Wines Saint-Émilion Château La Serre - 2018

Viniou Reviews

Château La Serre 2018 is a distinguished Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, situated on the prestigious limestone plateau of the appellation. This red wine, crafted predominantly from Merlot, with a complement of Cabernet Franc, showcases the typicity of the Right Bank. 2018 was a notable vintage in Bordeaux, marked by a warm, dry summer which led to optimal ripeness, yielding wines of concentration and refined structure. The vinification at Château La Serre follows traditional methods, with careful extraction and ageing in French oak barrels, which brings polish and subtle complexity to the wine.

Saint-Émilion itself lies on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, benefitting from a temperate maritime climate with moderate rainfall, warm summers, and gentle autumns—ideal for grape maturation. The soils here are varied but Château La Serre’s vineyards rest on a prized belt of limestone and clay, endowing the wines with aromatic finesse, freshness, and a defined mineral character. This region boasts an illustrious history, with vineyards cultivated since Roman times, and is also renowned for its ancient town, UNESCO-listed for its exceptional heritage.

Saint-Émilion wines are highly gastronomic, and Château La Serre 2018 is no exception. Its plush fruit, graphite notes and elegant tannic frame make it an excellent companion to classic regional dishes such as lamproie à la bordelaise or entrecôte de bœuf à la bordelaise. It also pairs beautifully with roast lamb, confit duck, and earthy mushrooms. For cheese, consider a mature Comté or a semi-hard Tomme de Savoie.

For serving, decant the wine for at least one hour to allow it to fully express its aromatic complexity and soften its youthful structure. The ideal tasting temperature is 16-18°C, which best highlights its bouquet of black cherry, plum, hints of violet, and subtle oak spice, while preserving its vitality and freshness on the palate. This wine has promising cellaring potential, but already offers immense pleasure to the patient taster.