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This shows no gravity. The tannins are totally melted in the wine and give it fantastic structure, but the texture is so fresh and vivid. Crushed stone. Cloves. Chinese spices. Great finish. Opening and flying away. Orange peel. Very special. Thought-provoking. Endless. 83.5% cabernet sauvignon, 10.5% cabernet franc and 6% merlot.James Suckling | 99-100 JSOne of the wines of the vintage this year is the 2022 Léoville Las Cases, a monument in the making that combines unerring classicism with unusual sensuality and charm by the standards of this estate’s sometimes youthfully forbidding wines. Exhibiting deep aromas of dark berries, violets, pencil lead, rose petals and tobacco leaf, it’s full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, beautiful purity of fruit, abundant but refined tannins and a long, vibrant finish. On the several occasions that I tasted it, the 2022 was surprisingly open for a young Las Cases, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were to shut down after a few years in bottle. It’s a blend of 83.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98-100 RPThe 2022 Léoville Las-Cases was picked 8-30 September with more infusion than extraction, matured in 84% new oak. Precocious, almost decadent blackberry and blueberry fruit on the nose, there is something lavish and audacious about this Saint-Julien. There is an underlying estuarine element, a whiff off the banks of the Gironde. The palate is medium-bodied with polished tannins, very detailed, extremely pure, what you might call a "vertical" Las-Cases with fabulous precision on the finish. This surpasses the 2018-2020 trio and to use that clichéd expression, is a "tour de force".Vinous Media | 98-100 VMLooking at the Grand Vin 2022 Château Léoville Las Cases, it has an almost Pauillac-like style in its ripe, powerful aromatics of graphite, lead pencil shavings, cassis, and liquid rock-like minerality. Full-bodied, massively concentrated, and powerful on the palate, it nevertheless stays flawlessly balanced, has just about off-the-charts purity, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. This will clearly rank with the truly greats from this address and reminds me slightly of a mix of the 2016 and 2018. It is not, however, going to be for those looking for instant gratification.Jeb Dunnuck | 98-100 JDA luminous and utterly brilliant wine in 2022 that really sets itself apart. Hints of black bramble fruit, spicy peppercorns, violets, sweet cherries, crushed stones, ink and cocoa powder on the nose - all so very appealing. Tension and direction from the get go, this is sleek and slick, dense but such alluring coolness, with crushed stones and blueberries giving minerality as well as juicy acidity providing lift. It’s not out to shine right now, but there’s such confidence on show. Direct, slowly expanding effortlessly as it goes from start to finish, elongating the fine tannic structure that supports but doesn’t overwhelm. So poised and refined, charming in a dark, utterly seductive way. Firm, but fruity, cool and calm, coming in waves. One of the wines of the vintage with striking power but delivered so perfectly with everything in balance. 3.80pH. 85 IPT. A yield of 36-37hl/ha. 98-100 points. Decanter | 98 DECA blend of 83.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.5% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Merlot, with a pH of 3.8, the 2022 Leoville Las Cases is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of waking up before it strides confidently out of the glass with classic scents of warm cassis, juicy black plums, and pencil shavings, giving way to wafts of evocative scents of iron ore, crushed rocks, wood smoke, and violets, with a hint of star anise. The medium to full-bodied palate is the Taj Mahal of Cabernets, built with an amazing structure and so many intricate layers, it makes the mind spin. Youthful, crunchy black fruits and mineral sparks give way to a core of savory notes and plum preserves, intertwined with a firm backbone of exquisitely ripe tannins, and a very long, seamlessly lively finish. Wow!The Wine Independent | 98-100 TWI

I was blown away by the 2022 Château Léoville Poyferré, which is a classic blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Harvest spanned from the 8th to the 28th of September, the vinification is in tronconique tanks (parcel by parcel), and the élevage will span 18-20 months in 80% new barrels. This inky hued beauty offers that rare mix of power and elegance and offers ample cassis and assorted blue fruits, full-bodied richness, an opulent, concentrated, yet flawlessly balanced mouthfeel, velvety tannins, and plenty of classic Saint-Julien violets, espresso roast, and crushed stone-like minerality. Despite its incredible concentration and depth, it stays beautifully balanced. In a region that seems to only talk about finesse and elegance, it’s a relief to still have producers such as this producing powerful, intense, singular wines. Hats off to the Cuvelier family and their team.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-100 JDAnother excellent showcasse for this estate run by Sara Lecompte Cuvelier. Supple, lively, fresh and round, a nice controlled core of red and black fruit - blackcurrants, cherries and violets with juicy acidity and lean tannins that are fine and well integrated. This feels powerful and concentrated no doubt but the strength comes underneath the fruit and acidity, like a creeping tiger waiting to pounce. Lovely frame and execution, feels on the more opulent and potent side but the acidity and tannin definition is brilliant and this has a really drinkable and moreish quality. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.87pH. 9% press wine. A yield of 33.4hl/ha. 75% grand vin production. Julien Viaud consultant. Tasted three times and was impressed each time. Ageing 18-20 months in French oak barrels, 80% new, 20% second fill.Decanter | 96 DECA very solid LP with black berry, blackcurrant, crushed stone and lavender character. Full and really well structured with a linear length to it. Focused and so polished. Thoughtful. 58% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe 2022 Leoville Poyferre is made from 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot, with a yield of 33.4 hl/ha. It bursts onto the scene with gregarious scents of blackcurrant preserves, wild blueberries, and rose oil, leading to wafts of candied violets, licorice, and crushed rocks with a hint of cinnamon stick. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich, plush, and impactful, delivering beautiful tension and very respectable, fine-grained tannins, finishing long and opulent. This is a show-stopper! pH 3.87, TPI 93.The Wine Independent | 96-98 TWIThe 2022 Léoville Poyferré was picked 8 to 28 September at 33.4hL/ha and matured in 80% new oak. It has a high IPT of 93 and 14.4% alcohol (half a degree less than the 2018). It is quintessentially LP on the nose, with those extravagant and sensual black and blueberry fruit, intermingling with crushed violet and iris. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very harmonious and focused, perhaps more linear than expected with a velvety-smooth finish. This is a very classy, sophisticated Saint-Julien that may well rest at the top of my banded score once in bottle.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThe 2022 Léoville Poyferré has turned out very nicely, offering up aromas of crème de cassis, cherries, violets and creamy new oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate that’s ripe but lively, with supple tannins and a long, vanillin-inflected finish. This year, the team began picking their Merlot comparatively early and didn’t perform a saignée (tank bleed), given the natural concentration of the vintage, though it remains the most flamboyant and demonstrative of the three Léoville estates, seeing some 80% new oak with malolactic fermentation in barrique for the new barrels. It will be a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP

The 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the finest wine bottled to date at this estate under Patrice Pichet’s ownership and Guillaume Pouthier’s direction. Unfurling from the glass with aromas of violet, iris, dark wild berries, pencil lead and mulberries, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated with a deep core of fruit beautifully framed by velvety, precise tannins, segueing into a long, saline and perfumed finish. Suave and harmonious, it was crafted with 70% whole bunches and matured in 70% new oak. This unconventional blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot represents a turning point for the estate, cementing its rapid ascendancy in the Bordeaux firmament.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPDeep and brooding, this wine is beautifully floral with violets, irises, and peonies alongside ripe black cherries, liquorice, and dark chocolate. Concentrated yet bursting with energy, it flows effortlessly across the palate. Vibrant red fruits - strawberry, cherry, raspberry - sit atop a mineral backbone of salty, wet stones. Crisp yet powdery tannins and bright acidity give incredible tension. Despite its depth, it feels almost weightless, so drinkable yet built to age. Pure, pristine, and vibrant, with no trace of heat - just balance and finesse. Juicy, lively, and utterly compelling. A true expression of place and a sure-fire hit. 70% whole bunch fermented. Two years ageing, 80% new oak, 10% big 20hl vats and 10% amphora. 3.55pH. 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot.Decanter Magazine | 100 DECThe purity and focus here is impressive with blackcurrants, crushed stones and floral undertones. The whole-bunch character comes through clearly with rose-stem and floral aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, this is always so delicious but has lots of integrated, open-grained tannins. 70% whole-cluster fermentation. 40% cabernet franc, 34% cabernet sauvignon and 26% merlot. Idiosyncratic. So attractive now but will age beautifully.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2022 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion checks in as a blend of 42% Cabernet Franc, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Merlot that saw plenty of stems in the ferments and 20 months in 80% new barrels. Its deeper ruby/purple hue is followed by a sumptuous nose of red, blue, and black fruits, as well as leafy herbs, darker chocolate, crushed stone, and almost bloody, iron-like nuances. I love its overall balance on the palate, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a pure, layered mouthfeel, beautifully integrated tannins, and a great finish. It shows the class of this great terroir and will benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and still be drinking well in 30-40 years. You’d be hard-pressed to describe this as Bordeaux in a blind tasting today, yet I have no doubt it will develop more and more classic Graves character over the coming decade. It’s a sensational, singular wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 26% Merlot, 90% aging in oak (70% new barriques, 20% 18hl casks) and 10% in amphoras. Deep garnet-purple in color, it pops out of the glass with lifted notes of redcurrant jelly, wild blueberries, blackcurrant pastilles, and lavender, leading to cerebral wafts of cast-iron pan, dark chocolate, and dusty soil with a hint of licorice. The red and black berry flavors do pirouettes on the medium-bodied palate, featuring incredibly fine-grained