CHÂTEAU PRIEURÉ LICHINE

Blackberry with white-pepper and some tile undertones on the nose. It’s full-bodied with tight, chewy tannins yet so beautifully polished and composed. Lingering finish. This needs time to soften and come together. Best after 2024. Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)

The 2018 Château Prieuré-Lichine is an attractive, elegant Margaux offering classic, pretty red and black fruits, cedary spice, and dried flowers aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and again, with an incredible floral character, it has a supple, rounded texture that’s going to allow it to drink nicely in its youth, yet it should also evolve for 15+ years or more. I suspect this will surpass the ’14, ’15, and ’16. Rating: 90-93 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)

Black core with barely a purple rim. Very dark but lively fruit and an attractive crushed-stones overlay. Juicy and lifted on the palate, finely textured and already harmonious. The tannins are nicely layered and compact but overall a welcome lightness of touch that should result in greater elegance in bottle. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Prieure-Lichine slips sensuously out of the glass with gorgeous raspberry coulis, chocolate-covered cherries and warm cassis scents with hints of candied violets, licorice, camphor and wilted roses. The full-bodied, richly fruited palate is beautifully perfumed with loads of floral accents and has a firm frame of ripe, grainy tannins, finishing long with some mineral notions coming through. Very pretty. Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

This is a very fresh and bright red with lots of blue fruit and linear and fine tannins that have drive down the center palate. 65 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 30 per cent merlot and 5 per cent petit verdot. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, with a yield of 35 hl/ha, and the declared alcohol is 13.5%. It presents a nose of creamed blackcurrant fruits, with black cherry, damson and a rose-petal lift, a confident and yet classic style on the nose. A pretty palate, gently composed but supple, with a body of crushed black fruits at its core, along with firm and tightly grained tannins at the heart of the wine, and a fresh and lively acidity. Polished, substantial, confident, this is a real success for Prieuré-Lichine, right through to those taut and lingering tannins in the finish. Very well done. The élevage will be in 45% new oak and 55% second-fill oak. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

After considerable investment, this property is showing its true potential. This wine is full of a great black fruit flavor, with generous acidity and a ripe structure. Its black currant flavor is already showing a delicious side, making it a wine to enjoy in the near term. Rating: 95 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)

Prieuré Lichine has done a great job of capturing the rich concentration in the cassis and blackberry fruits that are easily found in 2018, wrapped up perfectly in juicy, vibrant strands of acidity and tannin. There's no question that this is an intense wine, and although the alcohol is not especially high it has a generous texture. Spice notes lend a sense of uplift to balance out the exuberance of the palate. I expect this will close down for a good few years before coming into its own. Prieuré Lichine operate a gravity-fed winery for gentle handling of the fruit. 2018 saw a yield of 35hl/ha. Aged in 45% new oak. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)