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This is really open with bright and flamboyant aromas of cassis and cherries. Blueberries. Some peaches as well. I don’t remember a young Ausone like that. Full-bodied with flamboyant fruit and energy. Very fine tannins. They are there but you don’t feel them. Supple but very fruity. And intensely fruity at the end.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe Ausone 2022 is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, with a yield of 38 hl/ha. The Merlot was harvested between 5th and 7th September and the Cabernet Franc between 21st and 27th September. It has a pH of 3.57, a TPI of 66, and it is opaque purple in color. The wine is completely closed on the first smell, requiring a lot of swirling to begin to release fragrant notes of dried roses, licorice, cast-iron pan, and cumin seed, giving way to a core of Morello cherries, wild blueberries, and redcurrant preserves. The full-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance, featuring very fine-grained, very firm tannins and breathtaking tension to frame the tightly wound red and black fruit layers, finishing with epic length and mind-blowing complexity. Holding its cards close to its chest, it’s a hard wine to read at first glance, yet there’s a lot of nuanced sub-text bound within the rock-solid structure. I see this slowly unfolding over many years to become a wine for the ages.The Wine Independent | 97-99+ TWIThe Grand Vin from this hallowed terroir is an even split of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that was fermented in wooden vats and will spend 20 months in new barrels. Its saturated purple hue is followed by an up-front, sexy, full-bodied Ausone offering a wealth of fruit as well as notes of black cherries, blueberries, chocolate, scorched earth, and an incredible sense of spring flowers. Concentrated and incredibly pure, with silky tannins on the palate, it has the texture and fruit to almost shine even now but should still evolve for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDQuite intense nose, strongly perfumed and scented with purple flowers and a mix of red and black fruit. Fragrant with chocolate, tobacco, cedar, cinnamon, crushed stones and liquorice. Aromatically very inviting. Plush and sapid, tannins are ripe but the acidity gives it real tension so you get some intensity of texture and sharpness of fruit on the palate making it a bit serious and tense right now though with lovely detail and lots of precision in terms of tannins and fruit. Mouthwatering acidity is at the fore, really giving some zing and electricity to this while the crushed stones, liquorice and clove spice give the accents around the edges. Clear strength and concentration, such power underneath - you do feel the heat from the alcohol (15.4%!) but the acidity and soft mineral elements help keep the balance and frame though it’s not as demonstrably mineral as some years. Acidity does settle and this expands slowly - keeping the linearity and sense of focus but also giving hints to its power and ageability. Sculpted and well delivered, characterful and confident with long ageing potential. Long finish with graphite, pencil lead and toasted spices on the finish. 3.57pH 85% grand vin, 20,000 bottles. Harvest 5 and 9 September for Merlot, 21 and 27 September for Cabernet Franc. A yield of 38hl/ha. Potential upscore in bottle.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Ausone was picked from 5 to 30 September and matured for 20 months in French oak. These aromatics take a little time to open in the glass. Once they do, they are precise with wilted iris flowers infusing the black fruit and background pencil box and incense hints. The palate is medium-bodied with silver bead acidity threaded through the blackberry and bilberry fruit. Fresh and focused, this Ausone possesses a structured finish with a pinch of black pepper on the finish. Elegant in style, this Ausone almost creeps up in you and seduces, intellectual and persistent in the mouth. Upon departing, I couldn’t help wondering if I had witnessed this Saint-Émilion demonstrates its full potential, hence the plus sign against my score. 14.4% alcohol.Vinous Media | 95-97+ VMA blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Ausone unwinds in the glass with aromas of plums, raspberries and cherries complemented by hints of crushed mint and spices, framed by a lavish patina of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, layered and rather muscular, it’s deep and concentrated, its vibrant core of fruit framed by a serious chassis of rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. Given its imposing levels of structuring extract, it will require patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP

The 2022 Beau-Séjour Bécot is a total stunner. What a wine! The 2022 was magnificent en primeur, and it is all that from bottle. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing. Crushed rose petal, mint, blood orange, new leather and cedar meld into a core of pliant red-toned fruit. More than anything else, I am so impressed with the wine’s precision and finesse. I have never tasted a Beau-Séjour Bécot like this.Vinous Media | 100 VMTasted on multiple occasions, the 2022 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is flat-out sensational, as well as the finest wine I’ve tasted from this château. Powerful aromatics of red, blue, and black fruits as well as crushed stone and violets define the aromatics, and it’s full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, has integrated acidity, and ultra-fine tannins. Based on 76% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, this heavenly Saint-Emilion will benefit from just 3-5 years of bottle age and have 30 years or more of overall longevity. Back up the truck.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2022 Beau-Séjour Bécot has turned out brilliantly in bottle. Wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of sweet wild berries mingled with rose petals, orange zest, violets, gentian and espresso roast, it’s full-bodied, supple and suave, with a deep core of cool, layered fruit, beautifully vibrant flavors and polished structuring tannins, concluding with a saline finish. As I wrote when I tasted it from barrel, this is a Saint-Émilion of breathtaking perfume and harmony that will be worth a special effort to seek out.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis is very fresh, expressive and focused, with violet, iris and rosehip notes darting to the fore, while flavors of sleek raspberry and red currant preserves race along behind. Almost flattering, but there’s a subtle chalky tension piercing the finish, which sails through. A dreamy wine. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2026 through 2040. 6,250 cases made, 1,600 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSFloral notes on the nose. Tangy and sharp, lively and bright straight away, sweet and sour, so energetic and lively with a mineral grip from the fine, firm, grippy tannins. Lovely precision and almost delicate presentation of fruit. You really feel the mineral, salty, tangy aspect of the fruit, nothing feels overworked, all in balance, really quite thrilling and electric. Great purity and focus. Scintillating yet still with a lovely volume and roundness accented by tobacco, clove, liquorice and cinnamon touches. Really well worked and fresh - this feels very modern with such control to the fruit, tannins, acidity giving overall depth and complexity. Elegant but confident, taking the best density from clay density and freshness from limestone. A very singular charm with this wine. 3.55pH. 10% press wine.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECA blend of 76% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2022 Beau-Sejour Becot has more Cabernet Franc than any previous vintage. The pH is 3.55 pH and it has a deep purple-black color. Notions of blackcurrant jelly, blackberry pie, and warm plums jump from the glass, followed by suggestions of cedar chest, Sichuan pepper, and garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock-full of juicy black fruit flavors, with bright acidity and ripe, rounded tannins, finishing long and earthy.The Wine Independent | 95-97 TWI

