2018 Fourcas Borie

Cru bourgeois supérieur.  ​​​​​​​ 77% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot.  Same stable as Ducru-Beaucaillou. Big, bold statement. Deep purple-black hue. Rich and ripe with dark fruit and raisined notes. Mouth-filling fruit on the palate with firm, chewy tannins and a glimpse of freshness. Pushed to the limit but just holds back. (JL)

The 2018 Fourcas-Borie is aged for 12 months in 20% new oak, the remainder one year old. Slightly darker in color than the Ducluzeau, this is similarly opulent and high-toned on the nose, where veins of blue fruit intermingle with red. Showy, but not overbearing. The palate is pure and more grippy than the Ducluzeau, the intense black fruit counterbalanced by the acidity – necessary given that we are looking at 14.61% alcohol. I find the finish a little jammy, although the satiny texture is disarmingly appealing.

Another brilliant Listrac from the talented Bruno Borie, the 2018 Château Fourcas-Borie checks in as 77% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot, all from more clay and limestone soils (which is different from the Ducluzeau Listrac release from Borie). It offers more elegance and purity, with pretty notes of wild strawberries, black raspberries, white flowers, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and seamless on the palate, it’s another terrific wine that’s ideal for drinking over the coming decade.