Chateau Prieure-Lichine 2018
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Enthusiast
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James - Decanter
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Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The structured and dynamic Cabernet Sauvignon grapes provided the balance for the Merlot, which was rich in alcohol. The color is deep and brilliant. Black fruit with great aromatic power comes through with an elegant mouth-feel. The richness and complexity of the Margaux terroir are expressed in the most perfect way in this King Cabernet vintage, demonstrating the pertinence of the technical approach adopted by the Ballande family over the last 20 years.
Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine shows the generous richness of the vintage while restraining it with fine tannins and pure black-currant acidity. The structure and fruits promise long-term aging. Drink this wine from 2027.
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James Suckling
Blackberry with white-pepper and some tile undertones on the nose. It’s full-bodied with tight, chewy tannins yet so beautifully polished and composed. Lingering finish. This needs time to soften and come together. Best after 2024.
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Decanter
Power, character and succulence abound with well-handled cassis and damson fruits. This is good-quality with chocolate shavings, silky tannins and a heavily spiced finish. 45% new oak. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Château Prieure-Lichine is terrific and certainly a step up over past vintages. Pure black and blue fruits, spring flowers, violets, and cedarwood notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, elegant and nicely focused on the palate, with a solid sense of freshness and purity. With moderate tannin's, terrific overall balance, and outstanding length, it's a beautiful wine. It already offers pleasure with a decant yet should hit prime time in 4-5 years and keep for 15-20 years. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, brought up in 45% new French oak.
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Wine Spectator
Solid, with warm dark plum, currant and bitter cherry flavors, wrapped in singed cedar, vanilla and coffee notes. The toast is a bit overt on the finish.
Barrel Sample: 89-92 Points -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Prieure-Lichine sings of black raspberries, kirsch and fresh red and black currants, followed by hints of powdered cinnamon, lilacs and bouquet garni. The medium-bodied palate is delicately played with bags of freshness and a soft texture framing the red berry and spicy layers, finishing with an herbal lift.
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The vine density at Prieuré-Lichine is quite high, and the vineyard is carefully managed plot by plot. The grapes are completely picked by hand into small crates and carefully gone over on a sorting table prior to crushing. Only the ripest, healthiest grapes are used. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. The entire winemaking process is devoted to bringing out the charm, elegance and finesse characteristic of the finest wines in the Margaux appellation.