tannins and fantastic tension that gives a shimmer to the very long mineral-laced finish. As usual, the alcohol is 13.5% (the stem inclusion absorbs some of the alcohol during fermentation) and the pH is 3.64. This is a vibrant, showy, immediately impactful wine that flies in the face of traditional Bordeaux, carrying it off with bags of grace and style. A slight carbonic character from the whole bunch juxtaposed by a rock-solid structure thanks to the ripe stem tannins creates a unique signature. I personally love it, but if you’re a Bordeaux purest, this might not be your cup of tea.The Wine Independent | 97-99 TWIThe 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion contains the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (34%) in recent years, with 40% Cabernet Franc and 26% Merlot. It aged for two years in 80% new barrels, 10% foudres and 10% sandstone amphora. This is the first year with 100% infusion during vinification. It includes 70% whole cluster. This is very complex on the nose, as it showed in barrel, displaying blackberry mixed with wild hedgerow, pencil box and hints of cracked black pepper in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with quite elegant tannins, although the IPT is 95. Extremely well balanced, it is quite saline in the mouth with white pepper developing with aeration. The 2022 is very persistent on the finish. This is an intellectual Les Carmes Haut-Brion that will drink young, but there is clearly the substance to mature over many years. 13.2% alcohol.Vinous Media | 96 VM

Wow. Blackcurrants, blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full-bodied with beautifully integrated tannins that melt into the wine. Persistent and precise. A fantastic wine for the cellar. 66% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot.James Suckling | 98-99 JSBlackcurrant and bramble fruit with savoury herbal nuances on the nose, this smells rich and potent. Tense and focussed, compact from the get go, present tannins give grip and hold. This is definitely not out to charm, more serious, stern and focussed but there’s such overall precision. This is in high definition, supremely controlled and well worked with mouthfilling ripe tannins. I like the chewy aspect and there’s balancing acidity, hidden now by the density, that will sustain the wine for decades to come. Floral notes and some minerality come through giving the nuance so it’s not all heft, but there’s clear muscle on show. A long finish gives the sense of structure and style. An impressive wine. 95 IPT. 3.71pH. Ageing 18 months, 75% new oak. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 4.1 g/L total acidity. Harvest 12 September - 24 September.Decanter | 97 DECThe Grand Vin 2022 Château Lynch Bages checks in as 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It actually reminds me slightly of the 2019, and while it’s a classic Lynch Bages powerhouse, it has beautiful balance and purity. Cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and chalky minerality all define the aromatics, and it’s full-bodied, with terrific tannins and a layered, incredibly impressive profile that continues to open and evolve with time in the glass. Tasted twice with consistent notes.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98+ JDThe 2022 Lynch-Bages was picked 12 September, around 15 days earlier than usual until 24 September at around 35hL/ha. Aged for 18 months in 75% new oak, it has a backward nose that demands a lot of encouragement. This is not as immediate as the 2016 or 2019 at the same stage. Powerful blackberry and boysenberry fruit, cedar and light tobacco notes, this feels like an edifice of aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, beautifully balanced, very harmonious yet there is an enormous backbone here that (again) is reminiscent of Mouton. Extremely long on the finish, this will need its barrel maturation to fully knit together and it is going to be a Pauillac for the long haul.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThe 2022 Lynch-Bages is composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little closed to start, soon revealing evocative creme de cassis, blueberry pie, and chocolate-covered cherries notes with suggestions of cast-iron pan, black truffles, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black fruit and loads of mineral sparks, framed by very firm, grainy tannins and a refreshing line, finishing long and earthy. pH 3.71, TPI 95.The Wine Independent | 95-97 TWIOne of the vintage’s most powerful, muscular wines is the 2022 Lynch-Bages, a full-bodied, broad-shouldered Pauillac that unfurls in the glass with aromas of cassis, cherries, mint, pencil shavings and petroleum jelly, framed by nicely integrated new oak. Liberally extracted, its deep core of fruit is underpinned by an imposing chassis of rich, powdery tannin and lively acids. Always rather forbidding from barrel, Lynch Bages always seems to come together in bottle, and the 2022 has the makings of another success for this address.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-96 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

