Another magical wine from this property the 2009 Château Cos D'Estournel reminds me slightly of the 2005 with its incredibly rich powerful opulent style married to stunning finesse and elegance. Still youthful yet with... Read More

Lastly the Syrah-dominated 2021 No 10 reveals a dense purple hue as well as a wild bouquet of blueberries wild strawberries ground pepper game iron and assorted floral meaty nuances. Stunningly complex even at this young age this... Read More

The 2020 Andremily No. 9 is a dense full-throttle wine. Inky black fruit blackberry jam espresso mocha licorice and spice blast across the palate. There's not a ton of subtlety here. It will be interesting to see if this heady... Read More

The 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna Del Suolo pours a medium youthful red hue and takes a nervous and wonderful energy on opening. Perfumed and mineral-tinged it reveals notes of gravelly earth rosewater raspberry liqueur and... Read More

A distinctly cool and exuberantly fresh nose features reticent wonderfully spiced notes of various dark berries along with forest floor nuances that include humus and earth. The intensity of the imposingly broad-shouldered and... Read More

While the wood treatment is certainly evident it remains reasonably subtle on the overtly cool and restrained nose that is markedly spicy with its broad-ranging combination of exuberantly fresh aromas of dark cherry raspberry... 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

The captivating Baricci 2019 Brunello is another gorgeous wine from this storied producer. It offers enticing scents of woodland berry new leather camphor pipe tobacco and dog rose

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

Based on 60% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, with 17% raised in barrels, the 2008 Champagne Nicolas François spent more than 150 months on its lees, with 2.9 grams per liter dosage. It pours a rich straw hue and is... Read More

Baked raspberries, salted yellow plums, figs, walnuts, orange zest, mahogany and some toasted vanilla on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied with beautifully integrated, very fine bubbles. Dry, with exciting and unique white-pepper... Read More

“Fantastic aromas of coffee tea leaf ripe plums and ginger follow through to a full body firm and silky tannins and a rich and subtle finish. The is dense and powerful yet very refined and reserved. It needs at least five years... Read More

The 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva is layered and unfolds in the glass with incense baking spice ripe red cherry and cedar. It has more concentration and length through the mid-palate and offers an impeccable balance of structure... Read More

Red cherries strawberries spiced plums violets cloves dried herbs undergrowth and a touch of smoke on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm tight-grained tannins. Firm mineral and tea-like tannin quality. Very... Read More

The 2008 Champagne La Grande Année is another brilliant 2008 that delivers the goods. Straight-up awesome notes of stone fruits, white flowers, honeysuckle, and an incredible, liquid rock-like minerality all emerge from... Read More

Strong golden yellow with silver reflections and a very persistent fine mousse. Fine nuances of yellow plum and gooseberries a touch of pickled cherry a touch of bakery almond and walnut smokey savouriness nuances of citrus and... Read More

A tribute to founder Gary Charles Farr with eyebrow-raising impact for its melding of immense power and masterful finesse. Savoury cedary oak at the fore initially before settling into lime grapefruit white nectarine and talc.... Read More

Enthralling from the get-go with aromas of twiggy spice menthol and red cherry making way for subtle smoke minerals and superbly integrated sweet cedary oak. The palate is compact and cool with plum forest floor and tilled earth... 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

Cantalupo's 2016 Ghemme Collis Breclemae is wild exotic and totally beguiling. Even so my impression is that the 2016 is only showing a hint of its potential. In the glass the 2016 is both powerful and incredibly finessed.... Read More

Restrained apricot peel, fairly neutral yet classy, but with a floral bouquet that opens up. The attack is full and impressively vibrant, almost electric, with filigreed elegance and a silky, weighted palate. Long and polished.... Read More

The 2021 Las Gravas contains grapes from a vineyard planted in 2006 (that already contributed to the 2020) and it has given the wine a fine-boned profile with more freshness and varietal Monastrell notes a rustic-elegant feeling.... Read More

Rampolla's 2019 D'Alceo is creamy and resonant in the glass. Inky dark fruit lavender blackberry and spice all meld together in a wine that combines power and elegance. Seamless tannins extend the finish effortlessly.... Read More

This has a complex yet refined nose of sliced apples peach pits smoked almonds wet stones chalk and white pepper. Hints of beeswax juniper and cedar too. It’s medium-bodied elegant and light-footed yet powerful... Read More

This is very compressed and vertical with deep mineral notes from the high quality of the single vineyard. The finish goes on for minutes. Compressed and precise with structure and sophistication yet there’s attractiveness now... Read More

Such an attractive and alluring bouquet of violet florals blue fruit aromatics sagebrush bay laurel and toasty cedarwood. Medium to full-bodied with a wonderfully rich fruit-forward palate of succulent blackberry plums and black... 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

This is a centered and deep red with blueberry raspberry mineral stone and lemon aromas. Full-bodied focused and polished. Lovely length. Gentle yet structured. Supple.

