Chateau Malescot Saint Exupery 2018

JAMES SUCKLING: "A seductive Margaux with an intense nose of black fruit and red plums. Some herb and wood notes, too. It’s full-bodied with pretty, pure-berry flavors with some crushed stones and cement. The texture is silky and fine-grained and the tannins melt into the wine. Precise, flavorful finish with length. Try after 2024."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Malescot St. Exupery leaps from the glass with expressive scents of baked blackberries, Morello cherries and boysenberries with hints of blackcurrant cordial, dark chocolate, licorice and tilled soil. The medium to full-bodied palate has impressive intensity without heaviness, delivering mouth-coating black fruits and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with a refreshing earthy lift."

JEB DUNNUCK: "I loved the 2018 Château Malescot Saint Exupéry from barrel two years ago, and it certainly doesn't disappoint from bottle today. Based on 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this deeply hued beauty boasts smoking good notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and spice. Full-bodied and impressively concentrated, it has a stacked mid-palate, ripe, sweet yet certainly present tannins, a terrific sense of freshness, and a great finish. It's going to fun comparing this and the 2016 over the coming two decades! While there's some up-front accessibility and charm here, it really needs 4-6 years of bottle age and is going to have 20-25 years of overall longevity. This is gem of a wine that's well worth seeking out."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Almost opaque in color, this full-bodied, lusciously textured, round, rich gem provides layers of ripe, sweet, dark red fruits, licorice, espresso, plums and cherries . The combination of velvety tannins, intensity and a plush finish hits the spot. If you can keep your hands off it for a decade or so, this is going to be an outstanding wine to enjoy for the following 2 decades after that."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Lovely, with gently mulled plum, blackberry and black currant fruit sailing through atop a velvety structure while mouthwatering bay, black tea and iron notes flow underneath. Seductive, detailed finish lets a sanguine note echo longest. Gorgeous wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2036. 9,183 cases made."

WEINWISSER: "Undurchsichtiges Purpur mit schwarzer Mitte. Intensives Bouquet mit eingelegten Pflaumen, Heidelbeergelee und Schokopralinen, dahinter Sommertrüffel und Brasiltabak. Am druckvollen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, engmaschiges verlangendes Tannin Paket was es zu verdauen gilt, vom Körper ein massiger Bodybilder. Im gebündelten Finale verschlankt sich der Margaux, deutet aber sein gewaltiges Lagerpotential an!"

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Dunkle Beerenfrucht, schwarze Kirschen, gewürzig unterlegte Edelholznuancen, feine tabakige Note. Saftige, elegante Textur, frische Herzkirschen, zart nach Nougat, reife, tragende Tannine, extraktsüßer Abgang, bleibt gut haften, würzig im Rückgeschmack, braucht noch etwas Zeit. (2025–2045)"

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "Malescot St. Exupery 2018 has a deep garnet purple color. It delivers open-knit scents of warm cassis, black cherry compote, and mulberries, with touches of dried herbs, pencil shavings, and damp soil. Medium to full-bodied, with elegantly styled fruit and plush tannins, it has a long and refreshing finish."

DECANTER: "Confident and balanced. This is enjoyable, with enough graphite and chocolate shavings to ensure a gourmet take on the vintage, but not going over the top and retaining flesh through the black fruits. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This is a fruity and structured wine. With its dusty tannins and promising firm core, it has the texture for aging. Fruitiness gives it the potential to mature into a poised and sophisticated wine. Drink from 2026."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Fragrant. Fresh and lifted with real energy. And some delicacy and sophistication. Rich but the fruit outweighs the (considerable) tannin."