Croix de Labrie
Press 2018
Latest notes and latest articles.
Thomas Boxberger: 95-97 Points
The Croix de Labrie is one of the emerging wines in Saint-Emilion. Axelle Courdurié and her husband Pierre put all the energy and passion to continuously improve their wine. Since the year 2018, Croix de Labrie has been certified organic, the loss due to mildew was a whopping 40%, the yield was 25 hl per hectare. The vines are on average 50 years old, harvested on 28 September. Part of the plantations are below Pavie, part of Saint-Laurent-des-Combes and the rest of the estate near Saint- Christophe-des-Bardes. The 2018er Croix de Labrie consists of 96% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon (Prowein 90M, 7CS, 3CF), which is matured in 100% new Barrels and Tonneaux. Black, purple color. Dark berry, very fresh and deep in the scent. Grandiose depth in the mouth, with the striking freshness of the limestone plateau, intense and liqueur, dark berry and fresh, without overripe or clumsy sweetness. Deep and multi-faceted, enormously concentrated, long and racy, with fine Cabernet reflections in the rear and a grandiose pull on the palate. If you do not already know Croix de Labrie, you should try it soon !
Paolo Basso: 95 Points
Nice expressive nose where the fruity of ripe wood berries mingle with aromas of sweet spices, cocoa and jasmine tea very fine and elegant with a style all in lace, the tannins are firm and the finish of beautiful persistence (with a touch of dryness brought by the youth and the aging phase) Wine that expresses elegance and class throughout by having a solid structure. 2025-2040.
Bettane & Desseauve: 93 Points
This expressive cru, with enveloping tannins, today produces one of the best wines in the sector. Great success for this cru with ample attack and spicy depth, with a juiciness of fruit that perfectly irrigates a well-rounded finish. built.
Yves Beck: 95-96 Points
Purplish purple Elegant, complex and fine bouquet marked by chalky notes Freshness and fruit are also revealed and I feel notes of mint, blackberries and liquorice Spicy touch Creamy and delectable palate The wine has density, the race and a very good balance The tannins are dense and present a fine grain at the end of the mouth, where they reach their maximum level of intensity They have enough substance to keep up with the chalky tension The finish is fruity, racy and juicy I think that the breeding still has one or two elements to settle as for the elegance of the finish but overall, Croix de Labrie 2018 is a very great success. 2024-2038.
Bernard Burtschy: 93-94 Points
The color is dark garnet with a nice nose of red fruits. The wine is elegant with pretty notes of red fruits which are also found in the mouth, the wine has density, it is relatively tannic, a little vanilla. It is made with 96% Merlot, 3% Cabernet-Franc and 1% Cabernet-Sauvignon and harvested on September 28 with a yield of 20 hl / ha.
Wine Advocate (Lisa Perrotti-Brown): 92-94 Points
Axelle and Pierre Courdurié’s 50-year-old, 3.79-hectare vineyard consists of a mix of clay and limestone soils, a portion of which are in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes and another portion of which are located at the foot of the Pavie slope in Saint-Émilion. 2018 yields were just 24 hectoliters per hectare after selection. Aging is to occur in 100% new oak barrels for an anticipated 18 months. The blend is 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc and the wine has 14% alcohol. Deep purple-black colored, the 2018 Croix de Labrie gives up expressive baked black cherries, warm mulberries and plum preserves with kirsch and raspberry tart sparks plus hints of smoked meats, tar and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has lovely freshness and a chewy texture with bags of bright red and black fruit, finishing with an herbal lift.
Antonio Galloni (Vinous): 90-92
The 2018 Croix de Labrie is super-ripe, dense and concentrated. Inky, jammy red fruit, mocha and sweet spice develop in the glass. Unctuous and richly textured to the core, Croix de Labrie shows the riper side of the vintage off to great effect. This is an especially sumptuous, overt style, and yet all the elements are in the right place. Croix de Labrie is 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc. Consulting winemakers Hubert de Boüard and Jean-Philippe Fort are a formidable duo here. Tasted two times.
Wine Green: 98-99 Points
The nose is elegant, fresh, fruity, bewitching and offers a beautiful complexity, a beautiful finesse of the texture / grain as well as a very nice delicacy and power We find notes of Boysenberry, ripe wild blue fruits and more slightly fleshy wild strawberry associated with fine touches of flowers (violet, blueberry, a subtle hint of iris), hints of tobacco, hints of minty liquorice as well as discreet hints of spices and Sichuan Pepper A “multi-layered” wine that requires glass work to reveal itself. The palate is fruity, mineral, fresh, balanced and offers a nice definition / precision / finesse, gluttony, a nice touch / texture, complexity, tension, a nice finesse of the structure, power while finesse, a very nice fleshy / juicy fruit, a mineral / finely acidic frame as well as a nice fine grain and very discreetly tight Very nice power with finesse On the palate this wine expresses notes of fleshy blackberry, fleshy blackcurrant and more slightly blue fruits associated with touches of blueberry, chocolate, caramelization and very discreet hints of toast. Very nice grain at the end of the palate / persistence. Good length and good persistence. Presence of fine hints of chocolate, caramelization and crushed almonds on the persistence.
