Chateau Potensac Medoc 2018 750ml 94 pts James Suckling

94 Points James Suckling | Fruity nose of blackcurrant and blueberry with sage and vanilla. It’s full-bodied with firm tannins. Savory and juicy with pleasant acidity. Compact and long. Racy. 45% merlot, 36% cabernet sauvignon,18% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Try after 2023.

93 Points Jeb Dunnuck | The Grand Vin 2018 Château Potensac (45% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot) sports a deeper purple, almost opaque hue to go with lots of ripe black cherry and currant-like fruits intermixed with notes of toasty oak, tobacco, graphite, and earth. Richer and more concentrated than the Chapelle de Potensac release, with full-bodied richness and building tannins, it's going to benefit from a solid 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for 15+.

92 Points Vinous | The 2018 Potensac is every bit as appealing as it was from barrel. Ripe and pliant, with terrific purity of fruit, the 2018 captures all of the natural radiance of the year. This fleshy Haut-Medoc delivers superb quality in a forward, open-knit style that can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring. The bouquet shows lovely savory and floral Cabernet notes that work so well with the pliant Merlot fruit. Time in the glass brings out a surprising amount of freshness, with bright acids that suggest 10-15 years of cellaring potential is a safe bet.

 

91 Points Decanter | Plush plum in colour, with a depth to the body that starts from the first sip. A clear step up from the second wine, as I have found in many Médocs in the vintage. Raspberry and blueberry fruits which then deepen out to the classic black fruit notes of Potensac. Bottled in mid-April, ageing in barrel was kept to 14 months to avoid any over-extraction, because alcohol levels are pretty high. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

91 Points Wine Enthusiast | Under the same ownership as Château Léoville-las-Cases in Saint-Julien, this estate performs way above its appellation. With rich tannins and layers of ripe Merlot, the wine has a proper structure and sense of purpose, and will age well. Drink from 2025.

90 Points Wine Advocate | The 2018 Potensac is composed of 45% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine has 14.42% alcohol and was aged in 35% new barriques. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls out of the glass with open-knit scents of ripe, juicy black plums, boysenberries, redcurrant jelly and cassis, plus hints of dried Provence herbs, cinnamon stick and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of lively black and red berry layers, supported by soft tannins and a racy line, finishing with a lively skip in its step.