Massetino is considered the second wine of Masseto, but I’m beginning to come to the conclusion that it’s far more than that. It represents around one-third of the production of Masseto, and judging by the quality of this 2022, next year’s release of the grand vin could be absolutely phenomenal. Massetino has always incorporated a portion Cabernet Franc since its first vintage, 2017 – 10% in 2022. A cool and dry spring led to a slightly late budbreak, followed by 75 days of drought and high temperatures. Summer storms eventually came along to restore balance, and the cool September evenings were perfect for the grapes reach full ripeness. Each parcel was vinified separately and spontaneously in concrete tanks before undergoing malolactic fermentation in barriques, 50% new. After 12 months, the final blend was made and the wine spent a further three months in concrete before bottling. Bright and stony, there’s so much energy here. Zingy and sapid, it combines fresh Mediterranean herbs and poised fruit, with more verticality than Masseto 2021 and just as much concentration. Incredible precision and beautiful freshness, especially considering the vintage.Decanter | 97 DECThis is refined and fresh with hints of sandalwood to the beautiful blue fruits. It’s medium-bodied with creamy and polished tannins that frame the blue fruit and hints of crushed stone. Succulent and juicy with a crunchy personality. You want a sip right away. Second wine of the highest quality from Masseto. So drinkable and wonderful. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThis is opulent, with a lush texture enveloping black cherry, blackberry and plum flavors. Flashes of tar, iron and wild herbs add detail as this red builds to the long finish. Balanced and fresh, with sweet, lingering oak spice notes. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. 160 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2022 Montrose is such a compelling wine that assigning it a bracketed score seems a mere formality. A brilliant terroir, impeccable viticulture, perfectly timed harvest dates and judicious extraction have aligned to deliver a monument in the making, reminiscent of a far purer, more precise, modern-day version of the 1990 vintage at this address. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, violets, iris, pencil lead and cigar wrapper, it’s full-bodied, deep and authoritative, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, elegantly muscular core that’s framed by supple, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, this only confirms Montrose’s status as a de facto first growth and unquestionably one of the contemporary Médoc’s very greatest estates.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99-100 RPThe 2022 Château Montrose is a classic blend of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 60% new oak from a variety of coopers. Another absolutely brilliant wine in the vintage, it offers a saturated purple hue as well as an essence of Montrose-like bouquet of currants, blueberries, damp earth, violets, graphite, and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, and powerful, it nevertheless has a riveting sense of purity, precision, and finesse that’s hard to believe. Given its balance and purity of fruit, as well as the quality of the tannins, it’s going to offer incredible pleasure with just 4-6 years of bottle age (a decade would be best) yet be just about immortal if well stored.Jeb Dunnuck | 98-100 JDThe 2022 Montrose is composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, aging in 60% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it slowly unfurls to offer a gorgeous perfume of violets, star anise, wilted roses, cumin seed, and garrigue, giving way to a core of blackcurrant pastilles, boysenberry preserves, and kirsch. The full-bodied palate is a firework display of graceful, highly nuanced fruit, featuring mineral, floral, black fruit, and red berry sparks, supported by very firm, super-ripe tannins and incredible freshness, finishing very long, vibrant, and shimmery. The yield was 31 hl/ha and the First Wine represents 50% of the 2022 production. The quality of the press wine was high this year, and 13% was included in the blend. pH 3.78, TPI 85.The Wine Independent | 98-100 TWIThe 2022 Montrose was picked 2 to 22 September comprising all four grape varieties and all the Cabernet Franc, with 13% pressed wine, matured in 60% new oak. There is 14.5% alcohol this year, which is less than 2018. It has an extremely pure nose with black cherries and blueberry. Quite floral in style with hints of blood orange percolating through with time. The palate is very precise with exceptional mineralité and tension. Very focused, superb concentration, with what is becoming Montrose’s trademark sense of symmetry and sustained aftertaste, this could be the finest Saint-Estèphe in 2022.Vinous Media | 97-99 VMA gorgeous richness straight away, you can feel the intensity and concentration but the texture is so sleek, almost silky yet weighty, juicy and intense. Supple but firm with crushed stones, liquorice, tobacco, dark chocolate, plums and blackcurrants. Tannins are firm and at the fore, but cool and crisp with bite and wet stone elements give an instant minerality. The fruit almost takes a back seat, ripe and black in nature, but quieter than the other elements and overall frame. Juicy and succulent, an appealing shot of acidity initially, mouthwatering and vibrant, then the chalky tannins come in and give this a sense of seriousness. This carries the strength of the vintage well, focused and precise with detail and a sense of energy that is so impactful. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Harvest 2-22 September. 58% grand vin - one of the biggest proportions. There was 53% grand vin in 2018. 3.8pH. 80 IPT. A yield of 31hl/ha.Decanter | 97 DECA very powerful and structured Montrose with steely tannins that run the length of the wine. It’s compacted and muscular with an extremely long finish. Graphite and spices in the aftertaste. This should be terrific after the elevage. From organically grown grapes. 66% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.James Suckling | 97-98 JS

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

