Haut Medoc Wines

wines

The 1996 Potensac is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc. This vintage has quite a reputation, indeed, at 20 years of age it stands up as one of the over-achievers of the vintage. It has a lively, very pure blackcurrant and bilberry-scented bouquet with crushed stone aromas, very youthful and backward. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, dense tarry black fruit tinged with cedar, a dash of spice towards the structured finish with a lingering saline aftertaste. It will easily give another 10-15 years of drinking pleasure.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NM

Good full bright ruby. Brooding aromas of blackberry, minerals, licorice and oak spices. Quite primary yet generous in the mouth, with mineral and floral elements lifting the fruit. Firm, concentrated and stylish, with the sweet fruit of the vintage’s best examples. This has terrific breadth in the middle palate and on the long finish. One to buy.Vinous Media | 88-91 VM

Opulent red. Intense aromas of currants, cigar tobacco and berries. Full-bodied, with a solid core of silky tannins and a long finish. Well-made. Best after 2008. 42,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSA wine at its peak now, with tobacco, berry and spice character. Some oyster shell as well. Full and decadent. Soft and silky-textured. Drink now. Needs decanting.James Suckling | 90 JSMedium ruby. Blackberry, black cherry, toasty oak and musky espresso on the nose. Sweet, dense and pliant, with a layered texture and considerable early appeal. Lush but nicely delineated. Finishes with ripe tannins and lingering flavors of dark berries and espresso.Vinous Media | 87-90 VM

Deep medium ruby. Black cherry, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate on the nose. Intensely flavored and rather sinewy, with firm acids framing the fruit. Quite backward and firmly tannic, but has the material and structure to age nicely. Finishes with a note of espresso. This chateau has been making consistently strong wine in recent years.Vinous Media | 88-90 VMA wine with delicious berry, nutmeg and fresh tobacco character, with just a hint of vanilla. Medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. Impressive. Very fine. Much better than from barrel. Best after 2008. 25,415 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

No written review provided. | 94 VMA big, generous wine, with sweet black fruit flavors that show well with the acidity and the fresh, open tannins. For a wine from 2002, this has richness and good ripe flavors. There is depth as well as power, and this can certainly be counted one of the success stories of 2002.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

A rich and ripe nose of dried fruits, figs and spices with hints of cedar. Full body, a juicy fruit character and soft tannins. Lots of pretty fruit. Lightly earthy tobacco undertones. Still fresh. Gorgeous now to drink.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2003 La Lagune was the first vintage whereby Denis Dubourdieu acted as consultant. It has a more fruit forward bouquet compared to the 2002 and it has aged well, offering redcurrant, dried fig and a touch of tinned prune on the nose, yet without the VA or sur-maturité that afflict other 2003s. The palate is medium-bodied with a peppery opening, fine tannin, admirable freshness for this vintage with more tension on the finish than one might expect, plus I appreciate the discrete touch of bay leaf and white pepper on the aftertaste. Tasted at the La Lagune vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 90 VMA big chunky wine which still has grace and elegance along with the power. This is an excellent performance from a property which is worth watching.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Wow. This really shows wonderful depth and complexity on the nose with blueberries, fresh flowers and hints of stones. It’s full-bodied, with ultra-refined tannins and a long, long finish. Gets better and better with age: gorgeous now but will improve for many years to come. Excellent.James Suckling | 93 JSTasted at BBR’s 2005/2009 tasting in London. This is a great 2005. The Cantemerle is developing a very attractive, lifted nose with more cedar and crushed stone, hints of freshly rolled tobacco and briary. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, gentle grip, leading to a foursquare but precise finish that does not dare put a foot wrong. Sedate at the moment but sure to open up with time. Classic Bordeaux.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMShows blackberry and plum skin aromas, with hints of vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, with soft, velvety tannins and a pretty, fruity aftertaste. An elegant, balanced style. Lingers on the palate. Best after 2012. 33,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2005 Sociando-Mallet is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc picked between September 19 and October 6. It has a very well defined bouquet of red currant, cranberry and wild strawberry fruit; pressed white flowers emerge later, along with a hint of truffle. The medium-bodied palate shows wonderful definition, good cohesion and a touch of spice and black pepper. The tannins are very fine and focused, and the finish fans out wonderfully. I remember being impressed with this out of barrel, and 13 years later it is seriously fulfilling its potential. Tasted at the vertical tasting at Sociando-Mallet.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis continues to be a firm and structured red with lots of slate, wet-earth and blackcurrant character. Full body, polished, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Give it time. Better after 2021.James Suckling | 93 JSIt’s hard not to admire the brilliant Jean Gautreau, who has run this great terroir and estate (just to the north of St-Estèphe’s Château Montrose) with meticulous perfection for decades. The 2005 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Offering beautifully sweet crème de cassis and blueberries, this is concentrated essence of blue and black fruits, with some underlying minerality, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning texture, length and purity. This is superb Sociando Mallet, with surprisingly sweet tannin, which is even more remarkable in this vintage of high and occasionally hard tannins. Give it another 4-5 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 30 years.Robert Parker | 93+ RP

