Chateau Peby Faugeres 2018

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2018 Château Péby Faugères is another brilliant wine from this talented team. Based on 100% Merlot from vines in the eastern side of the appellation, it was brought up in 65% new French oak, which has been the norm for the past couple of years. (The 2015 saw 90% new oak.) Deep purple-hued, with a glorious bouquet of crème de cassis, toasted spices, violets, vanilla, and a touch of chalky minerality, this full-bodied, super-rich, incredibly sexy Saint-Emilion builds with time in the glass and has a great mid-palate and flawless balance. It has a modern style, yet I still find plenty of classic Saint-Emilion minerality. It's already beautiful, but smart money will give bottles 3-5 years and it should keep for two decades."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Very attractive aromas of currants, blackberries, bark and dried mushroom follow through to a full body with firm, fine tannins that are round and creamy-textured. Pretty finish. Drink after 2024."

WEINWISSER: "100 % Merlot, 22 hl/ha, 11.000 Flaschen. Dichtes Purpurgranat mit violettem Rand. Intensives Wildkirschbouquet, dahinter schwarze Johannisbeerdrops, Waldhimbeeren, Veilchen und Nougatpralinen. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur und sehr verlangenden Gerbstoffen, engmaschig mit stützender Frische und spürbarer Adstringenz, salziger Extrakt. Im gebündelten Finale mit viel tiefschürfender Mineralik, schwarzbeerige Konturen und viel Graphit. Dieses Tanninmonster besticht dieses Jahr mit Finesse und sehr langem Zug, benötigt aber viel Geduld. Potenzialwertung!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Incredibly dark in color, the wine is full-bodied, rich, deep, sensuous and velvety. On the palate, the wine is packed with ripe, black and dark red pit fruits, licorice, chocolate, espresso and spice. Long, mouth-filling and supple ,with a velvety finish, give this at least 5-7 years in the cellar before popping the cork."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Made of 100% Merlot, the 2018 Péby Faugères has a deep garnet-purple color and bombastic scents of plum preserves, baked black cherries, cedar chest and blueberry pie with an undercurrent of menthol, black olives, charcuterie and Indian spice, plus a waft of oolong tea. The seductively rich, full-bodied palate (15.5% alcohol) delivers mouth-coating black fruit preserves with a velvety texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy yet with a touch of oak poking through. It will need a good 5 years in cellar for the oak to settle in, then drink it over the next 20 years or more."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart floral unterlegtes Brombeerkonfit, ein Hauch von Lakritze, zart nach Kardamom, einladendes Bukett. Kraftvoll, frsiche schwarze Beerenfrucht, Herzkirschen, engmaschig, sehr frisch strukturiert, salziger Nachhall, verfügt über Länge und Reifepotenzial."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Juicy and direct, with a tasty mix of plum and blackberry cobbler notes infused with tea, sandalwood and dried anise notes that add freshness to the mix. Nice fine-grained finish is sneaky long. Lots to like here. Best from 2022 through 2032."

DECANTER: "Inky damson in colour, this is a wine where you can feel the influence of the cooler terroir in terms of the bulkier tannins. They are not rustic but are certainly present, crawling across the palate. It's good quality - as are all the Denz wines in 2018, but there's no escaping the slightly distracting concentration, with a little too much marzipan oak on the finish. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040"