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

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

Always a fabulous nose of black fruit dark chocolate nuts and spices. It's full-bodied with beautifully dense tannins reminiscent of cashmere. A long long finish rounds out this beautiful wine. It would be better to leave... Read More

Always a fabulous nose of black fruit dark chocolate nuts and spices. It's full-bodied with beautifully dense tannins reminiscent of cashmere. A long long finish rounds out this beautiful wine. It would be better to leave... Read More

"Good bright deep red. Captivating scents of cassis violet minerals bitter chocolate and wild herbs. Extremely fine-grained but also very dense and chewy for young Cheval Blanc showing great cabernet franc lift and perfume and... 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."

"This is very powerful Cheval with searing tannins and bright fruit acidity and mineral undertones. Full and muscular yet beautifully formed and polished. It’s all about the form to this. Better than 2015."

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

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

Despite a rich botrytis character this balances impact with delicacy. Clear citrus on the nose with a hint of flint and smoke allowing the soft white flowers and lime blossom to steal up on you slowly. There are caramel notes... Read More

Beautifully fragrant nose of star anise cedar and cigar tobacco. Full-bodied rounded and seductively plump and juicy showing clarity precision and focus on the palate the fruit melds well with the considerable oak element and... 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

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

Reminiscent of the 2016 with its incredible purity and elegance the 2018 Château Figeac offers a terrific perfume of crème de cassis redcurrants dried earth tobacco lead pencil spring flowers and exotic... Read More

The finesse elegance and density counted among the top 2020s tasted at a horizontal for the vintage by Millésima in Bordeaux. Glorious and bright with amazing depth and focus this wine blends 37% Merlot 32% Cabernet Franc and... Read More

Needs coaxing out of the glass as is true with so many 2005s even at 16 years old but straight off the first nose you get the most beautiful nuance and turmeric-strewn spice. It's exotic if subtle with a creamy texture grilled... Read More

Great aromas of crushed blackberries with flowers and stones that follow through to a full body with super silky tannins and a long long finish. It fills your mouth with beautiful fruit and velvety tannins yet shows tension and... Read More

This is an incredible young red with precision and focus that is second to almost none. Full body with a ultra-fine tannin drive that is seamless as it is endless. It ends with such power. Try in 2024 but already impressive to... Read More

The 1989 Haut-Brion remains one of the outstanding achievements of the decade and it consistently flirts with perfection. I was fortunate to taste the wine three times over the space of six months though this tasting note comes... Read More

The 1989 Haut-Brion remains one of the outstanding achievements of the decade and it consistently flirts with perfection. I was fortunate to taste the wine three times over the space of six months though this tasting note comes... Read More

Full red-ruby. Roasted plum currant tobacco and minerals on the nose. Compellingly dense and thick but almost miraculously lively and light on its feet. Has a texture like liquid velvet coating the entire palate. Wonderfully unmanipulated... Read More

The 2018 Château La Fleur-Petrus checks in as a blend of 91% Merlot 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. It's another inky colored beauty that boasts full-bodied richness and depth as well as thrilling notes of crème... Read More

Good full medium red. Exotic yet lively aromas of roasted plum marzipan and grilled nuts. Wonderfully dense but sappy with grip of steel. Finishes powerfully tannic and extremely long still with a touch of youthful austerity.... Read More

Dark chocolate bramble fruits some perfumed notes exotic spices liquorice cedar and clove but floral too. Supple and charming on the palate not so lively and openly expressive at this point a bit more knitted down quiet and calm... Read More

The 1982 Latour has always been a quintessential Bordeaux and a quintessential Latour. This is just as composed and detailed as the finest bottles that I have encountered bridled with captivating blackberry graphite and cedar... Read More

Aromatically this floats out of the glass intense and concentrated but full of light and life. Waves of flavour come at you from crushed raspberries pomegrante and blackcurrant to fresher redcurrant and lemongrass set against... Read More

Full medium ruby. Aromas of currant black cherry licorice minerals and flowers. Thick sweet and deep; still young but in a gentler lower-acid style than either the '86 or '96. Still this boasts sneaky intensity and wonderful... Read More

Full medium ruby. Aromas of currant black cherry licorice minerals and flowers. Thick sweet and deep; still young but in a gentler lower-acid style than either the '86 or '96. Still this boasts sneaky intensity and wonderful... Read More

A little less vibrant in colour than the 1982 this is closer to tawny than rose with welcoming soot and hearth smoke on the nose and on the first palate. The fruit is plum and loganberry softened and atumnal with dark spice -... Read More

Perfumed touches on the nose quite high toned blackcurrant but almost liqueur with rose petal and candy floss nuances. On the point of ripeness still tense not hugely expansive in the mouth or particularly weighty but juicy with... Read More

Medium ruby-red. Extravagant aromas of currant loam leather and graphite; like the 1990 in its roasted character. Then sweet and dense but with surprising aromatic lift in the mouth not to mention considerable power. Liqueur-like... Read More

