"Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2018 Bastor-Lamontagne opens with provocative lemon marmalade, musk perfume and orange blossoms scents with hints of fresh ginger and spice cake. The palate offers mouth-coating citrus and spice flavors with a silken texture and balanced freshness, finishing savory." robertparker.com
Pale to medium lemon-gold colored, the 2018 la Tour Blanche is a little reticent to begin, opening out to notes of honeydew melon, nectarines and baked apples with touches of lightly browned toast, allspice and powdered ginger. The palate features loads of zip and zing with bags of freshness to counter the rich fruit, finishing on a lingering gingery note.
This is one of the best second wines of the Médoc. Like its elder, this is a classic, elegant wine, with a clear, well-designed structure and a long, fresh final.
The 2018 Lafaurie-Peyraguey is pale lemon-gold colored and bursts from the glass with vibrant notes of grapefruit, fresh pineapple, mango and guava plus nuances of lemongrass, crushed rocks and allspice. The palate has plenty of spring in its step with energetic citrus and tropical fruit layers, finishing long and zesty.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lacoste-Borie opens with baked plums, stewed cherries, cassis and milk chocolate with earth and herbs. Medium to full-bodied, firm and chewy, it has a good fruit core and an herbal lift on the finish.
The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Meyney gives up blackcurrants, black berries and plums on the nose with earth and spices plus fried herbs and lots of oak. The big, full-bodied palate has some promising fruit but is a bit hard and oaky.
The 2018 Haut-Marbuzet is deep garnet-purple colored, giving up spices, florals and chocolate with baked berries, plum preserves and cassis. The palate is full-bodied, firm, rich and spicy, finishing long.
The 2018 Prieure-Lichine slips sensuously with gorgeous raspberry coulis, chocolate-covered cherries and warm cassis scents with hints of candied violets, licorice, camphor and wilted roses. The full-bodied, richly fruited palate is beautifully perfumed with loads of floral accents and has a firm frame of ripe, grainy tannins, finishing long with some mineral notions coming through. Very pretty.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Pedesclaux comes charging out of the gate with rambunctious baked plums, warm cassis and Morello cherries scents plus hints of spice cake, menthol and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black fruits and spicy accents, with a soft, fine-grained frame, finishing long.
The 2018 Kirwan is deep garnet-purple in color and gives intense, lifted scents of kirsch, black raspberries and warm cassis with nuances of rose hip tea, tar, fragrant earth and wild sage. The full-bodied palate delivers a great intensity of vibrant fruit with loads of earthy nuances and a firm, fine-grained frame, finishing long and perfumed.
The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Soutard features notes of warm plums, baked blueberries and blackberry pie with hints of fragrant earth, truffles, tapenade and lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has great elegance and sophistication, with plush tannins and wonderful freshness supporting the subtle fruit layers through the long finish.
The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Branaire-Ducru begins just a tad reduced with broody tar, rubber and fried herbs scents giving way to a fragrant core of warm cassis, blackberry pie and blueberry coulis with touches of smoked meats and tobacco. Full-bodied, firm and rugged in the mouth with brawny, muscular fruit and a sturdy frame of grainy tannins, it finishes long and savory.
The 2018 Cantenac Brown is deep garnet-purple in color and a little coy to begin and then, with coaxing, opens out to lovely red roses, black tea, violets and underbrush scents with a core of warm red and black currants and chocolate-covered cherries. Full-bodied and laden with perfumed red and black fruit layers, it has a firm frame of fine-grained tannins and a long, fragrant finish.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is scented of warm blackcurrants, black cherries, spice box, florals and chocolate box with a menthol hint. Full-bodied, the palate is rich, plush and generous, finishing long and perfumed.
Deep garnet-purple in color, Léoville Barton simply sings of crushed black cherries, blackcurrant cordial and wild blueberries with touches of violets, dark chocolate, allspice and cardamom with a waft of stewed tea. Full-bodied, rich and decadently fruited in the mouth, the generous fruit has a solid structure of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and layered.
