Berliquet 2018

The 2018 Berliquet represents a major stylistic shift under the guidance of Nicolas Audebert and the technical team at Canon. Plump and juicy, the 2018 offers an explosion of fruit that gives it a distinctly exuberant personality. A joyous, radiant wine, Berliquet expresses the natural radiance of the vintage in a forward, juicy style that offers tons of near and medium-term appeal. The wine's fruit and overall density are both impressive, to say the least. This is the first vintage made by the Nicolas Audebert and the technical team at Canon following Chanel's acquisition of the estate in 2017. The blend is 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc. Tasted four times.

Score: 90 - 93

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2019

The 2018 Berliquet is the first vintage that Nicolas Audebert and his team take full responsibility for. It has an opulent bouquet with black cherries, blueberry and cassis fruit, compared to the Canon just a touch strong. It is a powerful and dense Berliquet with a slightly heady finish, although at 14.2% alcohol it is under control. Since the vineyard contains less limestone than Canon, the imprimatur of the growing season speaks a little stronger.

Score: 89 - 91

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023-2037 01 November 2019

A rough blend of 78% Merlot and 22% Franc made by the team at Canon (Thomas Duclos also consults here), the 2018 Château Berliquet sports a deeper purple color as well as a complex, layered style in its black raspberry, white flowers, dried earth, spice, and forest floor aromas and flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, has a rounded, expansive texture, beautiful tannins, and brilliant freshness and purity as well as a serious kick of minerality on the finish. Coming from a smaller 10-hectare terroir located on the clay and limestone soils on the upper plateau, it will spend 16 months in 45% new French oak. Tasted twice.

Score: 93 - 96

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 01 May 2019

This was really Nicolas Audebert’s first vintage at Berliquet, since the property was acquired by Chanel in the autumn of 2017. The most significant, immediate change from 2018 came from noticing that blocks of the vineyard had Merlot and Cabernet Franc interplanted. These used to be harvested together. This year the different cultivars were flagged and harvested separately so as to achieve optimal ripeness for both varieties. The 2018 Berliquet is blended of 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc and has 14.5% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with bold kirsch, blueberry compote and Black Forest cake with touches of cloves, lavender, menthol and lilacs. Medium to full-bodied and elegant, with lovely freshness lifting the densely packed blue and black fruit flavors, it has a velvety texture and long, earthy finish.

Score: 93 - 95

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 23 April 2019

2018 is the second vintage under Canon ownership, but the first one where they were involved throughout the growing season. This wine has an austerity that's apparent from the start, but as ever with the Canon team they don't try to smother it and instead focus on the elegant but powerful blue fruits that pull you along. The power and density reflects the higher levels of clay in the soils here compared Canon, and they have produced a really stunning wine with so much potential ahead of it. It's quite different in personality from Canon, and I hope they keep them as separate properties beyond the 2022 classification, when I guess they will have the chance to put them together. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040

Score: 93

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2026-2040 04 April 2019

A focused, restrained style, with cherry, plum and red currant notes that are carried by persistent chalky minerality. Shows a light tobacco shading throughout.

Score: 91 - 94

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 02 April 2019