JAMES SUCKLING: "This is a forceful red, showing blueberry and blackberry character with violets and light wet earth. Clarity and beauty with so much transparency and focus. Full-bodied, firm and silky with lots of white-pepper and salt undertones."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Partial aging in amphorae and a mix of barrels gives this rich wine structure, but with a light touch. Its acidity and freshness come from attractive berry flavors that offer lift and a crisp, crunchy finish. - Roger Voss"

ROBERT PARKER - THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2018 La Conseillante is a blend of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc, with a 3.65 pH and 14% alcohol. Yields were 32 hectoliters per hectare; Merlot was harvested September 19 to October 1, and Cabernet Franc was harvested on October 4. Very deep purple-black colored, it comes charging out of the gate with energetic notes of wild blueberries, chocolate-covered cherries and warm black plums plus hints of lilacs, damp soil, cardamom and cloves with gentle wafts of cast iron pan and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with elegant black fruit and earthy layers, framed by soft, velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown"

DECANTER: "This is extremely good quality with a lovely persistency, luscious and luxurious with richly textured tannins that place you perfectly in the heart of Pomerol. It's inky and concentrated with clear liquorice from the start and an abundance of flowers and fruit; violets and iris followed by black chocolate alongside subtleties of woodsmoke and coffee that curl out of the glass after a few minutes. It has bouncy tannins with a 95IPT but they're so hugely silky that you can be pretty sure this is going to age every bit as well as the 2016. They continued with all biodynamic and organic farming here except for one treatment during flowering against mildew which meant they had to stop the certification process. 3% will be aged in amphoras, the rest in barrel. Michel Rolland consults. A yield of 32hl/ha. 3.65pH. - Jane Anson"

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart ätherisch unterlegte frische Waldbeeraromen, feine Holzwürze, Nuancen von Kirschen und dunkler Schokolade, kandierte Orangenzesten. Saftig und elegant am Gaumen, seidige Tannine, mineralische Komponenten, reife Fruchtsüße im Nachhall, bleibt haften, ein vielversprechender Speisenbegleiter. - Peter Moser"