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La Conseillante 2018

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc

Fabulously situated alongside Cheval Blanc and L'Evangile, this property has a long track record of making outstanding wine that is never forced or over-extracted. Purchased by Louis Nicolas in 1871, it has remained in his family's ownership ever since. 11.8 hectares planted 83% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc. Always consistent and reliable, quality has been further improved in recent years by the production of a second wine - Duo de la Conseillante. 2018 is talented wine-maker Marielle Cazaux's 4th vintage. The yield was 32 hl/ha which means that about 4000 cases will be produced. Elevage in 70% new oak, 27% older oak and 3% in amphora.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château La Conseillante

Label

Tasting Notes

A dense, layered Pomerol with lots of chocolate, walnut, and plum character. Some coffee undertones. It’s full-bodied with chewy, polished tannins and a structured, muscular finish. Solid. Elegance with power. 2018. Try after 2025.

97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2021

The 2018 La Conseillante is composed of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc, with a 3.65 pH and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to lure out the youthfully shy, incredible perfume of black raspberries, boysenberries, ripe plums and cinnamon toast, leading to notions of lilacs, clove oil and forest floor, plus a waft of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is a jaw-dropping exercise in finesse, slowly unfurling in the mouth to reveal layer upon layer of bright, crunchy red and black fruits, supported by a rock-solid frame of firm, fine-grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and with an impressive mineral and exotic spice firework display. It's an incredible expression of Pomerol that cannot fail to inspire a resounding "WOW" from whoever is fortunate to drink it. Tempting to broach now (albeit with a lot of air), try to keep your hands off it for a good 5 years and then drink it over the next 30 years or more. 2026 - 2056

98
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (End of Mar), March 2021

This is extremely good quality with a lovely persistency, luscious and luxurious with richly textured tannins that place you perfectly in the heart of Pomerol. It’s inky and concentrated with clear liquorice from the start and an abundance of flowers and fruit; violets and iris followed by black chocolate alongside subtleties of woodsmoke and coffee that curl out of the glass after a few minutes. It has bouncy tannins with a 95IPT but they're so hugely silky that you can be pretty sure this is going to age every bit as well as the 2016. They continued with all biodynamic and organic farming here except for one treatment during flowering against mildew which meant they had to stop the certification process. 3% will be aged in amphoras, the rest in barrel. Michel Rolland consults. A yield of 32hl/ha. 3.65pH.

Drinking Window 2028 - 2044

97
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2019

Tasted blind. Minty nose and quite a bit of sourness on the end. Unknit at this stage. Very drying finish but it may just be too young.
Drink 2028 – 2040

16+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2022

Deep purple in colour, with a heady perfume of violets, trufles, dark chocolate and pure, ripe blueberries. The palate is incredibly silky on entry, allowing the fruit to shine with a glycerol polish that promotes the purity of dark fruit. Through the mid-palate the tannins build a muscular frame that adds a savoury, spicy note to the fruit. This structure is still very precise and focused, adds complexity of texture, and makes this a Vin de Garde, that will need a decade in bottle before reaching approachability. An impressive, powerful Pomerol.

95+
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2019

The 2018 Château La Conseillante checks in as a blend of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc brought up in 70% new French oak, with a small amount in amphora. Yields here were a light 32 hectoliters per hectare, and the 2018 is a respectable 13.5% natural alcohol. Winemaker Marielle Cazaux commented that the secret to the vintage was to be a lazy winemaker (i.e. hands off). Her 2018 boasts a saturated purple color as well as incredible purity in its blue and black fruits, spice, liquid flower, and violet-like characteristics. Full-bodied, pure and seamless on the palate as well, it’s flawlessly balanced, with building yet sweet tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. It's going to flirt with perfection. Hats off to Marielle for another magical wine from this estate, which has quickly risen into the top echelon of estates in Bordeaux.

97/100
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, May 2019

(83 Merlot, 17 Cabernet Franc) | 70% new oak, 3% amphorae | 14% alc | 32 hl/ha | 3.65 pH | Total production this year is 38000 bottles of which 10% will be the second wine Duo | Organically certified The nose is exceptional and incredibly deep and perfumed. There is no trace of oak, astringency or tannin. Winemaker Marielle Cazaux said that she was ‘lazy’ this year. No pigeage, no délestage (rack and return), and only a smooth pump over and all because she was in search of really pure fruit. She tried hard to make the wine detailed and long and so blending was vitally important. It would have been easy to make a big round wine but Cabernet Franc has played a super-important role in this wine. The perfume is exquisite and it is not made up of oak, just floral fruit and aromatic impact. There is some great tension and it has a feel of the stellar 2016 just with more flesh and swagger. There is more density and length, too, at this stage of its life and this makes 2018 La Conseillante totally seductive and yet completely different to any preceding vintage. I happen to think that it is one of the finest wines of the year.

19.5+
Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com, April 2019
Read more tasting notes...

This is a forceful red, showing blueberry and blackberry character with violets and light wet earth. Clarity and beauty with so much transparency and focus. Full-bodied, firm and silky with lots of white-pepper and salt undertones.

97/98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2019

The 2018 La Conseillante is a blend of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc, with a 3.65 pH and 14% alcohol. Yields were 32 hectoliters per hectare; Merlot was harvested September 19 to October 1, and Cabernet Franc was harvested on October 4. Very deep purple-black colored, it comes charging out of the gate with energetic notes of wild blueberries, chocolate-covered cherries and warm black plums plus hints of lilacs, damp soil, cardamom and cloves with gentle wafts of cast iron pan and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with elegant black fruit and earthy layers, framed by soft, velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.

96/98+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (April 2019), April 2019
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.