71.4% Merlot, 14.5% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon
94pts Wine Enthusiast
The estate is surrounded by the suburbs of the city of Libourne and this wine is produced by the team at Chateau Cheval Blanc. That combination has produced a sequence of fine wines, like this release. Rich fruits have been given a sheen of wood aging and crafted tannins to make a wine that will age well.
94pts Decanter This is pretty powerful. Extremely tight dark fruits right now - quite a change in profile from a decade ago, now showing brambled blackberries and cassis, majoring on Cabernet characteristics. Delicious, savoury and sappy, with crushed mint on the finish.
93pts James Suckling
A juicy red with creamy, polished tannins and attractive blackberry, blackcurrant, wet-earth and bark flavors. Rich finish. Needs time to come together, but already very attractive. Try after 2024.
93pts Wine Advocate
Quinault l'Enclos comes from off a very gravelly soil with great drainage, but there's not a lot of water during dry periods. Adeptly produced by the team of Cheval Blanc (who purchased the estate in 2008), the wine nonetheless maintained its poise under the dry and warm ripening conditions of 2018, coming in at a respectable pH of 3.67 and relatively moderate alcohol of 14.1%. The 2018 Quinault l'Enclos has a deep garnet-purple color and beautifully expressed notes of baked black cherries, ripe black plums and boysenberries, plus hints of violets, dark chocolate, star anise and tobacco leaf. The medium-bodied palate has a gorgeous velvety texture and oodles of freshness supporting the perfumed black fruits, finishing long and fragrant. This vintage is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak and the rest in one-year-old 500-liter barrels and foudres. It is tempting to drink this right now, but give it two years in the cellar for full impact and enjoy it over the next 17+ years.
93pts Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a walled vineyard near the town of Libourne, the 2018 Château Quinault L'Enclos reveals a dense ruby/purple color to go with lots of earthy red and black currant fruits, truffle, leather, camphor, and bouquet garni-like nuances. Rich, full-bodied, and beautifully textured, it needs plenty of air to show at its best, so don't be afraid to give bottles a healthy decant if drinking any time soon. It should have two decades of overall longevity.
Located in the heart of Libourne, this chateau has a history dating back to the Roman Era. Today, the average age of the vineyard is 45 years old, with the oldest vines in production since 1934. The age of the vines lends to a very interesting genetic heritage and highly complex grapes. In the winery, this translates to terrior driven wines with great character.
