Graphite is a marker that you often find in LLC but typically less so in Clos du Marquis, but it`s here in 2018. This is a glass-staining purple colour, with a lovely rich quality to the autumnal blackberry and cassis fruits, with the balance of St-Julien and the intensity of the vintage. This is a good vintage to try out this wine, as you definitely get some of the signature of its elder statesman sibling. 55% new oak. Yield of 35.5hl/ha. 3.64pH. 91 points

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc. 55% new oak, pH 3.64. Deep purple core and bright purple rim. Deep, dark and charry. Combination of ripe and intense cassis and a rocky, more savoury quality to add complexity, yet it`s scented too. Tannins are incredibly fine, many layered, dry and yet supple. And great freshness. A very good second wine. (It`s not a 2nd wine but a specific vineyard, Le Petit Lion is the 2nd wine - ed) 17 points

The 2018 Clos du Marquis is composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, with 13% press wine added back to the blend. Grapes were harvested September 18 to October 10, with yields of 35.5 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine has 14.5% alcohol. It will be aged in barriques, 55% new. The finished blend was put into barrels last December. Deep purple-black in color, it displays flamboyant scents of kirsch, crushed black cherries and warm cassis with hints of cinnamon stick, underbrush and chocolate box plus a waft of sandalwood. Full-bodied and built like a brick house with firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular fruit, it finishes long and spicy. 92-94 points

The quality of the fruit here was so high that the vast majority was committed to the grand vin, and so although a small volume of the second wine, La Petite Marquise, was produced, it was not offered for tasting during the primeurs. This wine has 14.5% alcohol, with a pH of 3.64. The blend is 64 % Cabernet Sauvignon, with 30% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, and the yield was 35.5 hl/ha. It kicks off with a dark and rather roasted character on the nose, with toasty oak intertwined with supple plum and cherry fruit. The palate shows a more elegant and floral side than the aromatic profile suggests, with a svelte substance and a very fresh backbone of firm and tightly grained tannins, which provide plenty of grip running through to the finish. This is firm, full and shows a fine structure. A good success for this estate which was for so long overshadowed by its big brother, Léoville-Las-Cases. The élevage is in 55% new oak barrels. 94-96 points

The 2018 Clos du Marquis is a powerful, heady Saint-Julien. Smoke, cedar, tobacco, menthol, licorice, iron, scorched earth and gravel all run through this potent, virile Saint-Julien. In 2018, Clos du Marquis is especially tannic. There is so much to like about Clos de Marquis in 2018, but it will need time in bottle. Best of all, it should be a solid value. The blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Tasted twice. 90-93 points