The 2022 Richebourg Grand Cru is intense on the nose: mainly black fruit with a pronounced marine/oyster shell influence. It gains complexity and nuance on the glass. The palate is well-balanced, and the 40-50% new oak neatly enmeshed (higher than previous vintages). It has a fine bead of acidity with a dense and convincing finish, suggesting this will mature gracefully over the next 30-40 years. Almost crystalline - a great Richebourg from Anne and Julie Gros.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMThis is a thrilling wine, deceptively light in colour but aromatically powerful, with a concentrated pomegranate and black cherry fruit character and an extraordinary sense of density, substance, and length on the palate. The grapes come from the Gros family holdings in Les Vérroilles; the youngest vines are 50 years old; the balance is 75. They are destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask (30% new). This wine is a model of both finesse and power. Ideally, wine lovers will wait a decade from the vintage to sample its beauties; this wine will live a half-century.Decanter | 96 DECA brilliant purple, with a fascinating touch of spice to add to the depth of dark yet royal fruit. Just keeps getting more profound on the nose. Incredibly intense through the middle, excellent mineral acidity behind, and a length well above the others. Thank you for this perfection. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted: November 2023.Jasper Morris | 96-99 JMHere too there is a plethora of spice elements present on the slightly more elegant nose of violet, lavender, exotic tea, and red and dark currant scents. The impressively scaled flavors are not nearly as dense as those of the CV but they’re notably finer and more mineral-inflected as well, all wrapped in a balanced and hugely long finale. This is certainly classier than the CV but good as it is, it’s not necessarily qualitatively better.Burghound | 92-95 BH

This great Bonnes Mares starts cool and restrained, but expands rapidly as it moves over the palate, with delicate, spicy almond and cream character. Mouth-filling and generous yet subtle and light-footed, this is at the upper limit of medium-bodied. Then a huge wave of salty minerality comes through at the finish to give the wine a whole extra dimension and making this an almost overwhelming expression of beauty. Drinkable now.James Suckling | 98 JSIn bottle. Made as three cuvees, then assembled. A rich mid purple with a deliciously heady bouquet, the sumptuous side of dark raspberry, perfumed yet precise, purple fruit with some redder layers beneath, a little white pepper spice, multiple layers of fruit, very engaging with just a very slight youthful bitterness. Irreproachable. Drink from 2032-2045. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 97 JMAnother cuvée that was also in bottle when I visited, the 2022 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru unfurls in the glass with aromas of cherries and raspberries mingled with exotic notes and sweet forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it’s concentrated and textural, with nicely integrated tannins, lively acids and a long, saline, rose-inflected finish. Its more sensual style is a welcome evolution.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPAn even spicier and more floral-suffused nose is comprised mostly by blue pinot fruit and discreet earth wisps. The succulent, refined and vibrant medium-bodied flavors aren’t especially concentrated though they do possess impressive power on the beautifully long and equally well-balanced finale. This is a wine that is certainly built to repay extended keeping but it’s not so compact that it couldn’t be reasonably approached after only 7-ish years.Burghound | 94 BHThe 2022 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru had been bottled in October 2023, just before my visit at the Domaine. It has a compact nose: mainly black cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, well-defined if maybe missing the amplitude of other Bonnes-Mares that I have tasted. The medium-bodied palate has a slightly creamy-textured opening, sweet blackberry and raspberry and touches of dark chocolate and mocha. There’s fine depth on the finish with light grip. Some wood tannins mark the finish and slightly occlude the fruit expression here.Vinous Media | 90 VM

A great Burgundian legend is back in very top form. Enveloping nose of red fruit, red roses and wildflowers. Anything but dramatic, this stuns you with its incredible finesse and extraordinary textural complexity. On the upper edge of medium-bodied, also thanks to the fabulously fine tannins that interlock perfectly with the intense minerality to drive the super-long finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.James Suckling | 99 JSThis is aromatically quite similar to the 1er except that it is notably more restrained and requires considerable swirling to coax the nose to reveal its nuances. On the palate though there is noticeably more size, weight and mid-palate density thanks to the abundant sap that imparts a highly seductive mouthfeel while also buffering the firmer, though just as fine, tannic structure shaping the hugely long, youthfully austere and decidedly powerful finish that is akin to rolling tiny rocks around the mouth. This is also positively brilliant with the development potential to match.Burghound | 96 BHAs mentioned in the introduction, there are seven separate parcellaire cuvées of Musigny which will be blended. We tried four of them, representing different sectors. Les Petits Musigny (north): An even purple, succulent red fruit. Fresh raspberry and strawberry, touch of liquorice, very even, fair acidity, soft tannins. Les 13 ouvrees: Stonier than north Musigny. A touch darker in colour and definitely a richer bouquet, more headily floral. More clearly the weight of Musigny, but also shows as quite a bit riper. Grand Musigny Haut: A glowing mid purple. A lovely tensile strength, not so evidently ripe, but correctly so, red to dark red in fruit. Good acidity, and fairly complete. Grand Musigny Bas: Glowing purple perhaps fractionally deeper than the upper part. The nose is less extrovert but clearly has superb class and a poised density. The sense of completeness of GM Haut but noticeably more intense through the mid palate. The fruit is a fraction riper, perfectly so, with a few suggestions of dark raspberry in the fruit. Very persistent indeed and a freshness to the finish, enough to make a major wine. I don’t feel it correct to award five stars until I have seen the full blended wine, preferably in bottle, but I certainly don’t rule that out. Drink from 2035-2050. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-100 JMThe 2022 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is very attractive, bursting with aromas of cherries, raspberries, blood orange, rose petals and vine smoke. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it’s layered and fleshy, with a deep and seamless core of fruit that conceals powdery structuring tannins, concluding with a broad, perfumed finish. If this fulfills all its promise in bottle, it may make my score look conservative.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP

A markedly floral-suffused nose is both cool and strikingly pure with its airy aromas of essence of white orchard fruit, passion fruit and plenty of spice and citrus elements. There is first-rate volume to succulent but punchy large-bodied flavors that are rich to the point of opulence yet there is very good delineation to the powerful, sappy and palate coating finish where the only nit is a trace of warmth. I would point out that this is presently decidedly compact and tightly wound so this would best be purchased knowing that at least mid-term cellaring will be in order.Burghound | 96 BHThe 2022 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru emerges from holdings that straddle the Chassagne and Puligny sides. Super-elegant and refined, Boillot’s Batard has a ton to offer, even if it is rather reticent at this stage. White flowers, mint, spice and light pastry overtones add layers of nuance. The 2022 is unctuous, but not at all heavy. This really opens beautifully onto its explosive finish. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 95-97 VMA glowing pale yellow. Super-concentrated if not yet very yielding bouquet. Extra tension here, certainly some depth, but perhaps more in class than power. That will change with time – the class with remain but the depth will expand. White fruit, tension, some youthful bitters, but keeping itself to itself for the moment. Really very long finish though. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: December 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-98 JM

Opulent, yet with racy acidity underneath, this red bursts with cherry, strawberry, floral, mineral and spicy oak aromas and flavors. Silky and airy, gliding effortlessly across the palate. Yet there’s ample support in the form of dense, finely wrought tannins, and the finish seems to go on forever, with a flash of cinnamon along with mineral and spice details. Best from 2030 through 2050. 20 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 98 WSNicolas Groffier has done a superb job with his Amoureuses; he will separate the upper and lower parts in 2022. Just under Musigny, he explains, there is a lot of sand, which helps the vines ripen to a greater degree. This cuvée has a black plum and cassis fruit character with notes of earth and smoke. The texture is fuller and more powerful, with great ripeness and depth. One should wait seven to ten years to open this monumental wine and drink over the next thirty.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECAlso made with 30% new wood and 100% whole bunches. A fine fresh purple, albeit a little less dense than the clay version. The bouquet is lighter, more airy, this is more cerebral, a romantic lover (I think that bit was a contribution from Nicolas!). With a delicious purity of cherry and alpine strawberry topnotes, less body behind. Really markedly different! Delicate and sensual together. I am going to give my preference, albeit fractional, to Grâce des Argiles as that seems to be the wine which is more typical of my expectation of Amoureuses. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JM

Currants and cedar with sandalwood and peaches. Fascinating aromas. Violets. Full-bodied with a crunchy and electric palate of primary fruit, with hints of tangerines and citrus. Great finish with structure and polish. 53.6% merlot, 35.4% cabernet sauvignon and 11% cabernet franc. Interesting to have such high merlot in the blend.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2022 Haut-Brion comes across as a bit restrained, given the natural opulence of the year and the other wines in the Clarence Dillon portfolio. Deep and wonderfully layered, the 2022 possesses remarkable depth but also a bit less of the explosive energy that is such a Haut-Brion signature. I suspect that will come in time, as the 2022 starts to show quite a bit better with a little aeration. Violet, gravel, incense, leather, tobacco and scorched earth linger. Superb.Vinous Media | 97-99 VMDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Haut-Brion is a blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc aging in 62.9% new oak. The nose is typically closed and broody, requiring a lot of shaking to wake up enticing notes of iron ore, red roses, lavender, mint tea, and forest floor, leading to a tantalizing core of plum preserves and blueberry pie. The medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly knit with vibrant black and blue fruit layers and red berry sparks, framed by very fine-grained tannins and a refreshing backbone, finishing long and minerally. A classic, breath-taking expression of Haut-Brion, I expect this to remain shy and restrained for the first 10 years so in bottle, and then watch it soar.The Wine Independent | 97-99+ TWISlightly better than its sibling La Mission Haut-Brion, the 2022 Château Haut-Brion has a full-bodied, concentrated, structured style that’s going to demand bottle age. Cassis, graphite, scorched earth, and tobacco are just some of its nuances aromatically, and it shows the ripe, powerful style of the vintage. There are lots of tannins here, especially on the finish, and it’s going to need 7-8 years in the cellar.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDMilk chocolate and blackcurrants on the nose, fragrant ripe black cherries and some floral notes. Sleek, supple, suave, really confident and shiny. This keeps the tension more than La Mission at this point with a vein of freshness and intensity. It’s not out to charm but it’s out to impress. Excellent construction, clean depth and power, tense, strict and streamlined, a touch of creaminess and saltiness. You get waves of flavour intensity with ripe, concentrated fruit, soft acidity and a clean stone freshness. Tannins fill the mouth with edges of both minerality and toasted spices. Calm and controlled, impressive with focus. 3.8pH. A yield of 35hl/ha.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Haut-Brion shows considerable promise, revealing aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with notions of pencil lead, licorice, tobacco leaf, spices and incense. Full-bodied, broad and seamless, it’s rich and muscular, with a deep, layered core of fruit framed by an ample endowment of tannin. This blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc, the result is a lip-smacking exemplification of controlled power. Analytically, the 2022 possesses a similar level of tannins to the 2010, and a similar pH to the 2009, yet it is more suave and polished than the 2010 at the same stage, and seemingly more dynamic than the 2009.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP

Wonderful aromas of crushed violets and wisteria as well as black-truffle undertones and blueberries. Medium- to full-bodied, this has a beautiful center palate and an endless finish. It’s so polished and refined with breathtaking length that caresses every inch of the finish. A masterpiece for the vintage. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Try after 2030 and beyond.James Suckling | 100 JSNoemie Durantou remarked that this vintage is the best she had ever known with respect to the Merlot, and given that the 2022 L’Eglise-Clinet contains 90% Merlot, that pre-empted a fabulous Pomerol. Durantou also mentioned that her wines were a little more "shy" compared to the previous day, though the bouquet only needed four or five minutes’ coaxing before it unfolded with wonderfully delineated, focused scents of black cherries, peony, blood orange and crushed stone. Exquisitely balanced, the palate has a cashmere texture thanks to the pliant tannins, gaining density all the time. The finish is powerful and very sustained, disguising the 14.6% alcohol extremely well thanks to its countervailing acidic spine, though you feel a dab on the aftertaste. The 2022 is a L’Eglise-Clinet built for the long-term and continues the estate’s stunning run of form.Vinous Media | 99 VMLastly, the 2022 Chateau L’Eglise Clinet is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that was harvested from the 3rd to the 9th of September, with its elevage spanning just 12 months in 85% new French oak followed by roughly four months in tank before bottling. It’s another riveting 2022 in the vintage that brings remarkable depth and intensity while at the same time staying light on its feet, graceful, and balanced. Ripe black cherries, cassis, graphite, leafy tobacco, and damp earth and floral notes all shine here, and it’s full-bodied, has a concentrated, powerful mouthfeel, ripe and perfectly polished tannins, and a great finish. It deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and will have 30-40 years of prime drinking. It will probably merit a perfect rating at maturity, and if this doesn’t put a smile on your face, nothing will.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDWild strawberries, dried herbs, blueberries, pencil lead and fragrant violets - the aromatics are stunning. You can feel the sculpting straight away - fine but firm and slightly grippy tannins set the frame from which the blackcurrant, salty liquorice and dark chocolate emerge as well as continued florality - the violet accents really making their mark. This is a serious wine, dark and almost heady if it weren’t so cool and fresh. There’s no hint of overt heat or spice on the palate, instead you get a layering of pure fruit, fleshiness and minerality. Juicy and alive too, this really packs a lot and changes to red berry fruits after a few minutes with tobacco and slate on the finish. Complex and characterful. A dark horse but a thoroughbred. A wine that as soon as you’ve tasted it you want to taste it again. 3.65pH. Higher than usual new oak at 85% compared to between 75-80% in a normal year.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECOffering up deep aromas of mulberries and cassis mingled with incense, licorice, rose petals, spices and hints of new oak, the 2022 L’Eglise Clinet is full-bodied, deep and layered, with an elegantly muscular core of ripe but vibrant fruit that’s framed by sweet, powdery tannins. Concentrated and multidimensional, it concludes with a long, resonant finish. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, harvested between September 3 and 9, this compelling Pomerol checks in at a largely concealed 14.6% alcohol.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPA blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.6, L’Eglise Clinet 2022 was picked between the 3rd and 9th September and is aging in 85% new oak. It has a deep garnet-purple color and after a swirl or two, vivacious notes of crushed black plums, boysenberry preserves, and lilacs soar from the glass, followed by hints of menthol, wood smoke, crushed rocks, and sandalwood. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is electric, delivering energetic black fruit and mineral layers, with a firm, fine-grained texture and lovely tension, finishing long and earthy. Very seductive!The Wine Independent | 96-98 TWIRipe, fleshy and dense in feel, with full-throated notes of boysenberry and blackberry preserves wrapped in licorice and bramble. The frankly toasted finish offers more than enough fruit to push through, with a late tug of earth to keep everything grounded. For the hedonist crowd. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2027 through 2042. 850 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

This has real al dente fruit character on the palate with lemon rind and blackcurrants with blueberries. Lead pencil and stone, too. Full-bodied with chewy and juicy tannins that are primary and growing quickly on the palate as you taste it. Reminds me of the 1978, but brighter and more precise. 51.7% cabernet sauvignon, 43.2% merlot and 5.1% cabernet franc.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion is matured in 70% new oak. It has a very refined bouquet with mineral-driven dark berry fruit, hints of Earl Grey and freshly-rolled tobacco, focused with exquisite delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins that still provide the backbone to what is the most elegant La Missions that I have tasted at this stage. It is harmonious and silky toward its extremely persistent finish. At the moment, it has got its nose just in front of its First Growth sibling...at least at the moment. For sure, it’s going to be one of the standouts of the 2022 vintage.Vinous Media | 97-99 VMGorgeous intensity on the nose, really fragrant and perfumed, richly scented with black fruits and bramble berries. Round, full, persistent and thrilling on the palate, a perfect balance between rich, concentrated and intense fruit and lively acidity. There is density and crispness while remaining quite pure and focussed, no overt over ripeness or heaviness. Precise and elegant, juicy and alive. This has supreme charm. 4pH.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion is composed of 51.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot, and 5.1% Cabernet Franc aging in 62.2% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it tumbles out of the glass with gregarious notes of plum preserves, creme de cassis, and blueberry compote, followed by hints of sandalwood, violets, and licorice. The full-bodied palate is charged with energetic black fruits, featuring impressive tension and firm, fine-grained tannins, finishing very long and opulent. Typically the more flamboyant sibling to Haut-Brion, it will be hard to keep your paws off this even after only 5-6 years in bottle.The Wine Independent | 97-99 TWIWhile I don’t see the 2022 Château La Mission Haut-Brion matching the legendary wines from this address at this early stage, it’s nevertheless a gorgeous wine in the making. Based on 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, it has a pure, elegant, lengthy style as well as classic cassis and darker cherry fruits, some smoky, tobacco, scorched earth nuances, medium to full body, perfectly ripe tannins, and a great finish. I love its tannins, and it’s a forward, seamless, balanced beauty that will shine with just short-term cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDA rich and muscular wine that reflects the warmth of the vintage, the 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion reveals aromas of dark berries, cherries and crème de cassis mingled with licorice, spices, incense and spring flowers. Full-bodied, broad and concentrated, it’s surprisingly lively despite an elevated pH of 4.0, exhibiting a seamless, broad-shouldered profile with an ample core of fruit framed by rich, powdery tannin. It’s a blend of 51.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot and 5.1% Cabernet Franc.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP

A classical Lafite that reminds me of something like the 1986, with its blackcurrant and tobacco character with cedar and hazelnut, but it’s so today with its purity and precision. It’s really about being Lafite here. Terroir gives great elegance with strength.James Suckling | 99-100 JSA wonderful example of restraint and delicacy in a year where it was easy to overdo. Sharp and straight, you feel the acidity as soon as this enters the mouth, alive, pulsing, bright and shining. Aromatically so expressive after a few minutes. Delicate almost, such a fine tapestry of tannins, present and at the fore but like taffeta or finely woven silk. It has power but you don’t feel it, not instantly anyway, the focus is on the beautiful texture with edges of cool red and blue fruits, flint, graphite, liquorice and tobacco nuances with high acidity that all help build a layered and well constructed mid palate. The structure then focuses and narrows to a mineral, fresh finish. Has bite and succulence, gently muscular with tons of vibrancy. This is definitely one of the less showy wines that really grows on you. A delicious, defined, poised, refined and finessed Lafite. Calm, collected and incredibly charming already. Earliest harvest in over a century, 31 August to 24 September. 17.5% press wine. 3.8pH. 64IPT. 41% grand vin production.Decanter | 98 DECComposed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. The nose is almost impenetrable to start, needing a lot of shaking to wake up delicate scents of crushed red and black currants, raspberry leaves, warm plums, and boysenberries, followed by hints of crushed rocks, damp earth, lilacs, and Jasmine tea, with just a hint of orange peel. The palate is classic great Lafite, featuring incredibly tightly knit layers of black fruits, minerals, and floral notes bound with a rock-solid structure of exquisitely fine, very firm tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. This is an intellectual triumph, but don’t think about touching it for 10-15 years. pH 3.85.The Wine Independent | 98-100 TWIThe 2022 Château Lafite-Rothschild is based on 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot that was harvested between the 31st of August and the 24th of September. It’s a richer, more opulent wine compared to the more classic 2020 (although the pH is higher in the 2020) and has a deep, full-bodied, concentrated profile as well as classic Lafite aromatics of spicy red and black fruits, freshly sharpened pencils, graphite, and tobacco. Deep, rich, and concentrated, it nevertheless stays pure and flawlessly balanced, with ample, ripe tannins and a great finish. It’s going to have some up-front appeal by Lafite standards but should still require a decade of bottle age. Director Eric Koher compares this to the 2005, but this modern-day clone of the 1959 is one of the most powerful, concentrated Lafites I’ve tasted.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDThe 2022 Lafite-Rothschild was picked from 31 August to 24 September and apart from the 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, there is 17.5% pressed wine in the blend. The IPT is slightly lower than 2020. There is 13.6% alcohol this year, higher than 2018 and 2019. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, crushed stone, touches of pencil box and undergrowth, very Lafite-Rothschild in style. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, perfectly judged acidity, linear and focused. Compared to vintages a couple of decades ago, there is mid-palate weight, yet it retains classicism and transparency, while delivering quite a gentle but insistent grip on the finish. Perpetually the most deceptive of First Growth, one should not doubt its long-term potential.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMA blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Lafite Rothschild unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, sweet soils tones, cigar box and lilac. Medium to full-bodied, it’s the most tensile of the first growths this year, with a layered, concentrated but youthfully introverted mid-palate, lively acids and a long, saline finish. It checks in at a rather high pH of 3.85, which belies its incisive profile, from a harvest that extended from August 31 to September 24.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP

A stunning Margaux in 2022 with a bright and vibrant core, deep and persistent, alive and bright with layers of silky but firm tannins that give a gentle grip, powerful and concentrated black fruit, with a clearly defined structure that supports and doesn’t overwhelm. Despite the power this has a delicacy which I love, so pure and clearly charming. Opulent yet racy, really walking the line between heft and sleekness. The acidity really lifts the expression with spiced liquorice and wet stone nuances while staying cool and fresh. Generous, stylish, punchy and polished. An incredibly complex wine that really works. 3.6pH. 88IPT. 18% press wine. Ageing 18-20 months, 100% new oak. No Petit Verdot in the blend. Highest alcohol and tannin level for the grand vin.Decanter | 98 DECThe 2022 Château Margaux is a total stunner. Ripe, opulent and explosive, the 2022 possesses tremendous depth and textural intensity from start to finish. There’s a purity to the fruit that is just striking. The 2022 is a dark, unusually opulent Margaux, with a dense core of fruit, but a good deal of vibrancy to balance things out. Black cherry, lavender, spice and a kiss of new French oak build in the glass, but it is the wine’s delineation and intensity that are most captivating. Vibrant saline notes linger on the seamless, supremely elegant finish. Unforgettable.Vinous Media | 97-99 VMThe Grand Vin 2022 Château Margaux checks in as 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc that’s pulled from just 40% of the total production. It’s a classic Château Margaux with its overriding sense of elegance and purity, yet it’s certainly in the style of the vintage with its depth, richness, and concentration. Cassis, blueberries, acacia flowers, and spice all define the aromatics, and it’s full-bodied, with a seamless, layered mouthfeel, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. The alcohol hit 14.5, and I suspect the pH is relatively high (which is common in the vintage), yet this remains pure, balanced, and is absolutely show-stopping stuff.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDThe 2022 Chateau Margaux, composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. It shoots from the glass with an initial firework display of redcurrant jelly, blackberry pie, and fresh, juicy blackcurrants, followed by an array of iron ore, lilacs, black licorice, and sandalwood-inspired scents, plus a hint of wood smoke. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with rich, concentrated, muscular black and red fruits, supported by exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and fragrant. This is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous effort that should be immortal. This represents 40% of the crop. "It’s been a long time since this much has made it into the First Wine!" commented winemaker Phillipe Bascaules. The pH is 3.61.The Wine Independent | 97-99 TWIA blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, 2022 Château Margaux is one of the most powerful wines ever produced at this estate, wafting from the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, dark berries, violets, burning embers, smoked tea and exotic spices. Full-bodied, deep and layered, it’s rich, velvety and seamless, with a bright core of fruit and a long, heady finish. With the highest analytical measure of tannins since 2010, and an alcohol level a touch above 14%, this is certainly a larger-scaled Château Margaux, yet at this early stage, everything appears to be kept in check.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-97 RPVery dark purple color with a ruby edge. So much crushed blackberry and blackcurrant with violets. Exuberant. Full-bodied and very tannic with incredible muscle. This is a thought-provoking wine. The biggest Margaux I have tasted in my career. Seems a little overdone for Margaux. 92% cabernet sauvignon, 6% merlot and 2% petit verdot.James Suckling | 95-96 JS

This vintage of the 2022 Masseto is 100% Merlot. The nose is pronounced, leading with its mineral aromas of crushed dark stones. It smells like dissolved minerals, delicate peppery accents, black plum, red apples, lavender perfume, and sage. The aromatics are quite profound in this vintage, and on the palate, it’s full-bodied and more structured, with ripe tannins and a good deal of depth and richness, with the minerality shining through. Long on the palate, it’s generous all the way through, and while it feels approachable upfront, more structure comes through on the finish. Allow it some time in cellar and drink 2028-2058.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe summer was so arid in 2022 that the vines shut down and ripening was halted until mid-August rains arrived. This helped to preserve acidity in the grapes, giving sensational freshness to balance the rich and finely structured palate. Masseto 2022, then, combines the best of both worlds: fruit ripeness and concentration, and freshness and poise. It’s not as immediately seductive as the 2021, but there is so much potential in this long-lived vintage. Scents of cool, damp earth, dark hedgerow berries, Mediterranean scrub, and cocoa and wood give a sense of what is to come once time has untangled everything. Zingy, crunchy acidity steals the show early on, segueing into a mouthful of succulent yet dense dark berries and spice imbued with plenty of energy. Then some balsamic herbs and floral notes lighten the palate, before a touch of salinity and some bitter herbs emerge on the finish, with a refrain of bright cherry. Something special.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECA solid and structured red with blackcurrant, chocolate and walnut aromas and underlying toasted wood. Medium- to full-bodied with chewy tannins and a chewy, savory finish. Hints of coconut and toasted oak. It’s muscular and toned. It needs time to soften. Best after 2028.James Suckling | 97 JSThis red is both well-structured and framed with new oak nuances of vanilla, toast and resin, setting the stage for plum, blackberry, fruitcake, mineral and tobacco flavors. There’s a salty element interwoven throughout, along with a fluid feel. Offers fine grip on the lingering finish, so give the dense tannins some time to integrate. Merlot. Best from 2028 through 2043. 410 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2022 Masseto is soft, open-knit and relatively easygoing. The mid-weight structure of the year is very much in evidence in a wine that speaks more to finesse than power. Dark red cherry, plum, new leather, licorice and incense gradually open over time, supported by fine, silky tannins that wrap it all together in style. Masseto is typically much more potent in the early going, in 2022 the more refined style that has begun to emerge here along with the style of the year yield a Masseto that is quite elegant. Its balance is beyond reproach, especially in the integration of something that usually requires at least a few years in bottle.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Moving to the flagship, the 2022 Château Mouton Rothschild is a massive, full-bodied, incredibly powerful 2022 that takes no prisoners with its ripe black and blue fruits, chocolate, graphite, and smoked tobacco-driven aromas and flavors. Deep, unctuous, and concentrated, with velvety tannins, this legendary Mouton is based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot that’s still resting in new barrel. It will unquestionably play with the top wines in the vintage. Harvest here began the 1st of September and finished on the 26th, and the final wine hit 14% natural alcohol, with a pH of 3.89 and an IPT of 76.Jeb Dunnuck | 98-100 JDOne of my favourite 2022s, technically very brilliant but it’s the texture that wows, generous, fruity, sleek, supple, it gives stone and graphite touches putting the terroir in the glass and overall this just screams elegance and finesse and above all drinkability! Smooth and shiny, silky, sleek, delicious from the first sip. Mouthwatering acidity combined with tannins that have the perfect balance of flinty grip, fleshy fruit and cool minerality. Certainly not shouting, they haven’t pushed too far at all, more restrained and refined while still delivering a gorgeous mouthful of wine. Classy and refreshing. Concentrated but clean, pure and vibrant. Wonderful, magical - giving the concentration of the hot vintage which is want you want, but this is moreish and so succulent. One you’ll want to finish the glass and then have more immediately. 16.4% press - 4% above normal, usually at 12-13%. 49% grand vin. 3.89pH. 76 IPT. Aged 100% in new barrels. 98-100 points. Decanter | 98 DECThe Mouton-specific creme de cassis is all there. Al dente, too. The grapes must have been picked at near perfection. Depth and complexity. Black berries, earth, violets and other flowers. Full-bodied yet very hemmed-in with tight tannins, which are precise and polished. You can taste the grape skins and dust of the soil. The length is rather endless. 92% cabernet sauvignon.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2022 Mouton Rothschild, 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, is aging in 100% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is incredibly closed to start off, needing a lot of shaking to wake up subtle notes of blackcurrant jelly, ripe blackberries, and fresh mulberries, leading to hints of espresso, crushed rocks, iris bulb, and star anise. Compared with the nose, the mouth wows with explosive, intense flavors of cassis, black cherries, and licorice that fill the palate, framed by very firm, beautifully ripe tannins and a lively backbone, finishing very long with mineral and floral sparks. It is amazing how classical this Mouton this is, considering the extreme vintage. A legend in the making. pH 3.89, TPI 76.The Wine Independent | 98-100 TWIA brilliant wine that likely sits somewhere between the 2019 and 2020 in quality, the 2022 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot. Unwinding in the glass with complex aromas of minty cassis, cigar wrapper, violets and subtle hints of loamy soil, it’s full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered core of fruit and a fleshy, elegantly muscular profile. Broad-shouldered and seamless, it concludes with a long, resonant finish. This year the grand vin represents some 49% of the estate’s production.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-99 RPThe 2022 Mouton Rothschild was picked 1 to 26 September with one of the highest Cabernet Sauvignon contents in years, matured in 100% new oak as usual. Very deep, almost opaque in color. It is stubborn on the nose, at first, backward, then opens after 10 minutes with black plum, cassis and violet aromas. It is more voluptuous than the 2022 Lafite-Rothschild which is what you expect. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy and quite strict tannins (the IPT is 76), that frame layers of black fruit laced with tobacco and graphite. Powerful, almost burly, it is perhaps how the 1986 tasted in its youth. A Mouton-Rothschild determined to make a statement and it certainly does that. Feels a bit like tasting Thor’s hammer at the moment, but it will just require considerable cellaring. 14.05% alcohol.Vinous Media | 96-98 VM

One of the few 2022 Tuscan wines where you can really see that this will benefit from a few years in bottle, right now it is, hovering on the edge of something delicious, vibrating over the tannic architecture, feathered, campfire smoke, fennel, blackberry, liquorice and crushed peonies, and the bitter fennel and slate scrape, dense, contrast of textures and flavours like only truly great wines can do, a reflection of skilful construction. A gorgeous wine, slowly stretching out in the palate, 65% new oak for ageing. Harvest began August 9 for the whites, and the reds began August 25 with Masseto, and then a few days later for Ornellaia, one of the earliest on record, with around 38hl/h yield.Jane Ansen | 99 JAA Mediterranean-style wine. Stunning elegance on the nose, with vibrant dried eucalyptus leaves, flowers, restrained brambleberries and hints of black cherries, dried bananas, milk chocolate, cloves and graphite. The palate is full-bodied with elegant tannins and a touch of dust. It’s savory and well packed, with integrated, brilliant freshness and a ripe, fruity finish with a toasty aftertaste of blond tobacco. Try from 2026.James Suckling | 98 JSTasted a few months after it was bottled, the Ornellaia 2022 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia will be coming to market in March 2025. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. The wine sees 18 months of aging with up to 70% new oak, but the trick, proprietor Lamberto Frescobaldi tells me, is drawing from a large group of coopers with different toast levels and forests. "I don’t want to make a wine of any one tonnellerie," he says. The oak element is crucial to the identity of this wine that reveals dark fruit, blackberry, sweet spice and cinnamon. Most of the vines were planted in the 1980s, and the average age of the plants is over 20 years old. Fruit comes from many parcels, including Bellaria, Bellaria Nuova, Bellaria Alta, Pero, Fosso, Vigna Vecchia and Stallina. Indeed, some 80 wines are made before final blending. The 2022 vintage will be remembered for its full-bodied appeal, concentrated fruit and generous oak renderings. Petit Verdot plays a slightly larger role in this vintage and was one of the surprise hits of 2022. It serves to elongate the wine and adds to its length. The wine’s abundant fruit weight cedes to elegantly integrated tannins. This vintage will appeal to die-hard Ornellaia enthusiasts.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2022 Ornellaia is a terrific wine for the year. Dark red-toned fruit, mocha, new leather, licorice and spice all take shape in a mid-weight, pliant Ornellaia that is quite alluring, even in the early going. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, unusual for the elevated presence of Petit Verdot, which did better than Franc in 2022. The higher percentage of Petit Verdot comes through in the wine’s dark-leaning personality and also in the quality of tannins. More than anything else, the 2022 is a reminder of how important a tool blending is, especially in challenging years. I can’t wait to see how this ages. The 2022 Ornellaia is clearly among the most successful wines of the vintage.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2022 Ornellaia is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 10% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. A deep but bright purple/red color, it has a fantastic nose of blackberries, polished cedar, lavender, sweet herbs, and dark cocoa. Full-bodied, it has a rich structure, with warming concentration but a very balanced feel. The tannins are ripe and frame the underlying mineral notes very nicely, its fruity richness fleshing it out harmoniously. It is not a fruity vintage for this wine, though, and its structure leads here. Drink 2027-2050.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDFeaturing a hefty 10% of Petit Verdot this year for an injection of freshness and structure, Ornellaia 2022 is rich, deep and tightly coiled, with some pretty red fruits and floral notes overlaying dark, juicy berries. It’s a dense style which reflects the vintage but looks towards harmony and poise: the woody frame and fine, structural tannins are countered by very good acidity and a bright fruit profile, with some breezy herbs helping to lift the long, fresh finish. Give this some more time in the bottle before enjoying.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECBroad and lush, this red reveals ripe flavors of black currant, black cherry and blackberry shaded with cedar, iron and sweet spices. Balanced, with a few youthful edges that still need polishing. Its fine core of saturated fruit persists on the aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2028 through 2043. 2,165 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

