Château Olivier 2018

With a fair bit of swirling, Olivier's 2018 Blanc leaps from the glass with energetic notes of fresh grapefruit, ripe pears and pineapple, plus hints of lime blossoms and dill seed with a waft of wet pebbles. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled with intense citrus and tropical fruit flavors, marked by a racy backbone, finishing refreshingly steely.

Features an atypical bitter orange edge that melds nicely with the core of lemon curd, gooseberry and nectarine notes. Flashes of verbena and orange blossom check in, leading to a long singed almond thread on the finish. Distinctive. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2025. 3,333 cases made.

Quintessential white Graves, 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon. A wonderful balance here of structured leesiness (the wine ages on fine lees in barrel for 10 months), a clean grapefruit-citrus freshness, and a smoky, juicy lemon-peel character. There’s a hint of almond here, too. It’s a young wine, drinking beautifully now, with a good five to ten years ahead of it.

Dried apricot, grapefruit zest, crushed stones and a hint of hay on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with bright acidity and a creamy, layered texture. Mineral finish. Tangy and bright now but better in 2022 and onwards.

75% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sémillon. Inviting mix of aromas here: spice, cedar and herbal citrus. Classic Pessac on the nose. That cedary quality is more obvious on the palate. Not particularly intense but it’s balanced and persistent with good depth of fruit and more freshness than some in this line-up. (JH)

Crisp, bright and sweet, with Meyer lemon, pear and mango notes on the nose and palate. Energetic, fruity and fresh, with a gorgeous, creamy, lemony, and brightly pineapple-filled finish, this is already showing very well.

Bright light golden colour. Fine intensity and purity on the nose, a gentle hint of new oak paired with intense ripe fruit, lemongrass, confit lemon, peach and some grassy notes. Nice density and mouthfeel underlined by bright acidity, layers of herb‑infused yellow fruit with fine extract and a very long, lingering finish.

The 2018 Château Olivier Blanc is a juicy, elegant white offering plenty of tart pineapple, lemon, and honeyed grapefruit notes in a medium-bodied, bright, racy package. It's nicely balanced, has good purity, and is well worth following over the coming 3-5 years or more.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (75% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sémillon, production 33,000 bottles) Restrained, mineral, light bouquet, grapefruit, chalk. Slim, light palate with delicate fruit, light acidity, fine aromatics, bitter finish.

(75% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sémillon, production of 33,000 bottles) Restrained, mineral, light bouquet, grapefruit, chalk. Slim, light palate with delicate fruit, light acidity, fine aromatics, bitter finish. 16/20 2021 - 2030

Citrus and cucumber give a fresh opening, but as it settles in the glass it's richer and riper in its flavour profile than you usually find in Olivier, so possibly not as long ageing as some vintages. But it's still worth engaging with, a serious and textured wine, with touches of honeysuckle, bitter almond, iodine and even liquorice. Yield of 51hl/ha.

The white 2018 Olivier offers dried apricots and baked apples on the nose, with hints of pineapple upside-down cake and baking spices. Medium-bodied, the palate is crisp and understated, revealing a steely finish.

A delicately fruity, floral nose; a round, fleshy palate that’s highly aromatic with superb liveliness. Very sprightly.

The nose is fresh, juicy, fruity, with good definition and elegance. It reveals notes of fresh quenette, lemon, and, more subtly, ripe/juicy kumquat, combined with small touches of juicy yellow nectarine, as well as fine hints of mandarin blossom, acacia, and a very discreet note of toasted oak/chestnut butter. The palate is fresh, fruity, balanced, offering freshness, precision, good definition and balance, a certain depth, a fine zesty spine, juiciness, elegance, and finesse. On the palate, the wine shows notes of juicy/ripe lemon, juicy quenette and, more slightly, fleshy/juicy vineyard peach, with small touches of juicy kumquat and fine hints of white flowers, rose, lychee, very subtle toasted nuances, and an imperceptible touch of chestnut. Good length. An imperceptible tannic hint on the finish.

Logo on the cork: A in a circle (Amorim) This discreet-looking wine shows strong resistance to air. The bottle stays good for 15 days once opened! A fruity, fairly rich profile with a well-controlled Sauvignon-like expression.

Light yellow-green, silver reflections. Fresh meadow herbs underlaid by fine yellow tropical fruit, a touch of mango and lemongrass. Medium body, white peach, freshly structured with salty minerality on the finish and very long. A well-developed food wine.

This beautifully textured wine is already balanced but has a fine future. The cool, crisp texture contrasts with ripe fruitiness and spice from wood aging. Drink this wine from 2023.