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This extraordinary 12 hectare Pomerol vineyard is split into two portions, one third of the soil neighbouring Cheval Blanc is more gravelly and sand based, with the other two thirds classic Pomerol clay. The result is a wine which has the appeal and generosity of great Pomerol, balanced with St Emilion finesse and freshness. This blend of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc is an absolute joy. Bright shining purple in colour, with beautifully floral aromas of violets and lavender. This is an extraordinarily textured wine, with its controlled velvety tannins. A wonderfully precise style, expressing a natural richness, but not in excess. So pure, beautifully bright, and everlasting on the finish. Exceptional.
This extraordinary 12 hectare Pomerol vineyard is split into two portions, one third of the soil neighbouring Cheval Blanc is more gravelly and sand based, with the other two thirds classic Pomerol clay. The result is a wine which has the appeal and generosity of great Pomerol, balanced with St Emilion finesse and freshness. This blend of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc is an absolute joy. Bright shining purple in colour, with beautifully floral aromas of violets and lavender. This is an extraordinarily textured wine, with its controlled velvety tannins. A wonderfully precise style, expressing a natural richness, but not in excess. So pure, beautifully bright, and everlasting on the finish. Exceptional.
The 2018 La Conseillante was given a two-hour decant and then monitored over the following 12 hours. What a stupendous Pomerol! It has a bravura nose that immediately seduces the olfactory senses, delivering a cornucopia of black cherries, cassis, crushed violets and iris. Such intensity here, and then it blossoms, accentuating its floral component while retaining the DNA of Pomerol. The palate is exquisitely balanced with fine tannins that frame the pure black cherry and strawberry fruit. But it is the texture and the harmony of this La Conseillante that knocks you sideways, that tertiary finish that I noticed out of barrel gone, replaced by satin-textured, almost citrus-fresh fruit. Marielle Cazaux and her team have overseen a brilliant La Conseillante. 2024-2050
The 2018 La Conseillante is magnificent. A wine of real vertical lift and explosiveness, the 2018 is distinguished by its spine of energy, freshness and purity of fruit. Inky blue/purplish berry fruit, mocha, lavender spice and mint develop in the glass, but it is the wine's overall sense of harmony that truly stands out. The 2018 showed tremendous vibrancy and vitality, with superb mid-palate richness and phenomenal balance all three times I tasted it. It is without question one of the wines of the vintage. The blend is 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc. This is the first vintage that includes a touch of wine aged in amphora, just 3%. Don't miss it!
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.
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.
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
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.
The small sub-region of Pomerol is situated north-east of the industrious city of Libourne. Pomerol's soils are predominately iron-rich clay with a smattering of gravel that produce wines with extraordinary power and depth. As a result of this clay-dominance, it has the highest percentage of Merlot planted in all of Bordeaux. Certain châteaux are produced exclusively from this grape, but most incorporate smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as well. Despite its hefty (if not exclusive) proportion of Merlot, many people think of wines from this region as separate entities. As one wine aficionado stated recently, "It's not Merlot. It's Pomerol." Despite the region's small size, Pomerol contains some of the world's most sought after (and expensive) wines including Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur, l'Evangile and Vieux Château Certan. Unlike other Bordelais subregions, there is no system of classification. The châteaux are traded on reputation alone.
