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 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

A beautiful Saint-Julien the 2018 Château Branaire-Ducru reveals a deep purple color as well as ample earthy cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with sous bois earth lead pencil and cedar. With that classic Saint-Julien pure... 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

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

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

Clinet is always an enjoyable wine to taste and at 10 years old it is starting to approach its perfect moment particularly in this relatively early-drinking vintage. You are not going to be disappointed it has polish verve attack... 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

"A dense and compressed red with loads of blackberry and blueberry character. Fresh wet vineyard soil. Some mushroom too. Full and very tannic yet polished and very refined. Super balance and depth."

"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

Very good deep red-ruby. Sweet highly expressive aromas of redcurrant hot stones roasted plum woodsmoke and tobacco. Fuller and more textured in the middle palate with a chewy tactile mouth feel that suggests strong extract and... Read More

Good medium amber-edge red. Flamboyant aromas of smoked meat leather truffle and burnished oak. Intensely flavored and penetrating with strong acids giving the flavors terrific cut and grip. I get an impression of strong cabernet... 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

Lively on the nose so expressive but in a lifted bright and lively way not so dark and brooding more 'look how pretty I am right now'. Floral and dark fruit - blackcurrant plum red cherry powerful but poised too this has... 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

Very intense nose showing orange peel blackberries as well as ink and vanilla notes. Full-bodied red with chewy tannins lovely acidity and a long long finish. Complex and structured. Drink after 2019.

This is powerful and closed in on itself - you feel the austerity of limestone and the tight purity of this location and understand why Larcis is often described as one of the more ‘Left Bank’ St-Émilions. This is a vintage... Read More

Good bright ruby-red. Rather backward nose hints at cassis black cherry shoe polish graphite minerals and spices. Sweet broad and rich but with enticing fresh minerality giving energy to the rather full-bodied middle palate. The... Read More

A great moment to be drinking this Latour at 20 years old more ready than the 2005 right now. Black truffle ink cassis fruit crushed rocks firm tannins still muscular with the precision and heft that was typical of the estate... 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

The 1996 Leoville Barton is deep brick-colored. It gallops out of the glass with powerful classic scents of blackberry preserves dried mulberries and tobacco leaf with hints of cedar chest and crushed rocks plus a waft of wild... 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

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

Intense deep and dark aromatics - such wonderful Cabernet notes on the nose. This is incredibly impactful from the very first taste it grips the mouth and courses with power but in a well balanced harmonious way. Mouthwatering... Read More

One of the stealth wines of the vintage, where the acidity – here zingy lime zest – builds slowly over the course of the palate, along with good tension and savoury herbs. Grasps on to the available freshness in the... Read More

Deeper wine from the get-go with dark violets mocha cassis and blackberries. The palate has suave smooth and sturdy tannins and terrific length. Very polished and seamless with flavors of fresh black cherries blackcurrants and... 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

Deeper wine from the get-go with dark violets mocha cassis and blackberries. The palate has suave smooth and sturdy tannins and terrific length. Very polished and seamless with flavors of fresh black cherries blackcurrants and... 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

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

The nose is very intense super-ripe and rich verging on jammy. Notes of leather spices and prunes. Full-bodied soft and beautiful with ripe tannins and a long finish. This is soft and yummy right now. Drink or hold.... 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

The 2011s are starting to open up and given the general ho-hum view of the vintage offer surprising quality and pleasure. The 2011 Pavie Decesse is the normal blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and offers a more evolved... Read More

My impression is that the 2011 Pichon Lalande will have its day one day. For now big burly tannins give the 2011 a decidedly monolithic feel. To be sure there is plenty of fruit density and power lurking in the glass but the 2011... Read More

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

Successful the tannins are well pronounced and do a great job of showing off the fruit rather than closing it down. This is a big shouldered wine and no mistaking the Pauillac structure well balanced by concentrated brambled fruits... Read More

"This is a muscular edition with a

A wine that could easily be mistaken for a First Growth the 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is an incredibly powerful full-bodied wine by this estate’s standards yet it nevertheless holds onto a terrific sense of elegance as well as perfect... Read More

This was a warmer vintage than 2001 with more tannins and alcohol present. It's a little foursquare at first and still a little less seductive than the 2001 but it will go the distance for sure. Notes of woodsmoke cigar box... Read More

A cold wet spring was followed by a lovely summer and autumn with hot days and cool nights - perfect for developing the deep rich colour and aromatic range that's evident here. What a beautiful wine! It has power and elegance... Read More

The drive power and poise of Bordeaux blending at its best. A glorious seamless meld of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon with 36% Merlot brings power and toned muscle to the big rich body that fills out a plush mid-palate with all the elements... Read More

The 2009 Lafite-Rothschild is quite high-toned and expressive on the nose perhaps the most ostentatious of the top flight 2009s with upfront black cherry and boysenberry fruit lavish new oak and touches of violet. The palate is... Read More

Bright and lively up front with tangy damson plum cassis and linzer torte flavors that drive along while darker mulled spice tar and Black Forest cake notes fill in behind. Tangy tobacco and iron accents hang nicely on the finish.... Read More

Deceptively alluring a few months after bottling the 2017 Petrus is attractive and nuanced and yet I get the impression it is going through a rather awkward stage. Floral and blood orange overtones add freshness and inner perfume... Read More

The 1989 Petrus is consistent with previous bottles in the sense that it represents the apotheosis of not only the vineyard but of Pomerol itself. It still provides that almost surreal cornucopia of aromas red fruit melted with... Read More

Deceptively alluring a few months after bottling the 2017 Petrus is attractive and nuanced and yet I get the impression it is going through a rather awkward stage. Floral and blood orange overtones add freshness and inner perfume... Read More