Château Clos de Boüard 2018

Expressive, with a mix of savory and tobacco leaf notes amid black cherry and black currant paste flavors. Frankly toasted on the finish, but there’s good energy and a nice hint of warm earth as well. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2024. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 5,416 cases made.

Deep ruby in color, you find espresso, licorice, black plum and cherry nuances on the nose and palate. Round, lush, soft, silky and fresh, the fruit is ripe, sweet and earthy, with good length, refinement and a hint of espresso and cocoa on the backend.

The blend of 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet-Sauvignon is well suited to the vintage. The wine is both persistent and elegant, with spicy, velvety tannins and a return of dark fruit on the finish.

The nose is fruity, elegant, balanced and racy, offering freshness, a subtle sense of tension, indulgence, and minerality. It reveals notes of blackcurrant, fleshy/juicy plum and, more lightly, strawberry, combined with fine hints of lilac and fresh violet, touches of crisp small berries, very delicate hints of nutmeg, and an imperceptible toasted note. The palate is fruity, mineral, balanced and elegant, delivering tension, a fine zesty backbone, depth, and freshness. On the palate, the wine shows notes of juicy/ripe blackcurrant, juicy blackberry and, more lightly, juicy/fresh raspberry, paired with touches of crisp/fresh plum, discreet hints of cardamom, and an imperceptible hint of blond tobacco. The tannins are well-handled.

Big tannins and rich, succulent black fruits give a wine that is rich, solid and immensely concentrated. It is a blockbuster wine, dense and full of the ripest black fruits and promising a long aging. Drink from 2024.

Far greater depth of fruit than the Dame de Boüard, with juice running through the palate, and careful layering of blackberry and cassis fruits against mouthwatering slate texture that speaks to the limestone soils. A pretty gourmet wine also, with chocolate and damson nots. Good value.

Dark-berry, violet, black-tea and cedar aromas. Hint of oyster shell, too. It’s medium-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Sleek and refined. Try from 2024.

The 2018 Clos de Boüard has a generous, ripe bouquet of blackberry, boysenberry and light violet aromas that all gain intensity with aeration. The palate is ripe and quite extracted on the entry. A powerful Montagne Saint-Émilion with grippy tannins, though it needs a little more amplitude toward the finish, which feels strict and linear. It does open up with aeration and should come around with 2–3 years in bottle.

(85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) Peppery, fresh, medium-bodied bouquet with notes of cherries, redcurrants and mint. Fruity, broad palate with lush, sweet fruit, fine sandy tannins, a mellow structure and a fragrant finish. 17/20 2024 - 2038

The bouquet of Clos de Boüard shows a beautiful harmony between terroir expression, freshness, fruity nuances and oak ageing. I note dark berries, a hint of liquorice, a chalky touch and a delicate spicy note. On the palate, the wine is elegant and well-balanced. It has body, precise silky tannins, pedigree and good aromatic intensity through to the finish. A great success.

Logo on the cork: CB A beautiful deep, intense red. Slight development. A lovely nose of pure, ripe fruit, subtly supported by oak. Smooth and spicy. Supple on the attack, tasty through the mid-palate, with a sleek profile and a slightly truffly note, the wine finishes with good length and refined tannins. Very enjoyable.