The inky colored 2015 Château Lynch-Bages is a seriously impressive Pauillac that’s up with the crème de la crème of the appellation in 2015. Notes of ripe blackcurrants... Read More

Clearly more intensity and tannic power than the Brulieres there is a violet edging to the damson colour. The tannins are pretty big as I am finding in so many second wines in this vintage as estates make the choice to ensure... Read More

Precision and freshness here with fennel aniseed marzipan cassis incense cigar black cherry mint leaf and ink with a slow build of subtle aromatics and a cooling uplift on the finish. An exceptional wine that will reward long... Read More

The 2022 Ausone was picked from 5 to 30 September and matured for 20 months in French oak. These aromatics take a little time to open in the glass. Once they do they are precise with wilted iris flowers infusing the black fruit... Read More

While the 2018 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) doesn't match the 2009 or 2016 it's certainly not far off. I wish every reader could taste this beautiful age-worthy Saint-Emilion and they... Read More

While I don't think the 2019 Château Beausejour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) is going to hit the heights of the 2016 (or maybe the 2018) it's still a brilliant wine from what's clearly a terrific vintage for the Right Bank.... Read More

Dark and sultry this is heady with ripe perfumed fruits that dominate the palate giving vertical layers of freshness acidity and fruit concentration. It has style to it a sleekness to the texture classy with a lovely core of juiciness.... Read More

The 2022 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) looks to be another brilliant wine from this incredible terroir located just outside the village of Saint-Emilion. Based on 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc resting in 68% new... Read More

Another beautiful vintage for this cuvée the 2022 Château Belair-Monange is 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc coming from a mix of terroirs on the upper plateau and hillside vineyard just outside of Saint-Emilion. This dense... Read More

I was absolutely blown away by the 2022 Château Brane-Cantenac which looks to be a reference point vintage for this château. Based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon 23% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc Carmenère and Petit Verdot... Read More

A wine that's going to flirt with perfection the 2022 Château Calon Ségur is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon 24% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot harvested between September 12 and 26 from yields of... Read More

Tasted on three separate occasions (and I thought it had the potential to be a perfect wine on one of those) the 2022 Château Canon is an incredible wine in the making and it might be the finest in the series starting in 2015.... Read More

"The second wine which has soared in quality over the last decade is an outstanding effort displaying a character similar to that of Lafite without the size depth and aging potential of that wine. The 2006 Carruades de Lafite... Read More

Of course the wine to buy in order to get a look at the Lafite Rothschild style and personality is their second wine Carruades de Lafite which has become very fashionable in Asia causing the prices to soar. A very strong effort... Read More

Full ruby. Vibrant aromas of crushed blueberry and bitter chocolate are further brightened by a violet quality. Dense sweet and lush with terrific depth and freshness to its dark fruit mineral and violet flavors. This is really... Read More

The 1989 Ausone is a good but not great wine certainly one that ought to have been far better given the benevolent growing season. The nose is well defined with dark berry fruit mocha leather and undergrowth scents fully matured... Read More

The 2000 Ausone was tasted on no less than three occasions during March 2015 once with Pauline and Alain Vauthier. It is a great millennial Saint-Émilion with intense blackberry and cassis fruit laced with cedar and violets.... Read More

What a good wine, and relatively well priced. very classy nose, displaying lots of cedary, pencil-shavings quality, toastiness and really fine fruit. Rich and concentrated, it has lovely focus on the palate with fine, silky tannins... Read More

What a good wine, and relatively well priced. very classy nose, displaying lots of cedary, pencil-shavings quality, toastiness and really fine fruit. Rich and concentrated, it has lovely focus on the palate with fine, silky tannins... Read More

Deep red-ruby. Sexy aromas of black raspberry smoke and minerals. Fat plush and seamless in the mouth with a nicely restrained sweetness to the slowly mounting flavors of raspberry and smoke. The compelling ripeness and sweetness... Read More

JP Moueix bought this 26ha estate next to Château Ausone in 2008. The château was previously known as Bélair and Christian Moueix added Monange – his grandmother’s maiden name – to pay tribute to the family’s roots... Read More

The 2016 Château Belair-Monange (92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Fr

The flagship 2019 Château Belair-Monange checks in as 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc from 25-year-old vines and raised in 50% new French oak. It's a magical wine in the vintage and offers more depth and richness than just... Read More

The gunsmoke character is immediately evident on the nose as is richly expressed damson and raspberry fruit. This is pared back and held back right now elegant showing a seductive edge without trying too hard. The texture is softly-brushed... Read More

Licorice black raspberry liqueur minerality coffee and floral scents pair well with the soft round voluptuous textures. The wine finishes with chocolate licorice and black cherry. Give this this rich concentrated St. Emilion wine... Read More

(the first year this wine was made by the Thienpont/Derenoncourt team) Good medium ruby. Very ripe pure aromas of black fruits truffle and harmonious oak. Juicy sweet and aromatic in the mouth with complex concentrated dark fruit... Read More

Deep bright ruby. Flamboyant nose combines liquid graphite tropical dark chocolate licorice violet and roasted oak. Dense and powerful if a bit youthfully musclebound even monolithic with superconcentrated dark fruit and chocolate... Read More

Deep bright ruby. Flamboyant nose combines liquid graphite tropical dark chocolate licorice violet and roasted oak. Dense and powerful if a bit youthfully musclebound even monolithic with superconcentrated dark fruit and chocolate... Read More

Gorgeous fragrance on the nose really so inviting and scented. Smooth and supple crisp and fresh lovely purity of expression here still quite subtle and delicate salty tangy wild herbs liquorice clove and dark chocolate. Not bright... Read More

Gorgeous nose so expressive with tobacco dark chocolate blackcurrants and roses. Ripe and juicy this has a lovely energy to it but also quite a mouthcoating tannic frame fine but firm well integrated but definitely present and... Read More

Ex-chateau bottle tasted at Roberson’s Branaire-Ducru tutorial. The 1995 has a generous bouquet that is a little riper than the 1996 with blackberry dark plum a touch of sage and tobacco. Fine definition. The palate is more... Read More

This fully mature gorgeous 2003 Branaire Ducru possesses silky tannins lots of cedary spice box floral black cherry forest floor and velvety leather-like notes full body and an opulent complex yet elegant style. A beauty of complexity... Read More

(63% cabernet sauvignon 30% merlot 4% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc; 3.79 pH; 12.9% alcohol): Dark ruby with a pale rim. Strong notes of torrefaction initially; with aeration the nose turns richer and more complex with deep... Read More

Deep plum in colour lovely silky texture to the fruit black pepper and rosemary spice again you find the touches of a dry vintage in the fruit character but well balanced with fresh mint and liquorice root. Concentrated austere... Read More

Medium to deep garnet-brick in color the 2014 Brane-Cantenac leaps with vivacious notes of kirsch and redcurrant jelly followed by hints of dried mint fo

Deep and generous blackberry fruits and rich chocolate there is good balance here with depth and interest and a ton of flavour. Really good stuff with juice and a drive forward through the palate. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the... Read More

Heady and expressive on the nose seductive tones of ripe fruit and perfumed flowers. Gorgeous intensity on the palate rich round and ripe - gently chewy - but cool and refreshing too. This has a dynamic undercurrent with tannins... Read More

"I always loved this wine from the first time I tasted it in 1998. It has such purity and power yet it's reserved and beautiful. It's one of the best Calons ever. I drank a bottle with some friends in Manhattan last week... Read More

Hints of meat pan juices to the nose fail to materialise on the palate which has surprisingly rich ripe inky depths. Well-knit blackcurrant and berry fruit are layered into the tannins making for an even focused finish edged with... Read More

