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No written review provided. | 91 W&S

This is lovely, with steeped currant, fig and blackberry fruit flavors that flow easily along with singed juniper, black tea and iron notes. At peak, but no rush, as the balance is there.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 15,415 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Wonderful balance of fruit with currant and chocolate character. Full body with integrated tannins and a clean finish. Polished and refined. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSThis attractive deep ruby/plum/purple wine is supple, with notes of loamy soil, earth, underbrush and black and red currants. Very fragrant and medium-bodied, with relatively sweet tannin, this wine should continue to drink well for another 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe 2005 du Tertre is a bold, savory wine, as it so often is. Game, scorched earth, licorice, tobacco and dried herbs give this dark, virile Margaux much of its distinctive personality. The 2005 has aged well. I would prefer to drink it over the next handful of years, before the fruit fully fades, even though there is enough density to allow for aging beyond that. Structurally, du Tertre is a bit lighter than most Margaux in 2005.Vinous Media | 90 VM

This is almost the perfect time to drink this wine, although it still needs decanting to bring out the plush strokes of fruit. Aromatically, it majors on cassis, liquorice, cedar and patisserie. This is a lovely wine, a classic Pauillac that is not overly intense and retains a sense of juiciness. Of the three Pauillac estates tasted here, this 2005 is the one to open today. Drinking Window 2017 - 2028Decanter | 92 DECVery pure black currant fruits pour out of the glass with this wine. Yes, there are tannins, but the fruit is uplifting, fresh and very vibrant. Delicious, and likely to remain so.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WELocated in the north of Pauillac, between Mouton and Pontet-Canet, this 123-acre estate is also part of G.F.A. Baronne Philippine de Rothschild. The aroma balances meaty fruit and mineral scents, and while the pungent red fruit is always there, the tannins seem to increase their intensity with air. They cover the pure black cherry flavor like a powerful skin, deep and plush with an iron-knuckle punch. The tannins don’t go away, but their inner velvet eventually wins out. This has improved significantly since the en primeur tastings and will continue to evolve for ten to 15 years in the bottle.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SThe 2005 d’Armailhac is in a gorgeous spot today. Early signs of aromatic nuance have started to develop, but the 2005 has at least a handful of years of fine drinking ahead of it. Quite frankly, I am surprised how fresh the 2005 is. Dried flowers, cedar, mint, pipe tobacco and sweet red toned fruit are all very nicely delineated. Readers looking for an affordable, mature Claret to drink now will find much to like.Vinous Media | 91 VMD’Armailhac’s 2005 offers notes of cedar wood, forest floor, black and red currants, spice box and earth. It is medium-bodied, relatively soft for a 2005, and best drunk over the next 12-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPExhibits blackberry, currant and licorice on the nose. Full and velvety, with plenty of good fruit. A balanced, fruity red. Best after 2012.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Impressive richness and clarity of red and dark berries. Lightly spiced-pastry aromas, too. The palate has a very crisp, polished and groomed tannin texture, as well as super fresh flavors that carry long. Great wine. Try from 2022.James Suckling | 95 JSWith structured tannins and red berry notes, this is already showing an elegant structure. It is the fruit that sings here, gently supported by the fine, dusty tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEBased on 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the inky colored 2015 Château Cantemerle offers a terrific bouquet of black currants, smoked herbs, earth, and hints of charcoal. Ripe, concentrated, rounded, and undeniably delicious, with ripe tannin, it’s a terrific vintage for Cantemerle to drink anytime over the coming 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDDeep and bright with a good attack of brambles, gooseberry and raspberry. It just doesn’t quite deliver the suave tannins that you look for in such a brilliant vintage, although the relatively high 6% of Petit Verdot alongside the classic Cabernets and Merlot blend often gives a slight rusticity to them in the early years. One of the few wines in the Margaux region where I prefer the 2016, but this is still a lovely wine. Eric Boissenot consults. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040.Decanter | 91 DEChe 2015 Cantemerle offers classic blackberry and cedar scents on the nose, quite tertiary in style but with impressive focus. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, a fine line of acidity, just the right amount of chewiness and a brisk man, lightly spiced finish. Alongside Camensac, this is another well-crafted Médoc, conservative in style, but a wine that presses the right buttons.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NMFresh, featuring ripe plum and cassis notes gilded with a floral hint and backed by subtle cedar, tobacco and iron notes. Textbook typicity. A rock-solid value. Best from 2019 through 2027. 33,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Shows a core of lovely mulberry, cassis and plum reduction flavors that stretch out over a racy graphite note, in turn revealing flashes of anise, apple wood and sweet tobacco. Offers a late tug of warm earth, too. Rock-solid, with an old-school hint. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA fresh, layered red with blackberry and chocolate. It’s full and beautiful. Cool finish. Soft tannins spread across the finish. Savory.James Suckling | 93-94 JSDried flowers, lots of pot pourri scents on the nose, very aromatic in a floral sense with some rich Cabernet blackcurrant flavours at the back. Smooth and lively, excellent acidity from the get go, this has a nice bounce and push but also a creaminess and a touch of spice so you’re getting a lot of complexity in the mouth. A touch little rustic with clove, green pepper and cinnamon spice but I love the slightly textured grainy tannins and the freshness is there. Definitely learner than I was expecting, with a saline finish and wonderful crystalline aspect to the fruit. Clear, detailed, precise with a sense of classicism.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2020 d’Armailhac is excellent, bursting with aromas of blackberries, violets, burning embers and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate that’s broad but precise, with powdery tannins and a lively core of fruit. It’s a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2020 d’Armailhac has a very pure bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, crushed iris flowers and hints of potpourri, tightly-wound at first but opening nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly angular tannins at first, fine acidity, pure blackberry and graphite notes becoming more accentuated towards the finish. That could only come from Pauillac. A classy d’Armailhac that bestows great terroir expression and sense of classicism.Vinous Media | 93 VMRipe and juicy fruits go along with intense background tannins, giving this wine richness as well as structure. Open and full of fruit, the wine still needs time. Drink the wine from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2020 Château D’Armailhac is a blockbuster that’s going to reward patience. Based on 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, its inky purple hue is followed by a deep, concentrated, mouth-filling Pauillac offering classic darker currant fruits, notes of graphite and lead pencil, building tannins, and outstanding length. This chewy, tannic, backward wine will need 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 91+ JD

