2018 Soutard

The 2018 Soutard was backward but impressive from barrel. In bottle it seems to have opened up, presenting raspberry, blackberry, undergrowth and light tarry aromas, almost understated at first but blossoming with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins, and fleshy and refined toward the finish, delivering mineral-rich black fruit. It maybe just misses a little persistence, but otherwise this is a finely crafted Soutard.

The flagship 2018 Château Soutard checks in as 61% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. It's hands down the finest wine I've tasted from this estate and offers a thrilling bouquet of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as notes of camphor, tobacco, dried flowers, and dried rose petals. Full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with silky tannins and that rare richness without weight character that's the hallmark of truly great wines, it's going to benefit from 3-4 years (it's brilliant even today) and have 20-25 years of prime drinking. Hats off to the team at Soutard!

The 2018 Soutard is an inky, exuberant wine. Raspberry jam, mocha, licorice, cedar and blood orange saturate the palate. Sweet floral/spiced top notes add lift, but Soutard is mostly a wine of textural resonance and creaminess. Ripe, silky tannins wrap around the succulent finish.