95
Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com
"Showing brilliantly, the 2018 Château Barde-Haut comes from a beautiful, cooler terroir on the eastern side of Saint-Emilion. It has a wonderful sense of purity and elegance as well as ripe black cherry and blueberry fruits to go with medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of chocolate, spring flowers, violets, and a kiss of chalky minerality. It's beautifully balanced and has ultra-fine tannins as well as a gorgeous finish. It reminds me of the 2016, with maybe a touch more up-front charm. Give it 4-5 years if you can (it's drinking beautifully today as well) and it's going to evolve for 20-25 years or more."
94 Wine Spectator
"Alluring, with a very focused set of cassis, plum reduction and cherry preserve flavors coursing through atop a well-imbedded graphite spine, all while black tea, chalky minerality and subtle herb nuances play out through a long finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2035. 6,650 cases made. — JM"
94 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com
"Currants, rose hips, dried lavender, cocoa powder and cloves on the nose. It’s full-bodied with sleek, tight tannins. Refined and elegant with tight, polished layers. Solid center palate. Try from 2025."
94 Antonio Galloni - Vinous
"The 2018 Barde-Haut is a powerful wine, but it is also rather closed. That won't be an issue in time; the 2018 needs quite a bit of air to show all of the rich, layered fruit readers have come to expect from this Saint-Émilion. Succulent dark cherry, chocolate, new leather, espresso and sweet spice build into the rich, layered finish."
93+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2018 Barde-Haut is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it takes a little swirling to unlock the beautifully expressive notes of warm black plums, wild blueberries and black raspberries, plus hints of roses, underbrush, ground cloves and fertile loam. The full-bodied palate delivers a lively backbone and wonderfully ripe, satiny tannins supporting the generous black and red fruits, finishing long and fragrant."
93 Neal Martin - Vinous Media
"The 2018 Barde-Haut is very pure and harmonious on the nose, offering a mixture of black cherries, blueberry, iris petals and a touch of India ink. It is backward but well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins, perhaps more structured than I expected, although that bodes well for long-term aging. There is a lovely saline aftertaste. Cellar this for 3–4 years before broaching and you should have a winning Saint-Émilion."
"The wine of Château Barde-Haut offer an admirably balanced dialogue between power and freshness, resulting in a product of rare elegance." -Winery