Château Petit-Village 2018

Doesn’t impress with sheer weight, but with minerality, vibrancy, elegance, and polish. Pleasing.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Petit Village, a blend of 72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, strolls out of the glass with open-for-business scents of stewed black plums, blackberry pie and blueberry compote, plus hints of spice cake, Sichuan pepper and fallen leaves. Full-bodied, rich and spicy, the palate delivers lovely freshness and a soft texture, finishing satisfyingly savory.

Dark plum and blackberry compote flavors fill this out nicely, while licorice, sweet spice and black tea notes glide in on the back end. Warm stone hint through the finish gives it the slightly austere spine of the vintage. Solidly built. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2022 through 2034. 2,500 cases made.

Always a little subdued when first poured, because it is made in a very reductive style during fermentation and ageing, but this opens to show excellent black fruits and plenty of uplift as it travels through the palate. This has a lovely perky feel, with blackberry, autumn berry fruits, some tobacco on the nose and a good, rich mouthfeel, with balance and a savoury edge. 3.7pH. 40% new oak.

Black cherry, clove, cedar and dried earth on the nose. Some vanilla and licorice. It’s medium-bodied with firm, chewy tannins. Some wet earth. Polished and layered, with wonderful freshness, too. Very tight now. Better from 2025.

This Pomerol estate just outside Catusseau was acquired from AXA Millésimes by the Moulin family in the summer of 2020; they had previously purchased Château Beauregard in 2014. I spoke to winemaker Diana Berrouet-Garcia via Zoom, and she explained how they are currently reorganizing the vineyard, replanting some parcels that have been affected by virus with slower-ripening rootstock and clones, and introducing Cabernet Franc through massal selection. The 2018 Petit Village was raised in 40% new oak and 5% aged in three amphorae (demi-muids were introduced for the 2020 vintage to age the Cabernet Franc). This has a ripe nose of black cherries, tobacco and light pencil box aromas. It unfurls nicely in the glass, although it does not achieve the complexity of the top-performing Pomerols. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and touches of charcoal infusing the black fruit. A little angular toward the finish, but there is plenty of freshness and tension. This Pomerol should drink well for 12–18 years.

Better in the bottle than in barrel, the wine now shows more of a floral character. Fresh, soft and silky, with a luscious texture and layers of sweet, ripe, vibrant, elegant fruits. The finish, with its minty-fresh wave of cherries, really clings to your palate. This is the finest vintage of Petit Village I recall tasting. The wine blends 72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Give it 4–5 years of age and it will be a much better wine.

Based on 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 18 months in 40% new French oak, the 2018 Château Petit Village performed even better from bottle than barrel and ranks with the finest vintages I've tasted from this estate. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as gorgeous damp earth, spice, and floral aromatics, it has sumptuous levels of black and blue fruits, nicely integrated oak, ripe, polished tannins, medium to full body, and outstanding length on the finish. This is classic Pomerol elegance and purity paired with plenty of richness and depth. It's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have two decades of overall longevity. Well worth seeking out, it's a beautiful Pomerol.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon) Velvety, delicately peppery, powerful bouquet with blackberries, black cherries, subtle licorice, slate, and smoke. Dense, creamy, subtly opulent palate with powerful dark fruit, a finely muscled structure, diverse aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, and a very long, aromatic finish with sweet lingering notes.

(72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon) Silky texture, finely peppery, powerful bouquet, blackberry, black cherry, subtle licorice, slate, smoke. Dense, creamy, subtly opulent palate with powerful dark fruit, a finely muscular structure, layered aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, very long, aromatic finish with sweet echoes. 19/20 2026 - 2045

The 2018 Petit-Village is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps with scents of black raspberries, redcurrant jelly and rose oil, plus hints of clove oil and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is fine-grained, delicately styled with great freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Pretty!

Superb bouquet, very inviting, with an excellent ability to harmonize freshness and maturity. Lots of finesse on the palate. Precise, fine-grained tannins that lend a certain breadth and are in line with the lively edge of the acidic structure. Along the palate, the tannins increasingly set the pace, reaching their full breadth on the finish. In the end, they show power, but in a subtle way. Refreshing tension on the finish. Fruity, persistent finish.

The nose is beautifully crafted, intense, aromatic, racy, and offers power as well as a fine, racy richness. We find notes of bright strawberry and blueberry, and more slightly juicy blackberry, combined with touches of fleshy boysenberry, lily, and cornflower, as well as fine hints of bergamot, cubeb pepper, a discreet touch of sweet spices, and an imperceptible note of rose/Timut pepper (in the background). The palate is fruity, precise, and offers juiciness, freshness, minerality, lovely definition, a certain indulgence, along with tension, energy, a zesty backbone, complexity, a slight multi-layered character, some glycerol-like richness and roundness. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackberry, juicy/pulpy blue plum, and more slightly fleshy/juicy small red berries, combined with a touch of strawberry, pulpy blackcurrant, cornflower, lily, as well as hints of nutmeg and cardamom, and a touch of tonka bean. Fine hints of toast, hazelnut, and vanilla linger on the finish. The tannins are elegant, precise, and very finely velvety. Good length. A very discreet hint of lilac (in the background) on the finish.

This is a dark, dense wine, with its tannins very much intact. Under the powerful structure, there are hints of the rich black fruits that are likely to develop as the wine matures. It will need some time, so wait to drink until 2025.