Château Lilian Ladouys 2018 — Professional Ratings
The 2018 Château Lilian Ladouys received a strong set of professional reviews, generally landing in the 90–94 point range.
What the critics agree on
The consensus is that 2018 is a particularly successful vintage for Lilian Ladouys. The wine combines the power expected from Saint-Estèphe with unusually ripe, generous fruit. Common descriptors are cassis/blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry, dark chocolate, graphite/minerality, tobacco, earth and spice.
The interesting divergence is style rather than quality: Suckling and Wine Enthusiast emphasize its concentration, richness and structure, while Anson and Martin see more restraint and some austerity.
My read: ~92–93/100 overall is a fair synthesis of the professional consensus. It's a very good value-oriented Saint-Estèphe, rather than a profound First Growth–level Bordeaux. The 2018 has enough structure to reward cellaring, but at 8 years old, it's entering an excellent drinking phase now. Decanter's published window runs through 2042.