So much class in the nose with a sophisticated kaleidoscope of dark fruit such as blackcurrants, and spices such as salt and pepper, as well as cloves and nutmeg. Full-bodied. Compacted and dense yet weightless. It opens beautifully. The tannins go on and on with wonderful presence. Salty undertones.James Suckling | 98-99 JSThe 2022 Château Palmer is utterly brilliant, so much so that I questioned in my notes if this would challenge the 2018. A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, from tiny yields of 22 hectoliters per hectare, its mammoth-sized personality offers layers of blue and black fruits, notes of melted chocolate, crushed stone, and spring flowers, building, velvety tannins, and a great, great finish. While many estates commented that they extracted less in the vintage, Palmer went in a different direction and extracted more during the vinifications to provide a solid backbone to match the concentration and power of the vintage. It appears to have worked brilliantly, and hats off to Thomas Duroux for having the confidence to go his own path. He has produced a truly Grand Vin in 2022. The alcohol here is a normal 14.4%, and the pH is a healthy 3.79.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDSharp, energetic, racy and electric. The power and concentration is evident in the dark, rich, concentrated fruit with tannins that grip and take hold with a crushed stone texture, liquorice, graphite, tobacco and cool mint spice. The expression is exceptionally delineated with focus and push from start to finish. Quite bold and charged, but I love the succulence, the perfumed fruit, chalky sensation and overall sense of confidence. In high definition in terms of sharpness and tang to the fruit. A big wine but delivered with poise. 3.79pH. 13% press wine. Harvest took one month from 7 September to 5 October. 70% grand vin, 30% Alter Ego.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2022 Palmer was cropped at just 22hL/ha due to the berries being 25-30% smaller than usual. It bursts forth on the nose with precocious black cherries, blueberry, violet and touches of marmalade and tobacco in the background. Complex and expressive. The palate is structured, with the tannic backbone, that winemaker Thomas Duroux talked about, lending this Palmer a sense of verticality. Hints of black pepper emerge with time, multi-layered, a powerful Margaux and yet the IPT is actually lower than elsewhere (76). Quite linear on the tobacco-infused finish, which is just quintessential Palmer. Do reserve a bin in your cellar for this and let it gather dust for at least a decade. 14.4% alcohol.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMComposed of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Palmer is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of shaking and swirling to lure out a soft-spoken perfume of roses, lavender, star anise, and cloves, leading to a profound core of Morello cherries, fresh, juicy blackberries, and blackcurrant cordial. The full-bodied palate is stacked with layer upon layer of black, blue, and red fruits, supported by a skyscraper structure of very firm, very ripe, grainy tannins and superb tension, finishing with epic length and depth. This is a monumental achievement. pH 3.79.The Wine Independent | 96-98+ TWIAs is the case at neighbor Château Margaux, the 2022 Palmer is one of the most powerful wines this estate has ever produced. A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, it offers up aromas of blackberries, burning embers, violets, iris and sweet soil tones, followed by a full-bodied, broad and expansive palate, its velvety attack segueing into a rich and layered core. Supple, seamless and concentrated, it checks in at 14.4% alcohol and a rather high pH of 3.79.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP

Plenty of red currant, cedar, iron and terra cotta aromas follow through to a medium to full body with graphite, sandalwood, red currants and fresh Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and rosemary. The tannins are chewy but polished in texture. This is a Sassicaia that needs three or four years of bottle age to come together and soften. A structured wine for the cellar. Try after 2029.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2022 Sassicaia is simply brilliant in this vintage, showing a remarkable level of poise and freshness. It opens with a captivating bouquet of ripe blackberries, plum, florals and subtle herbs, underscored by a touch of spice, tobacco and minerals. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied and well-structured, with velvety tannins and a lively acidity that provides perfect balance. Rich flavors of red/dark fruits, tobacco and spices unfold beautifully, leading to a long, persistent finish that is both refined and elegant. A stunning example of Sassicaia’s pedigree and resilience to thrive year after year.International Wine Report | 98 IWRThe Tenuta San Guido 2022 Bolgheri Sassicaia reveals a beautiful fruit profile with fresh blackberry, tart cherry and Mediterranean tones of blue rosemary blooms and lavender sachet. I tasted this wine several times over the course of a few months, and it has already shown a happy evolution coming into slow focus like the faint colors that emerge from a Polaroid photograph. Indeed, the bouquet appeared more closed just a short while ago. The wine’s strongest suit is its elegantly streamlined mouthfeel and its contained 13.5% alcohol content. These qualities add to the silky cleanness of the mouthfeel and the accessible freshness of this vintage. I am confident that this bottle will improve with time. It requires patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe wine is tightly coiled and concentrated. It feels almost cinched at the waist, with a fascinating tension between the weight of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry coulis fruit and the wine’s verticality, as if it’s trying to burst out. Lovely mid-palate sapidity is allied to fresh acidity and fine but dense tannins, making for a dark horse of a Sassicaia that isn’t giving much away today but will greatly reward those who can cellar it for 12 years and more. ‘What is sure is that 2022 will need a lot of time, but will also have a long life,’ said Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta. A hot vintage, 2022 caused the team to work in the newly completed refrigerated warehouses in San Guido, even moving the sorting table inside. Shorter macerations and 23 rather than the more typical 24 or 25 months of ageing in wood helped to maximise the freshness.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECOpening with aromas of menthol, dark spice, blue flower and dark-skinned berry, the 2022 Sassicaia is impressive and defied my expectations. Hailing from what was a notoriously hot, dry year, the estate’s location, including its hillside vineyards, vicinity to the woods plus much-needed rain in August preserved freshness and aromas as did harvesting somewhat earlier than usual, shorter skin maceration and slightly less time in oak. Showing elegant restraint, it’s balanced and tense, delivering flavors of ripe blackberry, wild cherry, licorice and mint. It’s still quite tight and youthfully austere, with a backbone of firm, refined tannins and fresh acidity. Give it time to fully unwind. Drink 2030–2042. Abv: 13.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 97 KOThe 2022 Sassicaia is a very pretty, expressive wine. There’s a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon (and less Franc) in this year’s blend, and that really comes through in the wine’s flavor profile and slightly bruising tannins. Dark cherry, plum, leather, licorice, graphite and incense give the 2022 striking aromatic presence to match its rather brooding personality. There’s a bit of tension in the tannins that needs time to resolve. Yields were down about 20% because of intensely cold weather in spring, variable conditions during flowering and set, and then searing heat and drought throughout the summer.Vinous Media | 94+ VM

