Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse - Pauillac 2018 4df5d4d9d819b397555d03cedf085f48

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

byJames Molesworththe1/26/2021

Very alluring, with a dark and winey core of cassis, steeped plum and blackberry preserve waiting to unfold fully while fine-grained alder, black tea, warm cast iron and licorice root notes form a prodigious frame. Long, dark, smoldering finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038. 10,000 cases made. — JM

Yvesbeck.wine

93 / 100

byYves Beckthe1/26/2021

Rouge grenat dense. J'aime la façon dont le bouquet de ce vin se révèle. Il affiche un côté invitant, fruité puis de la profondeur et de la précision. Caractère sapide en bouche où, à l'image du bouquet, le vin est fin et invitant. Les tannins sont parfaitement intégrés, compacts et assurent les arrières. Finale de bonne expression ; elle est fruitée, juteuse et persistante.

Jamessuckling.com

94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/19/2021

Dried currants, stewed blackberries, praline, dried herbs and pencil lead on the nose. Raw cocoa, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, ultra fine tannins. Structured with excellent intensity and focus. Very polished. Try from 2025.

Decanter.com

90 / 100

byJane Ansonthe1/12/2021

Vinous

90 / 100

byNeal Martinthe11/15/2019

The 2018 Grand Puy Ducasse is a wine that I was looking forward to tasting, given recent improvements and the talents of Anne La Noar. The bouquet felt a little static, the oak coming across a bit too strongly for my liking. The palate is medium-bodied with a creamy entry and fine acidity. I am sensing more winemaking than wine at the moment, but this Pauillac should improve once in bottle. I may well have met it during a difficult phase of its barrel maturation.

Vinifera

91 /

byJacques Perrinthe5/1/2019

C'est un vin civilisé qui se goûte ouvert, fruité avec des tanins doux, mûrs, extraits finement.

Vinous

92-95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/1/2019

The 2018 Grand Puy Ducasse is gorgeous. In fact, the 2018 is one of the most polished and refined recent vintages I can remember tasting for a wine that up until recently was much darker and more extracted in style. The purity of the fruit is simply striking, while the explosive energy in the glass is a thing of beauty. It will be fascinating to see where the 2018 goes, but there is little question that this style towards more elegance driven by Technical Director Anne Le Naour and consulting oenologist Hubert de Bouärd is hugely appealing. The 2018 is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot. Tasted two times.

La Revue du Vin de France

16-17 / 20

the4/24/2019

The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/23/2019

Dark in color the wine is concentrated and loaded with ripe black currants. The palate feel is full, lush and round, leaving you with dark red fruits, soft tannins and loads of red berries, licorice, tobacco, smoke, cedar and cocoa in the finish. This is a wine to lay down for at least 7-8 years to insure an even better experience. The wine is made from blending 52% Cabernet Sauvignon with 48% Merlot.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/23/2019

The 2018 Grand-Puy-Ducasse is deep garnet-purple in color and has quite a lot of cedar/oak on the nose to begin, opening out to a core of warm black and red currants, stewed plums and mulberries with touches of pencil shavings, fried herbs, lavender and tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, the palate gives a firm, grainy frame with some chew from the oak and fresh, crunchy red and black fruit, finishing savory.

Wine Enthusiast

92-94 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2019

Showing fine, rich dark berry flavors, this is a structured wine that has concentration. It comes from an estate that seems to have come together well.

Jamessuckling.com

93-94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/12/2019

This is really solid with a dense and deep palate of ripe fruit and chewy tannins. Muscular for this cru. Full-bodied yet energetic and intense.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

89 / 100

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/8/2019

Wine Spectator

92-95 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/3/2019

Lovely, featuring a beautiful beam of pure cassis, lined with iron, savory and tobacco notes. The long finish really glistens.

Yvesbeck.wine

91-93 /

byYves Beckthe4/1/2019

Pourpre violacé. Le bouquet de Grand Puy Ducasse se révèle lentement. Il est encore quelque peu réduit et a besoin d’air. Je relève des notes de cassis, de poivre noir et de graphite. Au palais, le vin est crémeux et compact. Il a du corps, de la fraîcheur et présente des tannins qui se révèlent lentement en fin de bouche où ils confèrent une touche suave. Belle structure rafraîchissante. Un vin qui se distingue par sa puissance et sa manière lente de se révéler. Belle réussite. 2024-2038

Decanter.com

92 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/1/2019

For the last few years this estate has been hovering of the edge of really delivering the brilliant Pauillac wine it’s surely capable of. The 2018 is impressive with toasted smoky caramel notes and clear gourmet edging to it. The tannins get a little bulky through the mid-palate taking away some of the nuance but there is complexity here and ageing potential. Malolactic fermentation was partly carried out in barrel.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2040