Is 2018 a good year for ageing wines?
The 2018 vintage promises to be an exceptional vintage in all regions of France, including of course the great wines of Bordeaux. Thus, the 2018 vintage offers a choice of great wines for laying down, to be aged and kept to drink in a few (dozens) years.
Order the best wines of the 2018 vintage on Comptoir des Millésimes. Buy your 2018 wines for laying down at the best price in the most beautiful appellations.
What are the best 2018 vintage wines for laying down?
A glance at the main French wine-growing regions reveals widespread enthusiasm for a high-quantity, high-quality harvest. This report on the best wines of the 2018 vintage will provide you with a guide by region for this wine year. It is still early to have fixed ratings on the different regions. This ranking will thus be updated.
Here are the reports by region on the 2018 vintage. Discover the ranking of the best wines of 2018 with the scores that will be updated.
Parker's 98-100/100 rating: the top rated wines of 2018
Parker's 97-100/100 : the very great wines for laying down of 2018
Parker's 97-99+/100 : the very promising wines of 2018
Parker's 96 - 99/100 : the other great wines of the 2018 vintage
The Best Rhône Wines of 2018
Strangely enough, the harvest in the northern part of the Rhône began earlier than in the south. The winegrowers started harvesting the reds last week, seven to ten days earlier than usual. The vines were in excellent condition in this vintage. This despite the scorching sun and super dry conditions. In 2017, 371 million bottles of Rhone wines were sold; 2018 will produce much more. The quality is very good, especially in the North. The Chateauneuf du Pape 2018 should be very good, as should the Gigondas 2018 as evidenced by the tasters' ratings.
The Best Alsace Wines of 2018
The Alsace vineyard has experienced one of its first historic harvests and is on the right track to produce great wines. "Vintages like this can be counted on one hand," says Jean-Frédéric Hugel, of the famous Domaine Famille Hugel, where the harvest began on September 5th. "The wines will be rich, with great concentration, and cooler periods of weather have kept the acidity high. It will be a generous vintage with a good production". The only concern is the very dry weather during the heat of the summer, but just enough rain so that the vines can continue to produce well. In recent years, the Pinot Noir of Alsace has become a star, and the bottles of 2018 should be amazing.
The Best Champagne of 2018
In Champagne, enthusiasm is high, with comments from producers such as: "I might not see such a product in my lifetime! For the fifth time in 15 years, the harvest began in August. The early ripening also reflects the way in which climate change is changing the harvest period. The Taittinger family reports that maturity levels are synonymous with richness and lush aromas in wines. Morning temperatures as low as 0°C also allowed for good acidity in the grapes. And the quantity is large enough - perhaps 10 million more bottles than last year - to allow winemakers to replenish their depleted reserve wine stocks.
The Best Loire Wines of 2018
Optimism reigns for the Loire 2018. They are wines of "excellent quality". The weather conditions here are more or less the same as everywhere else in France: sunshine, no rain and high temperatures which have accelerated the maturation process. Best of all, after two difficult years with small harvests (and a lot of worry), most winemakers will produce much more wine. Unfortunately, due to the wet and humid weather in June, some organic producers who do not use preventative chemical spraying have lost many grapes to virulent mildew. The only estate noted on "The Wine Advocate Robert Parker" website is Domaine Huet. Superb ratings ranging from 92 to 96/100 for each of their vintages.
The Best Provence Wines of 2018
This year is another good vintage in Provence and you will be spoilt for choice next summer, even though rain (and hail) has hit a few unlucky growers. The harvest started at the end of August, which is a start but not a record. The wines will be fruitier, with a nice acidity and a slightly lower alcohol than those of 2017.
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Dry white
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Sparkling
Sparkling rosé
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Dry White
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Dry White
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Dry White
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