James Suckling: 95-96 Points
This could be better than the excellent 2015. Very dense palate of currants, dark chocolate and hazelnuts. Full and velvety yet fresh with a firm texture. The center palate is really impressive. 90 per cent merlot, seven per cent cabernet sauvignon and three per hundred cabernet franc.
Jeb Dunnuck: 93-95 Points
I loved the 2018 Château Croix de Labrie, another terrific wine from winemaker Axelle Courdurié. Based on 90% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up in new oak, its deep purple color is followed by ripe, powerful notes of cassis, spice box, toasty oak, and earth. It has a great mid-palate, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish, all making for a brilliant looking Saint-Émilion.
Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider:
94-96 Points
Black plum liqueur, clay, smoke, licorice and spice are all over the place. Concentrated and quite sexy, the wine is polished, sensuous velvety and stony. The fruit on the palate runs the gamut from black to blue to red. The wine shows more minerality and tension due to the inclusion of fruit from recently new vineyards on top of the plateau with asteries limestones. Made from 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, it reached 14.2% alcohol. This is the second vintage for Hubert de Bouard as the consultant for Croix de Labrie.
Andre Kunz / Bordeaux Total Rene Gabriel:
17/20
2018 Croix de Labrie: (90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc) Breites, marmeladiges, süsses Bouquet, Brombeerkonfitüre, Kirschenkompott, Caramel, Moccacreme, Pfeffer. Üppiger, kräftiger Gaumen mit süsser Frucht, sandigem Tannin, kerniger, breiter Struktur, süsser Aromatik, guter Frucht, trocknender Abgang. 2024 - 2036.
Decanter (Jane Anson): 93 Points
This is a vibrant damson colour, exhibiting extremely polished, dense fruit flavours. The oak is apparent, walking a halfway house between old and new styles of St-Emilion. It’s full of crushed brambly fruits, chocolate and liquorice, with bulky tannins that don’t try to hide their intent. And yet if you sit with this for a while, the quality comes through in its floral notes and a really pretty, striking upward lift through the finish. An ambitious and impressive wine from Axelle and Pierre Courdurie. It is undergoing organic conversion, and in 2018 they tested playing music to the vines during the growing season. Hubert de Bouard consults as of 2018. Drinking Window 2024 – 2038.
Jean-Marc Quarin: 97 Points
In the Top 20 Bordeaux 2018
Dark red color of good intensity, beautiful and purple.Ripe fruity nose with a touch of truffle, creamy and a hint of wood Delicate on the attack, melting in development, aromatic and subtly fat, the wine develops powerful on a full and straight body, juicy and noble towards a great length with a raspberry flavor It is superb with an expression unique to Saint-Emilion where the velvety combines with a joyful and very savory energy Could see its note rise at the end of aging Very recommended Assembly: 90% merlot, 7% cabernet sauvignon, 3% cabernet franc - Alcohol level: 14 ° 5 - pH: 3.46 - Production: 9,000 bottles. 2026 - 2045.
Jancis Robinson (Julia Harding): 17/20
Black core with purple rim. Intense aroma of sweet black fruit, more plum and damson than cassis. Rich and powerful on the palate but the firm, compact tannins and oak are fully balanced by the ripe generous fruit. Massive density but remarkably fresh on the palate, especially with this much new oak. Chewy and moreish with a long dry finish. Needs a lot of time even though the tannins are so smooth. 14%. Drink 2024-2032.
Terre de Vins (Anne Serres): 94 Points
A very beautiful wine, very gourmand at heart in its black and blue fruit of blueberry, both juicy and crunchy, with spicy accents of pepper and juniper. The tannic structure firmly frames this generous heart and promises it to develop in depth.
Weinwisser: 17/20
Kompottartiges Bouquet mit reifen Pflaumen und Heidelbeeren, dahinter Cassislikör und Veilchen. Am festen Gaumen mit sehr engmaschigem Körper und mürbem Extrakt. Im gebündelten Finale kommt die Frische dem Wein zugute und verleiht ihm eine schöne Länge, ist mit der Extraktion ans Maximum gegangen, Potenzialwertung.