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One of the unequivocally great wines of the vintage is the 2019 Cheval Blanc, a stunning young Saint-Émilion that wafts from the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with notions of lilac, pipe tobacco, violets, raw cocoa, licorice, crushed mint and burning embers. Full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it’s deep and intense, with beautifully rich, powdery tannins and vibrant flavors. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this rivals the 2016 as the finest Cheval Blanc of the decade, and in many respects it might be thought of as the latter vintage’s sun-kissed cousin. Bravo to Pierre-Olivier Clouet and his team!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2019 Cheval Blanc is a stunning, riveting wine. There is simply nothing like a great Cheval in all of Bordeaux. Soaring aromatics are immediately alluring. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, espresso and dried herbs build in a Cheval that possesses tremendous layers and exceptional balance. Clean, mineral notes lend tension and drive. The 2019 is a bit strict today and not ready to show all its cards, but it is very clearly a special, special wine in the making. In 2019, the Grand Vin represents 82.5% of the estate’s production, a very high amount by any measure. I wouldn’t dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. The 2019 is an eternal Cheval Blanc.Antonio Galloni | 100 AGBlackcurrants, cassis, graphite and earth on the nose, then changing to roses, violets and berries. Full-bodied with incredible energy of fine tannins and lively acidity. It grows on the palate and escalates to the summit of perfect wine. Very powerful at the end. Holding back and a great finish. Quantity and quality. Menthol. Cool. One of the greatest young Cheval Blancs I have ever tasted. 58% merlot, 34% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon. Great finish. Give it time. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 100 JSReminding me slightly of the 1990, the 2019 Château Cheval Blanc is a brilliant, brilliant wine from this estate that’s up there with the true greats. It shows the purity, finesse, and elegance of the vintage beautifully yet backs it up with density, concentration, and depth, revealing a stunning nose of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, new saddle leather, and spring flowers, with absolutely perfect ripeness. As complex and nuanced as only Cheval Blanc can be, even at this young age, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, abundant opulence, fat, and sweetness, polished tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It’s almost in a class all its own. It deserves at least 5-7 years of bottle age and will shine for 30+ years. Hats off to Pierre-Olivier Clouet, who continues to keep this estate at the top of the pyramid in Saint-Emilion!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDA sexy, direct and precise Cheval with a seriously expressive nose of dark chocolate, blackcurrants and perfumed red cherries. The palate starts off slow and delicate and builds in the mouth, gaining in character and intensity. The acidity is more marked after a few sips, mouthwatering and juicy, giving the palate real life and verve as the generous fruit flavours come into play, a lovely strawberry and raspberry vein with some mint notes all the way through giving such freshness and cooling sensations in the mouth, while soft tannins balanced by acidity give length and direction. Real weight and depth but also delicacy – concentration and restraint – lift, but such coolness. A sensational wine with pure energy. Cheval, 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2050Decanter | 99 DECThis has loads of dark currant, fig and blackberry preserve notes that are supported by dense waves of loam and warm gravel, all hallmarks of the 2019 growing season. But there’s an extra dimension here, thanks to its remarkably lush and fine-grained texture, with endless ripples of tobacco, bay and singled sandalwood and balsam wood through the finish. In the end, it’s the combination of power, refinement and expressing an essentially unharnessable vintage that sets this red apart from the pack. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2045. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe wine has power. It is dense but with such concentration along with a fine perfumed character from the Cabernet Franc in the blend. The wine’s richness is impressive while leaving plenty of room for fruit. This fine wine will age well. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE

The 2019 Château La Fleur-Pétrus is a stunning example of what makes a great Pomerol – richness without weight, incredible elegance, complexity, and length, all of which it has in abundance. Giving up darker, powerful aromatics of blackcurrants, darker cherries, tobacco, chocolate, and just hints of spring flowers, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, concentrated, incredibly sexy mouthfeel, perfect tannins, and a great finish. It’s one of the most opulent, seamless, impressive wines in the vintage, although it needs at least 7-8 years of bottle age. It should be a 30- to 40-year wine. Bravo!Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDSo much dried-flower, black-olive, earth and spice character, together with dried fruit, violets and black licorice. Full, yet so fine and linear. It accelerates at the finish, going on and on. A classic beauty. So racy. Best after 2028.James Suckling | 98 JSGorgeous aromatics with some savoury elements; truffle, tobacco, mocha and ripe black bramble fruits. Excellent precision and tension in the mouth, this is refined but layered with chocolate, coffee, liquorice, stone, some bitter orange notes alongside blackcurrant and black cherry. Incredible texture, mouth coating for sure but so sophisticated, it’s layered yet so well defined, pulsing with energy on the palate in waves of fruit then cooling mint then spice then more fruit which lingers in the mouth. Elegant but also so complex, you can sit with this for a while savouring each element. Such a fantastic wine.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2019 La Fleur-Pétrus dares to outshine Trotanoy this year, wafting from the glass with aromas of rich berry fruit, plum preserve, dark chocolate, cigar box and spices. Full-bodied, rich and enveloping, it’s broad and layered, with beautifully polished tannins, a ripe core of fruit and a seamless, enveloping profile. This is an elegantly muscular, generous Pomerol whose sumptuous personality reflects the warm, dry vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPSeriously dark and winey, showing a deep core of black currant preserve, warmed fig paste and plum reduction flavors inlaid with racy graphite, mouthwatering tobacco and enticing singed alder, bay leaf and freshly plowed humus. Delivers density, grip and definition on the long finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 2,880 cases made, 262 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSI grossly underrated the 2019 La Fleur-Pétrus blind at rued my initial score as it meliorated in the glass. It has a wonderful nose with blackberry, crushed stone and pressed flowers - the oak is beautifully integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and a generous heaping of white pepper; the oak is just a bit too pronounced on the finish, though it assimilates with time in the glass and gains more complexity. Give this 3-4 years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMComposed of 94% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2019 La Fleur-Petrus is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens with lifted kirsch, cedar, and black raspberry scents, followed by notions of sandalwood, preserved plums, and chocolate box plus a waft of star anise. The full-bodied palate is jam packed with ripe black fruits, framed by firm tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy.The Wine Independent | 95 TWIThe structure of the wine masks the superrichness of the black fruits. Tannins are definitely to the fore giving density and ripeness. This is a big wine, needing to age. Drink from 2027. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEWith a lovely strawberry freshness, this wine, from a renowned estate on the deep clay and gravels of the Pomerol plateau, delivers its clean and lasting fruit in tastes of cassis and sweet cherries. Merlot dominates the blend, accounting for 91 percent of the 45.8 acres under vine. This should develop complexity as it ages.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 92 W&S

The 2019 Lafleur is an utterly profound young wine that unwinds in the glass with aromas of rose petals, raspberries and sweet spices mingled with notions of blood orange, violets and fresh tobacco that are hauntingly reminiscent of this estate’s great 1982. Full-bodied, deep and seamless, it’s layered and multidimensional, with a concentrated core of vibrant fruit, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, searingly intense finish. This magical Lafleur is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPIf tasting the 2019 Château Lafleur doesn’t just blow you away, I’m not sure what will. A perfect wine, if such a thing exists, it offers such a complex, singular profile in its black raspberries, kirsch liqueur, licorice, exotic flowers, white truffles, and sandalwood. On the palate, it has serious structure, yet the tannins build with time in the glass, and the mid-palate density and balance are so flawlessly integrated, you have to actually hunt for the structure. Pure, sensationally rich, and at the same time elegant, with awesome depth of fruit, this is what wine dreams are made of. It might be the finest young wine to ever pass my lips. It needs a solid decade of bottle age, 15 years would be even better (it will still blow your mind any time over the coming decade), and it will evolve gracefully over the following 30-40 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDFresh berries, plums, damsons, sloes, a touch of spice and irises and peonies. But that’s just the start. For as this gathers in the air, breathes, relaxes and then exhales just a little it releases more floral notes, almonds too, pain d’épices, cassis and then, eventually, graphite and cedar. Quite ethereal. But what is most amazing about this wine is its structure and the dynamism in the mouth that it imparts. The potential here is quite staggering. One of the most remarkable tasting experiences of my life.Decanter | 100 DECThis is crazy on the nose with crushed stones and violets really rising above the glass, together with iodine, seaweed and ink. Spellbinding. Full-bodied, yet so tight and reserved, with a fine cashmere-like texture and endless length and energy. You can sense the stones and the earth here, but then it reaches to the skies. It’s open, but you feel the depth of the soil. A reference point for the vintage. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2019 Lafleur has a more fruit-driven bouquet, perhaps a little less cerebral than its peers in this flight. Mulberry intermixed with pencil box and undergrowth. With aeration, thankfully, it does gain more nuance and complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, symmetrical, quite austere with Early Grey, bay leaf and clove, superb crescendo towards the almost audacious finish. Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.Vinous Media | 99 VMMade from 53% Merlot and 47% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc), the 2019 Lafleur is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly grows in the glass, emerging with scents of blueberry compote, prunes, and dark chocolate, followed by suggestions of garrigue, cedar, and wild sage. The full-bodied palate is firm, grainy, and hedonic, featuring loads of savory nuances and finishing on a lingering aniseed note.The Wine Independent | 98+ TWI

The 2019 Château Pétrus is a behemoth, and I can’t imagine a better marriage of sexy, opulent fruit with purity, precision, and length. Always all Merlot from a single parcel of clay soils, it takes time to unwind in the glass (I followed this bottle for multiple days) and offers a powerful, primordial style in its black cherries, mulberries, smoked tobacco, damp earth, and chocolate, as well as a beautiful floral component that emerges with air. Dense, concentrated, and incredibly rich on the palate, it has a multi-dimensional mouthfeel and sweet yet substantial tannins. Despite plenty of glycerin and opulence on the palate, which certainly makes it fun to taste today, it has a very straight, classic feel that will demand bottle age. It probably needs to be forgotten for 8-10 years and will deliver the goods over the following 50 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDOlivier Berrouet turned out a fabulous Petrus in 2019. A gorgeous, expansive wine, the 2019 opens beautifully over time. There is a feeling of radiance in the 2019 that is impossible to miss. Hints of rose petal, lavender, mint and cinnamon meld effortlessly into a core of red/purplish fruit. At 14.8%, the alcohol is high, but not intrusive. "We worked very hard to extract as gently as possible," Berrouet explained. Readers lucky enough to own the 2019 should plan on cellaring it for a decade or more.Vinous Media | 98 VMA seductive and sensual nose full of ripe and sweetly-perfumed cherry and blackcurrant notes - which are even more expressive and abundant after an hour in the glass. This is such a beguiling wine, changing in texture and fruit profile several times from a first sip of smooth and streamlined, chalky tannins to one filled with bright acidity and succulent juiciness then shifting another gear delivering a palate full of concentrated dark fruits edged with liquorice and black pepper. The tannins are abundant and clearly present, Olivier Berrout director of Petrus says he’s never produced a vintage with such high tannins, but they are wonderfully consistent and well integrated with a lovely powdery element to them. You really feel the structure develop in the mouth, building in complexity and layers with a beautiful perfume and wet stone minerality lingering on the long finish. You have to wait for the reticence and reservation of Petrus in its youth to subside before you see the power and energy here but it’s giving a tantalising glimpse of what its long life holds in store.Decanter | 98 DECGorgeous, offering a pure, concentrated beam of raspberry and boysenberry puree that drives through, with mouthwatering anise, black tea and apple wood accents and a perfectly embedded graphite spine. Features fruit that just won’t quit, picking up extra energy from a savory thread as it moves through. Best from 2025 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 2019 Pétrus is a powerful, heady wine, bursting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, cassis, violets, spices, licorice and kirsch. Full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with an ample core of fruit, lively acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the liqueured finish, it’s a ripe, high-octane Petrus that reflects the influence of a dry, warm growing season on what is essentially a single cépage (Merlot) and a single soil type (clay).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

Rather tropical fruit aromas like pineapple and mangoes, as well as white peaches and lemons with hints of stones and minerals. It’s full-bodied with plenty of fruit, yet it’s fresh and steely. Lots of white peaches at the end. Hints of lees too, like bread dough. 80% sauvignon blanc and 20% semillon.James Suckling | 96 JSCola, liquorice and ripe blueberries on the nose - perfumed, heady and expressive. So delicious on the palate, smooth and driving with excellent energy - a youthful tension to the mid-palate. Sleek and stylish with a gorgeous texture, perfectly weighted to give a mouthfilling expression yet keeping a refined and focused delivery of black fruit, liquorice and floral flavours. Impressive and supremely pleasurable - this makes you want a glass immediately. Spicy, and perfumed because of the Cabernet Franc but all the better for it with 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2020 Le Petit Cheval is stunning. Rich, deep and expansive, the Petit Cheval is outrageously good. In fact, it could easily be mistaken for a Cheval Blanc from anything less than a great vintage. The aromatics are alluring and the balance is sublime; all that really identifies this as a second wine is a bit of mid-palate depth. Sweet floral and