Le Dome St. Emilion Grand Cru 2018
Le Dome St. Emilion Grand Cru 2018
Varietal - Bordeaux Blend
Country - France
Region - Bordeaux
Vintage - 2018
Size - 750 ml
97 points Decanter
With high expectations that this will be classified at the next round in 2022, and the new winery by Sir Norman Foster nearly completed, it's fair to say that this is a good moment for Le Dôme. The high Cabernet Franc percentage makes its presence felt, and I suggset giving it the full 10 year ageing to really reveal all the nuances, but there is plenty to admire even at this early stage. You feel the grip and the verticality as it moves through the palate, and there is a lovely smoke, flinty edge that is coming to the fore alongisde the anis, clove and marzipan notes now the wine is in bottle. Imposing, as Le Dôme always is, with real presence and character. 80% new oak for malo and maturation. 3.82pH.
97 points Jeb Dunnuck
While I don't think the 2018 Le Dôme hits the same heights as the 2010 or the 2016, it's nevertheless a beautiful wine in every sense. Based off 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot brought up in the usual 80% new barrels, it's a full-bodied, beautifully textured, seamless Cabernet Franc with loads of red currant, blueberry, and mulberry fruit as well as notes of cedary herbs, flowers, camphor, and new saddle leather. Always a singular, distinct wine given its high percentage of Cabernet Franc, it's brilliantly concentrated and has ultra-fine tannins as well as a great finish. Haut Couture at its finest, it's going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age, and I suspect, keep for 30 years or more. 97+
97 points Wine Enthusiast
A wine that celebrates Cabernet Franc, this comes from a parcel on the lower slope of Saint-Émilion. Its perfumed richness is profound and dense in structured black fruits. Old vines give concentration and add to the great power behind it all. This is a wine to age; drink from 2026. *Cellar Selection*