94–96. Barrel Sample. This fine estate has produced a powerful, rich wine that has fine potential. Solid, foursquare with dense tannins that will gracefully meld into the fruit, the wine should age well.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WELots or richness and fruit for this winery, showing blackberry, blackcurrant and dark-chocolate character. It’s full and layered. Well done.James Suckling | 93-94 JS(Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Red) This has the tight tannins of the vintage with damson and an edge of bitter dark chocolate, but it is a success all the same - confident, succulent, elegant and classic. Philippe Dambrine retires as director of the estate as of this vintage, replaced by Laure Canu from Château Angélus. A yield of 45hl/ha, 40% new oak, 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend. (Drink between 2028-2042)Decanter | 93 DECLots of darker currants, cedarwood, lead pencil, and tobacco-like notes emerge from the 2020 Château Cantemerle, and it’s medium-bodied, with lots of fruit and texture, building tannins, and a great finish. Drink this classic, nicely structured, balanced beauty over the coming 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 89-91 JDDeep purple-black in color, the 2020 Cantemerle reveals a great intensity and purity of blackcurrant cordial, stewed plums and black raspberry scents, plus hints of dried Provence herbs, Indian spices and woodsmoke. The medium-bodied palate delivers approachable chewy tannins and just enough freshness to support the savory-laced black fruit flavors, finishing with an herbal lift.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 88-90 RP

The black fruits and the juiciness of the wine are deceptive—they are just a front for the impressive structure, the rich tannins and the spice. This is a wine that already shows great potential while also bringing something of the softer side of a grand Margaux.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEBlackberry, graphite and blueberry character. It’s full-bodied, layered and chewy with fine-grained tannins and a punchy finish.James Suckling | 94-95 JSWafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, pencil shavings, warm spices and cocoa powder, the 2020 du Tertre is medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with an elegant, suave profile that belies good depth and concentration. This terroir is never going to produce the most powerful wine in Margaux, and it’s the prime example of an estate that gets lost in a mass tasting, but the restructuring of its vineyards, almost complete, is clearly quietly bearing its fruit.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2020 Château Du Tertre is fresh and lively, with pretty red and blue fruits as well as lots of sappy herbal and floral nuances. It’s nicely balanced and concentrated on the palate, with ripe tannins, a solid spine of acidity, and beautiful overall balance. The Margaux appellation was one of the more challenging places in the Médoc in 2020, but this looks to be terrific.Jeb Dunnuck | 91-93+ JDSpicy on the nose, with cinnamon, exotic spices, paprika and clove more than fruit at the moment. The palate is more lightly framed than some Margaux, more delicate with less overt texture and weight, but still quite high acidity so it comes across as a little less impactful, with a creamy milk chocolate, salty undercurrent. A little closed right now, although overall there’s balance. Feels delicate and well worked, just not hugely forward and expressive at this stage.Decanter | 93 DECThis throws a noticeable savory note out front, along with flashes of lilac and bay leaf in the mix, while the core of gently mulled red and black cherry fruit catches up. The silky finish has a light sanguine echo. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2035. 6,000 cases made, 900 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS