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(Château Latour à Pomerol) The 2006 Château Latour à Pomerol is a beautiful example of this underrated vintage and it is just beginning to drink with some serious generosity at age ten. The bouquet is pure and very lovely in its classic complexity, wafting from the glass in a blend of black cherries, red plums, a touch of nutskin, raw cocoa, a nice dollop of gravelly soil tones, cigar smoke and a discreet framing of cedar. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and focused, with a fine core, lovely complexity, moderate tannins and a very long, poised and nicely soil-driven finish. This is not a blockbuster vintage of Latour à Pomerol, but it is elegant, intensely flavored and beautifully balanced and lacks for absolutely nothing. While it is quite approachable today, I would be inclined to give it just a few more years in the cellar to really blossom completely. A great sleeper. (Drink between 2020-2060)John Gilman | 92 JGLicorice, chocolate and black plums all show immediately in this rich, dense wine. Sweet tannins combine with fresh tobacco smokiness over jammy, ripe fruit. This array of flavors is kept in check by the over-arching acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by scents of vitamins, smoke, black fruits, and meats, moderately high tannin, impressive concentration, and plenty of structure. Forget this 2006 for 4-5 years, and drink it over the following two decades.Robert Parker | 89-91 RPRaspberry and floral aromas follow through to a medium-to-full-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a chocolate, cream and cedar aftertaste. This has mellowed with time. Best after 2012. 2,080 cases made. — JSWine Spectator | 90 WSDark red. Blackberry aroma with a slightly weedy element. Minerally and firm but on the dry side initially; with aeration this showed a silkier texture and emerging red fruit flavors. Hard to judge today.Vinous Media | 87-90 VM

It is worth noting that when the bottled 2006 Chateau Margaux, which appeared closed and less impressive than I had predicted from barrel, was retasted alongside the remarkable 2008, I elevated my score to 94+. It does not possess the size or power of the 2008 or 2005, but the 2006 exhibits impressive density, a deeper color, and the beautifully textured, pure style that is a hallmark of this estate. Moreover, it is relatively precocious, and can be drunk now or cellared for 25+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP(Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Plenty of tannins still in play, and it is dense, powerful and reserved even at 15 years old. The tertiary notes of cedar, charcoal and crushed mint are just hints at this point, with the purity of Cabernet Sauvignon’s cassis and bilberry fruits very much in the lead. First time that so little Merlot made it into the final blend, which no doubt also explains why the overall construction of the wine is so architectural and firm. Long drawn out finish, with higher acidity than the other wines in this lineup, with brilliant estate signature of precise peony and violet aromatics. You could begin drinking this with a long carafe beforehand, but it will still improve with another five years in bottle; and then go for decades. 100% new oak, 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. (Drink between 2023-2042)Decanter | 95 DECThis is not a big Château Margaux, its style showing more elegance and discretion. The tannins are soft, although producing a dense web that lies underneath the black currant and plum fruit flavors. It is a wine that envelops the mouth, an edge of firmness over velvet fruit textures. The wine floats away slowly on the close.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA sexy vintage of Margaux, this is heady and seductive right from the start. Floral strawberry and red currant flavors back the wine’s gentle sweetness, while floral acidity gives it a sting. Black tannins hint at more serious, long-term prospects, though much of the vintage may get drunk before it has a chance to reach any deeper, more essential terroir expression.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SGood deep red-ruby. Deep but reticent aromas of redcurrant, tobacco leaf, licorice and loam; I don’t find the typical floral high notes of Margaux. Juicy, fine-grained and suave, with good definition and a seamless, spherical texture to the currant and soil flavors. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins, but not the grip or power of earlier barrel samples of this wine.Vinous Media | 93 VMOn the taut, sinewy side, with cedar and sandalwood notes framing the core of red currant, bitter cherry and damson plum fruit. Offers a lovely singed feel through the finish, with a gentle perfumy edge. Despite the tannic profile of the vintage in general, this is all charm and hitting its stride now.--Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2022.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

After the fabulous 2005, Pétrus again has produced a magnificent wine in 2006, even if it doesn’t hit quite the same heights. It has an immensely powerful structure and concentration, always the hallmark of this wine. But this structure is almost masked by the superbly ripe and fresh fruit. And with all this weight, there is still a sense of proportion, the rich berry fruits, smokiness and light spice beautifully integrated.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WETerrific texture, weight and heft on both the nose and the attack. A flush of powerful tannic grip is balanced by stunning acidity and bright silken fruit. Overall the structure is compellingly insistent, still dancing around the palate, a flourishing, featherweight beauty that demands your attention. Magisterially good. Drinking Window 2016 - 2035Decanter | 96 DEC This displays green coffee bean and raspberry aromas, with a leafy undertone. Full-bodied, with refined tannins and a pretty finish. Very silky and classy. Lasts a long time on the finish. Best after 2014. 2,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSCurrently closed and backward, this wine seems to share a more similar character to Trotanoy than in any recent vintages I recall. Powerful, structured, masculine, but a long-term proposition, this dark ruby/purple-colored wine displays notes of caramelized, sweet black cherries and wild berry fruit with plenty of spice, earth, and a hint of herbaceousness. The wine has very high tannins, impressive concentration, but that mouth-searing level of tannin. This is one Petrus that should probably be forgotten for at least 8-10 years and drunk over the following two to three decades. I always find it ironic that Petrus, which is virtually 100% Merlot, is more backward than the first growths of Medoc, which are Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated.Robert Parker | 93+ RPBright medium ruby. Reticent but complex nose opened with air to display an almost roasted ripeness to the aromas of dark berries and licorice. Sweet, deep and lush, showing brooding dark berry and black cherry fruit sexed up by an exotic chocolate liqueur quality. A hugely rich but rather inscrutable wine. This was much deeper in pitch than the Trotanoy I tasted next to it, and missing that wine’s ineffable mineral high notes, inner-mouth perfume and impression of harmoniousness. Is this simply too young to assess today? Time will tell.Vinous Media | 93+ VM