2018 Chateau de France
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Tasting notes
Full bottle 1,246 g. The tannins are forward, blockish and a bit bitter. There are more tannins than fruit, shortening the wine, giving the sense of a churlish finish. (TC)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Château de France has an attractive bouquet of blackberry, wild hedgerow, crushed rock and light sea spray aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp blackberry and seaweed-tinged entry, good acidity and a tightly knit and quite structured finish. It will require 3–4 years in bottle, but I think this is a fine Pessac-Léognan for the vintage.
The 2018 Château De France showed nicely, with a concentrated, focused, medium-bodied style as well as classic cherry and currant fruits intermixed with smoky tobacco, gravelly earth, and violet nuances. Its good balance, ripe tannins, and purity of fruit are all notable. It could use a touch more flesh, but this is certainly well done and will benefit from just 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15 years or so.
The 2018 de France is an attractive, easygoing wine to drink now and over the next decade or so. Cedar, dried flowers, herbs and mint lift a core of red berry fruit in this gracious, mid-weight Pessac-Léognan. Time in the glass brings out floral notes and slightly darker, purplish tonalities of fruit. This is nicely done.
About the producer
Neighbouring Ch. de Fieuzal, Ch. de France has been making wine since the 17th century. Purchased by the Thomassin family in 1971, investment has been significant – as has the associated rise in quality.