Bordeaux 2018

This is an excellent basic Bordeaux whose easy charm and fruity, herb-scented attack suits all kinds of meals.

It's a true everyday wine, with relatively low alcohol and pleasant vanilla character enhancing the decent finish. Made from vineyards in the Entre-deux-Mers appellation, its blend of grapes is mostly Merlot for smoothness, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc add spice and structure to the blend.

The wine is named for an eleventh century monk, one of the first to join the abbot Saint-Gérard at the abbey of La Sauve Majeure and a passionate viticulturalist in addition to his monastic calling.

A Saint-Emilion generous enough to offer some hints of a Pomerol experience, with dark, dry cherry fruit and earthy, spicy flavours giving depth and character. There's a lean, refreshing streak that balances the fullness of the fruit and makes this a very attractive food wine. Fine, elegant tannins linger into the finish of an ideal accompaniment to roasts and stews.

Two childhood friends decided in 1986 to invest in a little-known wine region to see what could be done there. Since one was co-owner of Château Angélus and the other a former co-owner of Château Cheval Blanc, the results achieved by their loyal team at the Château de Francs have been impressive: fine, elegant wines offering a very attractive balance between quality and price.

‘The 2018 Les Cerisiers has a deep garnet-purple color and gives a wonderfully pure nose of warm black plums, baked blueberries and cherry pie with hints of dark chocolate, spice box and Provence herbs. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with juicy black and blue fruit, supported by soft tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with a spicy lift. ’
Wine Advocate

‘Firm and spicy, this wine has a dense structure that will lend to good development. It shows a concentrated black-fruit flavor and intense acidity. Expect this wine to have some good medium-term aging.’
92–94/100 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, April 2019

‘The 2018 Latour-Martillac is powerful, dense and explosive, with tremendous richness and energy that drive through to the palate staining finish. Abnormally low yields produced an unusually sumptuous, rich Latour-Martillac. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, gravel and incense build as this arrestingly beautiful wine shows off its racy, curvy personality.’
91–94/100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous, April 2019

‘Black core. Lovely fragrance of fresh dark fruit and something like lavender. Dark-fruited but still pretty. Elegant, scented with a complex range of aromas that are dark fruit, crushed rocks, and a hint of something floral. Poised and fresh.’
17/20 Julia Harding, Jancis Robinson, March 2019

From an estate in organic conversion, which has made painstaking improvements in the vines in recent years, and is now run by Ludovic and Caroline Decoster.

This is a full and focused St-Emilion, and the developments in the estate's style make it one to watch.

‘…Fleur Cardinale returns to a more normal blend this year and has produced a very beautiful wine. This is, as ever with this cooler terroir over to the west of St-Emilion, a little bigger than some, with well defined tannins and a fairly masculine feel. Give it time in the glass and the rich, ripe brambly fruits come spilling over, full of juice and promise. The tannins are equally full of life and overall this is extremely appealing. It has settled in already at this early stage, and will age well.’
94/100 Jane Anson, Decanter, April 2019

‘I cannot think how it could be improved. This is such a detailed wine with so much fruit integrity it is amazing and I have never tasted anything like it from this property. It follows that I am honour-bound to award this delicious wine a perfect score.’
20+/20 Matthew Jukes, matthewjukes.com, April 2019

‘The 2018 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is an outrageously beautiful, vivid wine. Gravel, crushed rocks, menthol, lavender, espresso, licorice and dark spice all infuse a racy, sumptuous Saint-Julien loaded with personality and class. In 2018 La Croix is especially fine. Ample, voluptuous and racy to the core, the 2018 is stunning in its beauty…’
91–94/100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous

‘The 2018 Prieuré-Lichine is gorgeous. Bright and racy in the glass, the 2018 impresses with its magnificent purity of fruit. In 2018, Prieuré-Lichine has terrific energy and cut. It is perhaps a bit less creamy than the 2016, but also impeccable in its balance. Part of that is driven by the higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend in 2018. Rose petal, lavender, mint and spice add nuance to a core of red/purplish fruit. Tasted two times.’
92–95/100, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, May 2019

Vigorous, spicy, cedar nose with well-judged oak, black fruit, liquorice, chocolate and floral perfume. Very sleek and supple wine with everything in the right place. Poised, with a fine attack, silky texture and beautiful balance. Try this special bottle with steak, a soft, unctuous ratatouille or any meaty stew.

From the estate founded by the Phelan family at the beginning of the nineteenth century comes a densely concentrated glassful, with bright berry aromas leading to a complex concentration of fresh and dried fruits with secondary notes of cedar, tobacco and savoury herbs and olives. Big tannins give both breadth of flavour and a long, fine-grained finish to this substantial, mineral wine.