2018 Château Barde-Haut

Description

95   Jeb Dunnuck
“Showing brilliantly, the 2018 Château Barde-Haut comes from a beautiful, cooler terroir on the eastern side of Saint-Emilion. It has a wonderful sense of purity and elegance as well as ripe black cherry and blueberry fruits to go with medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of chocolate, spring flowers, violets, and a kiss of chalky minerality. It’s beautifully balanced and has ultra-fine tannins as well as a gorgeous finish. It reminds me of the 2016, with maybe a touch more up-front charm. Give it 4-5 years if you can (it’s drinking beautifully today as well) and it’s going to evolve for 20-25 years or more.” (3/2021)

94   James Suckling
“Currants, rose hips, dried lavender, cocoa powder and cloves on the nose. It’s full-bodied with sleek, tight tannins. Refined and elegant with tight, polished layers. Solid center palate. Try from 2025.” (3/2021)

94   Jane Anson for Decanter
“This has an amazing richness to the nose, with fruit that’s ripe but supple, displaying the silky tannins of the vintage. It’s a truly luxurious wine, combining liquorice, freshly shaved cherry wood, a gourmet touch of dark chocolate and pencil lead, but everything remains very much in balance. A great job from owner Helene Garcin Leveque. Harvested between 21 September and 11 October. Drinking Window 2027 – 2040 Barrel Sample.” (4/2019)

93+   James Molesworth for Wine Spectator
“The 2018 Barde-Haut is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it takes a little swirling to unlock the beautifully expressive notes of warm black plums, wild blueberries and black raspberries, plus hints of roses, underbrush, ground cloves and fertile loam. The full-bodied palate delivers a lively backbone and wonderfully ripe, satiny tannins supporting the generous black and red fruits, finishing long and fragrant.” (3/2021)

93   Neal Martin for Vinous
“The 2018 Barde-Haut is very pure and harmonious on the nose, offering a mixture of black cherries, blueberry, iris petals and a touch of India ink. It is backward but well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannin’s, perhaps more structured than I expected, although that bodes well for long-term aging. There is a lovely saline aftertaste. Cellar this for 3–4 years before broaching and you should have a winning Saint-Émilion.” (3/2021)