The shape of this wine is really beginning to come into focus. It has great balance with precision and elegance. Pristine blue fruits and floral touches linger through the palate. There's a higher Cabernet content than usual here, as the replantings have come on line. Picking began on 10 September, making it among the earliest estates in St-Emilion. This early-ripening terroir also helped to avoid too many issues with mildew, because flowering was complete before it arrived. Consequently, the estate enjoyed a 40hl/ha yield. One to watch. 50% new oak.

(91-94) The 2018 Quinault L'Enclos is impressive. Creamy and ample, the 2018 stands out for its textural breadth. There is a level of intensity in the 2018 that previous vintages have not achieved, with a balance of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that is striking for such a young wine. All of the work the Cheval Blanc team has done here over the last ten years have begun to pay off big time. Half of the property was replanted between 2008 and 2012 with more Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc from Cheval and Merlot on later-ripening rootstock. In the glass, the 2018 Quinault offers a striking interplay of floral and savory aromatic and layered fruit, with ripe, silky tannins that caress a core of plush, plaint fruit and a gorgeous, saline-infused finish. There is a level of precision in the 2018 that is positively breathtaking.-AG

The estate is surrounded by the suburbs of the city of Libourne and this wine is produced by the team at Château Cheval Blanc. That combination has produced a sequence of fine wines, like this release. Rich fruits have been given a sheen of wood aging and crafted tannins to make a wine that will age well. Drink from 2026. - Roger Voss

Coming from a walled vineyard near the town of Libourne, the 2018 Château Quinault L'Enclos reveals a dense ruby/purple color to go with lots of earthy red and black currant fruits, truffle, leather, camphor, and bouquet garni-like nuances. Rich, full-bodied, and beautifully textured, it needs plenty of air to show at its best, so don't be afraid to give bottles a healthy decant if drinking any time soon. It should have two decades of overall longevity.

(93+ points) Quinault l'Enclos comes from off a very gravelly soil with great drainage, but there's not a lot of water during dry periods. Adeptly produced by the team of Cheval Blanc (who purchased the estate in 2008), the wine nonetheless maintained its poise under the dry and warm ripening conditions of 2018, coming in at a respectable pH of 3.67 and relatively moderate alcohol of 14.1%. The 2018 Quinault l'Enclos has a deep garnet-purple color and beautifully expressed notes of baked black cherries, ripe black plums and boysenberries, plus hints of violets, dark chocolate, star anise and tobacco leaf. The medium-bodied palate has a gorgeous velvety texture and oodles of freshness supporting the perfumed black fruits, finishing long and fragrant. This vintage is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak and the rest in one-year-old 500-liter barrels and foudres. It is tempting to drink this right now, but give it two years in the cellar for full impact and enjoy it over the next 17+ years. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Much better in bottle than in barrel, the wine has filled out, gaining complexity and texture. Now you find a rich, luxurious, licorice, black cherry, smoke, spice and floral oriented wine. Medium-bodied with velvety tannins, give it a few more years in the cellar and it should really start rocking! The wine is a blend of 71.5% Merlot, 14.5% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2018&wine=Chateau%20Quinault%20L%27Enclos