2018 Chateau Rouget - Pomerol AC

Decanter.com – 93 pts – JA: *Grilled oak influence on the nose, with excellent density to the flavours through the palate. Needs time to open up but it works and really has a sense of confidence and personality. 30% new oak.* - 11/2020

Falstaff Magazin – 94 pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart floral, schwarze Kirschen, frische Mandarinenzesten, attraktives Bukett. Saftig, elegant, reife Herzkirschen, rund und mit eingebundenen Tanninen ausgestattet, schokoladiger Abgang, gute Länge, ein facettenreicher Speisenbegleiter.* - 05/2019

*Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Rouget sports quite a lot of oak at this stage, opening out to lively red and black plums notes and notions of baked cherries, blueberry compote and dried mulberries plus wafts of raisin cake, tree bark and bouquet garni. Full and concentrated, with a firm, fine-grained frame, it fills the palate with berry preserves and offers plenty of spicy and earthy nuances on the long finish.* (91-93/100)

WeinWisser – 18,5/20pts - WL: *Purpur mit opaker Mitte und zartem rubinrotem Rand. Ein betörendes Parfüm nach frischgepflückten roten Kirschen, Walderdbeeren und Brasiltabak, dahinter Heidekraut und Malzbonbons. Am delikaten Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, herrliche Extraktfülle, stützende Rasse und anschmiegsames kakaoartiges Tannin. Im gebündelten Finale verschlankt sich der Pomerol und endet mit roten Beeren, hellem Graphit und edler Adstringenz. Für die höhere Note reicht es dieses Mal (noch) nicht!* – 04/2021

JamesSuckling.com – 96-97pts - JS: *This young wine really sings with a level of purity and precision that I’ve never seen from here. Medium to full body, ultra fine tannins and beautiful red-berry and floral character at the end.*

Vinous.com – 93 pts – AG: *The 2018 Rouget is not going to win any prizes for subtlety, but it sure is delicious. Racy and flamboyant to the core, the 2018 saturates the palate with super-ripe red fruit, mocha, spice and copious new French oak. I would give the tannins a few years to soften. There is certainly a lot to look forward to. Readers should expect a dense, heady style.* - 03/2021

Vinous.com – 90 pts – NM: *The 2018 Rouget is extraordinarily ripe on the nose, featuring luscious black cherries, kirsch, iodine and raisin aromas, and becoming quite lactic with continued aeration. To be honest, I find that the ripeness shades the Pomerol DNA, so that served blind I would struggle to identify where it is from. The palate is, again, very ripe and dense, offering plush, sweet tannins, plenty of new oak and a decadent, dark-chocolate-tinged finish. This is a huge wine, but it flirts with just being a bit trop.* - 03/2021

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 93 pts – JL: *Showing much better in bottle than in barrel, the wine is full-bodied, rich, round and supple. Layers of silky, sweet, black and deep red fruits meld perfectly with spice, cocoa, licorice, espresso bean and wet earth. The fruit filled finish combines length, lift and finesse. Give this 3-5 years before popping a cork.* - 03/2021