2018 Le Carré

The 2018 Le Carré offers palate staining intensity and tons of opulence. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, cloves and scorched earth power through as this large-scaled Saint-Émilion takes over all the senses and demands attention. A shy wine it is not.

- Antonio Galloni (03/2021)

Aromas of blackcurrants, black olives, oyster shells, dark chocolate and dried leaves. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Decadent undertone. Polished and refined with a long finish. Try from 2024. (03/2021)

The 2018 Le Carré showed nicely, with an up-front, complex nose of red and blue fruits, flowery incense, orange blossom, and camphor. I love its nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a focused, elegant texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It benefits from air and builds nicely with time in the glass, offering more and more richness while never losing its elegant, layered, complex style. Enjoy this gorgeous 2018 over the coming two decades. (03/2021)

Le Carre was purchased from Canon in around 2000 and adjoins Clos Fourtet. The 2018 Le Carre is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it shoots from the glass with notes of kirsch, dark chocolate, and potpourri with suggestions of unsmoked cigars, menthol, and dusty earth. Full-bodied, rich, and well poised in the mouth, the palate has beautifully rounded tannins and a lively line, lifting the long, fragrant finish. (05/2022)

A fresh and unencumbered style, featuring a core of blackberry and plum flavors, well-melded to a singed apple wood accent. Not big, but fresh and detailed. Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

- J.M.

Le Carre is from the JCP Maltus portfolio of skillfully crafted Saint-Émilion wines. Neil White is the head winemaker, and Thomas Duclos is a consultant here. The 2018 Le Carre is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc—this vineyard land was purchased from Canon around 2000 and touches Clos Fourtet. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of stewed black plums, boysenberries and black raspberries, with hints of bay leaves, Indian spices and fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with juicy black fruits, supported by soft tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and earthy.

- Lisa Perrotti-Brown (03/2021)