La Chenade, Lalande de Pomerol, 2018
Denis Durantou's 'entry level' wines, that is to say the wines not produced at his flagship Pomerol estate, Chateau L'Eglise Clinet are always rank amongst our 'best value' buys. Saintayme, Chenade, Cruzelles and Montlandrie offer excellent value for money. Denis describes 2018 as a 'Révolutionnaire'. It's a big change at the Durantou estates as Denis has retired from winemaking. It's been an extraordinary run with many exceptional wines, but all good things must come to an end. La Chenade tends to be our favourite of these wines, it has a tremendous track record providing charming yet intense fruit wrapped in well-mannered tannins and vibrant acidity. The 2018 is slightly more difficult to assess, but no less rewarding. Very reductive on the nose, on the palate there is plenty of bright engaging fruit, cranberries and blackcurrant. This is much more polished and refined than Saintayme with some serious tannic structure. Very good. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
critic reviews
La Chenade 2018 is deep garnet purple in color. It offers up compelling scents of boysenberries, blackberry pie, and fragrant earth, with hints of cardamom and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm and chewy, with a lively line and a fruity finish.
The 2018 La Chenade is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc with 30% new oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with notes of tar, licorice and cracked black pepper, leading to a core of baked black plums, boysenberries and blackberry pie, plus a waft of woodsmoke. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers loads of earth-laced blackberry flavors with a frame of ripe, rounded tannins and bags of freshness, finishing savory. This was produced by the late Denis Durantou of Chateau LEglise Clinet. The vineyard is in Lalande de Pomerol on gravel-based sandy soils.
The 2018 La Chenade is more backward and demands more coaxing than the Lés Cruzelles, reluctantly unfolding to reveal scents of blackberry, melted tar and violet petals, all very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, well-judged acidity, gentle grip and a slightly smoother but slightly less engaging finish than the Lés Cruzelles. Still, this is very fine.