spice accents extend the effortless, gracious finish.Vinous Media | 94 VMI wrote in my note on the 2020 Château Cheval Blanc Le Petit Cheval that this is "one hell of a second wine," and it has a kiss of the elegance and complexity found in the top cuvée. Black fruits, roasted herbs, graphite, and scorched earth notes all emerge from this ruby/purple-hued beauty, which has medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. It will drink nicely for 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThis second wine shows so many of the rich, dense qualities of the top wine. Bold black fruits are sustained by serious tannins and a dry core. It will age well. Drink from 2026Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2020 Le Petit Cheval offers up aromas of minty cherries, plums, raw cocoa, mint and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and voluptuous palate underpinned by a broad-shouldered chassis of tannin. A blend of 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot, it’s a rather structured young Petit Cheval that will reward a bit of patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RPSleek and solid, with a well-defined core of dark currant and black cherry puree lined with black licorice and sweet tobacco. Boasts black tea and warm paving stone accents through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2033.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

A seriously impressive Petrus in 2020. Less hedonistic and instantly emotional than 2019, more sultry, almost shy and reserved but with definition, weight, succulence and suppleness that shines through. It has a silky tannic tension and clear power but not heft, only a soft muscular expansion that comes with a grip and chew to the black fruits with medicinal, liquorice edges and mouthwatering acidity. Understated yet utterly captivating, it takes its time to come out of its shell - a little serious right now but at the same time it’s stylish with a bright, lifted finish reminding you of the juicy freshness that’s possible even in such warm vintages. A shining star that will be magnificent in time.Decanter | 100 DECAs I observed to Olivier Berrouet, it’s hardly very original to find a wine critic extolling the virtues of this Pomerol reference point; and yet, whether one likes it or not, there’s no denying that the 2020 Pétrus is a brilliant achievement and indeed one of the very finest vintages at this address over the last two decades. Unwinding in the glass with a deep bouquet of dark berries, cherries and cassis mingled with hints of exotic spices, violets and vine smoke, it’s full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with huge depth at the core, exquisitely refined tannins and a youthfully reserved, even restrained profile despite its power and size. This serious, classically proportioned Pétrus is a monument in the making.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe transparency and complexity in the nose is wonderful, with so much floral character like violets and roses with some fresh spices. Dark berries, too. Sandalwood. It’s medium-bodied but then it just opens and unfolds with incredible depth of fine tannins and great length. It goes on for minutes. It opens like butterfly wings. What a wine. Superb. Drink after 2028.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2020 Pétrus is a wine of pure and total sensuality. Silky, creamy tannins wrap around a core of dark red and black fruit. A wine with explosive depth but no hard edges and mind-blowing balance, the 2020 is so alluring, even in the early going. Time in the glass brings out lifted floral top notes that add freshness. What strikes most is the elegance of the tannins. I don’t think I have ever tasted a young Pétrus like the 2020. Technical Director Olivier Berrouet gave the 2020 a bit more time on the skins than is normal. Aging was 17-18 months in oak. Let’s cut to the chase. The 2020 Pétrus is profoundly great.Vinous Media | 99 VMWonderfully aromatic, this wine offers ripe tannins that give the appearance of softness. That’s deceptive because the wine’s structure is massive and concentrated. Velvet black fruits are embedded in the texture, superripe without losing freshness. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEDelivers a fairly gorgeous beam of ripe, lush, unadulterated raspberry fruit flecked with light anise, apple wood and sweet tobacco hints along the way, but this is driven from start to finish primarily by the fruit. Showing a subtle mineral edge that adds detail on the finish, this has impressive poise for the vintage. Finishes with a burnish leather feel rather than succulence, but that’s the vintage’s fault in the end. Best from 2026 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Brambles, purple flowers, and green tobacco leaves followed by tree bark, crushed rocks, dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans. Full-bodied, superb fine tannins that is juicy and succulent with bright acidity. Vibrant and energetic, yet harmonious with classy depth and finesse. Fantastic 2021. Try after 2030.James Suckling | 97 JSSmooth and supple, a nice energy and focus to this, clean and clear with a lovely purity and finesse. Lots of red berry fruit, just ripe, almost on the tangy sour side but stays in the right place, giving a good, wide mouthful without feeling too heavy or dense or pushed. Clear and racy with nicely gripping tannins and lots of fresh mint, menthol and wet stone on the finish. Tension, focus and drive, I’d like to see how this evolves. Excellent potential.Decanter | 95 DECThis leather and black-pepper-spiced wine has richness, structure and density. It comes from a 40-acre vineyard in the heart of Pomerol. There is structure from the generous tannins and black-plum fruits. Drink this fine wine from 2028. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2021 La Fleur-Pétrus has realized all the potential it showed in barrel and stands out as a real success on the Right Bank. Wafting from the glass with notes of cherries, dark berries, licorice, anise, violets and baking chocolate, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with a velvety attack that segues into a suave, seamless mid-palate that exhibits good depth and concentration.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2021 Château La Fleur-Petrus comes from 18.7 hectares of vines planted in the deep clay and gravelly soils located on the upper plateau of Pomerol. Harvested between September 23 and October 6 and just about all Merlot (there’s 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot), its ruby/plum hue gives way to a beautifully textured, round, supple, elegant Pomerol that has solid underlying tannins, good mid-palate depth, and outstanding length. Give this charming, forward, undeniably delicious Pomerol 2-4 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDA blend of 95% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, La Fleur-Petrus 2021 is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock notes of baked plums and black raspberries, giving way to hints of cracked black pepper, lavender, graphite, and aniseed. The medium-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating, beautifully pure black and red fruit flavors, with a grainy texture and seamless freshness, finishing on a perfumed note.The Wine Independent | 94 TWIThe 2021 La Fleur-Pétrus is a very complete, satisfying wine. Its mid-weight structure makes the 2021 a fine candidate for near and medium-term drinking. Crushed flowers, lavender, black cherry, mocha and leather add a dark, brooding quality, but this remains a pretty understated vintage here.Vinous Media | 93 VMA step up in this vintage, this shows layers of dark currant and blackberry puree, plus ample notes of sweet tobacco, bay, warm earth and singed alder. Long and refined through the finish, this tilts toward savory overall but offers ample fruit notes in reserve. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2040. 2,700 cases made, 252 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

A clear stand out in 2022 with so much promise. Bright and energetic, quite lean in terms of tannic structure but straight and not austere or raw, maintains a clear direction with detail and definition all the way through. Nothing seems too much, great energy and focus with cool black and blue fruits, a salty minerality and toasted liquorice. Delicate almost, such refinement given the core of power and concentration but so delicately presented you’d almost think it wasnt there. This takes some time to reveal its layers in the glass, opening up slowly with the ripe fruit, and sense of verticality coming in after a few minutes. I love the sculpting but it’s how this wine opens and grows that is so compelling. It’s so enormously powerful, but so well caged right now, pure, clean, crisp, soft, chalky, intense and cool. A fabulous wine.Decanter | 98 DECVery structured LFP with black berry, chocolate, walnut and spice character. Full yet fresh with tannic tension and energy in the finish. One for the cellar. 96.5% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 0.5% petit verdot.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe 2022 La Fleur-Petrus is composed of 96.5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 0.5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose is completely locked-down to start, needing a lot of shaking to wake up profound notes of Morello cherries, fresh black plums, and boysenberry preserves, giving way to graceful waves of iron ore and iris scents with a touch of wood smoke. the full-bodied palate is an exercise in finesse, featuring beautifully ripe, silt-like tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and minerally. Impressive wine, yet it will require some patient cellaring.The Wine Independent | 96-98 TWIWhile this château normally produces one of the most perfumed, elegant, ethereal wines in the appellation, the 2022 Château La Fleur-Petrus is a powerhouse offering loads of ripe red and black fruits, leafy tobacco, chocolate, and spring flower-like aromas and flavors. These carry over to the palate, where the wine shows a touch more of its classic elegance and is full-bodied, has a seamless, layered mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDThe high point of the Mouiex portfolio this year is the beautiful 2022 La Fleur-Pétrus, a wine that derives from a number of prime clay-gravel parcels on Pomerol’s plateau. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis and cherries mingled with hints of orange zest, pencil shavings and toasty oak, it’s medium to full-bodied, ripe and fleshy, with an ample core of fruit, ripe tannins and a long, perfumed finish. Seamless and complete, it will offer a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPThe 2022 La Fleur-Pétrus is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Sweet floral and spice notes lift a core of ripe red-toned fruit. The 2022 offers a gorgeous combination of finesse and opulence, but still in the mid-weight style that is such a signature here.Vinous Media | 94-96 VM