2018 Le Dome, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Le Dome is from the JCP Maltus portfolio of skillfully crafted Saint-Émilion wines. Neil White is the head winemaker and Thomas Duclos is a consultant here. The 2018 Le Dome is composed of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, with a 3.82 pH and 14.3% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is a little coy in the beginning, requiring considerable coaxing to allow fragrant earth, rose hip tea, preserved plums and raspberry pie notions to emerge, giving way to notes of pencil shavings, woodsmoke and camphor. Full-bodied, firm and finely grained, the profound palate is sparked by energetic mineral and red fruit notes, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and just enough acidity to lift the very long, very fragrant finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, April 2019, The Wine Advocate

Le Dome is from the JCP Maltus portfolio of skillfully crafted Saint-Émilion wines. Neil White is the head winemaker and Thomas Duclos is a consultant here. The 2018 Le Dome is composed of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, with a 3.82 pH and 14.3% alcohol. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it slips sensuously from the glass with beguiling scents of blackberry pie, kirsch, blueberry preserves and plum pudding, plus suggestions of menthol, rose oil, pencil shavings and fragrant earth. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers fantastic energy and freshness, featuring loads of perfumed red and black fruit layers and a firm, very finely grained texture, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Stylistically, this is one of the most elegant vintages of Le Dome that I've tasted—and I love it!

High toned and very ripe on the nose - really heady and perfumed black, jammy fruits. Big and dense, but more in the flavours rather than the texture here, you get a lot of liquorice and the Cabernet showing its star power - dark and brooding with layers of complexity, acidity and concentration. Completely different in style to the 2019 - this is perhaps a little quiet right now to some extent, just waiting for it's time to shine. Potentially has more grip and structure to go the distance while the 2019 may end up being more elegant. This has character though with a lovely chalky minerality. A bold, imposing wine.

This is buttoned down and pretty closed right now, with a reductive edge that clears in the glass. There's a ton of freshness here, alongside the slow moving power of the tannins and well knitted fruits. An accomplished, well made wine, although it's a little overbearing with its marzipan and bitter chocolate notes on the finish. This is made in the Pavie style rather than the Ausone style, that's for sure. 80% new oak for malo and maturation. 3.82pH. - www.decanter.com, Jane Anson, April 2019

Notes of red and black currants, graphite, tobacco, and espresso all emerge from the 2018 Le Dôme, which is a blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, aging in 80% new oak, coming from a site to the west of Angélus. Rich and full-bodied, with beautiful building tannins, it fills the mouth with fruit and is an opulent yet flawlessly balanced 2018 that makes the most of this great vintage. Do your best to keep your hands off bottles for at least 4-5 years. This beauty clocks in at 14.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.82. - jebdunnuck.com, May 2019

Big and juicy red here with a full body, dense and intense fruit and a long and flavorful finish. A little old-school, but impressive. - jamessuckling.com, April 2019

Back to a richer more solid expression of the wine after the lighter-styled 2017. Here you get plenty of opulence straight of the back, with velvet textured tannins, grilled cocoa bean, pot pourri, incense, dried rose petals, charcoal and kirsch. I struggled a little to find the freshness in this vintage, although the shot of mint leaf and eucalyptus on the finish suggests that it will reward longer in bottle. Neil Whyte winemaker, Jonathan Maltus owner. 80% new oak for ageing, malolactic in new oak.