Château Grand Village, Rouge, Bordeaux Supérieur, 2018
Grand Village comprises 22% Bouchet (old vine Cabernet Franc clones taken from Lafleur) and 78% Merlot. It shouldn't come as a surprise that with this DNA, it is beginning to resemble a little Lafleur. 2016 has until now been our reference point for Grand Village - this was a vintage when the tannic profile took on a grand vin pedigree. However, 2018 has ripped up the rule book. This is 2016 plus. Initially there are aromas of beautifully clear hedgerow fruits; so vivid and refined. On the palate there is a smooth core of crème de cassis, dark herb infused berries and stones. There’s such quality to the fruit, the texture, the finesse, the lift, the density and the energy – it has real nerve and tension from start to finish, with a tannic profile that tantalises with minerals and salinity. It really is the most impressive Grand Village we have tasted to date. Bravo.
critic reviews
Black cherries, well-paced through the palate, with spiced cocoa bean, turmeric, cumin, espresso, a plus centre, exceptional quality for the appellation, reflecting the care and attention taken by the Guinaudeau family of Château Lafleur.
The 2018 Grand Village is a pivotal vintage, notable for its aromatic intensity. It has turned out nicely in bottle, exhibiting aromas of dark berries, flowers, lead pencil, plums, licorice and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and polished, its fleshy and fruity with a lively core of fruit. Long and ethereal, the finish is superb with an elegant bitterness. This wine offers a deeper insight into the estates DNA.
The 2018 Grand Village has undergone a small reorganization in terms of its grape varieties (see my tasting note from barrel). It has a refined bouquet that opens over the course of a couple of hours, the Cabernet Franc expressive, lending subtle peppery scents to aromatics that convey a sense of classicism, something old-school, which I do not write pejoratively. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and peppery in style, the crunchy black fruit now laced with a little tobacco. There’s a lovely tang of cracked black pepper on the finish that lingers for 30 seconds. A superb Grand Village that should give up to a decade’s drinking pleasure.