This is an powerful white with superb density and phenolic muscule. It’s full-bodied and really impressive. Opulent and rounded. Exotic and muscular. Great white. Feels like a great Montrachet. One for the cellar. 8,000 bottles made. pH 3.18.James Suckling | 99-100 JSI’d say the finest white coming out of the Médoc, and clearly in the top tier of whites in all of Bordeaux, the 2022 Pavillon Blanc De Margaux is, as always, 100% Sauvignon Blanc that was raised in 20% new 300-ltier barrels. It has an incredible nose of honeyed limes, caramelized lemon zest, green almonds, mint, and crushed stone. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a great mid-palate, vibrant acidity, and a great finish. Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t get much better (if at all.)Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDSmells ripe full of green apples, peach, orange, lime and lemon curd. Intense, depth and weight straight away with mouthwatering acidity, razor like, supporting the texture. There’s fatness but because of the acidity it doesn’t stand out in a bad way, and the acidity is sharp and cooling which comes across as quite thrilling. Well worked, round with both drive and tension. Gorgeous white stone and citrus fruits, delicate but deep and sustained with shots of sharp lemon, sweet peach, blood orange and grapefruit. Fresh and fun. A success. Harvest 18 September.Decanter | 96 DECAn impressively vibrant wine for this warm vintage, the 2022 Pavillon Blanc offers up inviting aromas of sweet gooseberries, mango, lemongrass and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy palate that’s bright and nicely concentrated, concluding with a finish marked by elegantly mordant dry extract. Harvest for Sauvignon Blanc began on 18 August at Château Margaux.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-94 RPThe 2022 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, with very tiny yields this year of only 14 hl/ha. It waltzes out with gregarious notes of fresh peaches, green mango, and lime cordial with fragrant wafts of jasmine, chalk dust, and sea spray. The medium-bodied palate is coated with citrus and tropical fruit layers with expressive chalky sparks and a long zesty finish.The Wine Independent | 93-95 TWIOn the palate, the 2022 Pavillon Blanc retains terrific freshness and is done in a style that lies somewhere in between more generous years such as 2018, 2019 and 2020, and the more saline years like 2017 and 2021. This is a very creamy, layered dry white. Here, too, I am struck by the wine’s precision.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

You could easily mistake the 2022 Pavillon Rouge De Margaux for the Grand Vin here, and truth be told, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this actually evolve better than some of the Grand Vins from just over 10-15 years ago. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot (the second wine got all the Petit Verdot in 2022), it offers a deep, medium to full-bodied, seamless profile as well as solid framboise, darker raspberry, currants, sandalwood, and spice aromatics, silky tannins, and outstanding length. The purity and precision paired with this level of texture and richness far exceeds the vast majority of second wines out there.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDBeautiful vivid colour, bright and intense. Dark chocolate, cherries and subtle perfume on the nose. Bright and lively thought also lean and straight on the palate. A generous weight and intense grip to the tannins. It’s on the tense side, focussed with extreme precision to the fruit profile with racy acidity unpinning the tannins which are at the fore. Feels refined and elegant, more serious than some other second wines in its construction but is classy, juicy, sculpted and softly plush. The fruit has bite and tang, with liquorice and graphite edges and spiced accents giving angles but all enjoyable and really building to the whole. Great freshness and length. 7% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.61pH. 84 IPT - highest IPT, highest before was 2018 which was 82. 15% press wine. 31% production.Decanter | 94 DECRich and dense with lots of fruit and juiciness. Redcurrants, black berries, strawberries and orange peel on the nose. Full and layered with fine, velvety tannins and a juicy finish. Big presence.James Suckling | 94-95 JSThe 2022 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux is made from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs quite a lot of swirling to bring out notes of blackcurrant pastilles, Morello cherries, and preserved plums, followed by hints of dusty soil, cumin seed, and garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers commendable grace and backbone, with firm grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing with a fragrant lift. pH 3.65, TPI 85, alcohol 14.8% - but you don’t feel it.The Wine Independent | 93-95+ TWIThe 2022 Pavillon Rouge is deep and perfumed, wafting from the glass with notions of cherries, raspberry preserve, lilac, violets and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated palate that’s deep, rich and vibrant, with a tannic grain that resembles the grand vin this year. It represents just under a third of the estate’s production.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2022 Pavillon Rouge is a rich, sumptuous wine. A burst of red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender and blood orange makes a strong opening, followed by unexpectedly bright, saline notes that bring it all together on the mid-palate and finish. The Pavillon Rouge is an eye-opening wine that embodies the style of the year so eloquently. I especially admire the vibrancy here. The purity of the flavors and quality of the tannins really elevate the 2022.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

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 JSThe 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 JDA 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 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

