Château Dauphine (la) - Fronsac 2018

Vinous

92-94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe11/15/2019

The 2018 La Dauphine is blessed with a knockout bouquet of precocious black currant and raspberry fruit laced with tobacco and clove, very focused and very well delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, great depth, very good acidity and a surfeit of freshness. Silky-smooth on the plummy finish, this is an utterly delicious Fronsac that will give a couple of decades of drinking pleasure.

WeinWisser

17 / 20

the5/7/2019

Vinous

89-91 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/3/2019

The 2018 La Dauphine is silky, nuanced and super-expressive. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, lavender and dried flowers add nuance. In some tastings, La Dauphine has come across as understated and classy, while towards the end of my en primeur tastings I saw a much richer, denser wine. Either way, La Dauphine is one of most compelling under the radar wines of the year. Tasted four times.

Vinifera

90 /

byJacques Perrinthe5/1/2019

Belle présentation aromatique. Notes de zan et de fruits noirs. Corps charnu, finement tramé, aux notes fruitées intenses et finale d'une belle fraîcheur. Très joli vin.

The Wine Cellar Insider

91-93 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/23/2019

Showing good color, the wine is rich, fat and juicy, espresso, dark chocolate covered cherries and licorice from start to finish. Lush, rich and concentrated, there is length, density and freshness here. Plus, you can pop a cork on release or age it for a few years.

Wine Advocate

88-90 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/23/2019

The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 de la Dauphine delivers notes of fruitcake, plum pudding and Chinese five spice with touches of prunes, tobacco and dusty soil. Full-bodied, with a firm, chewy backbone and plenty of expressive berry preserves and spicy layers, it finishes earthy.

Jamessuckling.com

92-93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/12/2019

A tangy and energetic sense to this Fronsac with dark berries, wet earth and a mineral undertone. Medium-bodied, focused and real.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

90 / 100

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/8/2019

Decanter.com

93 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/1/2019

A delicious wine that has been well handled comprising vibrant fruits with brambles and hedgerows keeping things on the right side of slick. A good job done here with the estate retaining biodynamics even through a tough vintage. Drinking Window 2022-2032

Bettane & Desseauve

92-93 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/1/2019

Ce vin est une nouvelle fois, l’un des meilleurs de son appellation, avec une attaque soyeuse et un tannin de velours qui se prolonge de la plus belle des façons, il y a un charme aromatique dans une palette de violette, de cerise noire, c’est déjà bien en place, avec une vraie fin de bouche construite sur la fraîcheur.

Yvesbeck.wine

92-94 / 100

byYves Beckthe4/1/2019

Pourpre violacé. Bouquet intense marqué par des notes crayeuses et du bois de réglisse. Touche de cerises, de cacao et de violettes. Au palais le vin est frais, racé et doté d’une tension qui lui confère une fraîcheur bienvenue. Les tannins sont parfaitement intégrés et assurent une belle assise à l’ensemble du vin. Bravo, belle réussite !