Château Soutard Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 2018 i trækasse

Jeb Dunnuck

The flagship 2018 Château Soutard checks in as 61% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. It's hands down the finest wine I've tasted from this estate and offers a thrilling bouquet of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as notes of camphor, tobacco, dried flowers, and dried rose petals. Full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with silky tannins and that rare richness without weight character that's the hallmark of truly great wines, it's going to benefit from 3-4 years (it's brilliant even today) and have 20-25 years of prime drinking. Hats off to the team at Soutard!

Vert de Vin Magazine

The nose is aromatic, elegant, racy and offers a small power, a fine grain, a small well-controled density as well as a beautiful maturity and complexity. It reveals notes of pulpy/generous Boysen berry, pulpy cassis, small notes of pulpy raspberry associated with fine touches of small crushed blue fruits as well as hints of liquorice, caramelization, toasted, a very discreet saline hint, sugared mild tobacco and discreet hint of sweet spices. The palate is gourmand, generous and offers a beautiful pulpy/bright fruit, an acidulous frame, a fine tension as well as density. On the palate this wine expresses notes of pulpy/bright blackberry, crushed cassis, small notes of raspberry associated with small touches of small crushed berries, pulpy/bright violet plum as well as hints of caramelization, chocolate, toasted hazelnut, a subtle hint of toasted almond and green cardamom. Tannins are well-built, elegant and racy. Good length. Very fine hints of sugared mild tobacco on the persistence. A beautiful wine, congrats!

VV Wine

Dense ruby color. Profound nose with lactic notes, showcasing terroir, stone, cool smoke, and dark fruit. On the palate, silky smooth, voluminous, and round, endowed with opulence and power. The tannins are ripe, finely woven, providing structure and supporting the intense fruit. Everything is perfectly in place, combining strength and elegance. The finish is very, very long and perfectly balanced. Bravo! Already a delight to drink, with excellent aging potential.

La Revue du Vin de France

Soutard 2018 takes its revenge with a thunderous Merlot that leans into a structured velvety texture, even if the dominant oak initially takes center stage. The whole remains luminous, carried by an understated breadth that reveals itself in the finish.

Antonio Galloni

The 2018 Soutard is an inky, exuberant wine. Raspberry jam, mocha, licorice, cedar and blood orange saturate the palate. Sweet floral/spiced top notes add lift, but Soutard is mostly a wine of textural resonance and creaminess. Ripe, silky tannins wrap around the succulent finish.

Wine Enthusiast

From the vineyard that surrounds one of the grandest chateaux in Saint-Emilion, this wine brings richness, complexity and density. A blend that unusually includes Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, it is a structured, firm wine that emphasizes tannins as much as the black-currant fruits.

Tastingbook.com

James Suckling

Blackberry and bark with some sandalwood and mushroom on the nose. It’s full-bodied with juicy fruit and tight, creamy tannins. Linear and racy. Gorgeous finish. Rather reserved now, but good, serious promise.

Decanter

From aromas to palate, this vintage exudes brightness and sparkle that is missing in the 2015. Ripe red and black fruits (plenty of juicy plum), crushed mint and wet stone enchant. As does the well digested oak extraction (with 10% less new oak, and one month less of oak ageing) and beguilingly fresh orange on the long finish that beckons further drinking. The first vintage where Thomas Duclos is the only consultant, and a frank success. Clearly better than the 2015, which has a similar vintage profile. Another difference with the 2015: earlier harvesting, from 20 September to 12 October, compared with 30 September to 15 October in 2015. In some ways like the 2016 but more opulent. That 82% of the harvest was used for the first wine reflects a successful vintage.

Robert Parker

Blended of 61% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Soutard features notes of warm plums, baked blueberries and blackberry pie with hints of fragrant earth, truffles, tapenade and lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has great elegance and sophistication, with plush tannins and wonderful freshness supporting the subtle fruit layers through the long finish.

Vivino

(219 ratings, ”en topbedømt årgang af denne vin”, 03-12-2024)