2018 Clos du Marquis

The 2018 Clos du Marquis is consistent with my tasting note from barrel. It has a perfumed, camphor-tinged bouquet featuring plenty of brambly red fruit, and maybe just a hint of dark chocolate loitering in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and quite saline in the mouth with fine depth. It is not the most complex Clos du Marquis that I have tasted, but I appreciate the persistent black pepper aftertaste, which is quite Pauillac in style. Very fine.

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Clos Du Marquis offers a brilliant nose of ripe black cherries, smoked tobacco, cedar pencil, and violet-laced aromas. These carry to a full-bodied, rich, concentrated 2018 with plenty of background oak, a juicy spine of acidity, rock star levels of concentration and mid-palate depth, and ripe, silky tannins. Given its tannins and acidity, it's not for those seeking instant gratification, and a solid decade of cellaring is going to be warranted.