Haut Medoc Wines

wines

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

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

Gorgeous ripe fruit character, with loads of blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity, fresh, grapefruit aftertaste. Really beautiful. Best ever from here. Best after 2018.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2009 Cantemerle finally shows the potential that it displayed out of barrel. It has a delightful, well-defined bouquet with blackberry, cedar and tobacco aromas, vigorous with impressive delineation and class. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, and a taut line of acidity. Fresh and vibrant with a poised and quite tensile finish. This is a wonderfully crafted 2009 Left Bank. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Cantemerle) In contrast to the hot and rustic personality of the 2010 Cantemerle, the 2009 is a superb example of this excellent terroir in a ripe and buxom vintage, and this wine is quite strong. The superb nose shows far more purity than its 2010 counterpart, wafting from the glass in a generous mélange of cassis, sweet dark berries, tobacco leaf, lovely, dark soil tones, cigar wrapper and a bit of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, plush and primary, with a fine core, ripe, chewy tannins and very good focus and grip on the long, youthful and very well-balanced finish. This is a lovely, broad-shouldered Cantemerle in the making, but give it plenty of time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 92 JGVery structured wine, with black currant fruit and dense acidity. The tannins are dark, firm, solid. This is a fine wine from Cantemerle, reveling in the richness of the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEReaders looking for the more ethereal, elegant side of Bordeaux need search no further than Cantemerle, one of the estates in the very southern end of the Medoc. Dense ruby/purple (nearly opaque), this wine offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, raspberries and black cherries. The wine is ethereal, medium-bodied, and by no means a blockbuster, but long and intellectual. However, the tannins are present, and the wine is certainly capable of putting on weight with time in the bottle. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25+ years.Robert Parker | 91+ RPThis broad, fleshy style delivers toasty spice and tobacco notes up front, followed by dark cocoa, crushed plum and mulled blackberry fruit flavors. This really stretches out nicely in the glass, with alluring dark fruit and a velvety feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2017. 33,330 cases made.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

Milk chocolate, cherry fruit, plums and blackcurrant sweets on the nose. This has a lovely texture, tannins are on the ripe, plush, chewy side and they do completely coat the mouth but this has a lovely perfumed aromatic to the fruit profile on the palate. Feels pretty, but also quietly powerful. Dense and driven still with a touch of austerity around the edges towards the finish. Give it time to soften more but there is lovely fruit definition here. Good winemaking. Eric Boissenot consultant. Tasted twice. (Drink between 2023-2041)Decanter | 93 DECAromas of ripe berries and baking spices with hints of hazelnuts, leather and bark. Medium-bodied and tight, with chewy tannins and a velvety texture. Compact and firm with chocolatey undertones. Needs some time to open up. 55% cabernet sauvignon and 45% merlot. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2019 Château de Camensac is one of the best produced at the estate. Still a little bashful on the nose, it unfolds to offer black fruit, Early Grey tea and tobacco, all beautifully defined and focused. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and quite linear, yet full of vigor, leading to a spicier finish than was suggested out of barrel. Bon vin!Vinous Media | 92 VMThe 2019 Camensac has turned out nicely, exhibiting aromas of blackcurrants, licorice, tobacco leaf and loamy soil, followed by a medium-bodied, fleshy and nicely balanced palate with lively acids and powdery structuring tannins. This will provide classy drinking after a few years in bottle to round out.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

Tight and linear with blackcurrant and lemon rind character. Medium-bodied and racy with very fine tannins and a bright finish. Shows energy and focus. Drinkable, but better in three or four years.James Suckling | 94 JSThis magnificent medieval castle controls a vineyard that is just inland from Saint-Julien. With its ripe perfumes and rich tannins, the wine has a powerful potential set against the tightly juicy black currant fruits.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2020 La Tour Carnet was impressive from barrel. Now in bottle, it has a composed and understated bouquet that grows in stature with aeration. A second bottle had a more accentuated marine scent. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, nicely judged acidity, very harmonious with an expressive, lightly spiced and persistent finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92 VMCrisp and crunchy, though quite chalky and creamy with licks of liquorice and wet stone. Quite high-toned, feels tight and very coiled right now with clear cedar, cinnamon and clove spice. The fruit profile is good, ripe blackcurrant and blueberries, but the whole frame is constricted almost straight away. Does feel clean though with firmness. It has a classicism in the sleek nature - well formed with estate signature. Decanter | 92 DECAromas of raspberries, crème de cassis, cigar wrapper and loamy soil introduce the 2020 La Tour Carnet, a medium to full-bodied, velvety and polished wine that’s more harmonious and better balanced than Magrez’s Grands Chênes. This large estate has eaten up many of the Haut-Médoc’s non-classified growths over the past decade to arrive at a surface area of over 130 hectares today.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPAlmost always a winner, the 2020 Château La Tour Carnet offers a terrific, medium-bodied, concentrated style as well as classic notes of ripe currants, darker cherries, spicy wood, and graphite. It has the vintage’s more focused, classic, structured style, with ripe tannins and outstanding length. It’s well worth seeking out and is going to evolve for at least a decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

This has a dusty character with black cherries and currants, as well as hints of cocoa, wet earth and raw mushrooms. Medium- to full-bodied with ripe, plush tannins that continue to build up throughout the deep, dark-fruited palate. It’s a muscular Poujeaux with a spicy and chocolatey finish. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 93 JSOwned by a member of the Cuvelier family, this estate has produced a ripe, juicy wine bright with black currant and rich with generous tannins. The future is good for this carefully structured wine.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2020 Poujeaux is a wonderful Moulis-en-Médoc and likely to offer superb value-for-money. Bright blackberry commingles with blueberry and graphite on the nose, quite intense and determined to make an impression. The palate is structured but well balanced, the silver thread of acidity running from start to finish. A little glossy in style towards the finish, that will be tempered by bottle-age which Poujeaux always needs. Don’t ignore this.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe 2020 Poujeaux is a strong follow-up to the excellent 2019. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, minty blackberries, pencil shavings and licorice, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and lively, with excellent concentration, refined tannins and a penetrating finish. A touch more tightly wound out of the gates than the 2019, it will reward a few years’ patience with a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RPBramble fruits on the nose. Supple and generous, this has quite clear salty minerality, with pencil lead, cola and liquorice elements lining the fruit, giving this a dark, seductive tone. Good depth, texture and weight. Round, complete, driven, deep and long. Feels a touch closed and pent up right now, or all in one line, but clearly stylish. A touch of spice on the finish, with some dark chocolate bitterness that lingers. Shows power right now, rather than softness of fruit that will come in time.Decanter | 91 DECAlso solid, the 2020 Château Poujeaux exhibits a deeper ruby/purple hue to go with impressive aromatics of ripe black cherries, cedary herbs, and leather. These carry to a medium-bodied, nicely textured Moulis that has the ripe, yet firmer tannins of the vintage. Drink bottles any time over the coming decade or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD