Home
: 2018 Capbern, St-Estèphe

2018 Capbern, St-Estèphe (Pre-Arrival)

SKU #1407922 94 points Jeb Dunnuck

Outer quote mark The 2018 Château Capbern checks in as a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend that includes 37% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 60% new barrels. It has a deep, dark, earthy, classic Saint-Estèphe bouquet that gives up lots of cassis and almost blue fruits as well as ample chocolate, damp earth, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. With a full-bodied, rich, opulent mouthfeel, loads of sumptuous dark fruits, sweet tannins, and a great finish, this brilliant 2018 brings lots of fruit and opulence, yet stays weightless and balanced, with solid underlying structure. A hidden gem in the vintage, this is every bit as good as the 2016, and it's going to shine for two decades or more. Inner quote mark (3/2021)

94 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark This richly structured wine is layered with dense black fruits and serious tannins. A big wine in every sense, it is concentrated and juicy. The wine is made by the team from nearby classed growth Château Calon Ségur. (RV) Inner quote mark (5/2021)

92-93 points James Suckling

Outer quote mark A fresh and firm Capbern with lots of dark berries, chocolate and hints of hazelnuts. Medium to full body and dense, lightly chewy tannins. Mineral undertone. Inner quote mark (4/2019)

91-93 points Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark The 2018 Capbern is composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot and comes in at 14.6% alcohol. It's anticipated to age for 16 months in barriques, 60% new. Deep purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with vibrant scents of black raspberries, kirsch and fresh blackcurrants with nuances of cedar chest, pencil lead and forest floor plus a waft of lavender. Full-bodied, rich and packed with juicy fruit, it has a firm line of grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing with an herbal lift. (LPB) Inner quote mark (4/2019)

92 points Decanter

Outer quote mark A tasty, extremely appetising Capbern that, after tasting, makes you you already look forward to drinking in bottle. It has a real elegance to its black fruits, and the tannins have a softness and succulence to them, leading on to a mouthwatering finish. Harvest took place between 19 September and 8 October, around one week earlier than in a classic year according to Laurent Dufau, and yielding 37hl/ha. (JA) Inner quote mark (4/2019)

90-92 points Vinous

Outer quote mark The 2018 Capbern is expressive, nuanced and inviting, with lovely upfront fruit. In 2018, Capbern is a bit compact and tightly wound, but it also has a good deal of persistence. The Cabernet is quite marked in the 2018, which is not a bad thing, it just means the wine is going to need time to be at its best. What really stands out, though, is the push and pull between the bright aromatics that this cool, clay-rich soil helped give in 2018, and the ripe, radiant fruit of the warm summer. That interplay makes for an absolutely compelling wine. Red cherry fruit, mint, dried flowers, cedar and tobacco add aromatic nuance to this highly expressive, vibrant Saint-Estèphe. The blend is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Tasted two times. (AG) Inner quote mark (4/2019)

90 points Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark This shows a mix of olive, bay and pepper notes that are wrangling with a core of dark currant and plum fruit right now. Structure is fine-grained and everything knits nicely through the finish, but this is for fans of the slightly gamy side. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. (JM) Inner quote mark (3/2021)

Jancis Robinson

Outer quote mark Deepest purple. Dark and stony, lovely slaty nose. Firm, chalky, dense and still with lovely freshness. Not the same richness as the 2009 but with great purity and definition. More serious, less seduction. Long and great structure. So pure in its dark cassis fruit. Cool with a touch of liquorice on the finish. 17/20 points (JH) Inner quote mark (4/2019)

Share |

2018 Capbern, St-Estèphe

Price: $29.99

Quantity:

Real Time Inventory by location:

The item you have chosen is not in stock in our retail stores or within our main warehouse.

Product turnaround time varies by location of inventory and your chosen method of shipping/pickup. For a detailed explanation click here.

Related Items

Product Reviews:

By: Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 5/17/2019 | Send Email

This is the best value in St. Estephe. Made by the same winemaking team from Calon Segur, from terroir adjacent to much more expensive properties, it has spicy black fruit, mocha, and licorice on the nose. On the palate, it is very fresh and bright while remaining dark and concentrated at its core. It has very elegant, firm tannins, with nice herbal notes on the finish.

By: Trey Beffa | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 5/6/2019 | Send Email

Probably my Sleeper pick for the vintage! Lots of perfume on the nose, toasty, crunchy red fruits, long and elegant middle, firm tannic backbone but balanced. This is a case buy for me. 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot

By: Clyde Beffa Jr. | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 5/1/2019 | Send Email

A favorite of ours ever since the 2009. Very spicy aromas that follow to the palate. Lots of red berry aromas and flavors. Northern Medoc 2018s are very fine in general.

Drink from 2022 to 2032

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking. A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.

Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.

Sub-Region:

Bordeaux

Specific Appellation:

Saint Estephe

- The northern-most of the Medoc communes, St. Estephe is quickly becoming one of the favorite areas for both high quality and great value Bordeaux reds. While it has fewer classified growths than the other communes, it also boasts some of the hottest up and coming chateaux of the last several. The most famous chateaux are the second growths Montrose and Cos d'Estournel with Calon Segur (3rd growth), Lafon Rochet (4th growth), and Cos Labory (5th growth) rounding out the cru classe wines. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the area, but plantings of Merlot are on the rise resulting in rounder, fatter, flashier wines than in years past.