Château La Conseillante Pomerol 2018 (750ml)

In 1871, the Nicolas family buys La Conseillante whose extension, 12 hectares, and the parcellaire are unchanged since, which allowed him to preserve its exception.

It was in 1960 that the heirs of Louis Nicolas decided to create the "Civil Society of Heirs Nicolas".

Since 2001, La Conseillante has changed its internal organization by recruiting a Director, then in 2003 by forming a Family Council.

Since February 1, 2010, the Counselor's Family Council has been composed of three members, Dr. Bertrand Nicolas, co-manager since 2001, Jean-Valmy Nicolas co-manager since 2010 and Henri Nicolas.

Currently, it is the fifth generation of Nicolas who manages the castle and marking the continuity and attachment of a family to a great wine.

The role of the Family Council is to supervise the actions of the Director and take a position on strategic decisions (selling prices, allowances, investments, dividends, representation actions).

Nicolas' heirs are identified by the slanted label and silver border surrounding the "LN" figure. The purple capsule recalls the fragrance and characteristics of the Cru. These elements chosen in 1871 by the Nicolas brothers remain of an elegant modernity in the XXI century.

During these 145 years, La Conseillante has benefited from a continuity and consistency in the care taken by the Nicolas family to express the best of its terroir, one of the most famous of Pomerol.

One of the features of the councilor is that none of the family members live on the property.

The Merlot subtly mingles with a small but precious amount of Cabernet Franc to offer inimitable aromatic expression in a wine of great suaveness, elegance, boldness and finesse.

98 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2018 La Conseillante is composed of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc, with a 3.65 pH and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to lure out the youthfully shy, incredible perfume of black raspberries, boysenberries, ripe plums and cinnamon toast, leading to notions of lilacs, clove oil and forest floor, plus a waft of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is a jaw-dropping exercise in finesse, slowly unfurling in the mouth to reveal layer upon layer of bright, crunchy red and black fruits, supported by a rock-solid frame of firm, fine-grained tannin's and tons of freshness, finishing long and with an impressive mineral and exotic spice firework display. It's an incredible expression of Pomerol that cannot fail to inspire a resounding "WOW" from whoever is fortunate to drink it. Tempting to broach now (albeit with a lot of air), try to keep your hands off it for a good 5 years and then drink it over the next 30 years or more.

JS97
James Suckling

A dense, layered Pomerol with lots of chocolate, walnut, and plum character. Some coffee undertones. It’s full-bodied with chewy, polished tannins and a structured, muscular finish. Solid. Elegance with power. 2018. Try after 2025.

JD97
Jeb Dunnuck

A beautiful expression of this terroir, which always seems to yield a more elegant, complex style of wine, the 2018 Château La Conseillante is based on 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc that saw 70% new French oak. A brilliant perfume of blueberries, currants, spring flowers, violets, and graphite gives way to a medium to full-bodied Pomerol with flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It closes down rather quickly with time in the glass (I followed the bottle for multiple days), and it isn't for the instant gratification crowd, but it's unquestionably a gorgeous Pomerol. Give bottles a solid 8-10 years of bottle age, and it's going to evolve for 25-30 years in cold cellars. Rating: 97+

D96
Decanter

This is beautiful and powers through the palate showing depth and concentration to the brambled fruit. It has an excellent mid palate, the truffle of Pomerol comes through at this young stage in a way that was not evident in the 2015 even, but here has a lovely seductive kick. Spicy vanilla bean and black pepper alongside touches of cinnamon, this is very good quality. 70% new oak, 3% in amphora for the first time. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045

WE95
Wine Enthusiast

The elegant structure that backs up this wine is impressive in its restraint. While the wine has plenty of black fruits and dark tannins, it conveys a calm character that sees long-term aging as its goal.The wine will take its time. Drink from 2026. Cellar Selection

WS93
Wine Spectator

Nicely packed, with a mix of dark plum and black currant preserve flavors wrapped with licorice root and warm earth notes. Tobacco and bay fill in on the finish, adding energy and cut. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2034.