Full ruby-red. Sexy high-toned nose shows a very sweet maraschino cherry quality. Then juicy and energetic with a vinosity that almost comes as a shock following the nose. The subtle flavors of currant graphite and minerals linger... Read More

The 2016 Château Canon is another beautiful wine from this estate made in a more streamlined elegant style compared to the richer sexier 2015. Checking in as a blend of 74% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc all from a magical terroir... Read More

The 2009 Cantenac Brown repeats the solid showing six years ago. It has a clean and precise very focused bouquet with intense blackberry and bilberry fruit hints of sandalwood and mint emerging with time. This is very elegant.... Read More

Juicy succulent and supple this has lovely bright energy and impact straight away. Tannins are on the chalky mineral side mouthcoating but with a salty tang so they don't appear too ripe heavy or rustic but give width and... Read More

Happily the 2011 seems to be a return to that former excellence as the wine delivers superb complexity on both the nose and palate this year. The very fine bouquet delivers scents of dark berries black raspberries coffee bean... Read More

The standout wine of the entire tasting. Powerful smooth mouthfilling sweetness still deeply coloured. You will find it hard to track down this wine on the market today and even more difficult to avoid paying crazy sums for it... Read More

The reference chateau of the vintage this wine is showing its class here and then some. It was the first year with Bernard Arnault and Albert Frère as owners with Pierre Lurton coming onboard from his former role at Clos Fourtet.... Read More

The 2009 Cheval Blanc has a rambunctious nose with copious red fruit meat juices sage and crushed stone aromas ineffably complex. This is so refined constantly mutating in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine saturated... Read More

"A Cheval with a depth and finesse that reminds me of the 1998. Full body ultra-fine tannins and amazing length and beauty. Such finesse and harmony. Super silky and classic for Cheval Blanc."

A sense of forward motion here makes you smile - a reaction that's missing in many wines this year. The tannins push their way right through the palate but cradle the cassis and bilberry fruit rather than smother it helped... Read More

By Andy Howard MW Chateau Clarke 50th anniversary 3/30/2023 (See more on Decanter...)95 points (Château Clarke Merlot Listrac-Médoc Bordeaux France Red) Still youthful on the nose a little closed but huge potential. Sweet ripe... Read More

By Jane Anson Bordeaux in bottle 2018 11/10/2020 (See more on Decanter...)96 points (Château Clerc Milon Pauillac Bordeaux France Red) This is an extremely successful Clerc Milon in a run of great vintages at the property. Lovely... Read More

The 1989 Clinet is the vintage that put this Pomerol estate on the map thanks to a perfect score from you-know-who. While I have never encountered a perfect bottle myself a magnum hinted that it was not beyond the realm of possibility... Read More

My previous encounter with the 1990 Clinet was out of magnum circa the release of my Pomerol tome around a decade ago. It was impressive. However this bottle suggests that this lauded Pomerol is beginning to stumble after 30 years.... Read More

Clinet is always an

Love this a beautifully characterful wine that is hugely appealing as it opens the fruit is brambled gourmet and well crafted with a generous Pomerol spirit. The tannins have softened their grip at 11 years old. On the edge of... Read More

Gorgeous blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, chocolate, gravelly earth, and spicy notes all define the 2005 Château Cos D'Estournel, a deep, full-bodied, powerful expression of this terroir that does everything right. Massively... Read More

A first-growth level wine. With aristocratic ease it conveys nimble energy and sneaky sensuality. Pencil lead white tobacco cassis juicy blackberry and cherry gorgeously delineated with refined tannins providing impressive structure... Read More

Packed with tannins new wood and a dense character this is going to be a wine for the long-term. It has all the power although with a softer side in the final fruitiness.

