Bordeaux 2018 at Two Years: St Julien
The appellation of St Julien offers many things, not least the region’s most convincing pretender to first-growth status. I think it also offers a little more consistency from one year to the next than some other left-bank appellations; in a commune which is overwhelmingly dedicated to the production of cru classé wines there is a well established order which seems a little more resistant to change than it does in Pauillac or Margaux.
And yet there are still surprises in St Julien, and still plenty to talk about, in this most recently bottled vintage. There looks to be some positive developments at Château Talbot here, this being the first vintage exclusively under the management of the talented Jean-Michel Laporte, once of Château La Conseillante. The same château has also bottled their 2018 in a commemorative bottle, celebrating one hundred years of ownership by the Cordier family. Château Lalande-Borie, the third and most westerly part of the Borie family’s St Julien vineyards, has disappeared, proprietor Bruno Borie having brought the property back into the Ducru fold, rebranding it Le Petit Ducru de Ducru-Beaucaillou. One cru classé proprietor has decided to replace the foil capsule atop their bottles with wax (are they trying to capture a slice of the natural wine market?) and there is one cuvée in which the blend boasts 69% Petit Verdot. Have you ever seen that in St Julien, or indeed anywhere in Bordeaux, before now?
So let’s get going with 2018, a vintage with some super wines in this appellation. Starting at the top, the 2018 Château Léoville-Las-Cases is nothing short of magnificent, brooding yet perfumed, the wine a pointed reminder of this château’s position, both geographically, being situated right next to the Gironde, and right next to Château Latour, and historically, being the most significant slice of the original Léoville estate and the leading pretender to first growth status. Just behind, however, there is a trio of estates which have produced 2018s of pretty much comparable quality, with the 2018 Château Léoville-Barton, 2018 Château Léoville-Poyferré and 2018 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou all looking excellent when tasted from bottle.
