2018 De Lille Le Colosse
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Tasting notes
New to the range this year, the 2018 Le Colosse is mostly Merlot with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Elegant, floral and red-fruited, the wine offers seductive tones of black raspberry, plum and baking spices with dusty violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is balanced, offering nuances of graphite, pencil shavings and black cherry skin before fine-grained tannins meet the mid-palate. The wine continues to evolve in the mouth, revealing its subtle complexities over the elongated finish. Fermented in stainless steel, the wine spent 20 months in all French oak—78% new—and then was left to rest for an additional eight months in bottle prior to release. It’s gorgeous.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Violets, cassis, blackcurrants, dried herbs, cedar and citrus zest on the nose. Itâs medium-to full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and fresh acidity. Structured and bright with a fresh, flavorful finish. Drink from 2022.
The Merlot-heavy 2018 Le Colosse is 88% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 78% new French oak. Saint-Emilion-like notes of black cherries, currants, lead pencil, leafy herbs, and damp earth give way to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully polished, elegant wine with loads to love. It should keep for 10-12 years, easily. Delille can always be counted on to deliver classic, impeccably made wines, and they have done exceptionally well in 2018. They also pull from multiple regions, so it’s such a great education tasting through these wines when trying to understand a vintage. Their Red Mountain releases seem to be the stars of the show in 2018, but there are no dogs in this lineup. The icing on the cake is that they’re generally made in decent quantities, especially their D2 release, which is a year-in, year-out terrific Bordeaux blend.