A smooth, gently round and nicely balanced Champagne dominant in pinot meunier, pinot noir and chardonnay to boot. It has attractive lemon citrus flavors and is really punchy, refined and gently nutty. A smooth, pastry-like texture comes to the fore on the finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSThis tastes of pure, pale white limestone transformed into crisp yellow apple. It’s appetite inducing in its zesty freshness, bright white floral notes and clean, lively length of flavor, especially if there are oysters nearby. The Aubry brothers maintain a reserve wine blend composed of vintages going back to 1998; that blend provides 50 percent of this Brut, with the other half from 2013. The varietal composition is also distinctive: pinot meunier makes up 45 percent, with chardonnay and pinot noir each providing 25 percent and the remaining five percent made up of traditional local varieties including arbanne, petit meslier and fromenteau.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SA creamy viscosity complements the texture of this harmonious version. An accessible crowd-pleaser, with lightly juicy acidity and delicate flavors of chopped almond, baked pear, saline and citrus. Disgorged January 2019. Drink now through 2022.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe NV Brut from Aubry is such a pretty wine. Medium in body and understated, the Brut captures all the sophistication that is typical of these Champagnes. Hints of orchard fruit, spice, chamomile, tangerine oil and almond develop over time, but it is the wine’s balance that comes through. The heavy presence of red grapes is felt in both the flavor profile and overall weight. Best of all, the Brut is a fabulous value. Disgorged: November, 2019.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The NV Champagne Brut Rose is an attractive pale salmon hue, with a fresh perfume of wild strawberry, ripe peach, white and red flowers, a hint of tropical fruit, and grapefruit. The palate is rounded, with fruit up front and through the mid-palate, and it has a silky and fresh lift. There is a wonderful ease and drinkability to this wine, which delivers balance and finesse. Drink 2022-2037.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDA lovely rosé in an almost vinous style, with mouthwatering acidity and a fine, lacy mousse carrying appealing flavors of ripe raspberry, white cherry fruit, star anise, mandarin orange peel and honeysuckle. Lightly chalky on the lasting finish. Enjoy with food. Drink now through 2020.Wine Spectator | 93 WSAttractive salmon color with aromas of dried strawberries and lemons, as well as hints of flowers. Full-bodied with tight tension from the fine phenolics that run through the palate. Hints of white pepper, peaches and sliced green strawberries with some candied lemons, too. Always an excellent bottle. 40% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir and 30% pinot meunier. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSWe started with a demi-bouteille of Billecart-Salmon Rosé: a safe option, but it does the job, even though I would say that a full bottle is better.Vinous Media | 92 VM(NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV (Disgorged September 2013)) Billecart-Salmon is probably most famous for their excellent bottling of non-vintage Brut Rosé, and the new bottling is another superb wine. The cépages is comprised of forty percent chardonnay, twenty percent pinot meunier and thirty-five percent pinot noir, with eight percent of the pinot noir included as still wine to give this wine its lovely, pale salmon color. The dosage is slightly higher here, but still judicious at nine grams per liter. The bouquet is pure and vibrant, wafting from the glass in a mix of tangerine, almonds, smoke, lovely minerality, wheat toast and dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very focused, with a fine core, racy, zesty acids and great cut and grip on the long and beautifully balanced finish. (Drink between 2014-2025)John Gilman | 92 JGThe palest of rosés, this is an elegant, structured wine. Its dryness is balanced by the fine apple and red-currant fruits and the strong sense of minerality. Fragrant and lightly structured, this fine bottling is ready to drink. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEBased on the 2018 vintage, Billecart’s new NV Brut Rosé incorporates 40% reserve wines and some 6% still red wine. Bursting with scents of sweet red berries, peonies, stone fruits, white cherries, freshly baked bread and spices, it’s medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, with a seamless and enveloping core of fruit and a lively, fine-boned profile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPCurrently based on the 2016 harvest, this is floral and citrussy, showing a lithe, graceful balance. It’s a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Meunier, with about 40% of reserve wine, and red wine accounts for 7% of the blend. Its delicate, subtly expansive flavours of raspberry and strawberry are enlivened by a tangerine-like acidity, and while it feels ripe and full in flavour on the palate, it never loses its sense of refinement and poise, finishing with detailed length and depth. (Drink between 2021-2026)Decanter | 91 DEC

