Lacules Estate — Merlot 2018

The Merlot 2018 from Lacules Estate on the Peloponnese was tasted blind and is aromatically remarkably different from the 2019 from the same estate. On the nose, it's fruitier — candied pineapple makes an exotic entrance. On the palate, it's meaty, with red berries playing a bigger role. The floral notes only emerge on the initial finish, followed by a massive wave of spice, which is symptomatic of this vintage's smokier profile. 96 points. Whether it will get even better or simply different remains to be seen. Anyone who has a few bottles of this tucked away in their cellar can count themselves very lucky indeed. From the same estate, the Syrah 2018 practically blew me off my chair at 98+ points, and the Syrah 2019 also came in at 94 points — Lacules Estate is operating at world-class level here.