Chateau Lilian Ladouys 2016

- 91 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, Lisa Perrotti-Brown: "The 2016 Lilian Ladouys is a blend of 62% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot aged in 30% new French oak for 15 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it sings of baked plums, crème de cassis and Black Forest cake with bay leaves, pencil lead and menthol. Medium-bodied, elegant and packed with vibrant flavor layers, it finishes long."

- 92 Punkte WINE ENTHUSIAST, Roger Voss: "Now under the same ownership as vastly improved Château Pedesclaux in Pauillac, this estate is also on the upward quality curve. This wine has the structure and tannins of a classic Saint-Estèphe as well as juicy, rich black fruits. With aging potential, the wine should be ready to drink from 2024."

- 91 Punkte WINESPECTATOR, James Molesworth: "Very lively, featuring a fun mix of cassis, plum paste and cherry preserve flavors, framed with floral and mineral notes. The light-handed toast lets the fruit shine through the finish, with persistent chalky minerality. Best from 2021 through 2031. 25,000 cases made."

- 92 Punkte VINOUS, Neal Martin: "This is the third time I have tasted the 2016 Lilian Ladouys in bottle. It retains a very intense blackberry and boysenberry bouquet laced with minerals, but displays a little more amplitude than it did in August. The tightly knit palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and still shows the graphite seam that I remarked upon previously. There is a little more persistence now, hence the slightly higher score. Good potential."

- 92 Punkte FALSTAFF, Peter Moser: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, dezente Randaufhellung, dunkle Beerenfrucht, ein Hauch von reifen Pflaumen, zarte Edelholzwürze. Saftig, elegant, feine Fruchtsüße, reife Kirschen, gut integrierte Tannine, mineralisch und anhaltend, frisch und trinkfreudig, gutes Entwicklungspotenzial."

- 92 Punkte DECANTER, Panos Kakaviatos: "The nose reflects very ripe red and black fruit, and even some exotic notes, which could take some by surprise. But the palate is more balanced, showing fresh cassis on the finish, which has a long lift, and almost suggests the grapefruit freshness of a white wine! I like the mid-palate sap. An excellent wine and miles better than its New World-style and less terroir-driven 2010, also tasted. Drinking Window 2020 – 2030"

- 17 Punkte Rene Gabriels BORDEAUX TOTAL, Andre Kunz: "Kunz Fassprobe 17: (62% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 55 hl/ha, 13.6% vol. Alkohol) Frisches, kräftiges Bouquet, Kirschen, Mocca, schwarze Beeren, Lakritze. Molliger, voller Gaumen mit kräftiger, süsser Frucht, cremiger Struktur, feinem Tannin, dichter, dunkler Aromatik, langer, herber Abgang. Kann noch zulegen."

- 92 Punkte JEB DUNNUCK: "A perennial overachiever, the 2016 Château Lilian Ladouys brings the goods in 2016 and has a complex, medium to full-bodied, character-filled style to go with loads of blue fruits, incense, dried herbs, and a hint of violets. A blend of 62% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Petit Verdot all raised in 30% new barrels, this charming, front end-loaded effort is well worth seeking out. It should keep for 10-15 years."

- 93 Punkte JAMES SUCKLING: "The blueberry and blackberry aromas are certainly attractive here. Full-bodied and dense with a very velvety texture and a long, generous finish of ripe fruit and spice. Drink from 2022."