2018 Barde-Haut, St-Emilion (Pre-Arrival)
SKU #1407909
95 points
Jeb Dunnuck
Showing brilliantly, the 2018 Château Barde-Haut comes from a beautiful, cooler terroir on the eastern side of Saint-Emilion. It has a wonderful sense of purity and elegance as well as ripe black cherry and blueberry fruits to go with medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of chocolate, spring flowers, violets, and a kiss of chalky minerality. It's beautifully balanced and has ultra-fine tannins as well as a gorgeous finish. It reminds me of the 2016, with maybe a touch more up-front charm. Give it 4-5 years if you can (it's drinking beautifully today as well) and it's going to evolve for 20-25 years or more.
(3/2021)
94 points
Decanter
This has an amazing richness to the nose, with fruit that's ripe but supple, displaying the silky tannins of the vintage. It's a truly luxurious wine, combining liquorice, freshly shaved cherry wood, a gourmet touch of dark chocolate and pencil lead, but everything remains very much in balance. A great job from owner Helene Garcin Leveque. Harvested between 21 September and 11 October. 3.5pH. (JA)
(4/2019)
94 points
James Suckling
Currants, rose hips, dried lavender, cocoa powder and cloves on the nose. It’s full-bodied with sleek, tight tannins. Refined and elegant with tight, polished layers. Solid center palate. Try from 2025.
(3/2021)
94 points
Vinous
The 2018 Barde-Haut is a powerful wine, but it is also rather closed. That won't be an issue in time; the 2018 needs quite a bit of air to show all of the rich, layered fruit readers have come to expect from this Saint-Émilion. Succulent dark cherry, chocolate, new leather, espresso and sweet spice build into the rich, layered finish. (AG)
(3/2021)
94 points
Wine Spectator
Alluring, with a very focused set of cassis, plum reduction and cherry preserve flavors coursing through atop a well-imbedded graphite spine, all while black tea, chalky minerality and subtle herb nuances play out through a long finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. (JM)
(3/2021)
92-94 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Barde-Haut is a final blend composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it sashays sensuously out of the glass with effortless baked blackberries, preserved plums and blueberry pie notes plus hints of incense, powdered cinnamon, cigar box and star anise. Full-bodied and packed with spicy black and blue fruits, it is beautifully textured with firm, velvety tannins and just enough background freshness, finishing very long and seductive. (LPB)
(2/2019)
K&L Notes
93 points Neal Martin in Vinous: "The 2018 Barde-Haut is very pure and harmonious on the nose, offering a mixture of black cherries, blueberry, iris petals and a touch of India ink. It is backward but well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins, perhaps more structured than I expected, although that bodes well for long-term aging. There is a lovely saline aftertaste. Cellar this for 3–4 years before broaching and you should have a winning Saint-Émilion." (3/2021)