The 2006 Cantemerle was the "surprise package" of the blind tasting at Farr Vintners’ horizontal. It has a conservative nose with rosemary and undergrowth scents that open nicely in the glass, but retain a sense of classicism. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, lightly spiced red berry fruit, sage and white pepper, quite persistent on the finish, which feels very pure. What an outstanding 2006 Claret - a Cantemerle that punches well above its weight. Tasted April 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMVery attractive with complex aromas and flavors of berry, mushroom and spice. Black truffle too. Full body, chewy tannins and a fresh finish. Very fine.James Suckling | 91 JS

Having just had the 2005 La Lagune, which I think is the greatest La Lagune I have ever tasted, the 2006 certainly loses some prestige in comparison, but this is an outstanding wine and further evidence of just how strong this estate’s wines have become. Sweet plum and red and black currant fruit, intermixed with notes of resiny pine forest and forest floor as well as a hint of barrique, are followed by a wine with gorgeous depth, an attractive, medium-bodied texture, a fresh, poised personality, and a moderately long finish. This is another beauty, not weighty, but pure, savory, and capable of lasting 15 or more years, although it is accessible already.Robert Parker | 91 RPThis is racy for a 2006 with plenty of tobacco, berries and hints of mushroom. Light, stylish earthy character. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a pretty finish with lovely tension. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Poujeaux has an attractive bouquet with plenty of lovely blackcurrant and raspberry fruit interlaced with cedar and tobacco notes. The palate is medium-bodied with good grip in the mouth, impressive substance and a tightly-coiled, saline finish that suggests this might surpass expectation. It certainly did mine. One to look out for. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NM(Château Poujeaux (Moulis)) Following on the heels of the beautiful 2005 Poujeaux, the château has turned out a gorgeous example of the 2006 vintage as well. The wine this year was aged in a very measured thirty percent new oak, and the result is one of the loveliest examples I tasted from the Médoc in ’06. The bouquet is a superb blend of cherries, dark berries, tobacco, herb tones, coffee, a lovely base of soil and a discreet framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full, deep and classically balanced, with a fine core of fruit, firm tannins, excellent focus and truly exceptional length and grip on the complex and very classy finish. Despairing about the modern spin of most left bank claret- time to take a bottle of ’05 or ’06 Poujeaux out for a test drive. This is a terrific example of the vintage from a château that has always traveled a bit below the radar, but who has a long and excellent record for aging gracefully. A lovely 2006. (Drink between 2016-2040)John Gilman | 90+ JG

