Capbern 2018 (750ML)

94 JD / 94 WE / 92 WI / 92 JS  / 92 DE / 92 WCI / 17 JR

#69 Jeb Dunnuck Top 100 2021

The 2018 Château Capbern checks in as a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend that includes 37% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 60% new barrels. It has a deep, dark, earthy, classic Saint-Estèphe bouquet that gives up lots of cassis and almost blue fruits as well as ample chocolate, damp earth, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. With a full-bodied, rich, opulent mouthfeel, loads of sumptuous dark fruits, sweet tannins, and a great finish, this brilliant 2018 brings lots of fruit and opulence, yet stays weightless and balanced, with solid underlying structure. A hidden gem in the vintage, this is every bit as good as the 2016, and it's going to shine for two decades or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

This richly structured wine is layered with dense black fruits and serious tannins. A big wine in every sense, it is concentrated and juicy. The wine is made by the team from nearby classed growth Château Calon Ségur. Drink from 2026. - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

The Capbern 2018 has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs a little coaxing to reveal notions of cedar, pencil shavings, and bay leaves, over a core of redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, and ripe plums. Medium-bodied, the palate is delicately played and refreshing, with fine-grained tannins and lovely purity on the finish.- Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

A juicy and savory red with currant, walnut, mushroom and cedar aromas that follow through to a medium body with firm tannins and a savory finish. Drink after 2023. - James Suckling

A tasty, extremely appetising Capbern that, after tasting, makes you you already look forward to drinking in bottle. It has a real elegance to its black fruits, and the tannins have a softness and succulence to them, leading on to a mouthwatering finish. Harvest took place between 19 September and 8 October, around one week earlier than in a classic year according to Laurent Dufau, and yielding 37hl/ha. 3.7pH. 60% new oak. - Jane Anson, Decanter

Forest floor, tobacco leaf, wet earth, coffee bean, smoke, thyme and red currants open the wine. Medium-bodied, juicy, forward, bright and fresh, with a nice tangy note in the red currant finish, this is one of the better values in Left Bank Bordeaux today.-Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

Deepest purple. Dark and stony, lovely slaty nose. Firm, chalky, dense and still with lovely freshness. Not the same richness as the 2009 but with great purity and definition. More serious, less seduction. Long and great structure. So pure in its dark cassis fruit. Cool with a touch of liquorice on the finish. -Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson