Chateau Quintus 2018

Highly marked by élevage at this stage; oak and first-rate tannins, remarkable acidity and berry aromas that cleverly mask the alcohol – yet once spat out, the alcohol hits. A bit too much of a good thing – albeit at a high level.

This has heft and texture, and is rippling with concentrated blueberry and blackberry fruits. The toasted oak is a little dominant but this is still extremely young, and needs time to settle and begin to open up. Confident winemaking. A yield of 41.1hl/ha.

The deep, meaty and earthy nose pulls you into this concentrated and beautifully balanced St.-Emilion. Stunning interplay of fine and graceful tannins with restrained richness. Very long, fresh and light‑footed finish. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.

The 2018 Quintus has gained more exuberance and intensity on the nose since its showing in barrel, offering flamboyant black fruit, blueberry, crushed violet petals and potpourri, all very well defined. A light menthol scent emerges with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp black fruit, tobacco and light cedar aromas. Like the Second Wine, this has emerged with a Left Bank–inspired personality, lightly spiced on the precise, quite minerally finish. Excellent.

Flowers, spice, licorice and ripe red fruits are everywhere. The wine somehow manages to balance elegance with high ABV, as this one does perfectly. Sweet, long and intense, with beautiful purity to all the red fruits, the finish lingers, expands and, frankly, just feels great on your palate. The wine was made using 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, 15.2% ABV.

Dark ruby with purple reflections, brightening at the rim. Floral notes are underlaid with hints of liquorice and elderberries, subtle savoury oak, and peppery nuances. Powerful, but fruity and silky in texture, with perfect tannin ripeness, fine structure, and savoury minerality. A delicate food wine with very good length.

The flagship 2018 Château Quintus is on another level, offering a gorgeous nose of black raspberries, cassis, spicy oak, chocolate, graphite, and camphor. It has plenty of background oak, yet the texture is brilliant, it's full-bodied, has no hard edges, and delivers just a wonderful sense of purity and elegance. It's the finest vintage to date for this estate. Give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

The 2018 Quintus has a deep garnet-purple color. It sashays out with flamboyant notes of fruit cake, Indian spices, and dark chocolate, with underlying hints of prunes and blueberries. Full-bodied and plush, the palate is well-structured, with great opulence and length.

The wine’s fine structure and generous, almost plump proportions are confirmed after a year in bottle. We only regret a slight dominance of oak in the dry extract of the tannin, but the sweetness of the Merlots lingers after the finish and shapes a wine built for aging.

A delightful, warm attack of red fruits in syrup, with tertiary notes of fern and underbrush. A majestic wine on the palate thanks to its richness, concentration, and the fine quality of its tannins; discreetly oaked, rather monolithic, no doubt due to its youth.

A bouquet with plenty of character, revealing notes of red and black berries, followed by chalky nuances and a smoky touch. On the palate, the wine stands out for its compact, racy character. It offers good aromatic intensity and fine-grained tannins, in line with the tension of the acidic structure. A great success from Quintus!

Dark, intense, and deep color. Very aromatic nose, with remarkably fresh fruit despite the 15.5% alcohol. With swirling, the expression becomes sunnier. It recalls grenache and syrah. Precise on the attack, particularly fruity mid-palate, fleshy and caressing, with a lovely brightness to the flavor that lifts the substance; the wine finishes seamless and even perfumed. It gives off a sensation of surprising delicacy for such a rich wine. It’s superb.