Bordeaux Collector Wines

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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 oak, black chocolate shavings, cassis and raspberry, all with the most beautiful sense of tiptoing through the palate, holding the line. Exceptionally well balanced, slate and smoked earth, giving signature St Julien finesse. You have really had to be patient for this wine, but it is utterly spellbinding, and starting to show its potential. Harvest September 20 to October 10. This one really does benefit from being carafed, because it keeps so much of itself hidden (I tasted it once in a carafe and once straight from the bottle). Brilliant, full of flavour. Harvest September 20 to October 11, 35% new oak.Jane Anson | 98 JAThis tastes of great Cabernet Sauvignon, with its black currant, cedar and herbs and fresh, juicy acidity. It is as fresh as it is rich, but it has a structure of dense tannins that balances the wine. This is one of the best wines from Gruaud-Larose for several years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEAromas of blackberry, meat and earth follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a rich finish. Decadent, balanced and very approachable already. I thought it would have been a little better than this. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 91 WSLicorice spice and tough black tannins form tight boundaries around this wine. Within them, sweet red fruit lends a gracious impression, gentle and refined. Age will allow the wine to expand as the tannins relent, but this offers impressive drinking now, particularly if decanted with steak.Wine & Spirits | 91 W&SGood red-ruby. Redcurrant, leather and game on the expressive if slightly rustic nose. Sweet and concentrated but a bit youthfully aggressive, and not showing the refinement or definition of the 2006. Strong nutty oak component. Finishes with substantial tannins that are a bit richer and more fully buffered by the wine’s middle-palate material than those of the 2006. It will be interesting to compare these two vintages in ten years or so.Vinous Media | 90 VMThe 2005 Gruaud Larose has a deep ruby/purple color, excellent concentration, and clean, pure black and red currant fruit, licorice and spice. It is medium to full-bodied, lush, and very soft and round. I’m surprised how drinkable it is already, although it is certainly capable of lasting 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

(Château Rausan-Ségla) Popular claret culture, in the wake of Robert Parker’s pronouncement many years back that the 1986 vintage of Château Rausan-Ségla was the first top flight vintage here in a generation, tends to ignore the wines made here in the first half of the decade of the 1980s. However, I have been very impressed previously with both the 1983 and 1985 versions, and had higher expectations than any of my guests for the 1982 Château Rausan-Ségla in our lineup. Happily, my expectations were born out with a superb bottle and this has to be one of the finest wines made in the commune in 1982. The bouquet is beautifully complex and quite exuberant, jumping from the glass in the property’s signature blend of black raspberry, black cherry, cigar smoke, dark soil tones, a beautiful spread of spice elements, just a hint of nutskin and a discreet framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and really has an excellent core of fruit (particularly for a 1982 Margaux, as this commune is not as universally successful as most others in this vintage), with excellent focus and balance and still a bit of suave tannin adding backend grip to the long, complex and utterly satisfying finish. This is a bit more sappy at the core than the classical 1983, and has a bit less silky elegance of the 1985, but these three vintages at least prove that the reports of Château Rausan-Ségla not starting its renaissance until the 1986 vintage were a bit tardy! Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2020-2050)John Gilman | 92 JG

Vintage 2018 was generous to the style of Ducru-Beaucaillou. The rich character of this wine is enhanced by the ripeness and concentration of the vintage, yet at the same time it keeps an amazing freshness. This will go down in the annals of this historic estate. It is not likely to approach drinkability before 2028.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WEAromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, new leather and bark follow through to a full body with a dense, deep palate that goes on and on, but is still shy and reserved. Large amount of ultra fine, cashmere-like tannins that are silky, sleek and wonderfully integrated. Extremely long and focused. Needs at least four to five years to start opening. A beautiful wine for the cellar. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 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, incredibly complete, classic expression of this terroir, offering a heavenly nose of crème de cassis, cedarwood, unsmoked tobacco, new leather, spring flowers, chocolate, and a touch of chalky minerality. With full-bodied richness, a monster of a mid-palate, remarkable purity, and a great, great finish, it's one of the most concentrated, impressive wines of the vintage, and might also be one of the longest lived. It actually reminds me of an improved version of the 1996 or a hypothetical mix of the 2010 and 2016. For the tech geeks out there, the IPT checks in at a massive 95 and the pH is 3.7.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, aged 18 months in 100% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.7, 14.5% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 95. Deep purple-black colored, it has a powerful nose of baked black cherries, blackberry preserves and crème de cassis with nuances of menthol, pencil lead, cedar chest and Indian spices, plus fragrant wafts of violets and licorice emerging after a few minutes. Medium to full-bodied, the palate bursts with impactful black fruits and exotic spices layers, supported by firm, ripe grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. There is a brightness to the wine—surprising freshness—and yet it remains very rich and hedonic, presenting an extraordinary vinous paradox that will blow away fans of this great estate.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPStunning concentration, power and finesse, with a ton of chocolate, charcoal, slate and liquorice, set against sweet blueberries, damson and cassis. This is silky and polished, with a ton of layers and complexity. With 18 months' ageing in 100% new oak, this has delivered on its en primeur potential, but still needs a good decade in bottle. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is surprisingly reticent at this stage, almost shockingly so. I imagine that won't be an issue in time. If anything, I am quite struck by the wine's energy and drive. Dark-fleshed fruit, spice, mint, lavender and new oak build in the glass. From barrel, the Ducru was opulent and sensual, but it appears to be going through a closed phase at the moment. Decanting helps, but I would not be in any rush to drink this. The 2018 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak.Antonio Galloni | 96+ AGAnother rock 'em sock 'em St.-Julien here, brimming with nearly exotic blackberry, plum, blueberry and açaí berry reduction notes, bristling with brambly energy and racing through a graphite-edged finish. Shows gorgeous perfume throughout, despite the fairly obvious level of concentration. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.Wine Spectator | 96-99 WS

A brilliant wine that stands out as one of the high points of the vintage, the 2009 Montrose unwinds in the glass with a rich and incipiently complex bouquet of dark berries, cigar wrapper and loamy soil, framed by a deftly judged touch of new oak. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, it’s a velvety, layered and impressively dynamic wine that’s deep and concentrated, exhibiting terrific balance and a long, resonant finish. While it is still five or six years away from showing all its cards, I have drunk this benchmark for contemporary Montrose with immense pleasure three times this year. In style, it’s hard to find an obvious comparison (and I have drunk Montrose back to 1895), but I would be inclined to invoke a fresher, more complete and more powerful version of the estate’s very successful 2003.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPFor the very ripe vintage this has a herbal and wet earth nose that’s very cool. Then on the palate there’s a ton of ripe cassis, polished fine tannins and a tremendous freshness powering the very long dry finish. One of the stars of the vintage that’s just beginning to enter its best form. This is normally a perfect wine but perhaps not a perfect bottle? Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2009 Montrose has a taut, brilliantly defined bouquet with intense black fruit laced with crushed stone, forest floor, crushed rose petals and a touch of slate. Magnificent. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, good depth and grip, plenty of graphite locked in here with a bravura finish that indicates that this Saint-Estèphe is in for the long-haul. It may well deserve a higher score as it evolves in bottle. Everything you wish for in a Montrose. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 98+ VMA brilliant Montrose, and a great window into what St Estèphe can deliver. This is fresh and concentrated, with ripe cassis fruits, sweet vanilla bean and black pepper spice notes alongside robust tannins, 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Jean-Bernard Delmas was estate director for this wine, and is making the most of the complex soils that are gravel-dominant towards the river, with pockets of sand over clay and limestone where the Merlots tend to be planted. Starting to feel ready to drink, but is going nowhere in a hurry. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042.Decanter | 97 DECA bit of a brute, with a very chewy bittersweet ganache, tobacco and roasted fig core splayed open right now by a dagger of roasted apple wood, allspice and cedar. Long and dense through the finish, with a strong singed iron edge. The stuffing is certainly there, but this will take a while to come together as it’s running unbridled right now. Proves you can still get classic old-school Bordeaux. Best from 2020 through 2040. 17,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSEnormous tannins, dominant black fruit and a solid, dense structure. The wine, packed with dark fruits, dry tannins, very firm in character. With its huge tannins as well as fruit, this is a wine that really needs many years of aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE(Château Montrose) For lovers of old school claret, the 2009 Montrose is your wine! Jean Delmas has eschewed every modern accoutrement in this traditionally-styled, broad-shouldered and very structured Montrose, and I am hard-pressed to think of any vintage since the legendary wines of the 1920s that have emerged from this property with this kind of potential. The bouquet is deep, reticent and bottomless, as it offers up scents of cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, cigar ash, a very complex base of gravelly soil tones and a bit of cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and powerful in a very classic way (in comparison to the caricature of a wine at Cos this year), with a rock solid core of fruit, very firm, but ripe and well-integrated tannins, tangy acids and a very, very long, focused and soil-driven finish. This is the real deal in 2009 and clearly one of the wines of the vintage. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 93-95 JG

The 1986 is the most tannic, as well as the largest-framed Pichon-Lalande in over three decades. Whether it will ultimately eclipse the 1982 is doubtful, but it will be longer-lived. Dark ruby/purple, with a tight yet profound bouquet of cedar, blackcurrants, spicy oak, and minerals, this full-bodied, deeply concentrated, exceptionally well-balanced wine is, atypically, too brawny and big to drink young. Anticipated maturity: 1994-2015 Last tasted, 6/93.Tasted 7 Times Since Bottling With Consistent Notes.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe 1986 Pichon-Lalande has long been one of the standout wines of the decade, and served blind, this suggests that it might have the 1982 in its sights. In many ways, it is the twin brother of the Cabernet-driven 1996. It bolts out of the stable doors with intense blackberry and cedar aromas – pure Cabernet – and reveals touches of mint with time. The palate is medium-bodied and thankfully less obdurate than a decade ago; the tannins have mellowed in recent years and secondary notes of sage and graphite are now more expressive. I once described the 1986 as "broad-shouldered." It remains just that, but it has learned some grace and manners. This is a clear high point for the estate. Tasted blind at lunch at The Glasshouse in London.Vinous Media | 95 VMJuicy, fleshy and showy, with warm plum sauce, melted black licorice, espresso, cocoa powder and black currant confiture notes all melded together, yet clearly defined. The smoldering, tobacco-fueled finish expands steadily with air. A wine of power and range that is just hitting its stride.--Non-blind Pichon Lalande vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2030.Wine Spectator | 95 WSMarvellous old Bordeaux with delicate cassis, graphite, and faded violet nuances. A legendary wine for this estate, equal to the 1982 but ageing better. Drinking Window 2014 - 2020.Decanter | 95 DEC(Château Pichon-Lalande) Three years have passed since I last drank a bottle of the 1986 Pichon-Lalande and time seems to have not touched this wine at all since that time! This remains one of the most structured great vintages of this property that I have ever tasted, and though its ultimate quality is assured, it is still not yet ready to drink at age thirty-three! The bouquet is superb and starting to blossom nicely, offering up a refined blend of cassis, black cherries, currant leaf, dark soil tones, coffee, cigar smoke and toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full and rock solid at the core, with lovely detail and delineation, still a firm spine of well-integrated tannins, tangy acids and lovely length and grip on the nascently complex, but superb finish. I have loved this wine’s potential since I first tasted it all the way back in 1988, but it is still in climbing mode and deserves further bottle age to allow the tannins to start to really fall away. Like the 1996 Pichon, the balance here remains impeccable and one simply will have to wait a bit longer for the tannins to finally start to fall away. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 94+ JG

The remarkable 2021 Montrose gets my nomination for the title of "wine of the vintage" in the Médoc. Wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of cassis and dark berries mingled with subtle hints of mint, orange, pencil shavings and spices, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered and multidimensional core of fruit underpinned by beautifully ripe, refined tannins. Concluding with a long, resonant finish, it entirely transcends the limitations of the year. This young classic, reminiscent of the estate’s 1996 but far better, is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2021 Montrose is an inward, brooding wine—classic Montrose, in other words, just attenuated in its intensity by the cool growing season. Spice, tobacco, cedar, menthol, scorched earth, gravel and a touch of new oak open over time, but the 2021 is really a wine that requires considerable cellaring to reach its potential. Then again, it is Montrose. Elegance meets power here.Vinous Media | 96+ VMA very classy and refined Montrose with excellent length and a compact, medium-bodied palate, showing fine, silky tannins and a fresh, bright finish. Lots of currant, blackberry and tar at the end, as well as some graphite. 62% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.James Suckling | 95-96 JSThe Grand Vin 2021 Château Montrose comes from a miniscule selection of just 39% of the production and is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Medium to full-bodied, it has a seamless, elegant, incredibly pure mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and some richer plum, spice, and tobacco aromas and flavors. It’s certainly in the style of the vintage with its pure, graceful, supple style, but the tannins are impeccably done, it’s balanced, and has character. It should benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDBeautiful perfume on the nose, really fragrant and seductive, deep and heady but beguiling too. You get chunky, chewy fruit here - this is round, plump and filling a consequence of the slightly more Merlot in the blend than usual - opposed to more Cabernet seen elsewhere. It has a luscious appealing fruitiness then the austerity kicks in, with a vein of salinity and minerality, such a linear, quite strict middle where you get severity in the texture giving it some rigidity but you also have such great depth on the mid palate, the layers of fruit and spice that linger giving such a core of flavour. A sense of power, intensity and concentration but also with acidity keeping everything lifted. A stately wine with lots of potential. Pierre Graffeuille replaces Hervé Berland here, having arrived in March and taking over fully in October. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 39% grand vin.Decanter | 95 DECThis was a tank sample taken just before bottling on the day of the tasting. Medium to deep garnet-brick in color, the 2021 Montrose comes bounding out with youthful notes of wild blueberries, juicy plums, and redcurrant preserves, followed by hints of dark chocolate, vanilla pod, cinnamon toast, and graphite. The light to medium-bodied palate is light on its feet and refreshing, with grainy tannins and a racy backbone, finishing on a red berry note.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWISleek, with sufficient fruit to accommodate the tangy acidity of the vintage, this allows black cherry, damson plum and violet notes to stretch out nicely, with a late echo of singed alder. Poised and nicely done for the vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2037. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The top wine, the 2021 Château Léoville Poyferré is a beauty and certainly makes the most of the vintage. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that hit 14% alcohol (with an IPT of 78 and a pH of 3.85), its dense purple hue is followed by a rich, concentrated, medium to full-bodied Saint-Julien that has terrific purity of fruit, notes of cassis, violets, and spicy wood, ripe tannins, and remarkable overall balance. It brings more richness and depth than most in the vintage and is unquestionably going to offer tons of pleasure over the coming 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-97 JDThe 2021 Léoville-Poyferré has developed into a fabulous wine. Surprisingly rich, the 2021 possesses notable depth. Kirsch, blood orange and wildflowers open first, lending a decidedly exotic, perfumed quality. On the palate, the 2021 is fleshy and expressive. There’s a bit of new oak that needs to integrate. Otherwise, the 2021 is impeccably balanced. Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 96 VMExcellent depth and complexity with a nice modern touch of cocoa powder to the black olives, pencil shavings, cassis, violets, black mushrooms and dark earth. Full-bodied palate with fresh, vertical tannins and lots of juicy fruit that seamlessly dissolve into the flavorful, persistent finish. Refined power with real length. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSA rich, ripe toasted nose, clearly concentrated. Good fruit density, underlying power and sense of structure. This has personality, it does feel a tiny bit pushed on the palate with acidity opening the expression but the fruitiness fades quite quickly and is replaced by the tannic structure and menthol, herbal Cabernet aspects. It’s smooth with a long length. Nice bones for ageing, so give this a few years.Decanter | 94 DECDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Leoville Poyferre slowly expands from the glass, revealing notes of warm cassis, blackberry pie, and black cherry preserves, followed by hints of menthol, pencil lead, red roses, and charcoal. Medium-bodied, the palate offers great intensity of youthful black fruits with firm, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and peppery. The blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, harvested between 28 September and 12 October, is to be aged 18-20 months in French oak, 80% new. The wine has a pH of 3.84 and an IPT of 78.The Wine Independent | 92-94 TWIThe 2021 Léoville Poyferré opens in the glass with notes of minty berries, dark berry compote, pencil shavings and toasty oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and dense palate that’s quite muscular and extracted, built around a chassis of sweet, abundant tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully firm finish. This will require a bit of patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

The 2021 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a towering wine. Just as it did en primeur, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. The Cabernets are very high in the blend, and that comes through in a Saint-Julien endowed with ton of explosive vertical lift. Lavender, dried herbs, mint, spice, rose petal and a kick of orange peel are some of the notes that run through this striking Pichon Comtesse. The aromatics alone are compelling, but everything about the 2021 speaks to class personified. Bright saline notes extend the finish. In a word: sublime.Vinous Media | 98 VMOne of the gems in the vintage is the 2021 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, a Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy blend that includes 10% Cabernet Franc and just 2% Merlot, aging in 60% new barrel. Yields here were devastated due to mildew and poor flowering, and the final wine comes from a horrific 15 hectoliters per hectare. The final alcohol hit 13%, and it has a healthy pH of 3.69 and an IPT of 75. In addition, a fair bit of press wine was used this year. Regardless of the numbers and technical data, the wine is brilliant and offers a pure, seamless, medium to full-bodied style carrying notes of dark currants, liquid violets, graphite, and chalky minerality. Possessing ultra-fine tannins, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it’s going to benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age and be a long-lived Pauillac. It’s another incredible success from this team.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96+ JDCocoa powder, iris notes, pink roses and black fruits - so fragrant - you just want to smell the wines in 2021 for hours. This is a seriously impressive Comtesse and stands out as one of my favourite wines of the vintage with real promise. Power and depth from the get go, tannins are massy, softly fleshy but also provide support and structure, giving layers to the fruit and savoury elements that combine clove, cedar, cola, vanilla and cinnamon with teeth-coating liquorice and graphite too - the soft salinity entering towards the finish. It’s concentrated and serious with a tightly knitted core, a consequence of the tiny yields and strict selection as well as the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend since 2013. I love the terroir signature on show in the glass as well as an overall sense of retaining elegance and finesse. A top buy for me! 3.76pH, 75IPT. 18-19 months ageing. Tasted twice.Decanter | 96 DECThe wine’s structure is a major factor here. It brings out sumptuous tannins to go with the juicy black fruits and spice tones. Black currants sing from this wine with its dominating Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande wafts from the glass with aromas of blackberries and minty cassis mingled with notes of violet, lavender, pencil shavings and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and polished, it’s beautifully seamless and complete, with a fleshy core of fruit, ripe acids and sweet, powdery tannins that assert themselves on the gently structured finish. This will offer a broad drinking window. It’s one of the vintage’s real successes, but it also represents only one-quarter of a "normal" production.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThis is really spicy with peppercorns, cloves and Chinese spices, especially on the finish. Blackcurrants, too. Medium-bodied, firm and polished with a long, intense finish. 88% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc and 2% merlot.James Suckling | 94-95 JSPlush, warm and inviting, offering waves of cassis, crushed plum and blackberry puree that cruise through, while a fine-grained structure provides support. Shows alluring accents of black tea and alder on the finish, with the fruit keeping the upper hand easily. Very polished for the vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Merlot, the 2021 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is deep garnet-purple in color. It springs from the glass with a beautiful perfume of violets, fallen leaves, and menthol, followed by a core of cassis, iron ore, and tree bark. Medium-bodied, the palate has a sturdy frame of chewy tannins and a lively line supporting the delicately styled, mineral-tinged fruit, finishing with impressive length.The Wine Independent | 91-93+ TWI

Dark and brooding in bearing, the 2021 Pichon Baron is a somber, mysterious wine. It is every bit as impressive as it was en primeur. Graphite, leather, spice, mocha and dried herbs meld together in a wine of power, precision and contemporary classicism. It’s one of my early favorites in this vintage. I won’t be too surprised if it turns out even better than this note suggests.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis wine’s fruitiness is its star quality. Rich black Cabernet Sauvignon fruits and dark tannins are lifted by the wine’s vivid flavors. At the same time, dense structure gives power to the wine. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 Pichon-Longueville Baron is showing very well in bottle, unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, sweet berries and violets mingled with subtle hints of orange zest and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with good depth at the core, bright acids and sweet tannins that assert themselves on the gently structured finish, its serious, slightly reserved profile reflects the unusually high (89%) percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 concluded its élevage in large wooden vats for a month and a half, saw a touch less racking than normal, and was only fined with a small amount of gelatin, not egg white, as has been the rule at this address for several years now.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPAs to the Grand Vin, the 2021 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot that’s a selection of 50% of the total production and is resting in 70% new barrels. This straight, pure, incredibly focused and impressive 2021 has deep blue fruits as well as notes of cassis, graphite, chalky minerality, and hints of tobacco. It’s elegant and balanced, with ripe tannins as well as good acidity and density.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDThe highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon ever in the blend at 88% completed by 12% Merlot. Cool red and blue fruits on the nose, smells so welcoming with blueberry, vanilla and cola notes. A soft succulence straight away so you know there is good acidity but the structure and the delicate tannins take over and fill the mouth, giving great Cabernet savoury and herbal aspects, filling and expansive while delivering the crystalline purity on the tongue in terms of texture. Tannins are so fine, but this is rich in its depth yet still so focussed and straight. The mid palate has weight but there’s such drive and energy. The lick of stone is welcoming, giving the salinity and yet another element to taste and contemplate. Mighty, thrilling and a joy to taste. Elegant and classic in the best way - this will need some time but will be excellent.Decanter | 95 DECBlack currant, violet, lemon blossom and black berry aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and tobacco, black fruit and cedar undertones. It’s tight and chewy, suggesting it needs some bottle age. Some iodine. Oyster shell. 88% cabernet sauvignon. Give this four to five years. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 95 JSThis nicely rendered red unfurls nicely, offering notes of cassis, plum and black cherry puree gilded with violet and lilac hints. A long, sleek iron note stays embedded throughout, while late accents of black tea and warm earth help fill out the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2040. 8,504 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Pichon Baron needs a lot of swirling to conjure notes of ripe raspberries, fresh boysenberries, and cassis, plus suggestions of tree bark, violets, and fertile loam with a hint of cardamom. Light-bodied, the palate has a racy line and chewy tannins supporting the lithe, electrically charged fruit, finishing with compelling freshness. At 88% Cabernet Sauvignon to 12% Merlot, this is the highest-ever proportion of Cabernet in the blend, which will be aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 70% of them new.The Wine Independent | 90-92 TWI

The 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou captures all the potential it showed from barrel. A delicate, understated wine, the 2021 impresses above all else with its finesse. All the elements are impeccably balanced throughout. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s inner sweetness and gorgeous perfume. The balance with oak, at times a challenge here, is also flawless. With lower alcohol and therefore also less extraction from oak than recent vintages, the 2021 is shaping up to be a modern-day classic. The blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, the highest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon ever here. What a wine.Vinous Media | 98 VMI was also able to retaste a barrel sample of the 2021 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, and it showed in line with my tastings last year. It’s a shockingly concentrated, medium to full-bodied, balanced Ducru Beaucaillou that I think will surpass most of the so-called petits millésimes of the past two decades, and that just goes to show the level of attention to detail and talent at this address.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDFirm, structured and pure with a cool and solid core of dark currants, blackberries, tar, pencil lead and bitter chocolate. Hints of tobacco, too. Firm but silky tannins. Very pure, with a long, mineral finish. Intense and very focused. 98% cabernet sauvignon and 2% merlot.James Suckling | 96-97 JSA wine that will delight Médoc purists, the 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a blend of fully 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot and checks in at a mere 12.5% alcohol. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, violets, loamy soil and spices, it’s full-bodied, layered and velvety, with superb depth at the core, lively acids and powdery tannins. Complete and penetrating, it’s a true classic, reminiscent of a modern-day version of Ducru’s brilliant 1996—though today’s precision winemaking means that the 2021 is unlikely to go through so long a hibernation as that vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPBeautiful and beguiling nose, perfumed blackcurrants and dark fruits; damsons, plums, raspberries and rose petals. Lovely crunchy fruit, real bite and presence in the mouth. Excellent precision, tannins are succulent and ripe they fill the mouth with a juicy, intense granular texture. There is such depth to this - perfume, tobacco, earth, violets and concentrated fruits that have a verticality to them with an unprecedented 98% of Cabernet Sauvignon providing the support and the backbone. There is a crystalline purity to the fruit giving tension to the overall frame, it’s focussed and driven all with excellent definition. This is not a wallflower of a wine - it’s charming and confident, strutting its stuff right now and giving you absolut St-Julien terroir and vintage markers in the glass with slate, graphite and liquorice salinity on show. Skilled winemaking on show.Decanter | 96 DECThis is a wine with enormous potential with rich tannins and dark black fruits. At the same time, it has lightness that gives it a lift of fine black currant fruits. It will age, of course.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou, 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, was tasted as a tank sample just before bottling. Deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with notes of crushed blackcurrants, fresh raspberries, and Morello cherries with touches of dried herbs, mossy tree bark, pencil lead, and damp soil. The light-bodied palate delivers mouth-filling, crunchy, black and red berry flavors with chewy tannins and a lively backbone, finishing with an herbal lift.The Wine Independent | 92-94+ TWI

A very strong effort for Gruaud Larose, possibly eclipsed by what they have done in 2009, this is a pure, full-bodied Gruaud Larose with plenty of new saddle leather, cedar wood, black currants, cherries, licorice, and Provencal herbs. Spicy, earthy, full-bodied, and rich, it has hit its plateau of full maturity, where it should stay for another 20 or more years.Robert Parker | 94 RPNo written review provided. | 94 W&SThere’s nice richness here, with velvety-textured blackberry, fig and boysenberry confiture flavors rolling through, edged by a graphite note that slowly takes over on the finish. This has serious spine, with tar and ganache echoes hanging in the background, boding well for continued development.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 18,750 cases made. Wine Spectator | 93 WSFully mature (yet I’d say in the early stages of its drink window), the 2000 Château Gruaud Larose offers a ripe, powerful, medium to full-bodied style as well as lots of currant and darker fruits followed by cedarwood, tobacco, iron, and assorted meaty, spicy nuances. It’s a rich, almost chunky effort with a great mid-palate, still present yet ripe tannins, and a great finish. It lacks some of the purity and precision of today’s wines yet is a satisfying, rich, impressively textured Saint-Julien to drink over the coming 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThe 2000 Gruaud Larose is a vintage that I have not tasted for some 10 years. It has a somehow sedate bouquet of dark red berry fruit, cola and tobacco scents, ever so slightly smudged with age. The mellow, soy-tinged palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins and fine acidity but maybe just a little sauvage on the ferrous, slightly bretty finish. I feel this had more pep several years ago.Vinous Media | 91 VM

I tasted the 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou on four separate occasions from bottle in January. The 1996 is long, with a deep mid-palate. It also reveals tannin in the finish. This wine is remarkable. It is muscular, concentrated, and classic. Bottled in late June, 1998, it exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, as well as a knock-out nose of minerals, licorice, cassis, and an unmistakable lead pencil smell that I often associate with top vintages of Lafite-Rothschild. It is sweet and full-bodied, yet unbelievably rich with no sense of heaviness or flabbiness. The wine possesses high tannin, but it is extremely ripe, and the sweetness of the black currant, spice-tinged Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is pronounced. This profound, backward Ducru-Beaucaillou is a must purchase. It will be fascinating for readers who own the 1996 to follow the evolution of this exceptional vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035.Robert Parker | 96 RP(Château Ducru-Beaucaillou) The 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou is just beginning to stir from its closed adolescence and is showing very good promise for its eventual period of peak drinkability, but that is still more than a decade away. The nose is starting to develop some secondary layers of complexity in its mélange of cassis, dark berries, currant leaf, cigar smoke, a touch of Ducru’s nutskin, complex soil tones, herbs and a nice framing of cedary, spicy wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite black fruity in personality, with an excellent signature of soil, a very tobaccoey personality, fine-grained, but quite substantial tannins, lovely acidity and a very long, soil-driven and classic finish. This is a superb vintage of Ducru that should really get interesting to drink around its thirtieth birthday and prove to be very, very long-lived. Impressive juice. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 93+ JGThe 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a vintage that I have not tasted for a number of years. Matured in two-thirds new oak, it has an open and expressive bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, estuarine scents, touches of liquorice emerging with time. It is higher-toned than the 1995 with iodine evolving with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, fresh acidity, quite sweet in the mouth and maybe like the 1995, just missing that complexity and terroir expression that I think has defined recent vintages from this estate. Maybe it is slightly compromised by some Merlot (25%) that was picked a but later, but still, there is a lot of pleasure to be found in this 1996. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 93 VMIntense aromas of cedar, vanilla, leather and blackberry. Full-bodied, with coffee, vanilla, ripe fruit and a medium finish. Just about ready. The 1995 is certainly better.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. 18,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe Ducru 1996 is less extravagant than the 2000. It shows a full body, with firm tannins and pretty floral, leaf, light earth and berry character. Needs drinking. 90 pointsJames Suckling | 90 JS

An eternal wine, the 2010 Pichon Lalande is a total showstopper. The first impression is one of explosive power, but time in the glass brings out the wine’s more delicate, floral side. Violet, graphite, crème de cassis, licorice and menthol overtones recall the 1996, but the tannins here are much softer, sweeter and more polished. In two recent tastings, the 2010 has been positively stellar. The alternation of hot days and cool nights led to a late harvest. The Cabernet Sauvignon harvest did not start until October 7; by that date in 2009 all the fruit was in. Readers who can still find the 2010 should not hesitate, as it is a modern-day classic. That’s all there is to it.Antonio Galloni | 98+ AGBrilliant – double decant and wait an hour so the wine can better express its sensual aromas of faded rose, cassis, homemade strawberry jam, graphite and iodine freshness. The palate is enveloped in cashmere-like refinement, leading to a long finish with sea air and floral freshness. Best to hang on another five years for a proper drinking window, but if you insist, try it now with filet mignon. Drinking Window 2021 - 2055.Decanter | 98 DECWith signs of new wood on the palate, this is a wine that maintains the polished feel of the wines from Pichon Lalande. It has a stronger presence of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than in the past, making it more structured than its predecessors, with a dominance of black currant flavor. It shows the soft side of the vintage, but is also meant for aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2010 Pichon Lalande is performing extremely well and at the top of the range I predicted several years ago. A final blend dominated much more by Cabernet Sauvignon than usual (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot), the wine is a tighter, more tannic and structured version of this famed Pauillac, which often tends to have more of a St-Julien-like personality than most Pauillacs. Structured, backward and tannic, yet showing a fat mid-palate that is more savory, broader and more expansive than I remember from barrel, this wine is somewhat reminiscent of the 1986, given the Cabernet Sauvignon domination of the blend. Full-bodied, impressively endowed, and less sexy and velvety than normal, this is a somewhat different style of Pichon Lalande than most readers have been used to. Whether you like it more or less will depend on your point of view, but this wine, unlike most Pichon Lalandes, needs a good 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep for 30+ years.Robert Parker | 95+ RPRock-solid, with a classic Pauillac profile of cassis, iron and graphite. Layers of blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry fruit cover the grip for now, but there’s serious muscle for the longer haul, revealing a lingering pastis hint.--Non-blind Pichon Lalande vertical (July 2014). Best from 2020 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2010 is based on 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot that was raised in (I’m assuming) a good bit of new oak, although you wouldn’t know this by tasting it. Revealing a still youthful ruby/plum hue with just a touch of lightening at the edge, it has a Saint-Julien-like perfume of darker currants, tobacco, earth, sous bois, and flowers, without that classic cedar and lead pencil character of most Pauillacs. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a wonderfully focused, seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It’s still relatively closed and reticent, so give bottles another 4-5 years if possible.Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ JDThis is a pretty and refined Pichon Lalande. Aromas of blueberries and blackberries with hints of earth and mushrooms. Full body, with velvety tannins and a juicy finish. I slightly prefer the 2009. Better in 2017.James Suckling | 94 JS(Château Pichon-Lalande) The 2010 Pichon-Lalande is another unequivocal success for the vintage. The classy bouquet is deep, ripe and impressively pure, with a classically reserved blend of cassis, dark berries, espresso, tobacco leaf, gravel and discreet new oak wafting from the glass. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite suave on the attack, with a fine core of fruit, ripe, well-integrated tannins, good acidity and impressive focus on the long, youthful and beautifully balanced finish. A very, very fine young Pichon-Lalande the strongly recalls the young 1986 at this estate. (Drink between 2020-2070).John Gilman | 94 JG

Borderline perfection in a bottle, the 2010 Pichon-Longueville Baron (79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot) boasts a saturated purple color as well as truly extraordinary aromatics of crème de cassis, licorice, crushed rock-like minerality, graphite, and spring flowers. Possessing full-bodied richness, a huge, unctuous mid-palate, and building tannin, it shows the purity, grandeur, and precision that makes this vintage so remarkable. Hide bottles for another 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy bottles over the following 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99+ JDIncredible depth apparent from the first whiff as well as powerful aromatics combining graphite, black fruit and spices. The palate is concentrated but brimming with energy, yet what really stands out is its confounding freshness as well as the finesse and precise contours of the tannic framework. An already profound wine that will reach new heights over the next two decades. (Drink between 2022-2050)Decanter | 99 DECAdministrator Christian Seeley thinks the 2010 is the greatest Pichon Longueville Baron he has ever made, equaling some of the estate’s colossal wines from vintages such as 1989 and 1990. It was certainly showing well when I stopped by the chateau in January. Opaque purple, with loads of charcoal, licorice, incense and some exotic Asian spices along with abundant cassis liqueur, blackberry and hints of roasted coffee and spring flowers, it is full-bodied and opulent, with relatively high tannins, but they have sweetened up considerably and seem less aggressive than they did from barrel. The oak is clearly pushed to the background by the wine’s wealth of fruit, glycerin and full-bodied texture. This sensational Pichon Longueville Baron needs 5-6 years of cellaring, and should keep 30+ years.Robert Parker | 97+ RPThis is quintessential Pauillac, a great wine with its Cabernet proudly at the fore. It ranks with the 2009 and, with its tannins, is sure to age longer than that vintage. Solidly structured, powerful and dense, with fruit promised for the future, it succeeds with its weight and great concentration.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2010 Pichon-Baron is simply one of the greatest wines produced under Christian Seely’s tenure. It has a stunning bouquet with penetrating black fruit, wilted violet and a touch of sea spray, a distinctive marine note verging on shucked oyster shells. The palate is very well balanced with fine grain tannins, layers pf graphite infused black fruit and a very detailed, captivating finish. Brilliant. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMA dense and layered wine with lots of ripe and sweet fruit. Loads of currants, plums and tar. This is concentrated and almost jammy with velvety tannins. Powerful. Chewy. Try in 2020.James Suckling | 95 JSSolidly built, with a roasted edge to the steeped fig, blackberry and black currant flavors, quickly followed by brambly tannins and notes of bay leaf and espresso. Stays dark and tarry through the finish, with superb drive and verve. Best from 2017 through 2030.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Château Pichon-Longueville) The 2010 Pichon-Longueville is also quite ripe at 13.75 percent alcohol, and includes a higher percentage of cabernet sauvignon than usual at seventy-nine percent in this vintage. However, with most of the merlot exiled to the second wine, the result is a more precise and focused wine than the Les Tourelles de Longueville, as it offers up a ripe and pure nose of black cherries, cassis, coffee bean, cigar ash, herb tones, gravelly soils and a generous base of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and shows a very nice note of youthful cabernet tobacco leaf, with a fine core of fruit, ripe, well-integrated tannins and excellent length and grip on the chewy and slightly oaky finish. The 2010 Pichon-Baron was raised in eighty percent new wood this year (with thirty percent hailing from Taransaud), and the wine is currently showing just a bit of oak spice and uncovered wood tannins on the backend. I expect that this is just a reflection of the extreme youth of the 2010 and that it will eventually absorb its wood seamlessly. This will be a very long-lived wine and will need plenty of time in the cellar to start to blossom. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 92+ JG

The greatest wine I’ve ever tasted from this address is the 2009 Léoville Poyferré, which is a step up over both the 2000 and the 2010. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and the balance Cabernet Franc that hit 13.9% alcohol, it offers everything you could ask of a wine and reveals a saturated purple color as well as incredible notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, lead pencil, exotic Spices, and dried flowers. Incredibly full-bodied, super concentrated, deep, and opulent, yet still pure, fresh, and lively, it has sweet tannin and a hedonistic vibe that hides its underlying structure. Drink it anytime over the coming three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDOne of the more flamboyant and sumptuous wines of the vintage, this inky/purple-colored St.-Julien reveals thrilling levels of opulence, richness and aromatic pleasures. A soaring bouquet of creme de cassis, charcoal, graphite and spring flowers is followed by a super-concentrated wine with silky tannins, stunning amounts of glycerin, a voluptuous, multilayered mouthfeel and nearly 14% natural alcohol. Displaying fabulous definition for such a big, plump, massive, concentrated effort, I suspect the tannin levels are high even though they are largely concealed by lavish amounts of fruit, glycerin and extract. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040.Robert Parker | 100 RPBeautiful blueberries and blackberries with some blackcurrants and flowers on the nose. Some black olives and crushed stones, too. Full-bodied with creamy tannins and lovely depth. The tannins are so integrated and plush, but fine-grained. Persistent finish. A red that gives wonderful pleasure now, but will continue to do so for decades ahead.James Suckling | 97 JSRich, exotic and generous, this is still young and firm but light on its feet, dancing through the palate. There’s lovely depth to the fruit, with a great silky texture. Those tannins bite in all the right places. Very good indeed. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040Decanter | 96 DECThe 2009 Léoville Poyferré has an outstanding bouquet with blackberry, mint and cedar aromas, almost Pauillac in style, very dense and with plenty of horsepower. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannins that frame layers of blackberry infused with graphite and white pepper. I love the symmetry and control of this Poyferré, in particular its persistent finish. This is a magnificent wine from Didier Cuvelier. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMAn immensely structured wine, packed with dark tannins promising aging potential. It is complex, powerful, layered with new wood and concentration, finishing with dark plum fruits and acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WESolid notes of steeped black currant, ganache-coated fig and plum eau de vie pump along in this very dark red, but with well-integrated structure. Long and winey through the finish, with the grip extending everything nicely. Best from 2016 through 2026. 17,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

A major success of the vintage. The wine exhibits extreme richness of the fruit, with all its sweet blackberry flavors. It also has underlying firm structure, density and solid tannins. Bring in the acidity at the end, and this is both impressive and ready for long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEMeasured and confident tannic hold with subtle grilled oak notes, a ton of ripe cassis and blueberry fruits, liquorice and eucalyptus on the finish, and a mouthwatering, moreish construction overall. This is a powerful St Julien, but with clear and present finesse. 60% new oak. A standout wine from this property, and a wonderful showcase of the slow burning brilliance of St Julien. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECA super-classic St.-Julien that only has a hint of the opulence of the vintage. The beautiful cassis fruit and elegantly dry tannins push briskly through the long and graceful finish. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2009 Léoville-Barton has a much better bouquet than the Langoa with better definition and focus: blackberry, raspberry coulis, cedar and touches of graphite that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, lightly spiced with a graphite infused finish that feels very persistent. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMThis is powerful Cabernet, with gutsy weight, but also polished feel to the fresh plum, warm blackberry sauce, bittersweet ganache and roasted apple wood notes. Long and tarry through the finish, but still invigorating despite its heft. Needs some time to round fully into form. Best from 2017 through 2035. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 21,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSMedium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Leoville Barton gives up expressive cherry cordial, warm cassis and blackberry tart scents with nuances of menthol, cigar box and fallen leaves. Medium-bodied and elegantly played with loads of freshness and soft tannins, it has a long, perfumed finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

A candidate for a perfect score, the 2003 Montrose has been a superstar since the first time I tasted it in barrel. Showing no signs of weakening, it is an amazing wine from this fabulous terroir. It boasts a deep blue/purple color as well as a stunning perfume of blueberries, black currants, blackberries, licorice and camphor. Dense, full-bodied and rich with an unctuous texture, well-integrated, melted tannins, and a long, heady finish, this big, brawny, super-intense, gorgeous 2003 is just beginning to enter its plateau of full maturity. It should remain there for at least two decades.Robert Parker | 99 RP(Chateau Montrose) A prodigious beast of a wine that’s now starting to shed just a touch of its considerable baby fat, the 2003 Château Montrose is based on 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. It shows the richness of the vintage with its ripe, opulent core of fruit, yet it freshens up noticeably with time in the glass, offering currants, mulberries, smoked tobacco, minty herbs, and licorice. Full-bodied, deep, and powerful on the palate, it still has classic Bordeaux focus and structure. It’s drinking brilliantly today with a decant and has another 20-30 years of prime drinking. (Drink between 2022-2052)Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDAfter the 2009, this is the most exciting Montrose ever made, with intense aromas and flavors of plums, blueberries, spices, tobacco and cedar. It’s full-bodied with extremely refined tannins but a dense, delicious palate. Better in 2016, but why wait?James Suckling | 97 JSGood medium-deep ruby-red. Superripe, roasted aromas of black raspberry, chocolate and licorice. Wonderfully dense, sweet and lush, with an early roundness rare for this wine. A monumental St. Estephe with almost confectionery sweetness. Wonderfully horizontal, palate-saturating wine with huge but thoroughly ripe, lush tannins. It’s hard to believe that a wine this rich and deep could be carrying just 13.2% alcohol. The only thing missing here is the floral topnote of 2005, but that’s a quibble in this baking-hot vintage, as Montrose’s cooler, water-retentive clay-rich soil handled the extreme heat and drought as well as any chateau in the Bordeaux region. The final blend is 63% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis is hard to distinguish as an ’03, as an austere, racy profile of charcoal, black currant and iron reigns. Taut and focused, with a sense of freshness from buried bay leaf and tobacco accents, this is set apart in the vintage by drive and cut. Still a bit tight. The insider’s wine in this vintage.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. 15,830 cases made. — JMWine Spectator | 95 WSThought by many tasters to be the wine of the vintage at the time of the 2004 barrel tastings. Has it retained that status? It is certainly a hugely powerful wine, monumental even. It is also finely balanced, with great dark tannins working in partnership with brooding black fruit. The question is whether it is too big, too powerful: only time will tell. Imported by Diageo Chateau & Estates.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA year when those cooling breezes from the estuary were essential. This displays sweeter, spicier fruit character than some years, and you can feel a more exotic style of oak. You get caramel and toffee on the nose with some dark spice on the palate, but there is a seam of menthol freshness running through it and the tannins are more than holding on. This shows the quality of Montrose in spades. 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Drinking Window 2017 - 2035Decanter | 92 DEC

The prodigious, fantastic 2003 Cos d’Estournel is a candidate for “wine of the vintage.” A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon (unusually high for this chateau), 30% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, 17,500 cases were produced from low yields. An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by a compelling perfume of black fruits, subtle smoke, pain grille, incense, and flowers. With extraordinary richness, full body, and remarkable freshness, elegance, and persistence, this is one of the finest wines ever made by this estate. The good news is that it will be drinkable at a young age yet evolve for three decades or more. Kudos to winemaker Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier.Robert Parker | 98 RPA dense and powerful wine as always with very ripe fruit yet an underlying freshness and complexity with tobacco, dried fruit and fresh spices such as lemon grass and Thai basil. Layered and long. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2003 Cos d’Estournel is a total knock out. Super-ripe and opulent from the outset, the 2003 is a big, ample Cos that takes over all the senses and never lets up. The bouquet alone – with its alluring notes of tobacco, cedar, spice, dark roasted fruits, leather and smoke – is stunning in its beauty. All of those nuances follow through on the palate, where the 2003 is thick, dense and concentrated. The 2003 is just beginning to enter the very early part of its optimal drinking window. Despite its very ripe feel, the 2003 needs further time in bottle to fully come together. Interestingly, the 2005 is quite a bit more expressive and rewarding to drink now. The 2003 is a superb Cos that captures the essence of this freakishly hot, record-setting vintage. Although the 2003 is the product of a very warm vintage, the wine was remarkably fresh, even two days after having been opened. In 2003 the blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGWith its aromas of new wood, spice and black fruits, this promises from the start to be a powerful, polished wine. It is dense, very ripe (from the high percentage of Merlot in the blend), but still packed with tannins. It’s a massive wine, bringing together the heat of 2003 with the big tannins of Saint-Estèphe. Imported by Diageo Chateau & Estates.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThis sports a pretty juicy edge, with dark currant and fig flavors and a hint of bramble in the mix. Ample tobacco, ganache and humus notes add range and character, leading to a long, smoldering finish. The slightly grainy structure is the only blip here.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2030. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSExcellent quality and surprisingly fresh given the vintage, this wine is clearly ready to drink now, however there’s no rush to drink this urgently - one of the key markers of a great Bordeaux wine is that, even if it evolves quickly, it reaches a point where it stops and sticks – and I feel that is what we have here. Expect the full array of soft leather, truffle, spice and fig. In early August, technical director Dominique Arangoïts remembers smelling cooked fruit in the vines at night-time. The levels of malic acid were one of the lowest on record, and the alcohol fairly reasonable also. This has aged far better than expected, no doubt helped by the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the clay subsoils of St-Estèphe and the old Merlot vines (between 80 and 100 years old). The harvest was finished by 25 September, earlier than most in the appellation. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028Decanter | 92 DEC

The best since the 1990, the 2000 Pichon-Longueville Baron is just now starting to shed some baby fat and develop additional complexity and layers. This still ruby/plum-colored beauty boasts a phenomenal nose of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, lead pencil shavings, and new saddle leather. It’s deep, full-bodied, and sexy, with incredible amounts of texture and opulence that keeps you coming back to the glass. It makes a mockery of so many Bordeaux today that are made in a so-called elegant style yet lack the fat, richness, and density to ever hit this high a level. With low acidity, beautiful purity of fruit, sweet tannins, and a great finish, it’s in the early to middle range of its drink window (I love it today) and has another two decades of sensational drinking ahead. Readers wanting to know what truly great Bordeaux tastes like should open a bottle of this!Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThis is one of the great wines of the vintage, and certainly a candidate for one of the finest wines made at this estate under the management of Christian Seeley and proprietor AXA. Showing incredibly well at two tastings of 2000s, the wine has a dense bluish/purple color and a beautiful nose of incense, melted asphalt, and creme de cassis as well as hints of new saddle leather and licorice. It is superbly concentrated and very pure, with excellent texture and opulence. The acidity seems low, the tannin high but well-integrated. This is a compelling 2000 that is just closing in on its window of maturity and should stay there for at least 20 or more years. Bravo!Robert Parker | 97 RPA rich and spicy wine with lots of walnuts, dried berry and plum. Full and very savory. So much tobacco and sous bois. Roasted fruit too. Classic 2000. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2000 Pichon Baron is consistent with the bottle tasted at the vertical back in 2018. It has a very elegant nose featuring a mixture of red and black fruit, fresh mint and touches of graphite (though in this bottle, it is not quite as prominent). The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp entry, offering vibrant black fruit laced with graphite and dried blood; I find more complexity here compared to the 2000 Pichon-Lalande that I tasted at the property just an hour earlier. Quite spicy and peppery, leading to a vibrant finish. This is imbued with wonderful tension. A Pauillac that is approaching its peak.Vinous Media | 95 VMRock-solid, with a block of currant, fig and blackberry paste notes forming the core, while youthful brambly-edged grip still holds sway throughout. Lots of enticing licorice root and sweet tobacco flavors wait in reserve, and there’s nice lift from a light savory hint at the very end. Still has a ways to go.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2028.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Château Pichon Baron, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) On the nose, graphite notes combine with black fruit including prunes, which highlight its solar character, but a minty and floral freshness adds aromatic lift after aeration. Similar impression on the palate with a juicy yet elegant mouthfeel that has a tightly-wound yet harmonious structure. Now at its apogee. (Drink between 2022-2030)Decanter | 93 DEC

The plushest, most ostentatious and dramatic of all the Leovilles in 2000, this wine is already sumptuous, displaying some nuances in its huge nose of vanilla bean, black chocolate, jammy black cherries, cassis, and graphite in a flamboyant style. Opulent, savory, rich, and full-bodied, it is a head-turning, prodigious wine and a complete contrast to the extracted behemoth of Leoville Barton and the backward, classic Leoville Las Cases. The Poyferre’s low acidity, sweet tannin and an already gorgeous mouthfeel make it a wine to drink now as well as over the next 25 or more years.Robert Parker | 97 RPAbsolutely knockout stuff, the 2000 Léoville Poyferré is a sexy, layered, totally irresistible Bordeaux that’s firing on all cylinders today. Sporting a deep ruby/purple color and blockbuster notes of blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings, cedar and tobacco, this concentrated, powerful 2000 has a rounded, opulent texture, sweet tannin, and a huge finish. It’s a quintessential Poyferré and my only regret is I didn’t buy more. It’s going to keep for another two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDPure and focused, with some still-primal blueberry reduction and plum sauce flavors at first, moving to hints of black currant and fig paste. As this moves along, it shows more development, picking up bay, smoldering cigar and warm ganache notes through the finish. Rich and long, and just starting to hit its stride.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2028. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis has spices, meat, dark and ripe fruits, and a light sultana character. Full-bodied, tight and firm with a beautiful freshness and great length with notes of licorice and citrus skin. Fascinating stuff. Leave this alone for at least a couple of years. Should be better after 2012.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2000 Léoville Poyferré has a lovely bouquet of brambly red berry fruit, orange peel, sandalwood, ash and a touch of peppermint. Maybe there is just a tiny smidgen of brettanomyces. The palate is medium-bodied and approaching full maturity, with grainy tannins, meat juices, sage, thyme and light white peppery notes surfacing with aeration. There is a straightforwardness to this Saint-Julien that I like, and it has the substance and balance to give another 20 years of drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis wine is clearly the product of an extremely generous and successful vintage. Even if the following year is where I might go for finesse and staying power, the beauty of the 2000 is instead found in the fullness of the fruit and its frank expression. There are touches of exotic cinnamon, rosemary and grilled almond notes, deepened with layers of olive paste. Great quality, it lingers on the palate. One of the signatures of Château Léoville Poyferré is its willingness to go all out to make wines that are generous and that make you smile; you get the sense with this wine that they enjoy their good fortune and hope that you do too. Drinking Window 2018 - 2036Decanter | 92 DECNo written review provided. | 91 W&S

Composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, the medium to deep garnet-brick colored 2000 Ducru-Beaucaillou charges out of the gate with flamboyant scents of baked black currants, raisin cake, prunes, Chinese five spice and eucalyptus plus touches of cigar box, new leather and cast iron pan. Medium-bodied, the palate is remarkably refreshing with all these decadent spice and dried berries layers coating the palate, textured by soft, powdery tannins, finishing long and mineral laced. Stunning!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPI must admit that I was a little unimpressed with the Ducru 2000 in the beginning when I tasted it after bottling in 2003. But it’s clearly outstanding now and seems to get better and better with age. It shows wonderful aromas of roses and currants with hints of mint. It’s full body yet very finely textured with pretty fruit concentration and length.James Suckling | 96 JSThis has mature hints, but there’s great focus as the cedar, bay and leather notes race along with, rather than pull away from, the core of fig and blackberry fruit flavors. The long, bittersweet cocoa–dusted finish provides a solid bass line.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 17,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Château Ducru-Beaucaillou) The 2000 vintage in Bordeaux is generally in a pretty sullen point of its evolution at the moment, but the 2000 Ducru-Beaucaillou was actually still showing a lot of charm and polish to its powerful veneer at our vertical tasting in Saarbrücken in late March. The bouquet is deep, ripe and classically pure in the Ducru style, offering up scents of cassis, black cherries, gravelly soil tones, tobacco leaf, a touch of dried herbs and still plenty of spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite sappy at the core, with modest acids, firm, ripe tannins, fine focus and nascent complexity and a very long, youthful and tannic finish that still needs a few more years to fully integrate its new wood component. This is still at least a decade away from blossoming and the real fireworks with this excellent vintage of Ducru will not start for another twenty years! A fine example. (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 94 JGBright ruby-red, less saturated than the 2002. Very pure aromas of cassis, minerals and mocha, with a hint of raw berries. Juicy, pure and tightly wound, with intense flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate, espresso and licorice. Broadens impressively on the long, aromatic, suave finish, showing lovely grip and class. Finer than Borie’s 2000 Grand Puy Lacoste and in need of longer aging but not clearly stronger.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

I think we can officially declare 25 years as being the sweet spot for Léoville Las Cases - at least in slow-ageing vintages such as 1996, which is so perfectly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon. Still full-bodied and concentrated even now, but generous also, with cassis, tobacco and cigarbox smoke softening the edges of flint-chiselled tannic frame... Las Cases can be almost Burgundian-like in how elusive it is (in this case because of how stubborn and tannic it can prove), but when you get the one bottle that sings, it’s all worth it. This more than proves the point. Michel Delon owner at the time.Jane Anson | 100 JAHaving previously rated it nearly perfect, I was apprehensive of a letdown about tasting the 1996 Leoville Las Cases once it had been bottled, but that concern was quickly dismissed once I put my nose in the glass. A profound Leoville Las Cases, it is one of the great modern day wines of Bordeaux. This wine’s hallmark remains a sur-maturite (over-ripeness) of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Yet the wine has retained its intrinsic classicism, symmetry, and profound potential for complexity and elegance. The black/purple color is followed by a spectacular nose of cassis, cherry liqueur, pain grille, and minerals. It is powerful and rich on the attack, with beautifully integrated tannin, massive concentration, yet no hint of heaviness or disjointedness. As this wine sits in the glass it grows in stature and richness. It is a remarkable, seamless, palate-staining, and extraordinarily elegant wine - the quintessential St.-Julien. Despite the sweetness of the tannin, I would recommend cellaring this wine for 7-8 years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2035.Robert Parker | 98 RPSaturated bright, dark ruby. Perfumed, vibrant, very youthful aromas of cassis, violet and bitter chocolate. Dense and powerful, with great clarity of flavor thanks to a terrific spine of acidity. Almost painfully structured wine but not at all hard. Finishes very long and gripping, with a note of bitter chocolate. Drink 2012 through 2040.Vinous Media | 96+ VMIncredible nose of blackberry, mineral, cedar and currant. Full-bodied, with silky and refined tannins and a medium caressing finish. It’s a beautiful wine that begs to be drunk now but will age and improve for a long time.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

What sumptuous pleasures await those who purchase either the 1996 or 1995 Pichon-Lalande. It is hard to choose a favorite, although the 1995 is a smoother, more immediately sexy and accessible wine. It is an exquisite example of Pichon-Lalande with the Merlot component giving the wine a coffee/chocolatey/cherry component to go along with the Cabernet Sauvignon’s and Cabernet Franc’s complex blackberry/cassis fruit. The wine possesses an opaque black/ruby/purple color, and sexy, flamboyant aromatics of pain grille, black fruits, and cedar. Exquisite on the palate, this full-bodied, layered, multidimensional wine should prove to be one of the vintage’s most extraordinary success stories. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2020.The 1995/1996 vintages are two of the greatest back to back efforts Pichon-Lalande has ever produced, including the 1982/1983 vintages.Robert Parker | 96 RPOffers a juicy, lively core of plum, cassis and blackberry, studded with anise, violet and singed vanilla notes. Everything pulls together seamlessly on the finish, with a well-embedded graphite spine. Sneakily long.—Non-blind Pichon Lalande vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2035. Wine Spectator | 94 WSDeep red-ruby color. Currant, loam, tobacco and smoky oak on the nose. Silky, sweet and tender in the middle palate; leather, game and chocolate notes add complexity to the wine strong currant component. Showing slightly less harmoniously than the ’96, perhaps due to the bottling, but this thoroughly seductive wine has all the components for future greatness.Vinous Media | 92+ VMIn contrast to the 2015, this vintage has a larger percentage of Merlot in the blend, along with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. The colour shows no sign of age, although the nose has less aromatic force than one would have expected. It does show charm and elegance, however. The attack is fresh and limpid, and the moderately concentrated fruit is backed by firm tannins. There’s plenty of grip here, but it lacks a little punch and persistence. Still highly enjoyable and finely balanced. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028Decanter | 91 DEC

This is surprisingly delicate and fine now with currant and spice character and hints nuts. It is full body with refined texture and a beautiful finish.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 1995 Pichon-Baron is a wine that tasted extremely well several years ago, but I wonder how well it is continuing to evolve. The bouquet feels a little smudged, scents of iodine and cassis merging with blackberry and pencil lead; it is a little meandering and missing a sense of focus. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, crisp acidity and good density, but it doesn’t possess the clarity and detail of more recent vintages. Solid, but lacks flair. Tasted at the Pichon-Baron vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 91 VMA stylish, elegant, more restrained style of Pichon Baron, with less obvious new oak than usual, this deep ruby/purple-colored wine offers a pure black currant-scented nose with subtle aromas of coffee and smoky toasty oak. In the mouth, the wine displays less weight and muscle than the 1996, but it offers suave, elegant, rich fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, surprisingly lush style. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2016.Robert Parker | 90 RPBlackberry, with violet and currant undertones. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. A little tight still. Give it some time. This is layered and rich. Classy. A little better than I remember.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 90 WSRipe but fresh, with cedary and flinty blackberry and plum fruit still lingering on. Drinking Window 2014 - 2030Decanter | 90 DEC

An explosively rich, exotic, fruity Montrose, the 1995 displays even more fat and extract than the 1996. There is less Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1995 blend, resulting in a fuller-bodied, more accessible and friendlier style. The wine exhibits an opaque black/ruby/purple color, as well as a ripe nose of black fruits, vanillin, and licorice. Powerful yet surprisingly accessible (the tannin is velvety and the acidity low), this terrific example of Montrose should be drinkable at a young age. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2028.Robert Parker | 93 RPHere we start to see the slightly austere side of Montrose, and how this helps it to age so gracefully. Exceptionally young at 22 years old, still tightly-structured and richly-scented. Cassis, truffles, cedar, burnished oak, and tobacco are set by lovely placement of tannins that are still fairly bullish and young. Classical and effortless. 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Drinking Window 2017 - 2035Decanter | 93 DECExcellent red-ruby color. Plum, currant, animal fur, smoked game, roasted nuts and graphite on the nose, plus a note of toffee. Lush and smooth in the mouth, with notes of minerals, leather and game. Still rather tightly wrapped following the mise, but very nicely balanced from the outset. Firm acidity gives the wine superb delineation and grip. Tannins are dusty and firm-and more obvious today than in the ’97, despite the fact that the later year featured higher polyphenol levels.Vinous Media | 91+ VM