Fine Wine > 95-99 Pts > France

Cellar/Tasting Notes
Can the 2009 Ducru Beaucaillou be better than the brilliant 2000 and extraordinary 2003 and 2005? Purchasers will have to decide for themselves, but this compelling effort is one of the all-time great Ducru Beaucaillous.

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"It displays enormous creme de cassis and boysenberry fruit with some cherries, spice box, and crushed rock in the background. It is intense, with loads of minerality, huge extraction, massive power, yet again, the vintage character seems to have given it a freshness and vibrancy despite the wine’s..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Laid-back, extremely young aromas of honey, creme caramel, smoke and earth; essence of semillon. Rich, large-scaled and powerful; really expands in the mouth. Lovely harmonious acidity and bright notes of orange peel and minerals give this very youthful wine great clarity of flavor. Classy and..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
RP: "Inky/black-colored with a classic Pauillac perfume of licorice, black currant liqueur, graphite, cedar, and spice box, it is full-bodied, with magnificent concentration, formidable tannins, and an Arnold Schwartzenegger-like structure (when he was 25 years younger). This backward, formidably..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Another celestial effort from Paul Pontallier and Corinne Mentzelopoulus, the 2005 Margaux, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, boasts a dense opaque blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of spring flowers, blueberries, black raspberries, creme de cassis, licorice,..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Floral, lemon, apple and cream with dried pineapple and apricot. Full,bodied, but very focused and refined. It starts slowly and then, wham! It goes on and on. Spicy, dried fruits and spices. Full-bodied, medium-sweet. So long and exciting."

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"St.-Emilion's smallest vineyard produces so little wine (600 or so cases) that it is virtually impossible to find. This beautiful site (somewhat ghoulishly situated adjacent to St-Emilion's cemetery) produces what I have often called the 'Lafleur of St.-Emilion.' Classic notes of crushed rocks,..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"This estate’s finest effort - ever, the 2005 Malescot St.-Exupery should be sought out by readers looking for intensity combined with superb richness, fascinating elegance, and a surreal concoction of blue and red fruits, a silky texture, and a delicate yet powerful wine that builds..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Resplendent in its new shiny gold label, Krug is a majestic Champagne. Its velvet texture, dominated by mature flavors, is toasty and rich, dense and complex. In the mouth, its beautiful roasted almond, spice and ripe pears all balance impressively. Could the wine be getting even better? No..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"The 2007 Hermitage Ex-Voto is a flamboyant, exuberant, showy effort that flirts with perfection. Its nearly overwhelming perfume of spring flowers, balsamic notes, blackberries, cassis, melted licorice and espresso roast is followed by an intense, full-bodied wine with silky tannins, massive..