La Chenade 2018

A heady, sumptuous wine, the 2018 La Chenade is so delicious right now. Inky dark fruit, mocha, chocolate, spice, new leather and licorice race across the palate. The 2018 is plush, open-knit and ready to give pleasure. There is a lot of substance to La Chenade in 2018, but I would prefer to drink it over the next decade, while the fruit is vibrant.

The 2018 La Chenade is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc with 30% new oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with notes of tar, licorice and cracked black pepper, leading to a core of baked black plums, boysenberries and blackberry pie, plus a waft of woodsmoke. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers loads of earth-laced blackberry flavors with a frame of ripe, rounded tannins and bags of freshness, finishing savory. This was produced by the late Denis Durantou of Château L’Eglise Clinet. The vineyard is in Lalande de Pomerol on gravel-based sandy soils.