Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very concentrated and intense this year. It’s full-bodied with lots of berries and hints of dried fruit. Chewy, oak-infused tannins. Salty undertone. Needs time to soften. One for the cellar. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2024.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Gorgeous black raspberry and cassis fruits as well as floral, graphite, and candied orange notes all emerge from the 2018 Clos Lunelles. This beauty has a distinct sense of minerality, medium to full body, silky yet present tannin's, and a wonderful finish. It's another incredibly pretty, elegant, yet still concentrated wine from this estate that's going to benefit from 2-3 years in the cellar and keep for 10-15 years. It's impressive. Rating : 93+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Clos Lunelles is composed of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 14.46% alcohol and a 3.64 pH. Deep garnet-purple in color, it struts confidently out of the glass with gregarious notes of plum preserves, fruitcake and blueberry pie, plus suggestions of Indian spices, Sichuan pepper, new leather and tobacco leaf with a waft of tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is laden with black fruit preserves, supported by velvety tannin's and impressive freshness, finishing long and extra spicy.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe, focused and well-formed already, featuring a solid core of plum and currant paste flavors, infused with tobacco and warm earth notes.
Blend: 90-93
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Though the region is larger than many of its Right Bank neighbors, it is one that consistently produces high quality, well-valued red wines. In fact, Cotes de Castillon can almost be considered a geographical eastern extension of St. Emilion, producing similarly-fashioned reds based on Merlot.
Vineyards in the region’s clay, limestone and sandstone soils produce sturdy red wines. On alluvial terraces, in vineyards closer to the Dordogne River, wines tend to be more supple and fruity. In either case, a great Cotes de Castillon red will be bursting with raspberry, plum and blueberry, have an enticing bouquet of dried flowers and a finish that is plush and opulent.