An enticing version, with richly toasted brioche and roasted hazelnut on the nose transitioning to underscore flavors of ripe black cherry, crème de cassis, gingerbread, lime blossoms and crystallized honey. This is long, creamy and harmonious, integrating the expressive profile with vibrant acidity and a fine, satin-like texture. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged 2022. Drink now through 2029.Wine Spectator | 93 WS | 93 DECA creamy and silky champagne that has notes of lemons, pastries and apple compote on the nose. It’s medium-bodied and layered with fine bubbles and tasty pastry notes on the fresh, balanced finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JS(NV Charles Heidsieck “Brut Réserve” NV (Reims)) The new release of Charles Heidsieck noon-vintage “Brut Réserve” is a blend of one-third each chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier- for the base year wines, which hail from 2008. However, forty percent of the cuvée is made up of reserve wines, with these being an equal blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, as the maison does not hold back meunier for its reserves. The wine spent eight years aging sur latte and was finished with a dosage of eleven grams per liter after its disgorgement in 2017. The wine is absolutely superb and clearly one of the best bargains out there in the world of non-vintage Brut from the Grandes Marques, as it offers up a pure and complex nose of pear, white peach, brioche, a touch of fresh almond, complex, chalky soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and refined, with excellent mid-palate depth, frothy mousse, lovely acidity and grip and a very long, complex and classy finish. This is terrific bubbly. (Drink between 2018-2045)John Gilman | 93 JGEven the nonvintage cuvée from this top producer has bottle age, so the yeasty edge and touches of almonds balance with the Champagne’s acidity and fruitiness of white fruits and citrus flavors. This fine poised wine is ready to drink. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe NV Brut Réserve, a combination of more than 60 different crus and 150 wines, evokes aromas of brioche, pastry, ripe orchard fruits, beeswax and spices. Medium to full-bodied, enrobing and charming, it has a fleshy core of fruit, a pinpoint mousse and delicate acids, making it a charming, delicate Champagne. This blend consists of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, with 50% vins de réserve, and was disgorged with a dosage of nine grams per liter.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe NV Champagne Reserve Brut is sunny with aromas of golden orchard fruits, pineapple, yellow apple, and fresh pastry dough. The palate is matched with ripe peach, buttered orange citrus, and yellow flowers and is rounded, with a silky mouthfeel, although it is fully dry. Classic in style, it is charming and leans towards opulence. Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

(8 g/l dosage): Light yellow. Mineral-tinged peach, melon and pear aromas display excellent clarity, picking up a subtle floral quality with aeration. Supple and seamless on the palate, offering vivid honeydew and pit fruit flavors accented by a vibrant lemon zest quality. Finishes very long, silky and precise, with an echo of juicy melon and strong mineral lift.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe NV Brut Blanc De Blancs Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger is also terrific. Made from 100% Chardonnay, it has a more chiseled, tight, backward style in its sautéed apple and ripe citrus aromas and flavors. It too has terrific minerality, as well as medium body, a fine, elegant mousse, and a great finish. Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDAn expressive nose combines a variety of citrus elements along with lovely brioche and yeast scents. There is excellent punch to the delicious, complex and nicely voluminous flavors that are underpinned by a moderately firm mousse before terminating in a balanced and attractively dry finale. This is really quite good for a basic house brut and worth a look.Burghound | 91 BHQuite impressive richness and gently toasty aromas on the nose here with almond, savory and sweet, bready autolysis notes. The palate has a fresh, succulent and smooth feel with soft, citrusy fruit flesh. Holds long. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JSClean and fragrant with red fruit, this wine’s tart cherry and strawberry flavors integrate with the soil character, which acts as a scrim over the fruit. It feels lush within the tight confines of its structure. Built for food, this will accompany roast game birds.Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, ALWine & Spirits Magazine | 91 W&SPillowy and charming, the latest rendition of Delamotte’s NV Brut offers up attractive aromas of orchard fruit, fresh bread and citrus oil. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and elegant, with a pretty pinpoint mousse and lively balancing acids, it’s drinking well out of the gates but will also develop gracefully for a few years in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPBeautifully balanced, this rich wine has elegance and great poise. Ripe white fruit comes through the mineral texture and hints of toastiness to fill the palate. It is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Based on the 2019 vintage and disgorged this year with three grams per liter dosage, the NV Brut Premier Cru Les Vignes de Vrigny wafts from the glass with aromas of green apple, white flowers, freshly baked bread and crushed mint. Medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy, it’s vinous and precise, with racy acids and a sapid finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

A tightly knit Champagne, backed by racy acidity, this is fresh and harmonious, with a finely detailed mousse and a delicate range of black raspberry, pickled ginger and chalk flavors, offering a touch of salted almond that echoes on the finish. Drink now through 2024.Wine Spectator | 93 WSGosset is the oldest house in Champagne, and is a favourite among wine trade insiders. This non-vintage cuvée is redolent with the aromas of mellow red apple fruit. It has beautifully subtle autolysis on the palate, with creamy apple and plum flavours, and a great precision at the same time. Drinking Window 2022 - 2026.Decanter | 93 DECAromas of crips orchard fruit, pear and apricot, mingled with hints of fresh bread and pastry, introduce the latest release of Gosset’s NV Brut Grande Réserve, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy but incisive wine that’s deceptively generous but also structured to reward some bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThis is very fresh and has attractively flavorful, punchy fruit presence, in a very pure mode. Strawberries and grapefruit and some pastry and spiced-biscuit to close. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS(NV Gosset “Grande Réserve” Brut NV (Épernay)) The current release of Gosset “Grande Réserve” is from the base year of 2015, with ten to twenty percent of the cuvée made up of reserve wines. This iteration has ended up with a cépages of forty-five percent each of chardonnay and pinot noir, coupled with ten percent of pinot meunier. It was disgorged in 2019 and finished with a dosage of 8.7 grams per liter. The wine delivers lovely aromatic complexity in its refined blend of apple, fresh-baked bread, chalky soil tones, caraway seed, a touch of hazelnut and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and beautifully focused, with a lovely core, elegant, tiny mousse, zesty acids and a long, complex and very precise and classy finish. This is excellent. (Drink between 2020-2045)John Gilman | 92 JG(43% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier; 8 g/l dosage; L318 9123): Pale gold. Expansive, mineral-driven citrus and orchard fruit scents are complemented by anise, honey and buttered toast, along with a hint of peach pit. Packs a solid punch but comes off lithe and precise, with mineral-laced blood orange and quince flavors and a deeper suggestion of fresh fig. Closes on a spicy note, with repeating minerality and very good persistence.Vinous Media | 91 VMHints of yeast and toast add interest to the pretty aromas of lemon, green apple and poached pear nuances. There is again solid volume and mid-palate density to the delicious flavors that pick up some of the toasty character displayed by the nose while culminating in a nicely complex and lingering finish. The supporting mousse is firm without being aggressive and overall, this solidly complex effort is drinking very well now. (Drink starting 2022)0)Burghound | 91 BHGosset’s nonvintage cuvée is a fine example of the richness of this producer’s Champagnes. It is full, laden with Pinot texture and a touch of toast from bottle aging. Drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

An attractive red-fruit flavored Champagne with a balanced crisp textured, this bottling is just ready to go. Its fruitiness coupled with the soft texture from the dosage are packed with fruitiness and ripe acidity. Drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe latest release of Henriot’s NV Brut Rosé has turned out very nicely, wafting from the glass with delicate aromas of nectarine, mandarin and wheat toast. Medium to full-bodied, elegantly fleshy and precise, with racy acids and filigree tannic structure, this is a pretty, fine-boned rosé that will be extremely versatile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPA vivacious rosé Champagne, with flavors of pink grapefruit, pickled ginger and chalky mineral driven by racy acidity, this is sleek and linear, silky in texture through to the mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2023. 1,200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis plays in the nectarine and peach stone fruit zone, and is gently infused with strawberry and raspberry, too. Handy poise at the finish. Smooth resolve. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JS(NV Henriot Brut Rosé NV (Reims)) The new release of Henriot’s non-vintage Brut Rosé is a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, with the exact cépages not given, but probably about fifty-five percent pinot and forty-five percent chardonnay. The wine is quite lovely, offering up an elegant bouquet of strawberries, tangerine, chalky minerality, fresh-baked bread and a topnote of rose petals. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and nicely deep at the core, with refined mousse, bright acids and lovely focus and grip on the long and complex finish. This is really quite tasty. (Drink between 2019-2040)John Gilman | 91 JGThe 2002 Brut Rosé (54% Pinot Noir, 46% Chardonnay) is a very pretty wine, with much sweetness and clarity in its fruit. This is fairly deep, rich style of rosé. Today the wine remains quite primary, but there seems to be enough depth to ensure at least a few years of very rewarding drinking. It is one of the finest wines I have tasted recently from Henriot. This is Lot: 0709011206, disgorged December 11th, 2006.Antonio Galloni | 90 AG(NV Henriot Brut - Rosé Rosé) This is very lightly hued, indeed it requires more than a casual look to confirm that it’s a rosé. There is a trace of reduction and while it’s not really intrusive, it does slightly suppress the softly fruity and citrusy nose where a subtle yeast character eventually surfaces. The exuberant middle weight flavors are supported by a very firm mousse along with better depth on the nicely lingering finish. Like the Blanc de Blancs cuvée, this is not particularly refined but it’s satisfying in its fashion. (Drink starting 2020)Burghound | 90 BHRed grapes account for 60 percent of this blend, predominantly pinot noir, the balance chardonnay. The color is a pale rose-gold, while scents of rose petals and pink grapefruit further the delicate red-fruit impression. Simple, balanced and accessible, this offers touches of sweetness to balance the rasp of its chalky acidityWine & Spirits | 90 W&S