Floral and tensioned with precision that gives it incredible brightness. It’s dreamy and energetic with purity and serenity. Full-bodied yet structured and polished. Dynamic young wine. Merlot and cabernet franc blend.James Suckling | 99-100 JSA monumental wine from the Moueix stable this year giving remarkable power and intensity, and a certain headiness that only Pomerol can do, but with a stylish presentation that offers grip and bite. Bold and intense, plush in terms of texture, but the tannins have spiced edges which gives the definition and edges, making this quite a serious and also sharp and thrilling wine. The power is there no doubt, as well as excitement and tension. Compact though, not so linear, it’s more coiled and all at the fore but still focussed, detailed and well defined. It’s a baby, but an enormous one, this will need time to really expand but this has stunning potential. 7.2ha, gravel on clay. Harvest 1-19 September.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2022 Trotanoy was picked 1-19 September. Clean and precise on the nose, yet obdurate (no surprise) and demanding that you will have to wait at least a decade. This is a Trotanoy that has resolved to keep everything up its sleeve aromatically. The palate is more compelling with its cathedral-like structure, judicious sprinkling of black pepper and its uncompromising grippy yet detailed finish. Immense…in a good way.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMSmoked earth, leather, graphite, and tobacco, as well as a massive amount of ripe red and black fruits, emerge from the 2022 Château Trotanoy, a rich, structured, powerful Pomerol with a stacked mid-palate, building tannins, and a great, great finish. It’s one of the few Pomerols that has the capacity to match what they achieved in 2018 and 2020.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThe 2022 Trotanoy offers up rich aromas of blackberries, cherries, licorice and sweet spices, followed by a full-bodied, rich and tannic palate that’s broad shouldered, powerful and concentrated. As ever, this is the most muscular, structured, robust wine in the Mouiex portfolio, a shorter than usual maceration notwithstanding, and it will require patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-95 RP

The 2022 Vieux Château Certan is a wine of tremendous sophistication and polish. I expected to see a more opulent VCC, but the 2022 is surprisingly delicate and nuanced. The blend is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, which means all the Cabernets at the château were used in Grand Vin. Perhaps that explains the wine’s construction, favoring length, persistence and aromatics more than size. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice and licorice hints linger on the super-expressive finish. There’s really not much more to say except that the 2022 is magical. “Real heat started in June," explained Alexandre Thienpont. “We had 15mm of rain over two days in mid-August that really helped. Even so, yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare, so lower than 2020. Berries weighed less athan a gram and juice yields were low.”Vinous Media | 98-100 VMOne of the wines of the vintage, without a doubt, the 2022 Vieux Château Certan comes from healthy yields of 38 hectoliters per hectare and is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Jaw-droppingly good in every sense, its deep purple hue is followed by a massive array of black cherries, violets, red plums, chocolate, and violets. This carries to a full-bodied Pomerol with a voluptuously layered mouthfeel, perfect tannins, and a great, great finish. I never find Vieux Château Certan to have the overt power and structure of Petrus, or the feminine elegance of Conseillante, but it’s unrivaled in its texture, seamlessness, and purity. If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will. And I’ll be a buyer.Jeb Dunnuck | 98-100 JDGreat expressiveness on the nose; perfumed blackcurrants, black cherries, strawberries, notes of dark chocolate, graphite and liquorice - smells serious. Supple and taught on the palate but with a really juicy core that gives life and energy. Tannins are excellent, giving weight and texture - a combination of chewy and fleshy but with a crushed stone and spiced edge. Lively, bright, intense, concentrated and suave. It’s rich, broad, muscular, complex and nuanced but at the same time stylish with lots of life, balance and freshness. This leaves the most gorgeous lingering expression and a sense that it’s going to be both extremely accessible in its youth and have great ageing potential. 3.78pH. A yield of 35hl/ha.Decanter | 98 DECThe freshness and dynamic sense to the wine is so surprising. Minerally and salty. It’s full yet racy. Black ink and oyster shell. Excellent length. 25% cabernet franc, 5% cabernet sauvignon and the rest, merlot.James Suckling | 98-99 JSA blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon with a yield of 35 hl/ha, the 2022 Vieux Chateau Certan is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, notes of black cherry preserves, black raspberries, and juicy black plums rocket out of the glass, followed by suggestions of star anise, lilacs, rose oil, and truffles with a waft of fertile loam. The full-bodied palate slowly grows in the mouth with layers of emerging mineral, floral, and exotic spice nuances intertwined with concentrated black fruits, supported by super-plush tannins and perfectly knit freshness, culminating in a very long-lasting firework display of floral and spice notes. pH 3.78.The Wine Independent | 98-100 TWIA blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (very similar to the 2019), the 2022 Vieux Château Certan is a magical wine of exemplary harmony and balance. Offering up complex aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, licorice, iris, violets and loamy soil, it’s full-bodied, supple and seamless, its sweet structuring tannins entirely concealed by a multidimensional core of pure, vibrant fruit. This sensual, perfumed Pomerol is likely to rank alongside the 2019 and 2016 in the pantheon of recent Vieux Château Certan vintages.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97-99 RPA beautifully dense wine blending Merlot and 23% of both Cabernets, with black spice and cedar aromas. There is a straight line of acidity and tight spice followed by pure black-currant flavors. Drink from 2028. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE