Pauillac Wines

wines

The best Pauillac I ever tasted (and this wine has been a revelation ever since they first introduced it), the 2010 from Latour represents 24% of their production. It is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44.5% Merlot and .5% Cabernet Franc. An amazingly opulent, round, delicious wine, and a great buy when they finally release it – assuming it comes in under a three-digit price – it possesses wonderfully silky tannins, classic black currant, cedar wood and forest floor notes, and rich, full-bodied opulence as well as a terrific purity and palate presence. It should drink well for 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 93 RPA wine with berry, chocolate and spice character. Full body, with velvety tannins and a savory finish. It shows currant and berry. I love the texture to this. Third wine of first growth Latour. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSLatour’s 2010 Pauillac de Château Latour is a huge overachiever and shows just how compelling this vintage is. The aromatics alone are beguiling, but it is the wine’s impeccable balance and class that are most impressive today. Hints of leather, earthiness, tobacco, licorice and dark cherry are nicely layered into the silky finish. The 2010 is an absolutely delicious wine to drink now and over the next decade or so.Antonio Galloni | 92 AG

The wine shows the power typical of a Lafite but within the context of the fruity 2011 vintage. The immensely dense tannic structure gives the wine a solid feel that is lifted by so much ripe black currant and berry fruits. At the back, the wine has a more brooding, dark character that suggests great aging potential. Drink this wine from 2019.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEDeveloping into classical Lafite - meaning the frame comes from fine tannins, and the overall impression is of subtle complexity, still extremely young but with energy and lift. A gentle cedar smoke and liquorice edging becomes clear as it opens up, and the black fruits are savoury. The St-Estephe plot was hailed on in early September, but the fruit was already relatively ripe, so even though they harvested 15 days earlier than ideal, it was ripe enough to use in the Grand Vin, and the overall yield was 52hl/ha. Higher Merlot in the blend than you would find today (now closer to 10%). Drinking Window 2024 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECLove the nose on this, with sweet tobacco, delicate currant, cedar and blackberry. Full body with integrated tannins and a juicy, fruity, subtle finish. The texture to this wine is beautiful. Better than I remember from barrel. Try in 2019.James Suckling | 94 JSThis delivers pronounced tobacco and bay leaf notes up front, with a core of steeped plum and currant fruit and a fleshy edge through the charcoal-lined finish. There’s some serious buried minerality, which should emerge with cellaring. Best from 2018 through 2031.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot (harvested between September 3-21), the 2011 Lafite Rothschild came in at 12.6% natural alcohol (considerably lower than in 2010 and 2009). Exhibiting a deep ruby/purple color, lots of crushed rock, red and black currant, forest floor and underbrush characteristics, moderate tannin and medium body, it is built somewhat along the lines of the 1999 and 2001. It should be a 20- to 25-year wine, but it is not at the level of the 2008, 2009 and 2010. Fresh acids give the wine a somewhat more clipped feeling than most great Lafites have exhibited. Nevertheless, there is a lot of freshness and vibrancy to this vintage.Robert Parker | 90-93 RP(Château Lafite Rothschild) The 2011 Lafite Rothschild is a pretty good example of the vintage, but it is a bit lean by the contemporary high standards of this estate. The nose is deep, dark and quite reserved in its aromatic mélange of cassis, dark chocolate, dark berries, gravel, cigar smoke, fresh sage and a well-gauged base of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is fullish, closed and quite tannic, with a pretty good core of fruit, plenty of touch tannins and very good length and grip on the well-balanced finish. If this can put on weight in the mid-palate during the course of its evolution in barrel and bottle, then it will land at the high end of my projected range. It is not a great Lafite by any stretch of the imagination, but it could end up being a very good bottle in twelve to twenty years’ time. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 89-92+ JGThe 2011 Lafite-Rothschild was impressive from barrel. It is very composed on the nose with brambly red fruit, loam, touches of sous-bois (decayed autumn leaves). After five minutes, there is a noticeable liquorice scent. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, a little soft in the middle with a fleshy tarry, liquorice-infused finish that just tapers away. Elegant, refined, but not the First Growth’s strongest effort from this period. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting..Vinous Media | 91 VM

This is a solid, concentrated wine from a reliable chateau. It has weight and power, with rich black fruits balanced with fresh acidity. Touches of bitter extraction and wood aging are likely to integrate as the wine ages. It should develop into an impressive and powerful wine. Drink from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2011 Pichon-Baron has an impressive bouquet with intense mineral-driven black fruit, cedar and a lovely marine influence that comes through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very harmonious with a fine bead of acidity. Classy, sophisticated, this has plenty of breeding. Superb. This is perhaps the best bottle that I have encountered. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMJuicy black fruits, including cherry, blackcurrant, and blueberry with an undercurrent of graphite. Medium body but an enticingly juicy and surprisingly creamy-textured mouthfeel in the context of this vintage where the tannins are so often quite grippy. This wine already provides immense pleasure on the palate. Bravo! Drinking Window 2022 - 2040.Decanter | 93 DEC(Château Pichon-Longueville) I have been quite a fan of the young vintages of Château Pichon-Longueville in the last decade or so, but I crossed paths with a handful of vintages from early in the decade during the many events held for En Primeur and I was rather dismayed to see the wines seemingly drying out from their high percentage of new oak. This included the 2001, which should have been starting to really drink splendidly, but was instead astringent from uncovered wood tannins. Now, I am beginning to wonder about whether or not the high percentage of very spicy new oak used here is not too heavy a load for the wine to carry over time. In any event, the 2011 Château Pichon-Longueville is a very cabernet-dominated wine this year, with fully eighty-two percent of the blend comprised of this varietal. The nose is pure and really stunning, offering up scents of black cherries, cassis, cigar wrapper, gravel, coffee bean and plenty of spicy (Taransaud?) new barrels. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and deep and pure on the attack, with a very good core of fruit (particularly for 2011), fine focus and a long, very primary and very tannic finish. There is a distinct dry edge to the tannins at the present time, and a year ago I would have given this wine the benefit of the doubt. But, having seen a couple of recent vintages drying out from wood tannins, I am not entirely sure about how the 2011 Château Pichon-Longueville will evolve with bottle age. It will certainly be at least a very good wine, but will it also be a bit marred a decade down the road by its eighty percent new oak in this vintage? (Drink between 2022-2060).John Gilman | 88-92 JGA Pichon Baron with currants and cocoa powder. It’s a little lean but shows lovely full body, bright fruit and polished tannins. Lovely race and finesse. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 92 JSShows a taut feel for now, with lots of cassis and blackberry fruit, lined with iron and bramble notes. Dark and well-toasted yet integrated overall, this should stretch out after moderate cellaring, as there’s an ample core of dark, fleshy fruit. Best from 2016 through 2028. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSIts bigger, more famous sibling, the 2011 Pichon Longueville Baron exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, an opulent mouthfeel for a 2011, silky tannins and no hard edges. Medium-bodied and well-endowed, it is a major success in this vintage. It should hit its stride in 3-4 years and last for 15+.Robert Parker | 91 RPThe 2011 Pichon-Longueville Baron is a classic, solid, outstanding 2011 that offers textbook cedar and lead pencil notes as well as a core of dark fruits, medium-bodied richness, ripe tannin, and a focused, chiseled, yet balanced style on the palate. It’s drinking nicely today but will last for another two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

Wonderful aromas of blackberries, Indian spices and currants with hints of dried flowers. Medium body, linear, tight and ultra-fine tannins and a fresh finish. Beautiful now but this will improve with age.James Suckling | 93 JSThis wine is characterized by both structure and rich fruitiness. A dark, smoky character brings out the solid tannins that underlie the black currant fruitiness and the balance. Although it doesn’t have power, an intensity gives a flavor that lasts in the mouth. Drink this wine from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA wonderful surprise today, the 2011 Les Forts de Latour is terrific. Pliant, silky and racy, the 2011 offers considerable suppleness and sheer appeal. Hints of sweet tobacco, herb, licorice, cloves and leather add aromatic nuance throughout, but it is the wine’s overall balance and feel that are most impressive. The 2011 will drink nicely for at least another handful of years. From a pure pleasure perspective, it is the most enjoyable of Latour’s three new releases at this stage.Vinous Media | 92 VM(Les Forts de Latour (barrel sample)) The 2011 Forts de Latour is an excellent and quite structured wine that will demand time in the cellar, but clearly reward those patient enough to tuck it away and forget it for twelve to fifteen years. Thirty-five percent of the blend this year is merlot, as more was relegated to the second wine than the grand vin in 2011. The bouquet on this superb Forts de Latour offers up a very pure, primary and classic mélange of sweet cassis, black cherries, cigar smoke, dark soil tones and a touch of nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and perfectly balanced, with a sappy core of fruit, excellent focus and grip and a very long, ripely tannic and powerful finish. I love the cooler fruit tones of the 2011 wines here, as with just a smidgeon over thirteen percent alcohol gives this wine a precision to its soil signature that is far superior to the more heady 2010 version. A very, very impressive second wine! (Drink between 2025-2055).John Gilman | 91+ JGThe 2011 Les Forts de Latour has a very refined bouquet, understated at first but gaining intensity in the glass with an attractive estuarine tincture developing and complementing the black fruit. Later on, there is a trademark touch of Pauillac mintiness coupled with black olives. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin and very good weight in the mouth, the fruit profile leaning more towards the red side of the spectrum than black. This feels lithe and supple in the mouth, fleshy and generous with a smooth finish that slips down the throat. Enjoy this now and over the next 15-20 years. Tasted March 2017.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMA tightly coiled version, with a strong iron base that keeps the core of plum, black currant and bitter cherry pinned down for now. A bolt of graphite courses through the finish. This is very solid, showing some serious cut. Best from 2016 through 2026. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The licorice, tar and spice character with dried fruits and currants impresses me. Full body with firm tannins and a chewy finish. This is even better now than from barrel. Better in 2019.James Suckling | 93 JSThe savoury, floral edge of Cabernet on gravel is fully on display, and it needs time in the glass to soften and unroll. After a few minutes, the smoky side comes out, and the lean but concentrated berry fruit, although the tannins are a little crunchy. Delicious, a very classic Pauillac, full of pencil lead and crushed stone. 75% new oak. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECGrand-Puy-Lacoste made one of the finer 2010s in Pauillac, but I am not sure I do not prefer their excellent 2011 to the former vintage! This is a complete and very classy wine on both the nose and palate, with none of the difficulties of the vintage in evidence. The very classic bouquet offers up scents of cassis, dark berries, cigar smoke, gravelly soil tones, espresso and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with a lovely core of fruit, ripe, well-integrated tannins and a very long, complex and youthfully stylish finish. A lovely and very classic vintage of Grand-Puy-Lacoste! (Drink between 2022-2060).John Gilman | 92+ JGReflecting the fruity, forward style of the vintage, this wine is packed with ripe black currants. There is a strong Cabernet character—it’s dry initially, then followed by juiciness. It’s a concentrated wine, although not for long-term aging. Drink from 2017.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe dense ruby/purple-colored 2011 Grand Puy Lacoste exhibits a charming, open-knit bouquet of red and black fruits. It is a savory, medium-bodied, flavorful, well-endowed Pauillac from Xavier Borie that can be enjoyed over the next 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 91 RPShows purity and focus, with a core of bitter plum, cassis and lightly singed vanilla notes leading to a silky, relatively unadorned finish that glides along. Flickers of cedar and iron should emerge with cellaring. Best from 2015 through 2025.Wine Spectator | 91 WSGood full ruby. Fresh aromas of raspberry, cola, cinnamon, smoke and graphite. At once silky and juicy, offering good intensity and a light touch to the smoky dark berry and graphite flavors. Nicely penetrating wine with lovely vinosity and spicy, fruity persistence. Boasts lovely texture and balance, offering plenty of early appeal but with the stuffing to age and improve another ten years. This strikes me as one of the most successful Left Bank wines in 2011.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

The 2011 Haut-Batailley has a backward, loamy, slightly dour nose at first, demanding a lot of encouragement from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite dense and solid, though it is missing some complexity and tension on the minty finish. But maybe in three or four years time this will mellow and have more to give? Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VMA wine with extremely integrated fruit-tannin balance, with berry, currant and mineral character. It’s so polished and pretty. Full body, juicy fruit and a fresh finish. Needs five to six years of age to soften.James Suckling | 92 JS

One of the clear standouts where the fruit has real depth and is laced with black chocolate, liquorice, cassis as well as cassis bud. Cabernet dominant, will some angularity to the tannins but this is high quality, and has a floral lift and juiciness to it. A food vintage, because acidities are pretty high, but this delivers one of the best wines of Pauillac. New optical sorter used this year. 65% new oak, 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 66% of production in the first wine. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECThis is a luxurious wine that’s opulently rich. Ripe black fruits dominate, lending fullness to the firm structure in the backdrop. It’s a wine with great potential, density and weight. Touches of chocolate and licorice combine with flavors of dark plum, toast and spice. Drink from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Château Lynch-Bages) The 2011 Château Lynch-Bages is a lovely example of the vintage, though like many of the most successful wines on the Left Bank, it is plenty tannic and will need at least a good decade to soften. The deep, complex and very classy nose jumps from the glass in a blaze of cassis, black cherries, espresso, gravelly soil tones, a touch of anise and lead pencilly new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite well-balanced, with a very good core of fruit, fine focus and a very long, ripely tannic and chewy finish. With this wine, the analogy between the 1986 and 2011 vintages seems quite apropos. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 93 JGA dense, chewy wine for the vintage, with plum, currant and blackberry character. Full body, polished tannic texture and a bright finish. Very pretty indeed. This needs time to soften. Try in 2019.James Suckling | 93 JSThis has solid guts, with plum, currant and blackberry fruit melded together at the core, while notes of charcoal, warm tobacco and singed iron form the backdrop. Should be very solid when it comes together after some cellaring. Best from 2016 through 2028.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe medium-bodied 2011 Lynch Bages possesses a saturated ruby/purple color as well as beautiful creme de cassis notes, a generous, concentrated, well-made, medium to full-bodied style and supple tannins. A successful effort in 2011, it should be drinkable in 3-4 years and last for 15+. It is a sleeper of the vintage.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe 2011 Lynch-Bages is quite savoury on the nose with dried blood and meat juices intermixed with the black fruit. The palate is ripe and rounded on the entry, quite dense and muscular for a Pauillac, grippy towards the finish where I am seeking more elegance and precision. Not bad, though not the best wine that the Cazes family have overseen this decade. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Brings together the florality of Armailhac and the dense fruit of Clerc Milon, all with the volume turned up. Clear concentration and structure here, powerful Pauillac tannins and a juicy finish - easily one of the wines of the vintage in Pauillac. And despite the challenges of the vintage, it has plenty of seductive Mouton signature - touches of gourmet edging, smoke, liquorice, bitter chocolate shavings, pencil lead, a ton of Pauillac character. It is well measured and grips through the palate. Harvest 12-28 September. We were at a time here when Mouton could barely put a foot wrong, great stuff from Philippe Dhalluin. (Drink between 2023-2050)Decanter | 97 DECTight, focused and very well-built, this shows the quality of this sleeper vintage. Built on tannins that have a twinge of austerity, this offers ample flesh to the dark currant, fig and blackberry fruit. Bramble, tobacco and loam accents fill in through the finish, which has a lingering tug of dark earth at the very end. This one may never be a charmer but it has aging potential for sure.--Non-blind Mouton-Rothschild vertical (March 2017). Best from 2021 through 2045.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThere is a lightness about this vintage of Mouton Rothschild. It doesn’t take away from its quality but does give the wine poise and an attractive lift. The wine is based on solid tannins, then the ripe fruit builds layers of fruitiness and freshness. It is not likely to be one of the longest-aging Moutons, but it will be delicious. Drink from 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThis is now a little tight but shows firmness and raciness with pretty austerity. Full and tight with silky tannins and a long, fresh finish. Firm acidity is holding it back. Needs two or three years to open. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2011 Mouton Rothschild is dark, powerful and concentrated. Plum, grilled herbs, smoke, graphite and mocha are all nicely delineated in the glass. The effects of the hot, dry weather are felt in the wine’s roasted flavors and hard tannins that reflect the heat stress of the season. I suspect the 2011 will have its day of glory once the tannins soften, but that day is a ways off in the future. Readers should expect to be patient with the 2011. The blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, brought in between September 12 and 28.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGTasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2011 Mouton-Rothschild is probably the "weakest" of the releases between 2008 and 2012, although that would be unfairly disparaging what is a perfectly respectable, if rather unexciting Mouton. Here, it has those graphite and cedar aromas present and correct, the former a little more accentuated and with a light sea-spray note emerging with time. The palate is well balanced with cedar and a slight peat-like note infusing the black fruit, rigid in its youth but nicely delineated. As I discerned out of barrel, what it lacks is that peacock’s tail on the finish, bolting out of the exit door before you have really got to know each other. Tasted April 2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP-NM(Château Mouton-Rothschild) The 2011 Mouton-Rothschild contains the highest percentage of cabernet sauvignon ever in the history of this estate, as fully ninety percent of the blend is made up of this varietal, to go along with seven percent merlot and three percent cabernet franc. The wine is very deep and nascently complex on the nose, as it offers up scents of cassis, Cuban cigar ash, coffee bean, tobacco leaf, a bit of lead pencil and plenty of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with firm, substantial tannins and a very long, primary and quite concentrated finish. This will need a long time to come around, but seems to have the constituent components in place to eventually blossom nicely. I do not know why the wine does not move me more than it does, but, at least at this early stage, the wine just seems to lack a bit of soul. Maybe bottle age will reveal its inner beauty. (Drink between 2030-2100).John Gilman | 89-92+ JG

Don’t be fooled by the easy fruitiness of this delicious wine, because underneath the blackberry flavors is a powerfully tannic structure. Opulent and dense, it promises considerable aging. Drink this complex wine from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEClosed at the moment, presenting its tannic face rather than its fruit, and I would suggest waiting another three or four years before things soften up, or give it time in a decanter or jug. The emphasis is on the floral, cassis bud feel of Pauillac Cabernet, emphasising its austere but elegant character. As it opens, carefully sculpted blueberry and blackberry fruit appears, as does the evident finesse and juicy finish. This is high quality but without the density and sheer wow factor of the 2010. Sylvie Cazes was heading things up at this point. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 60% new oak, 40% first wine. A yield of 42hl/ha. (Drink between 2021-2042)Decanter | 94 DEC(Château Pichon-Lalande (barrel sample)) The 2011 Pichon-Lalande is one of the most cabernet-dominated wines in history at this estate, as it is seventy-eight percent cabernet sauvignon this year and only eight percent merlot (to go along with twelve percent cabernet franc and two percent petit verdot). The decision to relegate most of the merlot to the second wine has clearly paid off this year, as the 2011 Pichon-Lalande is excellent, offering up a deep and complex nose of dark berries, coffee bean, cigar smoke, fresh herbs, tobacco leaf and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish pure and intensely flavored, with a fine core of fruit, lovely focus and grip and a very long, ripely tannic and very well-balanced finish. There is a real sense of elegance to the 2011 Pichon-Lalande that is a very rare commodity in this vintage! Lovely juice. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 93 JGMy impression is that the 2011 Pichon Lalande will have its day, one day. For now, big, burly tannins give the 2011 a decidedly monolithic feel. To be sure, there is plenty of fruit density and power lurking in the glass, but the 2011 needs more time in bottle before it starts showing at its best. Two thousand-eleven was marked by an unusual weather pattern in which spring was quite warm and dry, but then summer was cool.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGA 2011 with blackberry, dark-chocolate and smoked-meat character. Full body, silky tannins and a long, intense finish. All about balance and polish. Very fine. Needs three to four years to soften. Try in 2017.James Suckling | 93 JSOffers briar, blackberry paste, fig and anise notes, with lively, modestly grippy tannins holding the finish. Has solid dark fruit and the vintage’s telltale brambly feel.—Non-blind Pichon Lalande vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2030. 20,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

What a nose of blackberries, blackcurrants, minerals and graphite. Full-bodied and extremely fine and polished. Sexy and ethereal. Harmony. A little salty. Fabulous 2012. Pure silk. Better after 2020 but so wonderful now.James Suckling | 97 JSThis is a beautifully opulent wine, great Mouton in its richness and succulent fruits. It’s combines structure and obvious new-wood aging with hugely ripe black plum and currant flavors. While it is a pleasure to taste now, there is a great tannic structure in the background to give the sense of power and aging potential. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WETasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2012 Mouton-Rothschild clearly has the upper hand over the 2011, if not quite at the level of the 2009, 2010 and what I envisage will be the 2015. There is obviously greater fruit intensity here, as if the contrast has been dialed up a couple of notches. It is quite showy on the nose, preening in its infancy with pure black cherries, graphite and hints of cold slate-like scents, later that hint of seaweed I observed when tasted blind a few months earlier. The palate is beautifully balanced with great vim and vigor. This is a Mouton that will not be put down - vivacious, vivid and delineated with wonderful focus and crucially, impressive persistence on the finish. Do not underestimate this Mouton-Rothschild, because I can see an upswing as it matures in bottle. Tasted April 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 96 RP-NMThe 2012 Mouton Rothschild comes across as quite dark and ripe in this vintage. One of the richest, most powerful 2012s readers will come across, the Mouton boasts striking aromatics and overall density. Mocha, chocolate, graphite, smoke, licorice and dark-fleshed fruits all meld together in the glass. I imagine the 2012 will need a good decade before it starts drinking well. Slightly roasted notes and copious new oak stick out today, but these wines have a way of coming together in bottle. Antonio Galloni | 95 AGWonderful expression of ’patrician’ black fruits, the expected exotic seduction of Mouton, a perfect blend of power and elegance. Drinking Window 2017 - 2035.Decanter | 95 DECThis is starting to mellow already, featuring dark fig and blackberry notes infused liberally with black tea and smoldering tobacco accents. Shows a light loamy echo through the finish, with a flash of menthol. Offers ample flesh throughout, with a slightly grainy edge to the tannins.--Non-blind Mouton-Rothschild vertical (March 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Château Mouton-Rothschild) The 2012 Château Mouton-Rothschild is a very good wine, being comprised of fully ninety percent cabernet sauvignon, eight percent merlot and two percent cabernet franc. It was raised in only seventy percent new oak this year- not a concession to the more elegant style of the 2012 vintage, but rather because the new chais includes new large wood fermentation tanks and these were also new oak this year. The wine is complex and classy on the nose, but just a touch overly slick for my pedestrian tastes, as it offers up a blend of cassis, dark berries, coffee bean, a dollop of licorice, dark soil tones and plenty of spicy, smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and pure, with really lovely raw materials very much in evidence. The core is deep, the focus and balance here are very fine indeed and there are plenty of ripe, chewy tannins adding grip and potential longevity on the finish, and yet, for some reason, I am left with the impression that the whole this year is a bit less than the sum of its parts. This is a very well-made wine, but it seems to me to be a bit overly sculpted to ever really reach greatness. I miss the more effortless impression of a wine like the 1985 Mouton- which the 2012 vintage might have been able to reproduce flawlessly! (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 92 JG

From the famous château estate of the Castéja family, the 2012 Batailley is a very strong effort. This is a big-time sleeper of the vintage. A dense purple wine with loads of crème de cassis, blueberry notes, background forest floor and cedar, this is a strong effort from Batailley and may well usher in a new era for this fifth-growth chateau that is capable of producing great wine. The tannins are sweet and the wine has an opulence and richness that is rare for a Médoc in 2012. Drink it over the next 25 years.Robert Parker | 92 RPThe 2012 Batailley has plenty of fruit on the nose: blackberry, raspberry, a touch of shoe leather and sage. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight bitterness on the entry, nicely balanced though, cedar and tobacco infusing the black fruit with a touch more fruit on the finish compared to Haut-Batailley. It just needs more time in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting. Drinking Window 2023 - 2038Vinous Media | 92 VM(Château Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) A fine claret with plenty of charm. Pure, focused fruit character on the nose and the perfume carries through to the palate before a harmonious finish. (Drink between 2022-2028)Decanter | 91 DECA full-bodied red with chewy and polished tannins, lots of ripe fruit and toasted oak, though this turns slightly lean on the finish. Needs two or three years to soften. Better in 2017.James Suckling | 90 JS

The wine is very dry, layered tannins giving a major sense of structure. It will always have this dry, dense character, very firm, solid and powerful.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis has a very solid core of dark plum, crushed black currant and blackberry fruit, with lightly firm flesh and good drive through the finish, where alder and iron notes fill in. Shows excellent energy and depth, while harnessing the austere edge of the vintage. Best from 2018 through 2025.Wine Spectator | 92 WSAromas of blackcurrants, blueberries and lemons follow through to a full body, firm tannins and a fresh, clean finish. A little tight now but excellent. Precision to this. Back ended. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2012 Lynch-Bages comes across as a bit bombastic and ripe. Mocha, plums, dark cherry, blackberry, licorice, tar and new oak are all evident in this slightly four-square Lynch Bages. Today, the 2012 comes in as somewhat disjointed and not fully put together. It will be interesting to see what further time in bottle brings. The blend is 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Because of heat stress, yields were unusually low in 2012, and that may be the reason why the wine is a bit clumsy today. I would give the 2012 a few years to come together.Antonio Galloni | 91+ AGRich dense colour, big meaty wine with good florality as well as rich fruit, a big wine, very ripe for this vintage. Drinking Window 2017 - 2035Decanter | 91 DEC(Château Lynch-Bages) The 2012 Château Lynch-Bages is another excellent success for the vintage, with fine and structured personality and impressive complexity on both the nose and palate. The deep and classy nose offers up scents of cassis, dark berries, espresso, cigar ash, smoke and a blend of cedary and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely reserved, with a rock solid core, ripe, chewy tannins and excellent length and grip on the youthful and promising finish. Lovely juice. (Drink between 2020-2045).John Gilman | 91 JG

This will be by far the biggest release since Latour brought in the new system, as the 2012 has not been on the market before. It’s a good one to start with as this is a vintage where the drinking window is starting to come into view. This is pure liquorice, graphite and profoundly dark fruits, gourmet brushed damson and crushed stones, with a silky, appealingly open texture. The tannins are as bracing as you hope for from this estate, not giving an inch yet, but there is air between them and the structure is starting to loosen up. Harvest from September 24 to October 16, under rainy conditions after a super hot summer and early September that ensured the grapes stayed in good condition, but turned the concentration from impenetrable to an altogether more approachable style. Drinking Window 2022 - 2050.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2012 Latour is a blend of 90.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.6% Merlot and 0.2% Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet colored, the nose slowly, measuredly emerges with notions of preserved Morello cherries, baked blackcurrants and blackberry compote, giving way to nuances of pencil shavings, unsmoked cigars, Chinese five spice and sandalwood plus ever so subtle hints of cardamom and eucalyptus. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black and red fruit preserves with a firm, grainy-textured frame and fantastic freshness, finishing with a veritable firework display of lingering spices and minerals. This is a more restrained, relatively elegant vintage of Latour that may not have that “iron fist in a velvet glove” power of the greatest vintages but nonetheless struts its superior terroir and behind-the-scenes savoir faire with impressive panache. It is drinking nicely now with suitably rounded-off, approachable tannins, and the tertiary characters are just beginning to bring some more cerebral elements into the compote of temptingly primary black fruits. But, if you’re looking to drink it in full, flamboyant swing, give it another 5-10 years in bottle and drink it over the next 20-25 years+.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPThe 2012 Latour has a potent bouquet of blackberry, graphite and distinctive tertiary notes [instead of more marine scents observed four years earlier]. Initially, the palate is slightly disjointed on the entry and displays a subtle herbal quality, plus hints of pencil shavings. The 2012 demands a few minutes to really coalesce and achieve the precision and pixelation that have been the hallmark of this Grand Vin in its youth. Layers of black fruit coat the mouth, and a bitter edge lends tension, particularly toward the very persistent finish. Though its release implies, and the rhetoric from the château indicates, that it is ready to drink, if you want my advice, cellar the 2012 for another five or six years to witness it in full flight. It has always been a candidate for wine of the vintage... just have a bit of patience.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis features a terrific, gorgeously delineated graphite note that runs from start to finish, letting the dark plum, black cherry and cassis fruit play out beautifully. Shows a lovely backdrop of charcoal and iron on the finish. Ever so slightly rigid, with a strong graphite expression, this is straight rather than expansive in feel, but seriously long nonetheless. Best from 2018 through 2030. 9,819 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSVery perfumed with hints of minerals, currants, wet earth and stones. Full-bodied, muscular and chewy. Polished tannins, tight acidity and a savory finish. Very reserved. Muscular. Better in 2019.James Suckling | 94 JS(Château Latour) The 2012 harvest at Château Latour began with the picking of the merlot on September 24th (concluding for this variety on October 4th) and finished with the cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot during the stretch from October 5th to the 16th. All three wines in the stable came in at a very classic 12.8 percent alcohol this year, and as the cabernet sauvignon was the most successful varietal, the 2012 grand vin is over ninety percent cabernet this year. The bouquet is deep, primary and very pure and refined, as it wafts from the glass in a constellation of cassis, cigar smoke, tobacco leaf, complex, gravelly soil tones and a nice touch of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very elegant on the attack, with a good core, suave and quite moderate tannins (particularly for a young Latour!), fine focus and impressive length and grip on the youthful finish. Clearly, the team at Latour did not want to risk over-extracting in this vintage, and the wine is certainly one of the most polite recent vintages of this great property. It should prove to be a lovely wine with sufficient bottle age, but this is one of the very few properties in all of Bordeaux where the trio from 2009, 2010 and 2011 tower over their 2012 counterpart. (Drink between 2025-2060).John Gilman | 91+ JG

The second wine of Château Latour, the 2012 Les Forts de Latour is a smoking good, rich, concentrated effort that most likely wins the battle of the second wines in the vintage. Crème de cassis, graphite, crushed violets, cedar pencil and tobacco notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied 2012 that has rock solid mid-palate depth and a great finish. It doesn’t come cheap but is a beautiful, classic Les Forts de Latour that will drink nicely for another 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDA juicy and rich red, offering chocolate and hazelnuts. Plum and berry undertones. Full-bodied with angular tannins that are firm and muscular. Needs a year or two to soften still.James Suckling | 93 JSComposed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2012 Les Forts de Latour has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and nose of redcurrants, black cherries and kirsch with menthol, cigars and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is soft and vibrant with a lively line and an herbal lift on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThough I tasted the 2012 Les Forts de Latour, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, during en primeur back in 2013, this marks the first commercial release for this vintage. It boasts devilishly attractive pencil lead bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and a light sea spray influence. The palate is clean and fresh with very fine, almost edgy tannins. The precision here is undeniable, a tensile Les Forts de Latour that similar to many 2012s has blossomed during its bottle maturation. There is a mote of signature Pauillac mintiness that pop up towards the persistent finish, completing an assured Les Forts de Latour that might tempt those whose pockets are not deep enough for the co-released 2006 Latour.Vinous Media | 91 VMAdmirably rich for the vintage, with solid plum and black currant paste flavors, allied to a decidedly brisk and racy structure and backed by plum pit, iron and singed alder notes through the finish, giving this a rather linear feel overall. Should age well, and will likely always have more cut than breadth. Best from 2017 through 2025. 11,933 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSSuperb colour, cassis fruit and the classic graphite grip of top Pauillacs, fragrance, precision and great class. [NB: Tasted en primeur and originally rated as 17.5 points under the 20-point scale used by Decanter at the time] Drinking Window 2017 - 2030.Decanter | 91 DEC

This is very polished and refined with blackcurrant, raspberry and citrus-peel undertones. Full body, extremely fine texture and a long, long finish.James Suckling | 92 JSPart of the empire of the Chateau Mouton Rothschild, this estate was once known as Mouton Baronne Philippe. This impressive, deep, opaque ruby/purple wine, with loads of charcoal, crème de cassis and a flowery-ness, this is rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, quite pure, and avoids any of the astringency or hollowness that some Médocs possess in this vintage. The wine is complete and finishes authoritatively. The tannins are there, but ripe, integrated and velvety. This is a very impressive d’Armailhac to drink over the next 20-25 years.Robert Parker | 91 RPFragrant, scented and full of charm, but lighter than its richer stablemate Château Clerc Milon, tasted at the same time. This was a good vintage from the Mouton Rothschild stable, and the team there read it well. Remains good value.Decanter | 91 DECFruity and rich, this wine is developing fast. It is full of black currant fruits, with an impressive background of solid, structured tannins. The wine is linear, fresh, showing how well this property is developing its quality. It’s a wine for medium-term aging, so drink from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

Intense black currant fruitiness makes this wine unabashedly forward. The palate bears weighty tannins behind that fruit, resulting in a wine that is already quite balanced and structured.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE(Château Pichon-Lalande (barrel sample)) Château Pichon-Lalande is fortunate to have Nicolas Glumineau now at the head of the day to day operations of the estate, as he has moved over from Château Montrose after the 2011 vintage and has clearly hit the ground running in his first full year at this fabled Pauillac Second Growth! The 2012 Château Pichon-Lalande is clearly one of the three finest wines produced on the Left Bank in this vintage and an utterly classic and refined bottle of young claret. The wine this year is a blend of fifty-nine percent cabernet sauvignon, twenty-eight percent merlot, eight percent cabernet franc and five percent petit verdot. The deep, pure and very traditionally-styled nose delivers a superb aromatic constellation of cassis, cark berries, coffee, tobacco leaf, cigar ash, gravel and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and utterly suave and seamless, with a rock solid core, great focus and grip and a long, classy and ripely tannic finish. Think of a wine cut along the lines of the beautiful 1983 Pichon-Lalande, only deeper and even more refined! This is a glorious success and a clear indication that a combination of strict selection and an intuitive sense of the style of the 2012 vintage could produce magic! Do not miss this wine if you love classic claret. (Drink between 2025-2065).John Gilman | 94 JGAs it always is, the 2012 Pichon Lalande is a wine of pure and total seduction. The 2012 is neither the biggest nor most complex Pichon Lalande, but it is among the most pleasurable wine in this tasting, especially for near and medium-term drinking. Silky and medium in body, with lovely brightness, the 2012 has so much to offer.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGWonderful nose of wet earth, mushrooms and berries. Full to medium body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Sleek and polished. Needs two to three years of bottle age to soften. 59% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot.James Suckling | 92 JSSlightly meaty and slighty spicy ripe fruit, with Merlot to the fore, good middle sweetness and a succulence that will impress over time. Drinking Window 2016 - 2032.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2012 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is a beautiful, elegant wine in this slightly more challenging vintage (at least for the northern Médoc) and is well worth cellaring and drinking. A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, it has classic Pauillac lead pencil notes as well as plenty of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, and cedar. Medium-bodied, forward, and seamless on the palate, it shows the classic elegance of this estate, has ripe tannins, and is already impossible to resist. Enjoy this solid 2012 Pauillac over the coming 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDA gutsy, terroir-driven style, with briar-edged grip carrying notes of macerated black currant fruit, fig and plum sauce. This shows lots of dark anise through the finish, along with notes of roasted apple wood and a hint of cassis bush. Delivers excellent range, purity and energy. Best from 2018 through 2027. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe grande dame, the 2012 Pichon Lalande represents only 50% of their harvest production. It has soft, round tannins, endearing elegance, and up-front fruit. It is not a blockbuster, but its lush, richly fruity style is charming and seductive, with raspberry, blueberry, mocha and blackcurrant fruit and a deep ruby/purple color. This medium-bodied, supple-textured wine is surprisingly precocious and forward, and therefore best drunk over the next 15 years. The final blend was 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.Robert Parker | 90 RP

What an expressive nose! Plump, fruit driven, juicy cherry, blackberry, ripe cassis and rose stem. The opposite of the 2011, this is round and suave, albeit with not quite as long a finish. A juicy, bright palate with high alcohol and full body, some oak derived coffee tones, with burgeoning touches of earth. The first vintage with 35% ageing in concrete amphorae. (Drink between 2021-2045)Decanter | 95 DECThis impeccably run, biodynamically farmed estate of Alfred Tesseron goes from strength to strength. The 2012 triumphs once again with its notes of dark plum, blackcurrant, licorice and almost a hint of truffle, its full-bodied, supple tannins, and beautiful, expensive mouthfeel. Complex and deep, this dense ruby/purple-colored wine may not be at the level of the 2009 or 2010, but it is a successful wine in this vintage, and a significant wine in 2012. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.Robert Parker | 93 RPA wine of real class, pedigree and distinction, the 2012 Pontet-Canet is absolutely gorgeous. The flavors are beautifully nuanced and delineated throughout. Bright floral notes add lift and sensuality. The 2012 is decidedly understated next to some other recent vintages, but the magic of this site simply won’t be denied. This is another sublime wine from proprietor Alfred Tesseron.Antonio Galloni | 93+ AGThis shows incredible decadence and opulence for the vintage with dried meat, black berry, blueberries and hints of mushroom. Full body, very polished silky tannins and a chewy finish. Lots of richness for the vintage. Persistent palate. This was aged 35% in cement eggs for 12 months. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 93 JSBroad and fleshy, with an alluring feel to the layers of steeped plum, blackberry coulis and raspberry reduction notes, all gliding over ample but polished tannins. Loam, tobacco and warm stone accents stay in the background for now but add steady base notes to the finish. Packs in solid fruit for the vintage, with a commensurate tug of earth. Best from 2017 through 2025.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis tastes jammy and very fruity, with tannins that are totally enveloped by the rich texture. Plummy and comfortable, it’s all about ripe berries and currants. Smoky flavors come from the wood aging, and contrast with the Port-like lusciousness of the wine.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEFresh and lively aromatically, with spring flowers, sappy herbs, licorice, currant bud and earth, the 2012 is medium to full-bodied, tight, closed and focused, with fine, grippy tannin and a rock-solid finish. It lacks a touch of density and exuberance, but is an elegant, lengthy 2012 that needs 3-4 years of cellaring and will keep through 2032.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

This generous, almost opulent wine has both concentration and rounded fruits. It’s open already, hinting at wood-aging while concentrating much more on the ripe fruits. Packed with fruit and tannins, it’s densely textured. It will age, of course; don’t start to drink before 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA warm and delicious Mouton with light spice, currant, and hints of chocolate. Very subtle and refined. Full to medium body. Seamless tannins that dissolve on the finish. Wonderful length for the vintage. 89% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot, and 4% cabernet franc. Salty and delicately fruity. Better in 2020 but beautiful now.James Suckling | 95 JSSuperb depth of colour, black fruits nose with spicy notes, slightly roasted coffee and bitter chocolate on the palate, Mouton’s exotic hints, velvety texture, quite beautifully made. Drinking Window 2018 - 2035.Decanter | 94 DECA success in one of the region’s most difficult years, showing tension and energy to the mix of red currant and damson plum fruit, stitched with light anise, violet and bay hints. Has a slightly crunchy feel through the finish, typical for the vintage. Admirable flesh as well.--Non-blind Mouton-Rothschild vertical (March 2017). Best from 2021 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2013 Mouton-Rothschild has a conservative, straight-laced, tobacco-stained bouquet, nicely defined but lacking genuine depth. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, balanced with tobacco and red berry fruit, moderate depth with touches of dried herbs lining the finish. I can imagine this becoming approachable within a couple of years and yet the pedigree of the terroir percolates through with aeration. While not a great Mouton-Rothschild by any stretch of the imagination, this is a strong effort in a difficult vintage.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMThe 2013 Mouton Rothschild is delicate, pretty and nicely lifted throughout, with a Pinot-like purity to its fruit. A distinctly lithe Mouton, the 2013 should offer fine drinking over the next two decades, or so although it is certainly not a blockbuster. Bright red cherry, raspberry rose petal and blood orange are some of the signatures. Seventeen millimeters of rain at the end of the season caused an outbreak of rot and resulted in a compact harvest between September 30 and October 9. Because of the wine’s mid-weight structure, Philippe Dhalluin brought the new oak down to about 80%. The 2013 is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. This is the second vintage made in the new cellar. More importantly, the 2013 is far more impressive from bottle than it was from barrel. Approximately 45% of the crop was used for the Grand Vin.Antonio Galloni | 92 AG

Very enticing sweet tobacco, cedar, tar and blackcurrant on the nose with hints of black mushrooms and violets. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe tannins that are still slightly chewy, but show poise and focus. Juicy finish with a berry, iodine and walnut aftertaste. Just a touch of austerity at the end. Savory. Clearly one of the top wines of this very difficult vintage, along with Margaux and Lafleur. Drinkable now, but better in 2024.James Suckling | 95 JSFirst things first - there is an undeniable enjoyment in finding a vintage of Latour's grand vin that doesn't need to be put away for a few decades, and it is smart of the estate to release this wine now, at eight years old, because 2013 is unquestionably a year that lacks the intensity and structure to allow long ageing. I tasted it both on its own, just opened from bottle, and over lunch to see how it held up. Smoke, floral notes and spice are the three main lines that you are going to find, and each one has its appeal. Expect raspberry, blueberries, cassis bud and cherry pit - all markers of a cooler vintage - together with a seductively intense level of retro-olfaction that brings in waves of peony, smoked tea, tomato leaf and rosemary aromatics. The Latour tannins build slowly over the palate, although they are finer than you find in most vintages, and overall there is a successful emphasis on precision and finesse. 31% of the total production. At the time around half of the main L'Enclos vineyard was in organic and biodynamic farming, and this was the last year with Penelope Godefroy as winemaker, before she headed over to the newly bought (and now re-sold) Right Bank estates of Vray Croix de Gay and Le Prieuré. Around half the usual production, no more than 5,000 cases, because the final yield came in at 25hl/ha. In my view, one of the wines of the vintage. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECComposed of 95.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.4% Merlot and 0.4% Petit Verdot, the 2013 Latour offers an open-knit, fragrant nose of licorice, sandalwood, rose petals and cigar box over a core of Black Forest cake, stewed plums, mulberries and redcurrant jelly, plus a waft of cast-iron pan. The elegantly styled, medium-bodied palate (13% alcohol) fills the mouth with intense red and black berry preserves layers, framed by evolved, soft-textured tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and spicy. This vintage does not have the power and backbone of an outstanding vintage of Latour, but it is aging gracefully and, still possessing a lot of discernible fruit with plenty of tertiary pizazz, is absolutely delicious to drink right now. This sweet-spot stage is likely to continue for another 5-7 years, before the wine plateaus at a maturity peak and holds for a further 15+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2013 Latour is absolutely gorgeous. Of course, the 2013 is lighter in body than the norm here, but striking aromatics and silky tannins more than make up for that. A wine of total breed and class, the 2013 is a real pleasure to taste today. Naturally, the lighter structure of the year is impossible to escape. Even so, at eight years of age, the 2013 is just starting to show the first signs of aromatic nuance, and yet it remains a young wine. The spread of botrytis led to an early harvest, with the exception to some blocks on the western side of the enclos that were more resistant to conditions and were therefore picked later. This is a remarkable showing considering a little more than 2/3rds of the vineyards (for the Grand Vin) were farmed biodynamically back then. I can't wait to see how the 2013 ages. My opened bottle stayed fresh for a number of days.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGThis delivers a very tightly focused beam of red currant, pomegranate and bitter plum fruit flavors that streak along thanks to finely beaded acidity, showing a hint of graphite through the finish and a beguiling black tea accent. Reveals a lovely sense of precision, maintaining cut through the sneakily long finish. Best from 2017 through 2025. 5,625 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe flagship 2013 Chateau Latour comes from a much more challenging vintage and is 95.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.4% Merlot, and a 0.4% Petit Verdot. It shows its more Cabernet dominated blend with a more compact, tight, reserved style that opens up nicely with time in the glass. Revealing a healthy ruby/plum color, it has classic Latour notes of blackcurrants, freshly sharpened pencils, smoked tobacco, crushed stone, and licorice. It doesn't have the depth, richness, or expansiveness to be considered a great Latour but is medium-bodied, has a focused, elegant texture, ripe, silky tannins, and a narrow yet lengthy finish. Given the difficulties in the year, this is certainly a success as the purity of fruit is spot on, the tannins are sweet and polished, and it has plenty of classic Latour character. It should drink nicely over the coming 10-15 years and have a gradual decline.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

This is a structured wine, firm with tannins and still showing some of the wood-aging. Red-berry fruits are cut with crisper blueberries and considerable acidity. This is going to be a firm wine that is lightened by the fruit, and a very good representative of the vintage. Drink from 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEDark cherries, tobacco, scorched earth, smoke and game inform the 2013 Clerc-Milon. The 2013 possesses good depth and intensity, although the tannins are a bit rough around the edges at this stage. In 2013 the blend is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere, harvested between October 1 and October 9. Tasted twice.Antonio Galloni | 88-90 AGDeep colour and firm fruit both on nose and palate, good structure and weight and fine vineyard character, good future. Drinking Window 2019 - 2030.Decanter | 90 DECA firm and silky red with currant, chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Medium body, integrated and delicious. Pretty sweetness of fruit on the finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

Consultant Denis Dubourdieu has made the most of the difficult vintage, bringing out the fruit and ripe black-currant flavors. This balanced wine will develop attractively and quickly. Drink from 2019.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThe 2013 Batailley has a relatively backward bouquet, however, there is respectable fruit concentration here for the vintage: blackberry, cedar and cigar box, your typical traits for this estate. The palate offers commendable weight and extraction: not a Batailley of finesse or even complexity, though one with a modicum of presence and substance. Given this is a 2013 there is negligible under-ripeness on the tensile and almost steely finish. I can see this giving 10-15 years of pleasure and it represents a very commendable wine in the context of the growing season.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NMA fine and balanced red with currants, chocolate and cedar character. Full to medium body, refined texture and very harmonious. Unique blend for this estate; 94% cabernet sauvignon and the rest in merlot and petit verdot. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 90 JS

With great freshness, this is an attractive, fruity wine with final ripe berry flavors that are delicately leavened and given weight by tannins. There is already a drinkable balance from the fruit, although the wine needs more time to be in harmony. Drink from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEFine purple-red, fragrant nose, expressive and even exuberant, a Pauillac with charm and good tannins for the future. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028.Decanter | 90 DECA fresh and delicious red with blueberry, spice and chocolate. Medium body, fine tannins and a clean finish. A beauty. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 90 JS

The aromas of stones, oyster shell, blackcurrants and mushrooms are very intense. Full-bodied, dense and powerful with lots of blackberries. Great finish. Super energy and depth. Try in 2022. Fascinating.James Suckling | 98 JSThis is a major wine. It has enormous tension, structure and a core of dark tannins. Amid all this, the wine is also packed with fruit and concentrated blackberry and black-plum flavors. It will age slowly and steadily with its enormous structure and concentration. Drink this wine from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2014 Lafite-Rothschild, tasted with head winemaker Eric Kohler, has retained that very opulent and outgoing bouquet that dare I say actually reminded me of Mouton-Rothschild. There are layers of blackberry and boysenberry fruit, still that hint of juniper berry, certainly a more extrovert Lafite-Rothschild compared to recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, very focused and quite linear, again with plenty of black fruit laced with cedar and tobacco. It begins to clam up towards the saline finish, suggesting that it will need several years in bottle, but I still have high expectations for this First Growth once afforded several years in bottle.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NMThe 2014 Lafite-Rothschild has an incredibly fruit-driven bouquet with layers of black cherries, cassis, raspberry preserve and menthol aromas all beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet core of intense red berry fruit laced with white pepper, sage and a hint of fennel. The balance here is exquisite and the manner in which it fans out on the final third is just glorious. You could actually broach this now, it is so drinkable, but it has the substance to suggest long-term ageing. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMReserved for now, but the core of cassis, bitter plum and raspberry coulis flavors is pure and energetic, while extra black tea, iron and singed alder notes fill in steadily through the finish. This has a very focused, streamlined feel overall, yet there’s serious depth for the cellar. Best from 2020 through 2035. 16,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSLovely floral nose and almost understated compared to Mouton – just a line of clarity and fruit purity that doesn’t need description. Fine tannins and wild violet lift over a firm, textured depth of fruit. Perfect harmony. Drinking Window 2022 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DEC

Glorious aromatics with currants, flowers, stones and light mushrooms. Medium to full body and fine tannins that are long and polished. Super linear, structured and long. Drink in 2019.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2014 Les Forts de Latour is a blend of 71.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28.6% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to reveal expanding scents of blackcurrant pastilles, baked plums and boysenberries with suggestions of wood smoke, fragrant earth, cast-iron pan and charcuterie plus a faint waft of black truffles. Medium-bodied, the earthy/savory palate has loads of lively black fruit with a refreshing line and firm, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2014 Forts de Latour has turned out beautifully. Pliant, supple and open-knit, the wine is super-expressive, even at this early stage. There is lovely depth to the dark red cherry, plum and leather nuances, all in the vivid, articulate style that is found in the best 2014s. Best of all, the 2014 Forts de Latour will drink well with minimal cellaring.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThe second wine of the estate is the 2014 Les Forts De Latour and this beauty is better than most estate grand vin. Made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot, this straight up classic Pauillac is loaded with notions of red and black currants, lead pencil shavings, roasted coffee, graphite, and Asian spices. Deep, medium to full-bodied, impressively concentrated, and layered, it’s a seriously good wine that’s going to continue drinking beautifully for two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDHighly enjoyable, has gorgeous elegance and freshness, and is showing better right now than the 2015 Pauillac de Latour. Extremely fresh, hedgerow and cassis bud backed up by richer seams of liquorice and blackberry. Not yet ready but you can see that with a stiff wind and a good carafe, you could get there in the next few years. Tight black spice uncurls to show carefully-delivered smoked cedar on the finish. Drinking Window 2022 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECPacked with the fruit of the vintage, this wine is bright and crisp. Its acidity and pure black-currant flavors are delicious, juicy, the tannins now sitting easily in the background. The wine, which comes from a specific parcel, is developing well and will be released after 2020. It should be drunk from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEOffers a core of pure cassis and blackberry fruit, with mouthwatering streaks of graphite and anise. Racy-edged, featuring ample grip buried through the finish. Reveals a violet echo for good measure. Textbook. Best from 2018 through 2030. 9,022 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2014 Latour is one of the very finest wines of a vintage that favored the northern Médoc. Mingling aromas of wild berries and cassis with hints of cigar wrapper, loamy soil, black truffles and classy new oak, it’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, its broad attack segueing into a deep, tightly wound mid-palate that’s framed by powdery, chalky tannins and bright acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. This classically balanced, youthfully structured young wine looks set to enjoy prodigious longevity. It’s reminiscent of a modern-day version of a cooler vintage such as 1996, though of course these days maturity is more complete and selection even more rigorous than was the case two decades ago.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThis shows terrific cut and drive from the start, with mouthwatering acidity and a chiseled graphite note leading the way, backed by a core of pure cassis and blackberry preserves. Licorice snap and sweet tobacco details flitter through the finish, where the graphite edge reemerges and sails on and on. Best from 2022 through 2040. 7,632 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis has aromas of black fruit, olives, wet earth, dried lavender, cloves and bark. Bitter chocolate and walnuts, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Structured, with great freshness and length. Cedar notes on the lighter mid-palate. Still a little tight and chewy. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 97 JSThe tannins in this fine vintage of Latour are still enormous, dominating the black currant fruit. It has spice, tannins, impressive fruit and a pure, cool character. To be released in the mid-2020s, the wine is likely to age for many years. Enjoy from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2014 Latour captures the personality of the year in its linear, lithe construction. It’s a decidedly understated Latour that is more about finesse than brawn. Bright red cherry/plum fruit, spice, mint and sweet tobacco open over time, but at this level, wines are more about a feel, an expression of place and a vintage. The 2014 Latour embodies all the best this cool, late-ripening growing season had to offer. I loved the 2014 when it was first shown, about five years ago, and I love it today. It is a super-classic Pauillac.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGThe 2014 Château Latour is still a baby and relatively closed and backward, offering darker, meaty black fruits, tobacco, truffly earth, and graphite on the nose. It’s much more dense and structured than I would have imagined from tasting on release and offers full-bodied richness, a beautiful mid-palate, fabulous overall balance, and no shortage of tannins on the finish. This vintage was terrific for the Médoc, particularly the northern Médoc, and this beauty warrants another 7-8 years of bottle age, after which I suspect it will have well over 3 decades of overall longevity. The blend is 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that hit 12.8% alcohol.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDReddish purple rim. Expressive on the nose; cocoa powder, truffle, soft spices, blackcurrant pastilles, black cherries and mint - the best Cabernet aromatics. Great delicacy here, this is so poised and elegant, a touch of soft sweetness to the red and black fruits. Tannins fill the mouth but this is well handled, less plump and round, more direct and linear but with a beautiful fragrance, delicacy and texture that fills the mouth but gently. Still so much juice and freshness as well as softly cooling mint tones. The fresh, vibrant flavour makes you think you could drink it now but it’s only the tannins that suggest it needs longer. Still, it’s lovely, with such well placed fruit flavours that hits all sides of the mouth and lingers long after the finish. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2049Decanter | 96 DEC