A perennial over-achiever, the 2018 Château Lilian Ladouys doesn't disappoint and offers classic notes of black and blue fruits, damp earth, violets, and a touch of minerality. Made from 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot aging in 35% new French oak, this medium to full-bodied 2018 has beautiful purity, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's going to be a brilliant value.

Barrel Tasting. This has a very pretty lilac note out front, followed by fresh plum and black cherry fruit flavors. Juicy in feel, with the minerality buried at the very end. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Score range: 90 - 93

In 2018, the Lorenzetti family purchased two neighbor estates, Château Clauzet and Château Tour de Pez, adding these to the Lilian Ladouys vineyard to almost double its planted area to 77 hectares. These additional vineyards are composed of gravelly soils of the same level as the best blocks of Lilian Ladouys. Soils are a typically Saint-Estèphe mix of sandy-gravel and clay with some limestone deposits. It is planted at 8,500-10,000 vines per hectare, with an average vine age of 35 years in 2018. The wine will see 12 months aging in 35% new and 65% two-year-old barriques. The blend is 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, and it has 14.41% alcohol. From the lieu-dit Blanquet and with a deep purple-black color, the 2018 Lilian Ladouys gives up wonderfully spicy black fruit preserves notions: plum preserves, crème de cassis and blueberry with hints of exotic spices, menthol and violets. Medium to full-bodied, firm and fine-grained in the mouth, it has layer upon layer of rich, spicy black fruits with a lift to the finish.