Chateau Les Cruzelles Lalande-de-Pomerol 2018

Jeb Dunnuck : 93 Points

(3/11/2021) A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from the Lalande de Pomerol appellation, the 2018 Chateau Les Cruzelles offers a complex, almost Pomerol-like nose of ripe red and blue fruits, leafy tobacco, damp earth, and chocolate. With subtle background oak, medium to full body, and a concentrated, focused style on the palate, it's another head-turning wine from Denis Durantou that's well worth your time and money. it's going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for over a decade. Maturity: 2023 - 2033.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni : 93 Points

(3/2021) The 2018 Les Cruzelles is another significant wine in this range from the Durantou family. It emerges from the oldest vines the family's Lalande de Pomerol property planted on clay/gravel soils. Dark fruit, graphite, sage, menthol, dried herbs and licorice add to an impression of virile intensity. The tannins are pretty serious, just as they were from barrel. A few years of patience will be hugely rewarded. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2038.

Decanter : 92 Points

(11/9/2020) A deeper and slightly more tannic expression than La Chenade, you can see the difference between the two more distinctly than in some vintages, as was clear during en primeur and for me this is the one that has improved the most over ageing. Expect darker blueberry and bilberry fruits, more of a clay-rich Pomerol feeling which closes in on the finish. This also means you get more chocolate notes, and grilled coffee bean coming through, and although it will need a few more years it has a rewardingly complex expression. 40% new oak. A yield of 40hl/ha. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2036.

Wine Advocate : 93 Points

(3/31/2021) The 2018 Les Cruzelles is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with 40% new oak and 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with energetic scents of crushed blackberries, juicy black cherries and ripe plums, plus hints of menthol, dark chocolate and star anise. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-filling black fruits with a soft texture and bags of freshness, finishing long and lively. This was produced by the late Denis Durantou of Chateau L’Eglise Clinet. Drink Date: 2023 - 2040.

Vinous - Neal Martin : 93 Points

(1/2021) The 2018 Les Cruzelles impressed from barrel. Now in bottle, it has developed quite a precocious, intense bouquet of blackberry and blueberry fruit, a light savory note and earthy scents emerging with time. The palate is just wonderful: exquisitely balanced, quite structured yet not unapproachable, the acidity perfectly judged, with a ferrous note toward the finish. This is as good a Lalande de Pomerol as you will find in this vintage. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2040.