(Château Poujeaux, Moulis-en-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Red) This is a rather lovely Médoc, if a touch more restrained that some others here. There is richness to the fruit, but it is tighter, with layers of bilberry and cassis and cedary oak, with attractive menthol notes on the finish. Ready to drink.Decanter | 90 DE(Château Poujeaux (Moulis)) Following on the heels of the beautiful 2005 and 2006 Poujeaux, the château has turned out another very strong effort in the 2007 vintage. Because of the low yields of 2007, the wine was aged in a slightly higher percentage of new oak in this vintage than was the case in 2006, with thirty-five percent of the barrels new this year, in comparison to thirty percent last year. The bouquet is deep, complex and very classy, as it offers up scents of cassis, currant leaf, tobacco smoke, lovely soil tones, a touch of cedar and a lovely, discreet topnote of violets. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complex and quite traditional in terms of shape and reserve, with fine mid-palate depth, great balance, moderate tannins and lovely length and grip on the polished finish. Just a classy bottle of young claret from a tough vintage. (Drink between 2015-2040)John Gilman | 90+ JGThat it was possible to soften the somewhat aggressive tannins of 2007 is shown in this smooth, rich wine. It is certainly a wine for early drinking, but it has ripe berry fruit and fresh acidity, with well-judged tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Fabulous aromas of licorice, flowers and blackcurrants follow through to a full body with wonderful silky and caressing tannins and a long, flavorful finish. It’s complex and exceptional. Better in 2018 but so enjoyable to taste and drink now.James Suckling | 96 JSFloral and precise fruit, with blackberry-skin character and mineral undertones. Full-bodied, with superfine tannins and a fresh, clean finish. Long and tight. Racy. Lovely texture. 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 percent Merlot and 15 percent Petit Verdot. This property is really on a roll now, delivering racy and structured reds; it gives much more freshness and character to the wine.Wine Spectator | 93-96 WSIt is not unusual that the 2009 La Lagune is a spectacular effort given the fact that this estate has been making terrific wines over the last decade or more. It boasts a dense purple color as well as a beautiful perfume of blueberries, mulberries, cassis, white chocolate and subtle toasty oak. Notes of Chinese black tea, cedarwood and forest floor also make an appearance in the singular aromatic and flavor profiles. This sumptuous, full-bodied La Lagune possesses low acidity, abundant but ripe, sweet tannin and a long, 45-second finish. Give this beauty 5-7 years of bottle age and drink it over the following three decades.Robert Parker | 95 RPThe greater power and intensity that comes from the 2009 vintage is hugely seductive, lending an extra dimension to a wine that feels similar in shape and feel to the brilliant 2005. Again, it’s the brambly blackberry fruits that are so striking, and the unfussy way that it builds through the palate and hangs on. A yield of 45hl/ha. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040Decanter | 93 DEC(60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 10% petit verdot): Deep, bright ruby-red. Sexy aromas of currant, underbrush, leather and toasty oak. Plush, seamless and sweet; full-bodied but not heavy. Pliant flavors of currant, plum and earth expand to fill the mouth. Finishes with broad, fine tannins and sneaky building length. Classic Old World claret from a ripe year: velvety, sweet and long.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The wine needs a good 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 30 more years, but this is the finest Cantemerle I have encountered in my professional career of tasting young vintages (dating back 34 years now). Stunningly deep ruby/purple, with a beautiful nose of spring flowers intermixed with perfumed raspberry and blueberry notes, it exhibits a sort of cool-climate character. Broad, rich and intense on the palate, the wine has plenty of tannins, but they are sweet and well-integrated. Everything is delicately entwined into this beautiful, medium to full-bodied, dense purple wine, which shows stunning character and a prodigious potential for development. This is definitely a major sleeper of the vintage and even better than I thought from barrel. With its 2010, this classified growth located in the southern end of the Medoc may well have made a modern-day version of their legendary 1949.Robert Parker | 94+ RPA wine with blueberry and mineral aromas follows through to a full body, with fine tannins and a juicy finish. Best for years from here. Needs at least three years of bottle age to soften. Could be better than 2009 in the long run.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2010 Cantemerle is vigorous and open on the nose, a mixture of red and black fruit with cedar and humidor scents. I admire the focus and detail. The palate is rounded in texture on the entry. This is a plumper, richer, more fruit-driven 2010 with a lush finish on the context of the growing season. You could broach this now, although I would prefer to leave it another three or four years. This is another excellent wine and candidate for most over-performing cru this vintage. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 93 VMPlush dark fruit in aroma and flavour, with plenty of extract and a firm tannic base, yet smooth and slick in texture. Still a touch chewy; leave a while. Drinking Window 2019 - 2029.Decanter | 92 DECA great success for this southern Médoc chateau, this is fine, elegant and perfumed. It bursts with a black fruit flavor, balanced by smooth tannins and acidity. It’s a wine for medium-term aging over the next six years.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEOffers a sappy feel, with deliciously pure notes of kirsch and blackberry preserves. Lightly toasted spice and singed anise accents lead to the long, graphite-fueled finish. Should age gracefully.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

This shows an enchanting nose of roses, violets and other flowers. It’s also fruity but very subtle. A full-body, super-structured red with an excellent backbone of ripe yet firm tannins. Goes on for minutes. Don’t touch for five or six years. Try in 2019.James Suckling | 96 JSBrambled menthol and spice, this is elegant and juicy and has plenty of life ahead of it. Showcases the aromatic complexity that comes with age at La Lagune, as the campfire and gunsmoke edging of Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel begins to come to the fore, but the tannins in this excellent vintage remain muscular at 11 years old. 50% new oak. A yield of 30hl/ha. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECAnother great success from proprietress Caroline Frey, the 2010 La Lagune provides an essential drinking experience, with notes of Asian plum sauce, mulberries, kirsch liqueur and black currants. The wine also exhibits a savory, rich smokiness and subtle lead pencil shaving notes. Full-bodied and pure, combining both elegance and power, this is a brilliant, very approachable effort that should hit its stride in 5-7 years and last for at least two decades. Think of it as a hypothetical blend of the 2005 and 2009. Kudos!Robert Parker | 94 RPThe 2010 La Lagune has a vigorous bouquet with blackberry, briary and tobacco aromas, quite feisty compared to its peers, then settling down and manifesting more red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. This builds nicely towards a cohesive, silky smooth finish with a pinch of white pepper on the aftertaste. Excellent. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis is tangy, with red currant, roasted mesquite, sanguine and tobacco notes. Already shows range and definition, with solid grip.Wine Spectator | 89-92 WS

Wonderful aromas of blueberries, currants and flowers follow through to a full body, with ultra fine tannins and a gorgeous finish. Best Potensac in years. Even better than the 2009.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2010 Potensac has a high-toned, airy bouquet with balsamic and Hoisin infusing the black fruit. The palate is well defined with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. There is something just a little “Oriental” about the style of this Potensac that delivers impressive body and grip on the finish. Very fine. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 91 VMFirm and prominent yet dusty tannins show one side of the richness of the vintage. The other is the ripe, black fruits, with acidity in fine balance. This estate, under the same ownership as Léoville las Cases, is serious Médoc, needing to age.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WESolid, if a bit chunky, with cocoa and ganache coating a core of black currant and blackberry fruit that hangs through the muscular finish, where a warm paving stone note rings out. A touch austere, but the stuffing is there for cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2020. 16,666 cases made. — JMWine Spectator | 90 WS

This red shows some cassis, blueberries and floral notes on the nose. Some tar, too. Medium to full body, juicy tannins and a fruity finish. Enticing wine. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS(Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Red) Open and inviting, this is an elegant, charming claret with a real touch of class. Not big, but accessible and a pleasure to drink. An interesting mix of grapes, including a little Cabernet Franc (2%) and 6% Petit Verdot, with majority Cabernet Sauvignon (56%) and 36% Merlot to add interest; and good volumes produced to keep a sensible price. (Drink between 2022-2025)Decanter | 91 DEC

Once again proprietor Jean Gautreau has hit pay dirt with a beautiful blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Wonderfully sweet, ripe tannins seem to be a rule of thumb from this great terroir just to the north of St.-Estèphe’s Château Montrose. A beautiful deep ruby/purple color, decent acidity, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and stunning fruit put this wine right in the midst of the best classified crus from the Médoc, yet it has never been classified. Go figure. Softer than I would have suspected (and I’ve been following and buying this wine since the mid-1970s), this wine will still age beautifully for 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 90 RPDense colour, striklingly pure Cabernet cassis nose, richness of fruit and firmness of ripe tannins, a wine of real class and as usual one of the very best Haut-Médoc. Drinking Window 2017 - 2025.Decanter | 90 DECIntense aromas of red and black cherries with light floral notes. Full body, silky tannins, lovely acidity and long, fruity finish. Polished tannins. Needs to open. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 90 JS

I like the floral character, which highlights the aromas of currants and berries. Full body and a firm and tight center palate. Silky tannins and a savory and creamy-textured finish. A beautifully balanced red. Try in 2021, but it’s already gorgeous to taste.James Suckling | 94 JSA wine of notable precision, persistence and class, the 2014 Cantemerle is outstanding. Sweet tobacco, licorice, red cherry and dried savory herbs are some of the signatures. Medium in body and lively, the 2014 captures the best attributes of the year. This is a positively stellar showing.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGWhile the wine does have a strongly dry element, it also has a creamy, black currant background that shows promise for the future. With great acidity offering freshness, this wine will balance well.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEBright and racy, with red currant and plum fruit lined with a lively tang of iron that streaks through the finish. A touch taut, but should unwind nicely with modest cellaring. Best from 2018 through 2024. 33,335 cases made.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

This showcases just how well the Margaux (or Margaux-adjacent) area did in 2015. The finessed quality of the tannins stands out as a signature of the estate throughout the entire vertical, and is on display again here. As the wine opens there is a slow and unhurried peeling back of layers, with an unrolling of menthol and cassis-laced Cabernet aromatics (there is a full 70% in the blend this year, and it works extremely well). Excellent balance and grip with touches of violet aromatics. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040Decanter | 94 DECJust a hint currant bushl on the nose. This is loaded with healthy tannins on the palate that drive the long finish. Quite an uncompromising young wine that will be better from 2020, but the fundamental harmony is very convincing. Full and flavorful.James Suckling | 93 JSManaged by Caroline Frey (of Paul Jaboulet Aîné in the Rhône Valley), the 2015 Château La Lagune is an impressive, elegant, concentrated Haut Médoc that’s going to be even better with short-term cellaring. Cassis, toasty oak, Asian spices, and black tea notes all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, layered and lengthy Haut-Médoc. Count me in as a fan and it’s up with the top wines produced from this estate.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThe 2015 La Lagune is terrific. Powerful and dense on the palate, with big, potent tannins, it will need at least a few years to fully come together. Hints of tobacco, cedar, licorice and smoke add shades of aromatic nuance. This is a fabulous effort. Don’t miss it.Antonio Galloni | 92 AG