in Saint Emilion with similar impressions. The 2018 clocks in at 14% alcohol. It will be great to taste the 2019 once in bottle, because from barrel, I prefer the younger sibling for its greater (perceived) freshness. Bravo to the second wine, Ségla: scrumptious and gourmand, it is worth purchasing to enjoy before you go to the grand vin. (95 pts.) -
2018 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
I love the pristine aromas of cigar box, crushed mint and other kinds of fine herbs mingling with ripe red and black fruits. The overall impression is a wine very refined, full bodied and nuanced. The palate of this blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot displays power, with fine yet foreboding tannin leading to a long, precise finish. Tasted in early November and bottled on 18 September this year, this also is a powerful, tannic vintage. Indeed, in a Zoom call, director Philippe Bascaules agrees that the grand vin will need “10 years to soften up a bit”, and I recalled how he raised concern over hydric stress due to the lack of rain in the summer of 2018. He had said that he had “never seen” such water stress before in his career: Typically water stress affects younger vines, but in 2018 “even 15 year old vines were affected”, and it seems that the well-drained, gravely soils may have been the most susceptible. But the bottled wine – having aged in the usual 100% new oak – has freshness and is a great success of the vintage. The healthy pH of 3.64 pH and the alcohol clocking in at 13.9% makes for fine balance. “I am more comfortable with 13.9 for the first wine than the 14.4 for the Pavillon”, he said. Let’s see how it develops in 10 years. (97+) (97 pts.)
Veritable bang for your buck or punching (way) above expectations
I would be an avid purchaser of all of these, and have done so already for some.
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2018 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
A top wine from the rather hot and gravely soils of the famous Pessac-Léognan appellation, as director Guillaume Pouthier pulled out all stops to maintain freshness, fermenting grapes at over 50% whole cluster and not de-leafing, so as to ensure that his grapes were not grilled by the sun. Blending 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, the wine is both delectable and serious, conveying wet stone like “minerality” while being driven by juicy, ripe fruit flavors. The alcohol is somewhat low for the vintage, at 13.75, with excellent acidity to balance that. While on the higher end of the price spectrum for this category, this wine from barrel is more engaging to me than first growth Château Haut Brion, tasted the same day. What I wrote from barrel applies from bottle, after tasting both wines about the same time in Bordeaux, non-blind. Bottled in September last year, it has aged 21 months in 79% new oak and the rest divided between 10% big Alsatian oak and 10% amphorae. “If we want to make wines that are rich and powerful, we can” said Pouthier, but that is not the goal here. The rather high 85 IPT tannic index in 2018 was extracted softly. In fermention vats, the cap was held down with entire grapes underneath so the extraction came more from the skins and “it is more gentle”, he says. It is the crasse de fer that you get from the terroir to get wet stone minerality on the palate. The pH is 3.6 (in 2009 and 2010, it was 3.9). “We worked the soils to reduce the potassium and that has helped reduce the pH”, he explains. A wine with real power remaining subtle, with tobacco aspects from the Cabernet Franc, also like silex. The peony aromatics kick in on the long with perfumed elegance. A great wine, and I bought six bottles. (97 pts.) -
2018 Château Petit Village - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
A grand success. At 14.3% alcohol with fine balancing freshness and acidity: much coming from the 30% Cabernet Franc picked from vines on deep clay. For director Diana Berrouet Garcia, 2018 is her best vintage since she began in 2015: “2018 has less obvious alcohol (and more acidity) than 2015, and more density than 2019 and 2016”, she remarked. Indeed, the wine shows concentration; the berries were very concentrated at harvest with some juice lost due to “evaporation”, she said. The final blend of 72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon has a juicy, rounded mid palate with depth, leading to a clean, pure, bright, fruit driven finish. The tannin is already sur mesure so just 40% new oak was used to age the wine. It will be interesting to compare the 2019 with the 2018. “I agree we have greater freshness in 2019, but I think we have more substance in 2018,” Berrouet Garcia remarks, “and I think it will be a better vintage in five years.” 3.7 pH. (96 pts.) -
2018 Château Branaire-Ducru - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Fine aromatics: white flower, blackberry and lead pencil. Suave palate with spherical elegance, perhaps a bit of standoffish tannin, but overall much to love. Cellaring will reap rewards, as already smooth, but the tannins need some taming. The finish includes cool tobacco leaf notes. I went to the estate and tasted the 2019, which seems even better! One thing is certain: for the price, you get great wine from this estate. (94+) (94 pts.) -
2018 Château Fleur Cardinale - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
What a wonderful experience to taste this blend of 74% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon! It clocks in at 14.5% alcohol but exudes fresh floral and ripe red and dark fruit aromatics that precede a palate both suave and dense, leading to a long finish. Excellent integration of oak tannin, and a healthy yield of 45 hectoliters per hectare. And the price? About $40 a bottle. Bravo! (94 pts.) -
2018 Château Les Grandes Murailles - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
One of the best mid-range priced Saint Emilions, as it exudes plum, cherry, fresh fruit red and black. Succulent and tasty with tannic structure for another 10 years of aging before really hitting its cylinders. 14.5% alcohol. And the price is right, at about $40 a bottle and I’m a buyer. Bravo Philippe Cuvelier! (94+) (94 pts.) -
2018 Château Haut-Batailley - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tasted blind. I have always liked this wine and it again proves its appeal in 2018. This has certain graphite aromas, and the palate a more supple aspect, measured and balanced. Not as “fiery” as some preceding wines, not quite as dense as, say, the Baron, but oh so very balanced, well put well together, and suave is the word to use. After having aged 14 months in French oak barrels (60% new), this blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot reveals a fine tannic structure, but with polish. A classy Pauillac that seems very “Saint Julien”. (95 pts.) -
2018 Château Lafon-Rochet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
