Pauillac Wines

wines

The 1994 Pichon-Baron is a much better wine than the previous three vintages. It has superior definition, for a start, offering scents of blackberry, wild strawberry, cedar and pencil lead; a hint of black tea develops in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple and quite fine tannin. The acidity lends freshness, and there is a pleasant sense of precision toward the graphite- and spice-tinged finish. Not bad at all - a success in the context of what is considered to be a mediocre growing season. Tasted at the Pichon-Baron vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 1996 Clerc Milon was surprisingly closed on the nose, tightly wound at first but gently unfurling with scents of melted tar, desiccated orange peel and leather that are interwoven into the black fruit. I noticed a more pronounced tobacco scent developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a little more flesh than the 1996 d’Armailhac, spicy with cracked black pepper, Hoi Sin, bay leaf and Asian spice notes liberally sprinkled over the finish. Decant this for an hour before pouring folks.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NM

The 1998 Pontet Canet was made at a time when the property practiced green harvesting that began in 1994 but is not done today. “The changes were in the mind at this stage,” commented Jean-Michel Comme wryly. Initially it felt a little muddled on the nose but it gains focus with time. Eventually it offers straightforward blackberry, briary and cedar scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, plenty of cedar and mint-laced black fruit with a pleasant, quite lively and lightly spiced finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a commendable 1998 from the château before they really began to embrace biodynamics. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 90 VM

A charming, lush, round, generous Lynch Bages, the 1999 offers plenty of sweet black currant fruit, damp earth, licorice, cedarwood and spicy herb-like characteristics. Medium-bodied, savory and broad in the mouth with no hard edges, this fully mature effort is a somewhat underrated vintage for this estate. Enjoy it over the next decade.Robert Parker | 90 RP

The 2002 Lynch-Bages is showing brilliantly, after a four-hour double decant, wafting from the glass with an utterly classic nose of cassis and loamy soil mingled with hints of cedar and oak vanillin. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and layered, with plenty of rich, powdery tannins and lively acids, as its structure begins to melt, the wine’s depth and length is becoming more and more apparent. Like the best examples of this vintage, the 2002 Lynch-Bages has proven a real sleeper.Robert Parker | 93 RPThis was not at the tasting, but it is outstanding. A blind tasting for the magazine late in 2004 resulted in this note and score: Aromas of currant bush, berries and sweet tobacco follow through to a full-bodied palate, with medium tannins and a long finish. Lovely texture to this wine.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Best after 2008. 35,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

From the same stable as Mouton Rothschild and d’Armailhac, Clerc Milon, despite the relatively high percentage of Merlot (44%) combined with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Cabernet Franc, is dense, rich, tannic, and backward. Surprisingly muscular for this offering, which often exhibits a more precocious side, it offers up abundant amounts of creme brulee, chocolate, cedar, and black currants. This full-bodied Pauillac displays gorgeous purity and depth as well as moderately high tannins in the finish. Because of its freshness, structure, and density, it is reminiscent of a 1996 Medoc. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028.Robert Parker | 91+ RPOffers a gorgeous nose of crushed blueberry and cream, with a hint of milk chocolate. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a pretty finish. Best after 2014. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSAromas of currants and dark berries with hints of minerals. Full body with super-integrated tannins and a slightly austere and intense tannin backbone. But it’s pretty and attractive. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 90 JSBright ruby-red. Expressive aromas of currant, tobacco, graphite, herbs, roast coffee and smoky oak. Supple, solid and broad, with a mouthfilling fleshiness leavened by good energy and vinosity. There's a medicinal reserve to the redcurrant and dark chocolate flavors. Finishes broad and long, with substantial dusty tannins and very good length. A more muscular style than Armailhac, also from the team at Mouton-Rothschild, and in need of at least five years of cellaring.Vinous Media | 90 VMRounded, relatively soft wine, but one that shows balance. Sweet fruit plays with black currant acidity, giving density, even if the tannins are lightweight. Clerc-Milon, made by the team that also produces Mouton-Rothschild, has become a delicious Pauillac.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE