Bordeaux Collector Wines

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At once deep and rich, yet cool and delicate with a minty freshness, this is a really concentrated and super-elegant Pomerol that’s now very seductive, but has the structure and vitality to live for a long time. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2009 La Conseillante has a very classy and sophisticated bouquet with beautifully defined black and red fruit mixed with black truffle and pressed rose petals. The oak is just completely subsumed here. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe and saturated tannin, a fine line of acidity, fresh and tensile with a sense of mineralité on the finish. This bottle shows even better than the one poured at the property 12 months earlier. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis tasted brilliant in London a few weeks ago at the Bordeaux 10 Years On tasting, but even better in New York. There’s so much complexity on offer - the natural elegance pumped up with dark chocolate, graphite and liquorice layering up through the damson and blackberry fruits. A gorgeous, delicious wine with a blast of freshly crushed mint leaf on the finish. This was the third vintage since a second wine was launched in 2007, helping the winemaking team to concentrate and refine this main bottling. Jean-Michel Laporte was director at the time, with Gilles Paquet as consultant. Drinking Window 2020 - 2032Decanter | 97 DECSimilar in style to the 2015, the 2009 La Conseillante is another sexy, seductive, opulent even, Pomerol that offers a huge array of spiced dark fruits, cured meats, crushed flowers, and truffle. Deep, full-bodied, layered and beautifully pure, with an extroverted personality that just begs to be drunk, it will keep for another three decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe medium to deep garnet colored 2009 La Conseillante strides confidently out of the glass with very classy Black Forest cake, blueberry compote and kirsch scents plus suggestions of violets, liquid licorice, cardamom and bay leaves with a touch of eucalyptus. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegantly fruited with a firm, grainy frame and oodles of freshness, finishing long and minerally.Robert Parker | 96 RPThis delivers stunning toasted spice, mocha and black tea aromas, while the core of plum, blackberry and fig flavors is still rather reticent. The long finish is liberally laced with a racy graphite note, while the perfumy accent pervades. This will be a suave head-turner when it rounds into form. Best from 2018 through 2030. 4,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS(Château La Conseillante) The 2009 La Conseillante is evolving nicely and shows every likelihood of delivering on all the early promise it showed out of barrel during the En Primeur week of 2010. A year on, the wine offers up a ripe and classy nose of red and black raspberries, chocolate, fine, gravelly soil tones, tobacco smoke and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and ripely tannic, with a fine core of fruit, good focus and balance and very good length and grip on the youthful finish. The 2009 vintage has still produced a La Conseillante that is a bit broad-shouldered by the elegant standards of this estate, but this is a very good example of the vintage that should age gracefully. (Drink between 2022-2060)John Gilman | 93 JGDensely rich, very sweet wine. It has some smoky tannins that give structure, along with a dark core of dry raisin and wood flavors. It has concentration and an opaque texture.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

This really does have a wonderful texture that is reminiscent of great pinot noir while remaining obviously cabernet franc and merlot. It shows a seductive nose of cream, berries, chocolate and flowers. It’s full-bodied, very intense and seamless in length. Pure class. Drink now and enjoy but will improve for years ahead.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2005 La Conseillante is powerhouse effort that’s still youthfully ruby/plum colored and possesses a lively, vibrant style. Deep, concentrated, full-bodied, and incredibly well balanced, it offers a killer bouquet of dark fruits, kirsch, toasty oak, incense, and licorice. While just now at the early stages of maturity, it has another two decades of longevity and is certainly a match for the 2000 and 1990.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDDisplaying spectacular aromatics of mulberry, blueberry and raspberry fruit, a dense ruby/purple color, and sweet floral notes, in the mouth the 2005 La Conseillante is not as broad and powerful as Petrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna or Lafleur, but it is gorgeously silky, elegant and stylish. This medium-bodied, savory wine is a graceful, provocative and compelling Pomerol to drink now and over the next 25 years.Robert Parker | 97 RPThe 2005 La Conseillante is a rich, heady Pomerol. Crème de cassis, lavender, chocolate, leather, espresso, licorice and sweet French oak infuse the 2005 with tremendous character. The 2005 is, naturally, a wine of its era. There is quite a bit of extraction and tannin, and yet the wine has aged impeccably. Time in the glass brings out energy and aromatic lift to round things out nicely. The 2005 just got better and better with time, so I suggest giving it a good bit of air. I would prefer to drink it over the next decade or so.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThis is decadent and wild on the nose, with fresh cèpe, raw steak and wild berry. Full-bodied, with loads of velvety tannins, yet refined and caressing in every way. A beautiful, balanced red. The best young wine ever from this producer. Best after 2017. 4,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSBeautifully creamy in texture, well balanced with some gentle white pepper spice, truffles and soft raspberries along with saffron and smoke edging. This is a great moment to drink, particularly because there was a little less density overall in La Conseillante during this era, and so it has reached a drinking window a little earlier than it tends to do in years from 2010 onwards. Effortless balance. A yield of 38hl/ha. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038.Decanter | 96 DECConseillante is breathtaking in 2005, a terroir performing at the peak of its potential. The wine is compressed and powerful, layered in sweet merlot tannin and pure, wild berry fruit. It feels cool and dynamic, monstrous at one moment, resonant the next. This was a little disjointed en primeur, and though it has come together in bottle, it still needs long cellar time for the layers of extract to unfold. It seems to take its tremendous sophistication directly from the ground.Wine & Spirits | 96 W&S(Château La Conseillante (Pomerol)) The 2005 vintage of La Conseillante is a great wine in the making, with this estate’s elegant and always transparent personality very much in evidence in this outstanding year. The bouquet is deep, pure and superb, offering up notes of raspberries, black cherries, gravelly soil tones, tobacco leaf, a touch of menthol and a judicious framing of spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure on the attack, with a fine core, superb soil signature, tangy acids and great length and grip on the poised and moderately tannic finish. This is a brilliant vintage for La Conseillante. (Drink between 2020-2055)John Gilman | 95 JGTasted in early 2006, the barrel sample of this wine was disappointing. But the wine has now shown the sweetness and richness of its fruit, packed with juicy, ripe Merlot, and is held together by sweet tannins. Developing well; drink in another four years.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The 2000 La Conseillante is brilliant (this was tasted from magnum) and while mature, is still youthful and vibrant. Deep ruby/purple colored and loaded with notions of currants, plums, chocolate, Asian spice, and incense, it offers full-bodied richness, fine tannin, and a silky, elegant, yet concentrated style on the palate. This beauty can be drunk anytime over the coming two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDLa Conseillante made an excellent wine in 2001, another great one in 2005, and the estate hit home runs in both 2008 and, above all, in 2009. In fact, the latter vintage may well end up being the modern-day reference point for La Conseillante. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to be said for this 2000. An elegant, gentle style that is never a blockbuster, the 2000 La Conseillante has a deep ruby/plum/purple color and an unbelievably expressive nose of sweet kirsch liqueur intermixed with raspberries, incense, toast, and licorice. Full-bodied yet ethereal in the sense that it seems to combine power along with eloquence and delicacy, this is a beautifully pure wine that has just hit its plateau of full maturity, although ideally I think it would benefit strongly from another 4-5 years of bottle age and drink well for two to three decades.Robert Parker | 96 RP(Château La Conseillante) The 2000 vintage of La Conseillante has produced an absolute classic and all this beautiful wine needs is another six to eight years of cellaring to start to come into its own. The exceptional bouquet offers up a complex and really pure blend of red and black raspberries, cigar wrapper, a superb base of soil, fresh herbs, coffee, cedar and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure, with a rock solid core of fruit, great structure, moderate tannins and outstanding length and grip on the very focused and blossoming finish. This is a high class vintage of La Conseillante that will probably prove to be superior to either of the riper vintages of 2009 or 2010 and end up being one of the longest-lived vintages from this estate in many, many years. A great wine. (Drink between 2017-2060)John Gilman | 95 JGPretty, with a perfumy hint to the range of bergamot, blood orange, kirsch and damson plum fruit flavors, which are backed by a graceful, floral-edged finish. Very silky and suave, this expands steadily and dramatically in the glass but still forgoes power for a lacy seduction. This really stands apart from the powerfully ripe general profile of the AOC in ’00 but seems likely to last just as long in the hunt as the other top dogs.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2028. 5,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe colour tells you so much here - it’s clearly rich and concentrated, with younger and more complex layers of cassis and blueberry fruit compared to the the 1999. A tannic backbone is in evidence, and this is still relatively closed up; the 2000s are in general moving in and out of a closed phase, so give this time once opened, perhaps even an hour or so in a carafe. Give it the time it needs and the nose really does evolve very beautifully in the glass and produces crackling, warm autumnal flavours. No need to get stuck in just yet. Drinking Window 2018 - 2034Decanter | 94 DECThe 2000 La Conseillante is much broodier than the previous two vintages, 1998 and 1999. This demands encouragement from the glass, eventually opening with blackberry, briary, black truffle and terracotta scents. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly “furry” tannin. It is not as precise as say, the 2005 or 2010. There is impressive weight here, a concentrated and broad-shouldered La Conseillante, but what is missing is the finesse and poise that more recent vintages have shown. I find the millennial La Conseillante more impressive in its youth, though now it is just looking a little heavy-handed. Tasted at La Conseillante vertical at the property.Vinous Media | 92 VMAn incredibly subtle and sexy nose of perfume, flowers, red fruits, and sliced plums. Full-bodied, yet refined and silky. This is delicious and pretty, and just starting to open up with flavors of tobacco, cedar, and cigar box. No need to wait.James Suckling | 92 JSNo written review provided. | 91 W&S

So much black truffle in the aroma here with blackberry and blueberry character, too. Full body, solid and stalwart. The layers of velvety tannins are impressive. I love the balance and energy to this. Underlines the greatness of 1998 for Pomerol and harks back to 1950. Just starting to be drinkable now.James Suckling | 98 JSComplex aromas of blackberry, fresh mushrooms, tobacco and wet earth. Full-bodied, soft and luxurious texture to this ripe and opulent wine. Long and decadent too. Just coming around now. Give it more time. L’Evangile at its finest.—’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2011. 3,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS72% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc. This has real depth of flavour and intensity that keep you gripped from start to finish. Near to its perfect drinking window. Amazing freshness at 20 years old; you can feel the flesh of the soft autumnal berry fruit given an edge by the curling cigar smoke. A true Right Bank vintage – and even more clearly a true Pomerol vintage. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032.Decanter | 96 DECDeep garnet-brick colored and blended of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, the nose of the 1998 L’Evangile has the most intensely perfumed scents of potpourri, fallen leaves, Chinese five spice, camphor and new leather over a core of crème de cassis, prunes, star anise, dusty soil and tobacco with wafts of dried lavender and cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, rich and decadent in the mouth, it has layer upon layer of spice and savory notions with a plush frame and refreshing lift on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPFull medium ruby. Fabulous nose combines black raspberry, sweet oak, bitter chocolate, truffle and mint, all lifted by a cool, slightly medicinal black cherry note of cabernet franc. Penetrating, pure, youthfully bound-up black fruit and licorice flavors. Densely packed and extremely backward. Finishes with very firm, oak-powered tannins. A superb, powerfully structured vintage for this wine, to drink between 2010 and 2025.Vinous Media | 93+ VM

Aromas of tar, black olive skin and blackberries follow through to a full body. Ultra-fine tannins and a long, linear finish with super intensity. Well-crafted in every sense. A fabulous Pomerol for the future. Try in 2022.James Suckling | 98 JSNewly-arrived Technical Director Marielle Cazaux turned out a jewel of a wine at La Conseillante in 2015, her debut vintage. A polished and super-sophisticated Pomerol, La Conseillante is all class. Precise, lifted aromatics make a strong first impression, but it is the wine’s overall feel and sense of harmony that truly dazzle. Over the last two years, the 2015 seems to have gained in freshness, precision and nuance. What a wine! The blend is 81% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc. Don’t’ miss it.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGComposed of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% one-year-old French oak, the medium garnet-purple colored 2015 La Conseillante opens with reticent, earthy notes of dusty soil, garrigue, forest floor and iron ore with a core of warm plums, cassis, cigar boxes, star anise and dark chocolate plus a hint of violets. Medium to full-bodied with decadent fruit and a gorgeous plushness to the texture, the palate features impeccable poise and compelling depth, finishing on a lingering mineral note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPReminding me of the 2009, the 2015 La Conseillante is more overt and sexy compared to the 2016, offering a huge nose of mulled black fruits, spring flowers, chocolate and gravely/clay-like earthiness. This is a full-bodied, complex, elegant and layered 2015 that has a singular character and the class to drink well for 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThis is reserved, with subtle Earl Grey tea, singed apple wood and warm fruitcake aromas opening slowly ahead of a core of dark boysenberry, raspberry and blackberry compote flavors. A lovely swath of velvety tannins carries the finish, with the fruit and spice aromas pulling together nicely. Some patience is needed here, but this is one of the elite of the AOC in this vintage. Best from 2023 through 2040. 3,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis is a perfumed wine, rich in tannins and with a good balance between the Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend. Ripe black fruits and velvet tannins give the wine elegance and charm. It is juicy and ripe, with a background of firm structure set against a crisp final texture. The wine will develop well; drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA warm, sunny vintage, giving crème de cassis flavours and a crème caramel edging. Still young, but packed with gourmet, creamy character. Very much on primary flavours right now, so more focused on plum and black cherry than black truffle, but not question that this will appear over the next few years. Traces of heat on the finish. 70% new oak. A yield of 39.5hl/ha. Drinking Window 2024 - 2042.Decanter | 94 DEC

This captures the magic of Lafleur and is utterly moreish. It is so silky, with hints of truffle, tobacco and sweet blackberry fruits from the first sip, opening up to violet flowers and drawn-out finely spun tannins. It’s at a beautiful moment for drinking now, but clearly has a long life ahead of it. 2001 was a vintage that suited the Merlot grape and tasting this as a pairing with the 2002 is a brilliant way to explore the two sides of Lafleur’s personality. The vintage was not released en primeur as it came along during the handover of ownership from the Robins to the Guinaudeaus, which is why there is still wine at the estate to share during the vertical. Drinking Window 2019 - 2050.Decanter | 98 DECThe 2001 Lafleur was tasted directly from bottle with Baptiste Guinaudeau. It opens gradually to reveal scents of brambly red fruit, black truffle, mint and touches of iron and sage. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grippy tannins, and very ferrous in style, the Cabernet Franc definitely in the driving seat. Residues of black pepper and white pepper linger on the slightly savory finish. Poured at Café Cuisine with Baptiste Guinaudeau.Vinous Media | 95 VMThis wine starts out very tight, with fresh herb and tobacco character, but then it opens to ripe plum, berry and chocolate character. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Impressive. Lafleur is always outstanding. Best after 2009. 1,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSPerforming slightly less impressively from bottle than it did from cask, this wine’s Cabernet Franc element has come forward, revealing a distinctive herbal, bell pepper, vegetal character that kept my score from going higher. Nevertheless, there is plenty to like about this 2001 Pomerol. It possesses a saturated ruby/purple color, powerful aromas (kirsch liqueur, raspberries, and blackberries), an earthy, muscular, chunky character, and the most tannic personality of any Pomerol I tasted. While not the huge blockbuster Lafleur can often produce, it is well-built. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019.Robert Parker | 92 RP

Beautiful aromas of plums, soy, black currants, black raspberries, espresso, and spring flowers jump from the glass of this perfumed, dense plum/ruby/purple-tinged Pomerol. Medium to full-bodied and pure with sweet tannin and impressive extract, it will benefit from 2-3 more years of bottle age, and should last for an additional two decades.Robert Parker | 93 RPThere’s no denying the dense, rather massive core of raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry confiture flavors here, but the core is already showing a lightly dried edge. The finish picks up mulling spice, cocoa and melted licorice notes that compensate for that, but I feel like this is burning the candle at both ends, relying more on oomph than precision.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

A rather hard wine, with a firm backbone of silky tannins and sweet black olive, vanilla and berry aromas and flavors.--Pétrus vertical. Best from 1992 through 1995. Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Seven years ago I said this was a monumental wine, and at two different recent tastings, it was a true star of the vintage. Its stunning dark plum color offers up notes of caramelized red and black fruits, toffee, smoke, Asian plum sauce, sweet cherries, chocolate, and espresso. Its spectacular aromatics do not disappoint on the palate, as this multi-dimensional, highly complex, opulent wine seems to have hit a magical point in its evolution. Full-bodied, and concentrated, there is no issue with drinking this dazzling effort now, but those who own it can certainly cellar it for another 15 or more years. Bravo!Robert Parker | 96 RPThis is a ripe and intense red with a layered and intense character of chocolate and dried tomatoes. Full-bodied, layered and spicy with cloves and dried thyme. Very flavorful.James Suckling | 95 JSThis is rather dramatic, with lush, layered blackberry puree and mocha notes that just keep going and going, picking up juicy black licorice and Black Forest cake flavors along the way. This has the spine to pull it off but is really for the all-hedonism-only crowd.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2025. 1,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSFull ruby-red. Superripe, alluring aromas of raspberry, cherry liqueur, mocha, coffee, game, violet and truffle. Thick, concentrated and sexy, with perfectly integrated acidity giving the wine uncanny vivacity and lightness of touch considering its great ripeness and richness. Underlying minerality contributes to the impression of precision. Very intensely flavored and long on personality. An utterly captivating drink.Vinous Media | 93 VM

This wine displays plenty of black raspberries, black currants, espresso roast, Asian soy and plum sauce along with some mocha and chocolate. Beautifully rich, firm, and full-bodied, with sweet but abundant tannins, this is a classy, noble style of wine that should be forgotten for at least 5-7 years and drunk over the following 20. Remarkably, the alcohol, like most of the wines in the J. P. Moueix stable of Pomerols and St.-Emilions, hit 14.5%.A tiny production of only 1,000 cases in 2010 (versus 1,500 in most vintages), its proprietor Christian Moueix has turned out a more tannic, structured, backward style of Hosanna than the 2009 or, for that matter, the 2008.Robert Parker | 96+ RPBeautiful nose with ripe strawberries, red apple and vanilla. Wonderful floral notes too. Sumptuous ripe red fruit and juicy acidity on the palate with finely knit tannins. Full-bodied and very juicy with a soft silky texture and good length. It's hard not to drink it now. But much better in 2017.James Suckling | 96 JSA fleshy, alluring style, with strong structure, displaying plum, fig and boysenberry fruit laced with incense, Lapsang souchong tea and violet notes. Almost creamy, this features a thread of charcoal lending extra drive and depth on the finish. Seems to expand rapidly in the glass, boding well for cellaring. Best from 2017 through 2030. 1,000 cases made, 212 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSHigh-quality, 40-year-old Cab Franc planted on fine gravelly soil gives Cheval Blanc-like results. The 2010 is the best Hosanna ever, offering fragrant raspberry, blackcurrant, espresso and soy notes. Power in spades! Drinking Window 2025 - 2050Decanter | 94 DEC(Château Hosanna) The 2010 Hosanna is one top Pomerol that seems better in 2010 than it did in 2009, as this is an impressively tight, complex and refined example of this rather exuberant vintage. The bouquet is deep, classy and nicely reserved out of the blocks, delivering a blend of dark berries, black cherries, cigar smoke, gravelly soil tones, a touch of espresso and a stylish framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, suave and very refined, with the inherent power of the vintage felt here as great intensity of flavor at the core. The ripely tannic and well-balanced finish delivers excellent grip, and this wine should be absolutely stunning with a decade’s worth of bottle age. (Drink between 2020-2070)John Gilman | 94 JGThis is a wine that is all tannin at this young stage. It is firmly dry and structured with a tight, dark texture. It has the concentrated fruit to sustain this initial severity, but will need many more years to show its power.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2010 Hosanna shows much more ripeness on the nose compared to its peers, more red fruit with perfumed cherries and bergamot tea aromas, rose petal and sage. The palate is silky smooth with what feels like a fair proportion of Cabernet Franc. It does not quite kick on towards the somewhat oaky finish, though this is very seductive. Unlike other Pomerols, you could broach this now. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The nose to this is fascinating with orange peel, mangoes, stones and hints of blanched walnuts. Full-bodied, yet dense and reserved. It shows amazing length and finesse. The finish shows wonderful, subtle and pure fruit. Breathtakingly subtle and complex. Better in 2018 but I love it.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2012 Lafleur presents a distinctly red-toned profile to match its silky, open-knit personality. Crushed flowers, sweet red cherry, plum, mint and spices are all nicely layered throughout. Medium in body, the 2012 nevertheless possesses lovely depth and pliancy, both of which suggest it will provide readers with a long window of exceptionally fine drinking. Proprietor Baptiste Guinaudeau describes 2012 as a cool vintage of open-knit wines and compares his 2012 to the 2001. This is a superb showing and one of the standouts of the year. Readers will find many terrific 2012s, but Lafleur is distinguished by its soul, something that is not to easy to find in Bordeaux. The 2012 is 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot.Antonio Galloni | 95 AG(Château Lafleur) The 2012 Château Lafleur has more merlot in it than is customary, as the merlot was perfect and the cabernet franc required quite a bit of selection to ensure that only the choicest vats were included in the grand vin this year. The resulting wine is exceptional, offering up a deep, complex and cool nose of cassis, dark berries, espresso, gravel, both currant and tobacco leaf and a very discreet base of spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very suave on the attack, with a rock solid core of fruit, excellent focus and nascent complexity, ripe, fine-grained tannins and outstanding length and grip on the soil-driven and stunning finish. Château Lafleur has been one of the most consistently excellent estates in Pomerol over the last four vintages, but though this is not as powerful as some of the previous wines, stylistically, the 2012 may well be my favorite here since the lovely 2008 (even though the exceptional 2010 Lafleur is probably the superior wine in absolute terms). This is one of the stars of this vintage! (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 95 JGDeep ruby to the rim, the 2012 Lafleur possesses beautiful kirsch, sweet raspberry fruit, ripe tannin, and a lushness and roundness. It is medium to full-bodied and complex, with an exceptional texture and purity – all hallmarks of this property. This wine should drink well for another 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 94+ RP

The 2006 Lafleur, which I had not tasted from bottle prior to this visit, merits 95 points. One of the vintate’s most brilliant wines, this blend of 61% Merlot and 39% Cabernet Franc is neither as dense nor complete as the 2008, but it is structured, closed, and austere (as are many 2006s at present). It reveals a plum/purple color along with a beautifully sweet nose of black and red fruits intermixed with incense as well as a steely/iron-like smell. More open on the palate than the 2008, with more obvious spice and earthy undertones, this powerful Lafleur should be drinkable in 5-7 years, and will last for three decades.The tiny Lafleur vineyard, which was harvested between October 8-14, produced a wine with an atypically high percentage of Cabernet Franc. Proprietor Guinadeau stated that the Cabernet Franc was among the finest he had ever harvested.Robert Parker | 95 RPGood full, deep red. Brooding aromas of black cherry, cherry pit and licorice, plus a note that reminded me of a liqueur of flowers. Sweet, chewy and very ripe, but with restraint and focus to the youthful, mineral-driven flavors of dark fruits, licorice and pepper. This shows the cooler, medicinal cast of a classic young Lafleur and although almost surprisingly silky now, this really calls for extended cellaring.Vinous Media | 93+ VMOn the nose this shows many of the floral and dark berry notes of the 2005, but less intense. Full and silky, with beautiful juicy fruit on the palate and a long, delicate finish. I love how this prepares your palate for pleasure. Don’t touch this until 2015.James Suckling | 93 JSThis starts off very slow, then opens to violet and lilac, with crushed raspberry and strawberry. Full-bodied, with racy, intense acidity and tannins. Powerful and layered, with wonderful, subtle fruit and a long finish. Best after 2015.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

is a classic. Vintage 2004 has given beautifully ripe Merlot, perfectly poised, but also showing the dryness and power. It is hugely intense, structured, bringing in blackberry flavors, fresh acidity and complex wood, perfumed and rich, concentrated. The aging potential? At least 20 years.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WENo written review provided | 95 W&SThe dark plum/ruby-tinged 2004 Petrus possesses high acidity as well as copious amounts of sweet cherries and black currants intermixed with hints of cola, earth, and truffles. Deep, medium-bodied, concentrated, ripe flavors are excruciatingly firm and tannic. This backward, structured, muscular Pomerol requires a decade of cellaring, but it possesses the potential to be the longest lived wine of the vintage, lasting 30-40 years. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.Robert Parker | 93 RPOffers crushed berries, with chocolate and light vanilla. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit, silky tannins and a caressing texture. Very harmonious and pretty, with a balanced palate. Best after 2008. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2004 Petrus is not one of the strongest wines of the decade, though it remains a fine Pomerol. The bouquet does not hold back with splendid fruit concentration: floral top notes with pressed violets and shaved black truffles, traits I observed in previous bottles. The palate is gracefully moving into its secondary phase with touches of tobacco and warm gravel infusing the red fruit. However, there is a conservative element to this Petrus that opts to play it safe. You do not feel as if it will evolve into something more, which begs the question whether you should continue cellaring it? I see no harm in pulling bottles now, larger formats later. Vinous Media | 92 VM

(Château Le Pin) Perhaps the greatest vintage ever of Le Pin, the 1989 has moved from its ostentatious and exotic youth into a more stately, but no less complex and compelling stage of developing maturity. The bouquet is deep and profound, with candied scents of mulberry, red currants, cocoa, tobacco, a bit of truffle, woodsmoke and vanillin oak exploding from the glass. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and laser-like in its focus, with great underlying structure, some ripe tannin, and great length and grip on the finish. This is clearly the most serious bottle of Le Pin that I have had the pleasure to taste. It is not yet at its apogee, but it is such a spectacular glass of wine today, that it would certainly be difficult to keep paws off. (Drink between 2005-2025)John Gilman | 97 JGA slightly firmer, more structured wine than the 1990, with similarly low acid but more noticeable tannin, the color remains a very healthy saturated ruby/purple. The nose needs more coaxing and offers up noted of coconut, roasted herbs, jus du viande, along with plenty of black currant and sweet cherry fruit with nicely integrated toasty oak. The wine has similarly high levels of glycerin to the 1990, but less accessibility, and more structure and possibly power. This is a remarkable wine, and certainly one of the great vintages for Le Pin. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2022. Last tasted, 12/01.Robert Parker | 96 RPTasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1989 Le Pin has always been a sensual wine, not as exotic as the 1982, perhaps a bit more "grown up". Here it has a luxuriant bouquet of black cherries, crème de cassis, terracotta tiles and clove. There is a patina of warmth still emanating from that warm summer. The palate is velvety smooth, voluptuous and decadent yet the acidity keeps everything in check. I noticed a wild mint note that I have not seen on previous bottles, building in the mouth towards a multi-faceted, caressing finish, like a loved one begging you not to leave. It is simply ridiculously pleasurable from start to finish.Vinous Media | 96 VMI like this better than the 1990. It shows loads of licorice and blackberry, with hints of cherry on the nose. Full and refined, with silky tannins and an elegant finish. Lovely. Still very young and bright. The acidity holds it in. Much better than I remember.--Le Pin non-blind vertical. Best after 2010.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Tasted at the La Conseillante vertical at Chez Bruce. The La Conseillante 2001 has a lovely, rounded bouquet with notes of blackberry, loganberry, a touch of espresso and fresh fig that simply wafts from the glass and seduces upon contact. The palate is quite compact at the moment, good acidity with firm tannins, slightly foursquare at first but mellowing in the glass, quite linear towards the finish that refuses to fan out or give much away at the moment. Taciturn, very well crafted and very understated on the finish that has the perfect marriage of fleshiness and dryness to leave the palate eager for more. The ’01 is an exemplar for the estate. Magnificent. Tasted December 2010.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP-NMAfter a precarious run, the 2001 La Conseillante was as a shoo-in. It has a seductive mélange of red and black fruit, those hints of truffle and white pepper coming through, youthful and brushing off its 21 years effortlessly. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, plenty of crisp black fruit laced with sage and still offering that cheeky soupçon of curry powder on the persistent finish. This is now reaching its peak and is just a lovely Pomerol.Vinous Media | 94 VMA finessed and balanced vintage, this is full of soft brambled fruits, tobacco and campfire notes, with sculpted fine tannins at 20 years old. Bernard Nicolas was the owner and winemaker at the time, with no outside consultant, so a very different set up at the château than the one you find today. Old school and utterly charming. Harvest September 22 to 30.Decanter | 94 DEC(Château La Conseillante) I had a less than stellar bottle of this wine early on in 2010, so I was very happy to cross paths with a stellar example this year at the estate’s 140th Anniversary luncheon. 2001 has produced some really lovely wines and intuitively, I had suspected that the character of the vintage would match very well indeed with the La Conseillante house style. Happily, this is indeed the case, as this lovely wine offers up a complex and very pure nose of plums, raspberries, a touch of nuttiness, coffee, a fine base of soil and a nice framing of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite complex, with a fine core of fruit, ripe, measured tannins, very good acidity and excellent length and grip on the still fairly closed finish. This will be an excellent vintage of La Conseillante and will be a real sleeper. (Drink between 2016-2040)John Gilman | 93+ JGBeautiful wine with blackberry, chocolate and floral aromas. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a pretty finish. Refined and silky. Not a big Conseillante, but all in finesse and texture. I like it as much as the 2000. Best after 2006. 4,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

(Château Lafleur) The 2008 Lafleur is an absolute classic in the making and likely to be ranked as one of the great vintages at this estate from the first decade of the new millennium. The bouquet is deep, pure and youthfully reticent, as it offers up a complex mélange of black cherries, red currants, coffee, a very strong and complex base of soil, nutskins, cigar wrapper and a deft framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very, very soil-driven, with a rock solid core of fruit, ripe tannins, very fine acidity and excellent focus and grip on the very long and well-balanced finish. A classic Lafleur and a magically beautiful bottle of wine. (Drink between 2022-2060).John Gilman | 96 JGTasted with Baptiste Guinaudeau, the 2008 Lafleur is a wine for which I have a lot of time, and as it approaches a decade old, it is beginning to loosen up a little. There is plenty of fruit on the nose—more than I have encountered on previous bottles, with a mixture of red and black fruit—and a hint of bell pepper and sage. The main difference is that those previously rigid tannin have loosened their collar in recent months; therefore, this Lafleur is now entertaining the notion of drinkability. There remains a linearity to this Lafleur—and there is still that backbone—yet it seems to flow nicely across the mouth, and there is superb mineralité on the finish. It's probably destined to be overshadowed by the succeeding two vintages, but I suggest you do not overlook the 2008 Lafleur.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 96 RP-NMThe 2008 Lafleur is a wine that I have tasted several times. It mirrored my previous encounters. There is still impressive fruit concentration on the nose, equally distributed between red and black, a hint of clove and just a touch of Italian delicatessen emanating from the Cabernet Franc. The palate has just melted a little since its obdurate infancy, although it is still quite linear and "strict". You might argue that the 2008 Lafleur is a little charmless at the moment, but bottle age will sculpt and abrade this Pomerol into a very fine, if slightly aloof wine. (This was not shown at BI Wine & Spirit’s horizontal but a bottle was opened at a private dinner when I was in Bordeaux a few days earlier).Vinous Media | 96 VMA bright, fresh, very pure style, with raspberry and bitter cherry fruit flavors laced with judicious toast and a streak of red licorice. The nicely fleshy finish puts on weight as it airs in the glass, developing alluring notes of black tea and incense. Drink now through 2019.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Showing consistently with another recent bottle, the 2009 Château La Fleur-Petrus (90/10 Merlot and Cabernet Franc aged in 50% new oak) offers a deep, layered bouquet of blackberries, plums, chocolate, dried flowers, and earth. A big, voluptuous, opulent example of this cuvée, with a power-packed, deep, rich style, it has ripe tannin and a huge finish. This tour de force shows how impressive the 2009 vintage was for Bordeaux. Drink this sensational wine anytime over the coming 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDEven with considerable youthful characteristics, this stunning, open-knit 2009 is quite approachable. This fabled terroir sandwiched between Petrus and Lafleur (hence the name) generally produces one of the more elegantly-styled Pomerols, but in 2009 it offers an extra dimension of flavor intensity as well as more texture and concentration. It reveals a super-seductive perfume of mocha, loamy soil, herbs, black cherries and black currants, truffles and licorice, full body and velvety tannins. The overall impression is one of intensity, power, glycerin and richness as well as undeniable elegance and laser-like focus. This 2009 can be drunk now or cellared for another 25-30+ years.Robert Parker | 97 RPHard to find the start and finish here, as the layers of boysenberry, raspberry and plum compote are seamless and incredibly long. Really spherical in feel, with flecks of bergamot, blood orange and iron on the surface and full fruit underneath. The grip that showed on release has been fully absorbed, and I doubt this will ever shut down. This has fruit to burn, but is conserving itself on cruise control rather than turning bombastic.—Non-blind La Fleur-Pétrus vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2035. 4,300 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSJust across the road from Pétrus, la Fleur-Pétrus shares some of the same intensity. There is great fruit here, rounded and powerful with the ripest character. It is open, generous, ready to drink. The tannins lead into the purest acidity, letting the fruit sing.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEBrimming with blackberry and sandalwood aromas this is a very seductive 2009. On the palate this is self-confidently dry, sleeker and more linear than the nose suggests. Very firm finish for a Pomerol of this age. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 95 JSLa Fleur-Pétrus had not begun its restoration phase in 2009 - that got underway in 2012, with the inclusion of new, high quality plots and the splitting off of any parts of the vineyard below the Pomerol plateau. But this is still exceptionally good quality, just a little less complex that you would expect from the estate today. There's a lovely smoky edge to the nose, while on the palate, brushed tannins join brambled, pureed fruits, tobacco and tar. Full of Pomerol pleasure and appeal. Drinking Window 2020 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2009 La Fleur-Pétrus is tightly wound on the nose at first with plenty of black truffle infused red fruit, crushed rose petals and veins of dark chocolate, but it does not quite possess the amplitude of say, the 2009 Le Gay. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grip and good tension. Pure red and black fruit intermingle with balsamic and white pepper notes, displaying fine precision and length. This Pomerol gets better as it goes along, but I feel that the aromatics need to just up their game. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM

This reference point estate has turned out a classic, incredibly impressive Pomerol, and they compared their 2008 La Conseillante to their 1988. It has a complex, mature bouquet of sweet red and black currants, white truffles, incense, and spice. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Pomerol that has a great, mineral-laced finish that makes you salivate. This elegant yet showy effort is drinking fabulous well today yet will have no issues keeping for another 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe beautiful 2008 exhibits a dark plum/ruby/purple color as well as jammy red and black fruit, crushed rock and floral notes. If this were a Burgundy, one might think of it as a grand cru Musigny. With excellent texture, medium to full body and stunning purity as well as nobility, this fascinating Pomerol should drink well for 15-20 years.Robert Parker | 95 RPThe 2008 La Conseillante has an attractive bouquet at ten years of age, unfolding discretely in the glass with engaging scents of Morello cherry, blackcurrant, orange pith, cedar and a touch of mint. The delineation here is very impressive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin and a keen thread of acidity. It conveys energy and vivacity and then develops a quite irony note towards the second half with traces of white pepper and bay leaf infusing the red and black fruit. What I appreciate here is its focus and drive, a Pomerol intent on longevity. It is drinking perfectly well now, but it will have more to give. (Tasted at the château and at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual vertical tasting.)Vinous Media | 94 VM(Château La Conseillante) The soon to be released 2008 La Conseillante is an absolute classic in the making. This will not be a blockbuster vintage of this fine wine, but rather a complex, suave and intensely flavored middleweight of impeccable poise and balance. The wine was raised in eighty percent new wood this year- a tad generous perhaps in a vintage such as ‘08- but has no trouble carrying its oak and is a really lovely example of this classic vintage. The nose offers up a complex mélange of red and black raspberries, fresh herb tones, coffee bean, dark chocolate, tobacco smoke and a base of spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and very refined on the attack, with a good core of fruit, lovely purity and nascent complexity and a long, ripely tannic and perfectly focused finish. A lovely vintage for La Conseillante. (Drink between 2018-2040)John Gilman | 93+ JGThe sweetness of fruit and balance to this wine is really impressive. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a light milk chocolate, blueberry and spice character. Bright acidity gives it verve. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSA difficult spring with disease pressure meant an uneven flowering, but the rest of the year saw pretty good weather conditions. This is a very lovely wine, showing some freshly cut mint on the attack followed by white pepper notes alongside soft blackberries. It has lots of presence and grip on the still-youthful palate, with the dancing precision of La Conseillante. Underrated perhaps. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032Decanter | 93 DECRacy and focused, with a mouthwatering edge to the raspberry ganache, graphite and floral notes, all stretched out by fine minerality on the persistent finish. Very solid. Cellaring should add a touch more. Drink now through 2016. 3,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

No written review provided. | 98 W&SThe 2001 Petrus has always been winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet’s favourite vintages. It has developed a truly exquisite bouquet that is both svelte and sensual without any sense of being overbearing. It is almost unaware of its beauty. It gradually opens with tinctures of dried blood merging with ebullient and disarmingly pure red fruit with brilliant delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannin, quite forceful red fruit gripping the senses and then letting go, allowing a subtle savory/cooked meat note to flourish towards the finish. Maybe this bottle was a touch more foursquare than previous ones that I have encountered although that will melt away with time. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at the Épure restaurant in Hong Kong.Vinous Media | 97 VMThere’s not many 2001s I know of that will compete with the 2001 Chateau Petrus. Still youthfully ruby in color, it offers an incredibly complex perfume of blackcurrants, forest floor, white truffles and Asian spices. These give way to a full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, opulent, hedonistic, yet also elegant 2001 that has loads of sweet tannin, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great, great finish. Drink it anytime over the coming 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2001 Petrus (2,160 cases produced) exhibits more depth and richness than any other Pomerol I tasted. Its deep saturated ruby/plum/purple color is accompanied by a tight but promising bouquet of vanilla, cherry liqueur, melted licorice, black currants, and notions of truffles and earth. Rich, full-bodied, and surprisingly thick as well as intense, there is plenty of structure underlying the wealth of fruit and extract. Give it 3-6 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following two decades as it promises to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage, not to mention one of the most concentrated.Robert Parker | 95 RPThis is very youthful, almost like a barrel sample. Some might say it is still in a dumb stage, yet there’s plenty of body and richness, with blackberry and toasted oak character, verging on coffee. Very long. A beauty.--Pétrus non-blind vertical. Best after 2007. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Still a bit of a brick house, with very solid charcoal and loam notes forming the base while the core of dense fig, blackberry and black currant confiture flavors settles in. This is seriously long, and the smoldering tobacco and roasted alder notes just keep going and going through the finish. This hasn’t really started to unwind yet.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2020 through 2035. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis is likely to be one of the most long-lived Pomerol from 2000. It has hugely rich fruit, it is has great density. But what will give it its longevity is the layer of tannin that sits, brooding, in the middle of the wine. Don’t even attempt to drink before 2012.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE(Château Trotanoy) I have had some rather sulking, desultory showings of big name 2000 claret in the last couple of years (a very grumpy bottle of Cheval Blanc immediately comes to mind), and this is a vintage that seems likely to be eventually consigned to the “vastly overrated” camp in the decades to come. That said, the 2000 Trotanoy showed brilliant potential at our tasting and is a wine that fully embodied the hope engendered by all of the early hype surrounding the vintage. The deep, classic and still youthful nose wafts from the glass in superb blend of cherries, red plums, nutskins, tobacco leaf, gravelly soil tones, menthol and a lovely base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, young and tightly-knit, with a lovely core, outstanding focus and balance, ripe, very well-integrated tannins and simply stunning length and grip on the primary and oh, so promising finish. This will be another legendary vintage of Trotanoy in the fullness of time. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 95 JGThis starts off with fabulous aromas of milk chocolate, plums and subtle spices. Full bodied, with super silky tannins and a long, long finish. Tight but just starting to open up. I’m loving the fresh acidity at the end. Needs another five to six years bottle age. Pull the cork in 2016.James Suckling | 95 JSTasted at the Trotanoy vertical in Hong Kong, the 2000 Trotanoy seems to be improving with age. It has an outstanding bouquet with far more fruit intensity than I anticipated: mulberry, blackberry, briary, broom and white pepper all mingling together with superb delineation. The palate displays exquisite balance, fresh and focused with a clean and precise finish that is only just beginning to show what it can do. Like so many millennial Bordeaux it has matured at its own pace, however, on this showing it seems determined to reward those with the greatest patience. Tasted November 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NM95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc): Deep, saturated red. Highly perfumed nose of black plum, lavender, cedar, chocolate and Oriental spices. Enters sweet, round and broad, then turns a bit tougher, with hints of earth and game complicating bright cassis and mocha flavors. There is an amazing freshness to this wine that helps extend the fruit flavors at the back, and the finish is long and smooth. In this vintage’s early days it was tightly wound and austere, but it’s now beginning to slowly blossom and become more expressive. This is often the case with Trotanoy, which usually needs a good ten years from the vintage to really come into its own. A very successful 2000.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThe summer in 2000 was not as warm as 1998 but it was drier, as a result the wine is less opulent. This majors more on aromatic complexity and seems a little more approachable than the 1998, even if it still displays the clear muscularity of Trotanoy and promises plenty of time ahead of it. There is an appealing menthol edge to the nose here, with fresh mint leaf that also plays through the palate, suggesting that maturity levels were not quite as high as in 1998, although it’s hard not to see that this gives the wine a fresh edge today, and adds complexity as well as a touch of grace. Drinking Window 2019 - 2030Decanter | 93 DECNo written review provided | 91 W&S

The deep garnet colored 2009 Le Gay simply sings of minted cassis, baked plums and blueberry pie with touches of cardamom, cloves, tree bark and pencil shavings plus a waft of lavender. The palate is medium to full-bodied and exquisitely textured with satiny tannins and bold freshness framing the vibrant, multilayered fruit, finishing long and perfumed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPIn the same league as the otherworldly 2010, the 2009 Le Gay (90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc) is a totally thrilling Pomerol that’s up with the crème de la crème in this wonderful vintage. Simply loaded with notions of blackcurrants, blackberries, espresso, cedarwood, dried flowers, and incense aromas and flavors, this beauty hits the palate with an opulent, full-bodied, powerful profile yet stays seamless and silky. Possessing perfect balance, beautiful mid-palate depth, sweet, sweet tannins, and no hard edges, it’s just about as profound as Pomerol gets. Drink this thrill-a-minute any time over the coming 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2009 Le Gay has a quintessential bouquet for this Pomerol cru with intense black cherry, black truffle singed earth and Xmas cake aromas. Lovely. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well judged acidity, focused and structured with a sense of confidence and density towards the finish. This is a great Le Gay and it should age gloriously. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMA typical Pomerol with the combination of ripe black fruits and elegance that’s traditionally associated with the appellation. Plenty of mushroom and some truffle character too. I love the long almost crisp finish that pulls you back to the glass for more. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 95 JSVery fresh and pure, this displays a lovely tobacco streak cutting through the enticing core of crushed plum, mulled raspberry and dark fig fruit. Long and racy on the finish, with singed cedar nicely embedded. Has opulence but stays focused. Best from 2013 through 2029. 1,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSWith powerful new-wood aromas and flavors, this is a wine that is smooth and polished, yet fruity. This has concentration and a dark character that comes from the opulent, ripe fruit. Give it at least 10 years.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEOne of the more accessible, but absolutely signature, Pomerols, and it’s ready to enjoy now and over next 10 years. It has plump cassis and blueberry fruits with some tobacco. It’s a little shorter than some, but just so full of pleasure. Easy to get a crush on this wine! Drinking Window 2019 - 2036.Decanter | 92 DEC

The definition of poised and confident, this has pretty much consistently delivered since the very first taste during En Primeur. Deeply layered, textured, confident and powerful, both very Pomerol and very 2010. Coffee beans and bitter chocolate are the dominant flavours alongside cassis and blackberry autumnal berry fruits. Both gourmet and restrained. Just about ready to go but will hugely benefit from three to four hours in carafe first, and will further improve over the next few years, and indeed over the decades to come. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045Decanter | 97 DECGorgeous nose with lots of dark fruit like plum and blueberries. Crushed pepper and chalk with wild strawberries and vanilla. Dense and velvety on the palate with superbly polished tannins and great depth. It’s absolutely gorgeous now but needs at least five to six years of bottle age to really shows its great quality.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2010 Clinet is a baby, but man, what a wine. Checking in as mostly Merlot, with small amounts of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this deep ruby/purple-tinged beauty gives up fresh, tight aromas of blackcurrants, black cherries, damp earth and forest floor, with its background oak buffered by serious amounts of fruit. Full-bodied, concentrated and deep, yet also elegant and layered, with the freshness, purity, and structure of the vintage, it sings even today with a decant, but is best with a few more year of bottle age. It’s going to keep for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe blend is largely dominated by 85% Merlot, with some Cabernet Sauvignon and a small amount of Cabernet Franc also included. Inky/purple-colored, the wine has an exceptionally full-bodied, layered, moderately tannic mouthfeel and impressive power. Loads of melted chocolate/fudge and black fruits galore along with some coffee bean, mocha, as well as some background oak are all present in this big, formidably endowed, masculine style of Pomerol that will take longer to shed its tannin than the 2009. I would give this wine 5-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 30+ years.The 2010 is another fabulous effort from this estate of just over 20 acres located in the sector named the same as the chateau, Clinet. Modest yields of 38 hectoliters per hectare produced a final blend that hit 14.4% natural alcohol.Robert Parker | 96+ RPThe 2010 Clinet has a crisp, precise bouquet that is tightly wound but extremely well focused. It would benefit from decanting of preferably more bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, impressive backbone with black fruit laced with white pepper, sage and cedar towards the persistent finish. This is a serious Pomerol with huge potential. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThis showy, packed and well-endowed Pomerol pumps out notes of warm linzer torte, plum preserves and blackberry reduction, all supported by a broad, charcoal- and ganache-coated structure and deeply embedded acidity. Very muscular on the back end, this boasts a still-chewy feel. Among the most backward of the 2010 Pomerols, this requires significant cellaring. For those who enjoy more power than subtlety. Best from 2017 through 2035. 3,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSNew wood mint aromas give this wine its great polished feel. The tannins offer a counterpoint of richness here, firm and dense. The fruit takes a while to show through, then brings the fine plum skin flavors suffusing through the wine.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

This wine goes from strength to strength, and is developing even better than I initially expected. More backward than most of the big, Cabernet Sauvignon-based 1990 Medocs, it is full-bodied and viscous, but not as thick or oily as the 1982 can be. The 1990’s fresh, pure black raspberry, incense, and minerality characteristics result in a young, legendary wine. Still deep ruby/purple to the rim as well as extraordinarily intense, it is 4-10 years away from full maturity, and should evolve for another 30+ years. It is an amazing achievement!Robert Parker | 97+ RPThe 1990 Lafleur was similar to the bottle shown at the Lafleur/Petrus/Le Pin dinner. It is a vintage that I used to adore and in many ways, still do. However as I remarked during this vertical, it is one of the few vintages where the character of the growing season is translated over the signature terroir of Lafleur. Nevertheless, the nose is fresher and more vital than the previous bottle with glossy black fruit laced with undergrowth scents, this particular example exhibiting a light star anise aroma that intensifies with aeration. The palate is full-bodied with supple ripe tannin, layers of rich black fruit, powerful and voluminous. I feel that the Merlot is more expressive than the Cabernet Franc: smooth and sexy in texture, moderate acidity and glycerin towards the lush finish. It is a gorgeous Pomerol to drink, offering more sensory joy than intellectual stimulation. Hey, but sometimes that is exactly what you want. Tasted at the “International Wine & Business” Lafleur dinner at Ten Trinity, London.Vinous Media | 94 VMStill very closed, but big and rustic. Medium-red color. Aromas of meat, tobacco and fruit. Full-bodied, very chewy; mouthpuckering. Needs time.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2005. 1,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

One of the superstars of the vintage, the 2008 Trotanoy is a wine that transcends the vintage. Typically, this is not one of the more lush, sexy wines of Pomerol, but rather a muscular, masculine effort, and that’s the case in 2008. A deep purple color is followed by copious amounts of red and black fruit, earth, cedar and forest floor notes. The wine reveals a full-bodied texture, phenomenal concentration for a 2008, plenty of sweet tannin and a terrific finish. While it was surprisingly approachable, it will benefit from several years of cellaring and last 20-25 years. Bravo!Robert Parker | 96 RP(Château Trotanoy) The 2008 Trotanoy is certainly one of the riper examples of the vintage that I have come across, as it reached a full fourteen percent in alcohol in this year, but the long, slow growing season has allowed the sugars to mount slowly and the precision of the terroir in this wine has remained truly remarkable. In several respects, I prefer the cooler and refined profile of the 2008 Trotanoy to the bigger and more powerful iterations of this great estate in 2009 and 2010. The bouquet on the wine is deep, very pure and impressively discreet, as it offers up scents of red plums, black cherries, Cuban cigars, coffee, beautiful minerality, herb tones and a fine base of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full, pure and chiseled, with a fine core, superb focus, ripe, moderate tannins, good acids and outstanding length and grip on the nascently complex and very intensely flavored finish. A beautiful and utterly classic vintage of Trotanoy that reminds me a bit of the 1975 in terms of precision and purity. It will be very interesting to see how this ranks in comparison to the more powerful wines of 2009 and 2010 at this estate when time has had its say, thirty or forty years down the road. (Drink between 2020-2075).John Gilman | 95+ JGThis is very muscular for the vintage, with blueberries, minerals, flowers and stones. Full bodied and powerful with beautiful rich tannins and a long, long finish. So much going on. Let it go for five or six years.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2008 Trotanoy is a ferociously backward Pomerol that did not engage at Farr’s horizontal. Another bottle served over lunch that had undergone a long decanting was far more representative. It has a gorgeous bouquet with raspberry and menthol, a little dark chocolate and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with ample freshness and vigor although it clearly demands a long aeration to really click into fifth gear. This is a multi-dimensional Trotanoy that probably needs another couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 94+ VMAn impressive wine, showing its power and concentration in a structure integrated with chocolate, bitter coffee and spice. Black plum notes add a juicy character to this powerful wine.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is a more powerful expression of Pomerol, with black tea and tar notes framing the core of blackberry and plum fruit. Loam, roasted tobacco leaf and braised cèpe notes fill in on the finish. This should be fun to age. Best from 2013 through 2020. 1,875 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS