Château Larrivet Haut-Brion - Pessac-Léognan rouge 2018

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

In the heart of Léognan, this beautiful 75-hectare estate was purchased in 1987 by Philippe Gervoson, who also heads the Andros company. It produces modern-style wines, with vinous and flattering reds, while the white has gained greatly in body and precision. The arrival of Bruno Lemoine as managing director in 2007, winemaker of the famous Montrose 1990 (among others), has enabled the wine to assert even more personality. The reds are undeniably charming but not lacking in elegance, and have great aging potential. The whites, somewhat in the same vein, are very exuberant aromatically, powerful and endowed with incredible personality. A sure bet in the appellation.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

This estate, owned by the Gervoson family (Andros group), consistently produces pleasant, accessible wines that stand out for their aromatic exuberance. Boasting beautiful terroir in the hills above Léognan, not far from Haut-Bailly and La Louvière, the estate also benefits from modern winemaking facilities with a brand new concrete vat room. Bruno Lemoine, director since 2007, and François Gaudichon, cellar master since 2015, bring added precision to the stylistic definition of the wines.

Wine Enthusiast

About wine:

Black fruits and tannins blend well in this structured wine. The fruit is succulent, with a pleasant acidity and freshness on the finish. Still young, this wine should be ready to drink from 2026 onwards.

Vinous

About wine:

Larrivet Haut-Brion 2018 has become a magnificent wine. There is a lot of tannin that I saw in my barrel tastings, and yet all the elements are so well balanced today. Iron, cedar, dried herbs, licorice, dried flowers, and mint add savory nuances to this deceptively medium-bodied Pessac-Léognan. Larrivet Haut-Brion is one of the most distinctive reds of the vintage. 2024–2038

James Suckling

About wine:

On the nose, spicy cherry, blackcurrant, dried oyster, black olive, and bark. It is medium-bodied to full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins. Mellow and aromatic, with a mineral and savory finish. Best from 2023 onwards.

Yves Beck

About wine:

A large 61-hectare estate owned by Christine and Philippe Gervoson. The wine is aged in 30% new barrels, 30% one-wine barrels, 20% in large oak vats, and 10% in amphorae. Beautiful fruity intensity in the bouquet. It is marked by notes of strawberries and raspberries. Pleasant varietal freshness and elegant oak, with a hint of vanilla. Slight sweetness on the attack, making the wine delicious and pleasant. Freshness and fruit are also well represented on the mid-palate. The wine is well supported by tight tannins and a racy acid structure that highlights the aromatic intensity on the finish. 2022-2035

Vert de Vin

About wine:

The nose is fruity, aromatic, and offers intensity, a little concentration/power, complexity, harmony, and power (with finesse and control). There are notes of violet, small wild berries and, more subtly, crushed wild raspberries, combined with hints of crushed blackcurrant and delicate touches of white flowers, sweet spices, nutmeg and a very subtle hint of chocolate/toasted/caramelized notes. The palate is fruity, juicy, balanced and offers a fine acidic structure, tension (in finesse), elegance and a lovely finesse of grain, a lovely finesse of sweetness, and a slight airiness despite a little density. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/fleshy blackcurrant, crushed small black berries and, more subtly, fleshy raspberry, combined with hints of blueberry, lilac, licorice stick, chocolate, a very subtle hint of sap, and subtle hints of cardamom, graphite, and sweet tobacco. The tannins are well-integrated, elegant and refined. Good length. A very subtle hint of tonka bean on the finish.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About wine:

A fresh, round, lush, polished, energetic wine, filled with tobacco, with elegant, silky textures and layers of perfectly polished red fruit, slightly tinged with tobacco leaves. This is clearly the best vintage of Larrivet Haut Brion I have ever tasted! It should easily offer two decades of pleasure.