The march of Carmes Haut-Brion continues in 2018. Once again it stands out for a number of reasons: not least because of its high amount of Cabernet Franc and also because it is made with 53% whole-bunch fermentation - a brave... Read More

The colour is rich and deep but with luminosity that gives nuance and fresh air. It's a lovely 2016 poised but not as powerful as some in the vintage yet every inch the sophisticated reflection of the appellation. Restrained... Read More

The colour is rich and deep but with luminosity that gives nuance and fresh air. It's a lovely 2016 poised but not as powerful as some in the vintage yet every inch the sophisticated reflection of the appellation. Restrained... Read More

"This was phenomenal from barrel and remains so. The aromas are spellbinding. It smells like a bouquet of pink roses and then goes to currants berries and citrus. Full body with wonderfully refined tannins. It starts discretely... Read More

Despite Margaux being a slightly more difficult region for the Medoc in 2017 this estate has fashioned an inc

Showing beautifully from barrel and now from bottle the 2018 Château Cheval Blanc is a final blend of 54% Merlot 40% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a pure classic Cheval Blanc in that it relies more... Read More

Full ruby-red. Wild exotic aromas of crystallized redcurrant leather tobacco and minerals; distinctly exotic even overripe. Then lush sweet and opulent with an atypically velvety texture for Montrose. But extremely young and structured... Read More

Scented and perfumed on the nose with a delicate charm. Striking full round juicy and crisp - this has bite and a sense of strictness in the frame that keeps things relatively narrow at this point but comes with excellent definition... Read More

The 1982 Mouton-Rothschild continues to be the extravagant Pauillac that it has always been. This has an irresistible exotic bouquet of precocious kirsch hoisin graphite and blueberry scents that gain intensity in the glass. The... Read More

Philippe Dhalluin served the 1986 Mouton Rothschild to wrap up our vertical. The 1986 remains one of my favorite Moutons. A dark powerful wine the 1986 is endowed with a vertical sense of structure that is a marvel to behold.... Read More

($1; 100-$1400) Full ruby-red. Explosive superripe aromas of black raspberry currant graphite and tobacco leaf. Outsized opulent and generous; this big boy saturates the entire mouth. There's an almost exotic character to... Read More

Strongly scented with dried herbs and dark fruits. Streamlined and linear this is quite straight at this point a nic

"Decadent and rich aromas of black cherries and plums with wet earth and sandalwood. Turns to dried mushrooms. Full-bodied tight and closed with big polished tannins yet this is very closed and shy right now. Despite this underneath... Read More

An irresistible wine from Palmer in 2020 sumptuous and voluptuous open and appealing yet with all the elements so very carefully set in their place. Rich and evocative on the nose dark and brooding with softly perfumed violet... Read More

Tannic heft from the get-go though this does have a lovely fresh clean and precise core with a narrow focused frame so the elements come across as quite tight and severe right now but well worked. It has class no doubt on the... Read More

A wine I’ve been lucky enough to have many times, the 2005 Château Pavie is unquestionably one of the finest vintages from this Chateau, checking with the likes of the 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2020. I’d... Read More

A wine I’ve been lucky enough to have many times, the 2005 Château Pavie is unquestionably one of the finest vintages from this Chateau, checking with the likes of the 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2020. I’d... Read More

"For me this redefines Pavie. The depth and intensity and more important the clarity is really something. Full and ultra-fine tannins. It shows such great tannins and finesse. It is the essences of Pavie."

Another dazzling wine the 1982 Pichon Lalande is utterly profound from the very first taste. In the glass the 1982 is powerful and explosive with seemingly endless layers of flavor that continue to unfurl over time. Vivid intensely... Read More

"This shows spices pepper blueberries and blackcurrants on the nose. Full body very polished tannins and a long and beautiful finish. Shows such gorgeous texture. Precise and transparent. Try in 2022."

Coming from the genius winemaking talent of Nicolas Glumineau the 2016 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande matches the 1982 and is a perfect legendary wine in the making. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon 21% Merlot... Read More

Smooth seductive and finely textured this is both sleek and strict with a savoury crushed stone saline tang alongside tobacco tar ripe black cherries and soft floral scents; the Cabernet really makes its mark. Sexy and rich less... Read More

"This is a muscular edition with a

Densely structured with muscular tannins that confidently hold the cassis and blackberry fruits in check and load up on the Pauillac character. This is great quality full of liquorice gunpowder tea and grilled cocoa bean set against... Read More

A consistently perfect wine every time I've had it the 2009 Château Pontet-Canet is the greatest wine from this address to date as well as one of the greatest Pauillacs out there. Still youthfully ruby/purple and with a gorgeous... Read More

So much floral and dark-fruit character with almonds and walnut shell. Full body and ultra-fine tannins. Powerful. Classic style with a harmony and energy. Goes on for minutes. A superb wine with great fruit. Real Bordeaux. Try... Read More