Château La Violette, Pomerol, 2018

Name: Château La Violette, Pomerol
Brand: Château La Violette
Price: 789.55 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2014 2018 2019 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

As with sister property, Le Gay, this is the fifth vintage of Violette to be micro-vinified in their very impressive new cellar. Produced from a tiny 1.6 hectare plot of Merlot close to VCC and Le Pin, this 100% Merlot cuvee and will be aged for 15 months in 100% new Saury and Ecrin barrels. This boutique cuvee has received some rave reviews. It's fair to say that we can't see what the fuss is all about, although recent Southwold showings have been more impressive. Very glossy with really polished Merlot fruit: plum liqueur, damsons, creamy red fruit and a hint of florality. This is perhaps a little more vibrant than Le Gay and has a mouth-watering vibrant, saline finish.

critic reviews

91/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

La Violette 2018 has a deep garnet purple color. It offers faint leathery/gamey/earthy wafts to start, leading to warm plums and blackberry preserves at the core, with hints of crushed rocks and iron ore. Full-bodied, the palate is laden with densely packed with dried berries and earthy flavors, supported by chewy tannins, finishing a touch firm.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2040

date of review 02/2023

93+/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 La Violette slowly emerges from the glass with wafts of dried flowers, Chinese five spice and cedar chest before erupting into vivacious notes of plum preserves, baked blackberries and black cherry compote, plus hints of licorice and iodine. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black fruit preserves with a spicy undercurrent and grainy tannins, finishing with the freshness in the background and a dogged suggestion of unmarried oak. In something of an ugly-duckling stage, there's enough going on here to warrant forgetting it in the cellar for 5-7 years, after which it should all come together beautifully.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2042

date of review 04/2021

94+/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2018 La Violette is a Pomerol that felt tight when I tasted it from barrel, and now in bottle, there is still something uncharacteristically reserved. However, that does not disguise the wonderful raspberry and wild strawberry fruit that gradually unfolds. Lo and behold, after 12 hours, this is singing. The palate is very well balanced with slightly tarry black fruit and a fine bead of acidity. Quite taut and linear but with good weight and palpable <em>mineralité</em> on the finish. La Violette has gained more intellect and complexity in recent vintages and though I do not believe this is the greatest ever produced, it is a superb wine for the vintage that may merit a higher score with bottle age.

DRINKING WINDOW 2023 - 2045

date of review 03/2021