Château Poujeaux 2018

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Poujeaux comes bounding out of the glass with youthful scents of crushed black cherries, mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles, plus hints of menthol, pencil lead and tobacco leaf. The medium-bodied palate offers just enough fruit and freshness with a chewy texture and dried herbs lift on the finish.

Direct, with loganberry and damson plum flavors that are gently mulled with light anise and herb notes. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2023. 24,160 cases made.

Heady scents of wild flowers and cassis with dried herbs and liquorice accents. Full and fleshy, this is round and mouthfilling with juicy, chewy fruit that has bitter, toasted edges of cinnamon, dark chocolate, espresso and cedar. On the ripe-fruit side, with flashes of heat, but the texture is lovely, sleek and direct, with structured, integrated chalky tannins and a fresh mentholated and eucalyptus finish. Needs to soften a little more, but this is a classic take on the vintage with appealing typicity. Round, filling, charming in a dark, sultry way. From a 70-hectare vineyard on gravel. This is a blend of 52% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged 12 months in oak, 33% new and 67% second- and third-fill barrels.

Pretty aromas of wild blackberries, violets, milk chocolate and licorice. It’s medium- to full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins. Polished and concentrated. Better from 2024.

52% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Dark cherry with an opaque core. Vibrant fruit on the nose, both cassis and blackberry. Extremely tannic – a wall of tannins encasing the fruit at the moment, giving a dry finish. I wonder if the fairly high alcohol has hardened the tannins? There’s some freshness, but I can’t see anyone but a Bordeaux die-hard willing to wait for this to come around. (JH)

The 2018 Poujeaux has an intense bouquet featuring layers of blackberry and bilberry fruit, a light marine scent and a lingering patina of oak that still needs time to be subsumed. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet entry, plush and very pliant tannins framing a Poujeaux of impressive volume and grip. Cohesive from start to finish, it shuts down a little on the finish, indicating that this Moulis has long-term plans.

Ripe black cherries and cassis, along with tobacco leaf and herbs, create the nose. On the palate, the wine offers a full body with layers of ripe, round, rich fruit. The finish is packed with more of those ripe, spicy, fresh, sweet black and red berries, with licorice, espresso, and dark cocoa coming in at the very end.

Deep dark ruby, purple reflections, a delicate bright rim. Ripe dark berry confit, black cherries, some nougat and orange zest, an attractive, floral-scented bouquet. Powerful, juicy, black fruit, blackberry confit, firm tannins, chocolatey finish, cellar-worthy style, potential, versatile.

There are lots of impressive Moulis in this vintage and the 2018 Château Poujeaux is one of them. This medium- to full-bodied, soft, nicely textured, mouth-filling beauty has plenty of blackberry and black cherry fruit, notes of tobacco and damp earth, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s certainly an outstanding wine and has another decade of prime drinking or more ahead of it. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, aged in one-third new French oak.

Dense purple. Complex bouquet with a wonderful spicy cassis character, fresh plum preserve and perfumed pipe tobacco. On the palate, powerful, with fleshy concentration, massive tannic structure and a well-trained, muscular body. Focused, long-lasting finish with elderberry juice and sloe jelly. Tremendous ageing potential, so definitely wait (for now).

Kunz barrel sample 19: closed, dense bouquet, blue and black berries, cassis, fine woods, nougat. Densely interwoven, elegant palate with fresh fruit, plenty of fine tannins, powerful aromatics, finely muscular structure, long, aromatic finish. Has room to improve.

Closed, dense bouquet with blue and black berries, cassis, fine woods, nougat. Tightly knit, elegant palate with fresh fruit, plenty of fine tannins, powerful aromatics, a finely muscular structure, and a long, aromatic finish. Has room to improve. 17/20 2026 - 2048

The 2018 Poujeaux is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly unfurls to reveal warm cassis, black cherries, and mocha, with hints of lavender and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a great core of generous fruit, with grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and savory.

Logo on the cork: AL Dark color, beautiful and vibrant. Very aromatic nose with fresh fruit. Supple, silky palate with flavor, body, and good persistence on the finish. Slight hint of licorice. Good length.

This is a big-hearted wine, ripe with both black-plum flavors and generous tannins. At this stage the structure is prominent, but with the weight of the fruits, the wine will balance out full, ripe and ready to drink from 2026.