The 2018 Grand Puy Ducasse is just as impressive as it was en primeur. Readers will find a heady, richly textured Pauillac loaded with character. Technical Director Anne Le Naour and consulting oenologist Hubert de Bouärd coaxed tremendous richness from the 2018 while avoiding some of the excesses of the recent past. The result is a wine that delivers on all levels. Succulent dark cherry, plum, mint, licorice, sweet spice and a touch of new oak build into a striking crescendo on the lush, persistent finish.
94 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Mar 2021)
From a 19th-century winery that's a prominent landmark on the Pauillac riverfront, this wine is dense with tannins and vivid with black fruits. The estate's three parcels have given a rich wine, concentrated and dense while also having layers of dark fruits. Drink this promising wine from 2026.
94 points, Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast (May 2021)
Dried currants, stewed blackberries, praline, dried herbs and pencil lead on the nose. Raw cocoa, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, ultra fine tannins. Structured with excellent intensity and focus. Very polished. Try from 2025.
94 points, James Suckling (Mar 2021)
Very alluring, with a dark and winey core of cassis, steeped plum and blackberry preserve waiting to unfold fully while fine-grained alder, black tea, warm cast iron and licorice root notes form a prodigious frame. Long, dark, smoldering finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038. 10,000 cases made.
93 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator (Mar 2021)
For the last few years this estate has been hovering of the edge of really delivering the brilliant Pauillac wine it’s surely capable of. The 2018 is impressive with toasted smoky caramel notes and clear gourmet edging to it. The tannins get a little bulky through the mid-palate taking away some of the nuance but there is complexity here and ageing potential. Malolactic fermentation was partly carried out in barrel.
92 points, Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2019)