97

Neal Martin

Vinous

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. März 2021

98

Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2018 La Conseillante is composed of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc, with a 3.65 pH and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to lure out the youthfully shy, incredible perfume of black raspberries, boysenberries, ripe plums and cinnamon toast, leading to notions of lilacs, clove oil and forest floor, plus a waft of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is a jaw-dropping exercise in finesse, slowly unfurling in the mouth to reveal layer upon layer of bright, crunchy red and black fruits, supported by a rock-solid frame of firm, fine-grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and with an impressive mineral and exotic spice firework display. It's an incredible expression of Pomerol that cannot fail to inspire a resounding "WOW" from whoever is fortunate to drink it. Tempting to broach now (albeit with a lot of air), try to keep your hands off it for a good 5 years and then drink it over the next 30 years or more. März 2021

97+

Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck

A beautiful expression of this terroir, which always seems to yield a more elegant, complex style of wine, the 2018 Château La Conseillante is based on 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc that saw 70% new French oak. A brilliant perfume of blueberries, currants, spring flowers, violets, and graphite gives way to a medium to full-bodied Pomerol with flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It closes down rather quickly with time in the glass (I followed the bottle for multiple days), and it isn't for the instant gratification crowd, but it's unquestionably a gorgeous Pomerol. Give bottles a solid 8-10 years of bottle age, and it's going to evolve for 25-30 years in cold cellars. März 2021

97-98

James Suckling

James Suckling

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. März 2019