(92-94) From an estate purchased in 2012 by Belgian wine merchant Marc Vandenbogaerde, the 2018 Château Badette checks in as a rough blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot that will see 18 months in 50% new French oak. It’s an elegant, medium to full-bodied Saint-Émilion that has a beautiful perfume of crème de cassis, graphite, spicy wood, and earth. It’s perfectly balanced, has subtle minerality, and a great finish, all making for a stunning 2018 that’s going to impress for over two decades.

This estate continues to fire on all cylinders, and they're produced a beautiful 2018 Château Badette based on 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot aged 18 months in 50% new French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by rock star notes of blueberries, cassis, candied violets, toasty oak, and graphite. Developing plenty of classic Saint-Emilion chalky minerality with time in the glass, it's medium to full-bodied and has an elegant, pretty texture, stays light on its feet, yet still has impressive concentration as well as building tannins. Buy a case, give bottles 2-4 years, and enjoy over the following decade or more.

Deeply colored, with an assertive nose of espresso, licorice, cocoa, black cherry and smoke, the wine is concentrated, full-bodied, ripe, round, opulent and fruity. There is lift, energy and length here on the palate along with loads of sweet, dark fruits, licorice, oak and chocolate in the voluptuous finish. The wine was made from blending 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2018&wine=Chateau%20Badette

The 2018 Badette comes from the lieu-dit Badette in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes. The blend is 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The wine was aged in 50% new and 50% second year oak barrels for around 18 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it charges out of the gate with bold notions of stewed black plums, Christmas pudding and Black Forest cake, followed by hints of Chinese five spice, woodsmoke and pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate has impressive freshness countering the densely packed black fruit preserves flavors, framed by ripe, rounded tannins, finishing on a lingering exotic spice note. The alcohol weighed in at 14% this year. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2018 Badette is an exciting wine. Inky blue/purplish fruit, chocolate, licorice, spice, lavender and mocha all blast out of the glass. Unctuous and flamboyant to the core Badette is one of the more overt, opulent wines readers will find in Saint-Émilion and yet it has plenty of supporting vibrancy to play off its richness. All the elements come together so effortlessly. The blend is 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. -- Antonio Galloni