Chateau Simard 2018

Fruity, spicy nose; powdery tannins with a noticeable grain.

A blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Simard opens with vibrant Morello cherries and baked plums scents, giving way to hints of dried lavender, tilled soil, black olives and bay leaves. The elegant, refreshing, medium-bodied palate delivers plenty of juicy fruit, textured with soft tannin, finishing with an invigorating lift.

This is full of softly textured ripe red fruits. It has clear acidity that makes the finish just a little abrupt, but also brings a sense of life and lift. On sand-dominant soils, so they had to be very careful during the dry summer, but they handled it extremely well. Harvest from September 21–28 for the Merlot, October 7 for the Cabernet Franc.

The cedar, mushroom, and bark aromas highlight the black cherry and blue fruits. Full-bodied, with an impressively concentrated mid-palate and chewy, creamy tannins. Really well done. Try after 2024.

The 2018 Simard, owned by the Vauthier family, has a lilting bouquet of red currant and wild strawberry fruit, revealing fleeting glimpses of rose petal and wild heather. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly grainy texture on the entry. This is not a deep Saint-Émilion, but it is bright and tensile. A faint dark chocolate note perks up the finish. Give this 24 months in bottle and it should drink well for several years.

Earthy black raspberries and wet forest notes mingle perfectly with all the silky, fresh, sweet, ripe fruits. Medium-bodied, with a soft, inviting, fruit and earth finish, this will be even better with a year or two of cellaring. The wine is a blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Deep dark ruby, purple glints, faintly lighter at the rim. Finely fragrant nougat, tobacco nuances, a hint of black berries, pleasant blackberry jam. Juicy, ripe cherries, vivid tannins, mineral and persistent, followed by delicate savoury herbal nuances on the finish. Nougat reverberations.

70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Purple garnet with a violet rim. Delicate red-berry bouquet with meaty notes. On the palate, plenty of power and firm support. Focused finish of cranberry juice and blueberry jelly.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) Floral bouquet with red-berried notes and a subtle green touch, red berries, wood, fresh herbs. Sleek, light palate with delicate fruit, fine sandy tannins, medium aromatics, refined finish. Has room to improve.

(70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) Floral, red-berried, delicately green bouquet, red berries, wood, fresh herbs. A slender, light palate with delicate fruit, fine sandy tannins, medium aromatics, and a delicate finish. Has room to improve. 16/20 2024 - 2035

Velvety, fresh length that unfurls a structure already well in place, punctuated by a lovely floral return.

Dark, intense, and vibrant color. Highly aromatic nose with ripe fruit and a fresher touch of blackcurrant. Precise on the attack, juicy mid-palate, and more aromatic than ever in this vintage, the wine stretches out on the finish, sappy, very pleasant, and long. A Burgundian-style structure, with no tannic edges.

40-ha vineyard on clay-sandy and gravelly soils. Aged in barrels and tanks for 12 months. What beautiful fruity intensity that just begs a sip! Inviting notes of raspberry and blackcurrant. Juicy, gourmand character on the palate. The tannins are tight, perfectly integrated and aligned with the freshness of the acidic structure. A racy, juicy and sapid wine that can already be enjoyed in its youth!

This ripe, full-fruited wine has great blackberry flavors. Structure and tannins give the wine a warm, open character leaving the fruitiness to shine. Drink from 2024.