From the start, vivid dark fruit juiciness and ripeness but with a fine frame of suave and very present tannin (this is a baby). I love the “amplitude”, the palate density, too. It has already softened since the barrel tasting, and it comes across rather approachable and refined. The quality is excellent and well worth the $50 tax included price tag in the U.S. (94+) (94 pts.) -
2018 Château Larcis Ducasse - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Buy this. I sure did. A great success in Saint Emilion with wet stone aspects, reflecting vines grown on limestone (and cold clay). I like the freshness on the finish, with a low pH of 3.56. But the blend of 89% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc boasts plenty opulence as well, clocking in at 14.5% alcohol. The overall impression left is of a nuanced wine, with vigor in its ripe fruit expressions and freshness on the long finish. (96 pts.) -
2018 Château de Laussac Cuvee Sacha - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
Freshness and poise here, with vivacity and a lift on the finish that beckons further drinking. Ripe fruit, bien sûr! 60% Merlot and 40% Cab Franc from vines on clay limestone, southern exposure, and hillside slopes with southern exposure. 14.5% alcohol. You really want to drink this one. And bravo to Michel Rolland. Yes, it is 100% new oak, and even the malo is done in new oak. Despite all that, I did not get an overtly modern gloss. Indeed, I know this label as well from the Grand Cercle, and I think I liked it less in earlier vintages. Average vine age of 45 years, which can explain the superior grip to the regular cuvée. Retails for about $23. 93 (93 pts.) -
2018 Château Lilian Ladouys - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Similar experience to positive impressions when tasted along with other Cru Bourgeois wines. This is quite tasty, with a rich, opulent nose of strawberry and plum fruit, la baie du mur, with smooth and juicy texture. A fine tannic edge that reflects the image of Saint Estèphe and that is a good sign, leading to a juicy finish. And even the second wine is excellent! (93 pts.) -
2018 Château Moulin Saint-Georges - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Under the same ownership of Ausone, the Vauthier Family has crafted a rich, scrumptious wine, made from vines grown on clay over limestone. The blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc has a very low pH of 3.4 so fantastic freshness in 2018, and the wine has appealing wet stone on its palate along with rose stem. The tannin has power and structure and will need a few years cellaring for a proper drinking window. I’m buyer. (94 pts.) -
2018 Les Pagodes de Cos - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Tasted blind, it was my favorite among the second wines from the classified growths. The nose from this second wine of the great Cos d’Estournel is not very expressive but with time in glass, you get small wild berry aromas, a hint of floral and even a touch of green pepper, which I like here. “We kept some leaves over the grapes, to be sure that it would not be overripe,” remarked technical director Dominique. Even if you sense some alcohol on the finish (that’s the 2018 character in some cases), mid palate succulence with polish and refinement is appealing in this blend if 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, clocking in at 14.5% alcohol. (93 pts.) -
2018 Château Pedesclaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tasted blind. A property that is only getting better as the years pass, and 2018 offers more proof in bottle. Blending 56% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, it exudes a gorgeous nose with refined elegance on the palate, and this coming from the hottest year since … 1900. The palate communicates nuance, refinement and power. From barrel, I questioned whether it could stand up to the 2016. It does. Bravo! 94+ (94 pts.) -
2018 Château Le Rey Les Argileuses - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux
I like the freshness here more – aged in amphorae and stainless steel – and it proved to be one of my favorites of a blind tasting of Castillon wines. Retails for about $15 93 (I can confirm this as being so yummy as in an earlier, non blind tasting, I had a similar experience of “very fresh and rich and silky”. The wine is made with minimal sulfites, just at moment of bottling. “We have many Michelin restaurants that serve it by the glass”, said director Jean-Christophe Meyrou. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. (92 pts.) -
2018 Château Bellefont-Belcier - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
This blend of 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that had been aged in 30% new oak clocks in at 14.5% alcohol. It comes across very juicy and opulent, with fine structure. I used to approach this estate with apprehension as it used to make wines that had too much drying oak tannin but how times have changed in recent years. The fresh floral aromas combined with ripe fruit in its nuanced palate, polished tannins and freshness on the finish make this one of the best wines in terms of price/quality ratios in 2018. “We understand now the very real potential of over-ripeness”, remarked general manager Jean-Christophe Meyrou, as I tasted this both with Jane Anson and at the estate on separate occasions with positive results both times. And I like a certain tannic edge for cellaring that makes you feel like you are getting (more) than your money’s worth! (94+) (94 pts.) -
2018 Château Belle-Vue (Haut-Médoc) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
One of the top among the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel wines tasted non-blind in Strasbourg, with subtle floral and ripe red and dark fruit aromas. Extra care for superb selection both in the vineyard and in the vat room: important in 2018. The nearly 20% Petit Verdot lends spice and structure, 54% Merlot succulence, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon more structure and body. There is 1% Carmenere, but I will not pretend to detect it J. What I like about this wine is classicism in a rich hot vintage, coming from the southern Médoc to boot, just near the Margaux appellation. The balance at close to 13.5% alcohol is agreeably fresh for the vintage, but the wine also has density and fine length, with pleasing, Indian Tonic like bitterness. Tasted over several days, and it really shines! (93 pts.) -
2018 Château Belgrave - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Tasted blind. This has fresh fruit primary aspects on the nose that seduce. Smooth and nuanced and juicy. More than delivers the goods. A top Haut Médoc in 2018. Bravo! (94 pts.)
During the end of January, beginning of February, I will post additional notes on my website of more Cru Bourgeois wines : 36 wines are arriving on Friday 29 January to taste. Thanks for checking out wine-chronicles.com with many pics and some videos too.
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