Gorgeous aromas of crushed currant flowers and Indian spice. Full-bodied with fine tannins. A little tight still. Give this time to show what it really has.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2007. 21000 cases... Read More

Full-blown aromas of caramel toffee honey white chocolate and damp earth; slightly Tokaj-like. Hugely concentrated and layered in the mouth; extraordinary sweetness cut by harmonious acidity. As with the best vintages of Yquem... Read More

Falstaff: Red-gold colour aroma of roasted chestnuts autumn leaves and acorns followed on the palate by intense and complex tarte tatin baked custard dark bitter honey agave and star anise. Textural and almost grainy quality as... Read More

Dreamy, subtle aromas of dried fruit such as apricots and mangoes, but also fresh lemons and pears. Then there are caramel and tart tatin undertones with some bananas, pineapple, tangerines and other tropical fruit. Full-bodied,... Read More

Another wine I was able to taste multiple times the 2016 Château Dassault is 73% Merlot 22% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 70% new oak. This deeply colored beauty boasts a rocking bouquet of crème... Read More

"Tasted with Jean-Luc Thunevin in Saint Emilion the 2006 Valandraud is pure Merlot since he told me that the Cabernet Franc had not ripened sufficiently that year. It offers an attractive matured bouquet with cough candy and star... Read More

The year that Valandraud was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé B going straight to the position from Grand Cru (the only other one to do so is Mondotte). This makes it a particularly special wine to be tasting at 12 years... Read More

Very opaque and dark. Quite closed, with a dark blueberry and black cherry fruit, but very tight. Smooth, rich, very seamless core of silky black fruit on the palate. Smooth textured and glossy, with a ripeness of tannins that... Read More

Very opaque and dark. Quite closed, with a dark blueberry and black cherry fruit, but very tight. Smooth, rich, very seamless core of silky black fruit on the palate. Smooth textured and glossy, with a ripeness of tannins that... Read More

"Floral notes intermixed with raspberries black currants minerals and a hint of new oak emerge from the dense purple-colored 2000 Ducru-Beaucaillou. The wine is sweet dense and medium to full-bodied with undeniable elegance and... Read More

"One can??'t say enough about the efforts Bruno Borie is pouring into this wonderful estate that I have often called the ???Lafite Rothschild of St.-Julien.??? An undeniable success the 2004 Ducru boasts sweet aromas of creme... Read More

The 2005 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is still stunning with an incredible bouquet of ripe currants spicy herbs tobacco and smoke with a kiss of savory flowers in the background. Rich full-bodied and powerful on the palate it has... Read More

This displays clear traces of coffee bean dark chocolate and a swirl of creamy mocha - I can see a parallel with the La Croix 2012. The texture is silky with the pressure from the tannins suggesting just how well this will age.... Read More

Reminding me of the 2010 with its incredible stature and class (as opposed to the more opulently styled 2009) the 2016 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is a legendary wine from the genius of Bruno Borie who has managed this estate... Read More

The Grand Vin 2018 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou checks in as 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that was harvested at the end of September through October 10 and brought up all in new French oak. This is a gorgeous... Read More

Evocative and moreish a Ducru that beguiles and delights from the start with a scented nose full of cedar rose violets cherries and damsons - a riot of Cabernet typicity. Vibrant and pulsing on the palate this has grip and intention... Read More

"An outstanding Duhart certainly one of the best produced at this estate since the 1996 1986 and 1982 this blend of 80.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19.5% Merlot reveals a deep ruby/purple color as well as notes of lead pencil intermixed... Read More

"The 2015 Duhart Milon is a surprisingly charming elegant and medium-bodied Pauillac that’s 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot that was brought up in 40% new French oak. With perfumed notes of spice-box cedarwood toast and... Read More

I loved the 2018 Château Fonbadet a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend (there’s 25% Merlot) that’s aging in 50% new French oak. Classic Pauillac notes of cassis lead pencil graphite cold fireplace and ample earthy... Read More

The outstanding 2000 is the finest example I have yet tasted from this estate. The wine a sleeper of the vintage has a dense ruby/purple color and a gorgeous nose of creme de cassis intermixed with raspberries wet stones and flowers... Read More

Light evolved nose. Ready! In fact drying out. Hint of toastiness but no great intensity of fruit.