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The 1995 Hermitage, on the other hand, is totally sublime. Rose petal, black pepper, dried flowers and sage are some of the many Syrah-inflected aromas that blossom in the glass in a perfumed, sensual wine that captivates all of the senses. With just six people at the table, there is plenty of wine to go around. This is a dazzling showing.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGI’ve always loved the 1995 Hermitage, which has a masculine, mineral-drenched style that shows the class and structure of this terroir brilliantly while still carrying plenty of fruit and texture. Lots of cassis and dark fruits, crushed granite, wild herbs, and leather notes all define the bouquet, and it’s medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced, and has a finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This is a fabulous, majestic Hermitage to enjoy over the coming decade or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA step up and showing more minerality, structure and length, with a masculine style, the 1995 Hermitage is drinking beautifully today. Described as disappointing by Jean-Louis over the past 5 years or so, it appears to be opening up and possesses fabulous, liquid rock-like qualities to go with cassis, blackberry and wild herbs. Medium to full-bodied, fabulously textured, rich and stretching out nicely on the finish, enjoy this beauty over the coming decade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RP(Hermitage- Domaine Jean-Louis Chave) I bought a case of Chave Hermitage in every top vintage between 1988 and 1997, but given how much I loved these wines, the only ones that still remain un-drunk in my cellar are the 1988 and 1995, as they proved a bit sturdy out of the blocks and did not allow the same early accessibility that led so many good 1990s and 1991s (not to mention the utterly seductive 1997) to the dining table far before their time. But, though I drank most of these wines before they were really at their apogees, I have fond memories of each and every one! This most recent bottle of the 1995 Chave Hermitage was showing utterly classical in profile and starting to really blossom completely on the palate, offering up a pure and complex bouquet of cassis, pepper, a hint of red plum, leather, roasted game, a terrific base of stony soil tones and topnotes of violets and lavender. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and really opens up very nicely with a bit of time in decanter, with a superb core, outstanding focus and grip and a long, modestly tannic and tangy finish. I loved the less-extracted style of Chave Hermitage back in this era and the 1995 is one of the last of that genre. (Drink between 2017-2050).John Gilman | 96 JGThis still has a surprising amount of flesh, with lively plum skin, dried cherry, macerated red currant and blood orange notes draped around the structure. Singed cedar flashes through the finish along with a rooibos tea note. This is supple and suave. Beautiful.—Non-blind Chave vertical (June 2012). Drink now through 2020. 2,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

(a 53/47 blend of cabernet franc and merlot; 13% alcohol; yield of 45 h/h): Bright red. Pure aromas of strawberry, flowers, soy sauce, espresso and minerals. Then clean and straightforward on the palate, with nicely balanced flavors similar to the aromas. Finishes very long and smooth. A very good Cheval Blanc, bigger than the 1996 but perhaps a touch less delineated; choosing between the two amounts to a case of different strokes for different folks. This was a warm year: temperatures during the 1995 growing season were on average 1.5°C higher than the previously recorded annual averages, with a very hot July and August, and the harvest took place early, between September 15 and 28. In fact, only the 1989 and 1990 harvests began earlier.Vinous Media | 93+ VMMedium ruby-garnet edge. Intense aromas of plums, cherries and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and very tight, with supersilky tannins and a long finish. Solid core of fruit. Still holding back.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2009.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA pretty, attractive Cheval Blanc, the 1995 contains a higher percentage of Merlot in the final blend than usual (50% Merlot/50% Cabernet Franc). This wine has not developed as much fat or weight as its younger sibling, the 1996, but it appears to be an outstanding Cheval Blanc with an enthralling smoky, black currant, coffee, and exotic bouquet. Complex, rich, medium to full-bodied flavors are well-endowed and pure, with surprisingly firm tannin in the finish. Unlike the sweeter, riper 1996, the 1995 may be more structured and potentially longer-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020.Robert Parker | 92 RP

One of the treats when tasting through the profound Côte Rôties made by Marcel Guigal was the opportunity to taste all of the bottled 1995’s. Reviewed in previous issues, they are even better from bottle than they were during their upbringing (a characteristic of many Guigal wines). The 1995 Côte Rôtie la Landonne is the stuff of legends and is every bit as compelling as readers might expect. This single vineyard wine will have at least 2 decades of longevity.Robert Parker | 99 RPDeep ruby-red. More sauvage aromas of black raspberry, blueberry, tar, mocha, minerals, mace and roasted game. Superconcentrated and powerful, with a near-solid texture. One of those rare wines that seems almost too big for the mouth. Finishes with huge, toothfurring-but-ripe tannins and great persistence.Vinous Media | 97 VMA full-bodied Syrah in an international-style that’s complex and seductive, layered with cinnamon, toasted oak, plum, game, smoke, mineral and black fruit flavors. Turns massively tannic on the finish. Balanced and elegant despite the obvious richness, it’s tempting on release, but needs a bit of time to tame the tannins. Drink now through 2015. 1,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

It is fun to go back and forth between the 1995 and 1996, two superb vintages for Haut-Brion. The 1995 seems to have sweeter tannin and a bit more fat and seamlessness when compared to the more structured and muscular 1996. Certainly 1995 was a vintage that the brilliant administrator Jean Delmas handled flawlessly. The result is a deep ruby/purple-colored wine with a tight but promising nose of burning wood embers intermixed with vanilla, spice box, earth, mineral, sweet cherry, black currant, plum-like fruit, medium to full body, a high level of ripe but sweet tannin, and a finish that goes on for a good 40-45 seconds. This wine is just beginning to emerge from a very closed state where it was unyielding and backward. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035. Last tasted, 11/0Robert Parker | 96 RPThis 1995 Haut-Brion was served blind during the summer at a private dinner in Bordeaux, a bottle with perfect provenance. It is a vintage that I have drunk several times, but not since 2013. Deep in colour, the 1995 has plenty of black fruit on the nose, displaying a distinctive briny influence, classic in style with stunning definition. There is something regal about the aromatics. The palate is well-balanced, with fine acidity and black fruit once again, sappy and saline, with an underlying ash-like note emerging as it opens in the glass. Though quite linear towards the tobacco and sous-bois finish, the 1995 conspicuously gains weight and breeding with time. Therefore, I would afford this First Growth four to five hours of decanting as it remains more backward than I imagined.Vinous Media | 95 VMSweet tobacco, blackberries and violets on the nose. Subtle. Full-bodied and very tight, with fantastic tannins and a long caressing finish. Wonderful texture. All in reserve still. Give this time.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2010.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Château Haut-Brion (Graves)) The 1995 vintage of Haut-Brion is excellent, though still a few years away from primetime drinking. The bouquet is deep, pure and classical in profile, delivering scents of cassis, sweet dark berries, singed tobacco, a touch of coffee bean, fresh herb tones, a complex base of gravelly soil tones, cedary oak and just a hint of the more red fruity elements that are sure to emerge here with further bottle age. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep, complex and seamlessly balanced, with ripe, buried tannins, fine focus and grip and outstanding length on the vibrant and very classy finish. This is a superb Haut-Brion in the making. (Drink between 2025-2085).John Gilman | 94+ JG

1995 was a warm year and the ripe fruits, with notes of fig and prune, come through strongly on the nose. The palate showcases soft truffles, gentle tobacco and some mushroom notes alongside the ripe fruit. You can feel the warm embrace of those Pomerol tannins, tugging rather than dragging you through the palate. It’s softened so beautifully that it’s fully in its drinking window and should be enjoyed now, although it won’t dip for at least another decade. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 94 DECFascinating aromas of mineral, lilac and blackberry follow through to a full-bodied palate, with layers of silky tannins and a long finish. Just starting to come around. Give it more time.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 1995 La Conseillante is now fully mature on the nose with brambly red fruit, black truffle and light copper piping aromas. It still feels cohesive and fresh, although I cannot see it improving with continued bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly rustic tannin that have softened in recent years. There is a pleasing plumpness to this La Conseillante, although it feels a little simplistic and rough-hewn towards the earthy, clove-infused finish. This is an enjoyable Pomerol but one that I would drink over the next five years. Tasted at La Conseillante vertical at the property.Vinous Media | 91 VM

I pulled this lone bottle out of my cellar at the last minute to remind some Italian vintners of the great quality of the 1995 Bordeaux vintage. They seem to be finally opening up! What a red with incredible depth and finesse. Cedar, cigar box and toabaaco character with currants and fresh tobacco undertones. It’s full-bodied yet tight and dense. Precision. So refined and intense. Such freshness and beauty. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSIntense aromas of blackberries, black licorice and currants, with mineral undertones. Full-bodied, with a solid core of tannins and a long, silky finish. Still holding back, but is concentrated and powerful. The 1996 is always talked about, but I think this is superior and will be in the future.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2010. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 1995 Lafite-Rothschild (only one-third of the harvest made it into the final blend) is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. The wine was showing spectacularly well when I tasted it in November, 1997. It exhibits a dark ruby purple color, and a sweet, powdered mineral, smoky, weedy cassis-scented nose. Beautiful sweetness of fruit is present in this medium-bodied, tightly-knit, but gloriously pure, well-delineated Lafite. The 1995 is not as powerful or as massive as the 1996, but it is beautifully made with outstanding credentials, in addition to remarkable promise. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2028.Robert Parker | 95 RPDark ruby-red. Sappy, expressive aromas of cherry, plum, minerals, woodsmoke and game, plus an exotic suggestion of baked apple. Rather subtle on the attack, then quickly expands to fill the mouth. A big, deep, very rich vintage for Lafite, unusually generous at this early stage and extremely long on the aftertaste. But went into a shell with aeration, and showed a hint of tobacco leaf vegetility. Finishing notes of coconut, woodsmoke and tobacco add flavor interest.Vinous Media | 93+ VM

A beauty, the opaque dense purple-colored 1995 exhibits jammy cassis, vanillin, and minerals in its fragrant but still youthful aromatics. Medium to full-bodied, with exceptional purity, superb concentration, and a long, intense, ripe, 40-second finish, this is a magnificent example of Latour. As the wine sat in the glass, scents of roasted espresso and toasty new oak emerged. This classic will require considerable cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.Robert Parker | 96 RPDeep ruby-red color. More expressive aromas of crystallized dark berries, dark chocolate and animal fur. Lush and sweet; thick but delineated. Wonderfully concentrated. This, too, seems rather withdrawn today, but the strength of material is clear to see. Finishes with firm tannins and explosive fruit that goes on and on.Vinous Media | 94+ VMBlack licorice, cedar, cigar box and fresh herbs. Full-bodied and very structured, with firm, silky tannins and a long finish. Needs time.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2009.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Château Latour) Latour made a very good wine in 1995, but my gut instincts are that the property in the twenty-first century is making even better wines than was the case in the decade of the 1990s. The 1995 Latour offers up a complex, promising nose of cassis, dark berry, French Roast, Cuban cigars, gravelly soil tones and a well-done base of toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full and broad-shouldered in profile, with a fine core of fruit, ripe, chewy tannins, fine focus and grip and a long, still quite youthful finish. This is at least eight to ten years away from starting to drink, and probably at least twenty away from really hitting its apogee. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 93 JG

This still broods seriously, with dark plum, currant and blackberry fruit, studded with charcoal, singed tobacco and cedar notes and backed by a serious grip of roasted earth. The gorgeously long finish is driven by old-school tannins, with the smoldering edge going on and on. A brick house of a Margaux, with more charcoal than graphite, more austerity than elegance and more power than refinement.--Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2034. 18,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSBottled very late (November, 1997), the 1995 has continued to flesh out, developing into one of the great classics made under the Mentzelopoulos regime. The color is opaque ruby/purple. The nose offers aromas of licorice and sweet smoky new oak intermixed with jammy black fruits, licorice, and minerals. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with extraordinary richness, fabulous equilibrium, and hefty tannin in the finish. In spite of its large size and youthfulness, this wine is user-friendly and accessible. This is a thrilling Margaux that will always be softer and more evolved than its broader-shouldered sibling, the 1996. How fascinating it will be to follow the evolution of both of these vintages over the next half century. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2040.Robert Parker | 95 RPThe 1995 Château Margaux is a vintage perhaps unfairly over-shadowed by the imperious 1996. That is unfair because the late Paul Pontallier crafted a great First Growth this year. It has a very impressive, quintessential Margaux bouquet that is undimmed after 23 years: black fruit, graphite, crushed violets and a touch of tobacco. If anything it becomes more and more pure with aeration and demonstrates exquisite delineation. The palate is very finely balanced. No, it does not have the intensity, the crystalline nature of the 1996 and yet there is a femininity and a finesse here that sweeps you off your feet. It is entertaining the possibility of secondary flavours but it remains focused on the red and black fruit, tensile on the almost balletic finish. Bon vin! Tasted blind at Philip’s February Christmas Party.Vinous Media | 95 VM

(Château Pape Clément) It had been several years since I last tasted the 1995 Pape Clément and the wine is showing lovely potential and is now only a few years away from primetime drinking. The deep, soil-driven nose offers up scents of roasted cassis, road tar, cigar smoke, herb tones, a lovely base of soil and a nice touch of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and just a touch rustic in terms of structure, with a lovely gloss of pure fruit on the attack, a very good core and still a fair bit of firm tannins perking up the long and still fairly youthful finish. This is an old school Pape Clément that fully needs its requisite two decades in the cellar before it starts to really drink at its potential. (Drink between 2015-2045)John Gilman | 91+ JGAromas of blackberry, tobacco and black licorice follow through to a full-bodied palate, with lots of ripe fruit and a chewy, slightly hot finish. Big, muscular wine. Needs time.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 90 WS