Proprietary Blend Wines

wines

There are 5,180 six-bottle cases of the 2012 Padrone. This is a fabulous wine, meant to evolve over three decades. It offers up notes of charcoal, scorched earth, blackcurrant, blackberry, chocolate and a touch of espresso. A wine of great intensity, full-bodied opulence and a multilayered mouthfeel, this is a formidably endowed, serious Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wine from vineyards with some of the best fruit on the estate. Drink it over the next 30 years.Robert Parker | 97+ RPThe 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Padrone is dark and sumptuous from start to finish. Mocha, plums, smoke, new leather and French oak all flesh out in this brooding, intense Cabernet Sauvignon. The style is explosive and full of 2012 vintage exuberance. There is a lot to look forward to.Antonio Galloni | 90-92 AG

Tasted from several bottles in recent months, the 2012 Canon is a stupendous wine for the vintage and if anything, it appears to be improving with each encounter. It clearly serves up more than enough volume and fruit intensity on the nose compared to the impressive 2011 Canon: it is very pure with black cherries, wild strawberry, asphalt and blood orange. This is very well defined and beautifully focused. The palate is medium-bodied, silky smooth and with that thrilling sense of frisson. There is so much vivacity wound up inside this Saint Emilion that it would not surprise me if it turns out to be one of the very best in 2012. Tasted January 2017.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMThe 2012 Canon is a rich, smoky, meaty 2012 that checks in as blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Ripe black cherries, melted licorice, chocolate, and a touch of scorched earth all emerge from this classic, structured effort that has terrific concentration, a pure, backward style, ripe tannin, and a great finish. It’s nowhere near ready for primetime (this wine didn’t start to open up until the second day after opening) and needs a solid 5-7 years of cellaring but will see its 30th birthday in fine form.Jeb Dunnuck | 93+ JDA red with blueberry, blackberry and walnut character. Chocolate too. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. This is tight and dense. Extremely polished tannins and a long finish. Another 2001. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 93 JS(Château Canon) Château Canon is one of the top wines yet again in St. Émilion in the 2012 vintage, despite the percentage of the blend undergoing malo in barrel creeping up to thirty percent in this vintage (it was about twenty-five percent in 2010- though I am not sure when this practice started here). The cépages this year is seventy percent merlot and thirty percent cabernet franc, the alcohol content is fourteen percent, and the wine was raised in eighty percent new wood. The harvest started here on October 3rd for the merlot, and was completed by October 16th for the last of the cabernet franc. The superb nose offers up a ripe and very pure blend of blackberries, black cherries, menthol, Cuban tobacco, a great base of soil, espresso and a stylish base of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with ripe tannins, excellent focus and balance and a long, nascently complex and very, very classy finish. A beautiful Canon in the making. (Drink between 2025-2070).John Gilman | 93+ JGThis dense, extracted wine has dark coffee and bitter chocolate flavors that are followed by wood and tannins. The fruit is still obscured, and may need many years for its dark character to emerge.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEGood bright red-ruby. Coffee and chocolate scents of new oak complement deep strawberry and dark cherry aromas on the brooding nose. On the palate, sweet cassis, black plum and mineral flavors are lifted by an element of peppery herbs. Finishes youthfully dry, with building tannins and suggestions of herbs, pepper and mint. Lovely balance and precision here: Canon has really turned the corner in the last several years.Vinous Media | 89-92 VMDisplays a rather firm coating of chalk dust and vanilla notes, with a core of subdued plum and blackberry fruit. Verges on an extracted feel, but comes out solid and sculpted in the end.Wine Spectator | 88-91 WSBeautifully poised wine. Fresh, elegant and perfumed on the nose. Juicy and fine on the palate. Delicate extraction. Fine, long tannins. Drinking Window 2020 - 2030.Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2012 Thorevilos is flamboyant, phenomenally concentrated, full-bodied, majestic and totally prodigious. It can be drunk young, but most readers will probably prefer to give it a few years of bottle age and consume it over the following 30+ years.Robert Parker | 99+ RPAbreu’s 2012 Thorevilos boasts remarkable depth, power and intensity. Distinctly ferrous, savory notes open up in the glass, followed by game, tobacco, smoke and bright red stone fruits. A huge, explosive wine, the Thorevilos is the most tannic and structured of Abreu’s 2012s. Accordingly, it is likely to require the most time to come around. When it does, it will be magnificent.Vinous Media | 99 VMA juicy and savory red with black fruit, pomace and toasted oak. Powerful and tannic. Muscular with amazing form. Full body, bright and beautiful fruit. Grabs your attention, yet subtle. Persistent. Try in 2020. About 300 cases made. March release.James Suckling | 98 JS

Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThis is a great vintage for Cristal Rosé. The pinot noir finds a band of power and expressiveness. The power here is impressive, very assertive and rich, really mouth-filling and super deep. This is exceptional and has intense, chalky and fresh, white-peach and nectarine aromas, underpinning red flowers and pink fruit. The palate has a scintillating blend of flesh and mineral cut, packed with such sweet, pristine, white-strawberry flavor and texture. This has such incredible potential. So exciting. Will take another two or threw years to resolve. Look out for this! Drink from 2025.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2012 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with a beautiful bouquet of fresh peach, bergamot, strawberries, tangerine and blanched almonds that’s still quite reserved. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and strikingly complete, its vinous attack segueing into a multidimensional core that exemplifies the ideal of power without weight, built around a racy but integrated spine of animating acidity and complemented by an exquisitely refined mousse. All the concentration of the 2012 vintage is on display, but it’s rendered with terrific finesse. Decidedly youthful and introverted—indeed, I spent several hours with a bottle to compose this note—the 2012 will really come into its own with five or six years in the cellar and displays all the attributes necessary for considerable longevity. It’s a blend of 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay that saw no malolactic fermentation, and it was disgorged with eight grams per liter dosage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2012 Cristal Rosé is magnificent. When Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon started to move Roederer towards organically farmed fruit, he started with Cristal Rosé, Roederer’s smallest production cuveé. Because of that, Cristal Rosé is the wine in this range that shows the current Roederer style in its fullest expression. Rich, vivid and crystalline in the glass, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a Champagne of tremendous gravitas. Chalk, white flowers, sweet red berry fruit, mint and blood orange are all beautifully delineated. The 2012 is 55% Pinot from Ay and 45% Chardonnay from Mesnil and Avize. The Pinot fruit gets a 7-10 day cold soak an is the infused into the fermenting Chardonnay musts. Readers who can find the 2012 should not hesitate, as it is truly magical. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.Antonio Galloni | 98+ AG(Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rosé Millésime (Reims)) The 2012 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rosé is a magical wine in the making. It is composed this year of a blend of fifty-six percent pinot noir and forty-four percent chardonnay, with fifteen percent of the vins clairs having been barrel-fermented in this vintage. None of the vins clairs underwent malo this year and the finishing dosage for the 2012 is eight grams per liter. The wine is superb and just a bit more accessible out of the blocks than the regular 2012 Cristal, wafting from the glass in a very refined constellation of apple, white peach, gentle smokiness, chalky soil tones, a nice touch of fresh-baked bread, caraway seed, incipient smokiness and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, racy and bottomless at the core, with lovely mineral drive, refined mousse, impeccable focus and grip and a very, very long, very pure and nascently complex finish. This is not quite as buttoned up behind its girdle of acidity as the regular 2012 Cristal, but it is by no means ready for primetime drinking and still needs a minimum of eight to ten years in the cellar to really unfold. Great juice. (Drink between 2027-2080).John Gilman | 98 JGNo written review provided. | 98 W&SYears in the making, this is the first fully biodynamic Cristal rosé. The very fine 2012 vintage is a good starting point for this new era. The Champagne is just right, beautifully rich and showing some maturity while also having tension and crispness from the golden-apple and spice flavors. The wine could be drunk now but its future is assured. Organic and biodynamic. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEAn elegant rosé Champagne, starting quietly with a subtle range of white cherry, Marcona almond, pink grapefruit zest and saffron flavors that gain momentum and volume as they expand, gliding across the palate’s fine, raw silk–like texture. This is mouthwatering and minerally, the symphony concluding with accents of oyster shell and chalk that echo on the finish. Drink now through 2032.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

What a magnificent bouquet for this Dom Pérignon 2012! Pastry, a hint of smoke and autolytic notes provide a compelling counterpart to eager yet elegant aromas of citrus (lime, tangerine and kumquat) joined by those of fresh fruit, herbs, liquorice, and menthol. There is even a refreshing note of ivy. The palate is tense, vibrant, and very fresh despite its impressive density, which meets its match with an unending finish. This 2012 incarnates the very essence of Dom Pérignon with such a concentrated degree of intensity, along with a capacity for ageing, that it is surely destined for a second life in a P2 edition. Drinking Window 2021 - 2050.Decanter | 98 DEC(Dom Pérignon Brut Millésime (Épernay)) The 2012 Dom Pérignon is a brilliant wine in the making and seems likely to ultimately be judged one of the greatest vintages here in the last quarter century. According to Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon, the wine is close to its ideal cépages of fifty percent each of chardonnay and pinot noir in 2012. The wine is quite a powerful vintage of Dom Pérignon, but with all of the customary elegance and structural chassis of the greatest vintages here and it remains a young wine, brimming with energy and superb depth. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a classic blend of lime, green apple, menthol, stony minerality, discreet botanical tones, gentle smokiness and a topnote of citrus peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a great core, superb mineral drive and grip, utterly refined mousse and a long, zesty and beautifully balanced finish. I love how the perfect ripeness of the 2012 vintage is seamlessly interwoven here with a superb girdle of acidity, great minerality and excellent purity, which will end up producing a legendary vintage of this wine. It is certainly approachable out of the blocks, but I would opt to tuck bottles away for at least eight to ten more years before starting to drink the 2012, as there is so much left here to still unfold. (Drink between 2029-2075)John Gilman | 98 JGThe 2012 Dom Pérignon is a dense, powerful wine. I am almost shocked by its vinous intensity and raw, unbridled power. The 2012 reminds me of the 2003, but with more finesse and not quite as pushed. Mildew, rain and frost were challenges and resulted in low yields, something that was further compounded by warm, dry weather that concentrated the fruit even more. Those qualities result in a dense Dom Pérignon endowed with real phenolic intensity. It is one of the most reticent young Doms I can remember tasting, I wouldn’t even think of opening a bottle for at least a few years. (Originally published in May 2021)Antonio Galloni | 97 AGWonderful elegance and balance to this Dom Pérignon with cooked apple, lemon and hints of white pepper and salt. It’s medium-bodied with really fine bubbles and balance. Spicy at the end. So wonderfully fresh, linear and long. Racy and elegant. A DP that invites to drink right now. All about finesse. Tension, too, with precise phenolics and bright acidity on the back palate. Subtle energy. Drinkable now, but will develop beautifully in the bottle.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2012 Dom Pérignon is developing very nicely on cork, exhibiting a complex bouquet of pear, confit citrus fruits, honeycomb, buttered toast, iodine and nuts framed by a deft touch of youthful reduction. Full-bodied, rich and muscular, with a layered core of fruit and a pillowy mousse, it’s a vinous, vibrant Champagne that concludes with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis eloquent Champagne has an enticing waft of Mandarin orange on the nose that continues on the palate, which is layered with flavors of crushed blackberry and cassis, toast, chopped almond, graphite and oyster shell. A bright, finely-knit and harmonious version, with a lovely, raw silk-like mousse, and a lasting, expressive finish. Drink now through 2037.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 2012 Tronquoy-Lalande has a slightly meatier/dried blood tinged bouquet with scents of melted tar coming through with time and later a distant touch of mint. The palate is medium-bodied with rather rustic tannins. A bold Saint-Estèphe that lacks a bit of grace, ferrous and overtly spicy on the finish. It has the substance to last, but not necessarily improve. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 90 VMShows a decidedly dusty feel from the start, with a pebbly undertow and notes of damson plum and red currant, displaying a floral hint. Wine Spectator | 87-90 WS

The 2012 Las Posadas Proprietary Red is a massive fruit bomb from that high-elevation vineyard. Forest floor, floral notes, lead pencil shavings, licorice, fruitcake, cedar wood and oodles of black fruits soar from the glass and from the palate of this full-bodied, majestic, multi-layered wine. Like most 2012s, it is really strutting it’s stuff. It is still obviously young, but dramatic and flamboyant. This sensational wine should age effortlessly for 25-30+ years.Robert Parker | 99 RPThe 2012 Las Posadas is marvelous in the way it marries the intensity of this site with the softer, gentler aspect of the year. This makes it a tremendous choice for drinking now and over the next 15-20 years. Blackberry jam, crème de cassis, lavender, dark chocolate and spice all meld together. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2012 is lights out. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing, but everything about the 2012 is just magnificent. This is a big wine, but all the elements are impeccably put together. A recent magnum was superb. Note: This wine was called ’Howell Mountain’ when it was first released.Vinous Media | 98 VMSo much tar with blackberry and blueberry aromas. Perfumed. Black olive. Forest floor. A fabulous Bordeaux blend with complexity and subtlety. Full-bodied yet polished and refined. Incredible length and finish. Wonderful spice. Hard not to drink now. About 300 cases made. March release.James Suckling | 97 JS

So much dried flower, mushroom, iron, rust, sweet berry, and grilled orange. Full-bodied with very elegant and refined tannins that melt in the mouth and give a real sense of place and integrity. Balanced and harmonious. The finesse and finish is endless. Production was 30% less than in 2011. Already so drinkable. A wonderful future. This is the new 1934 or 1964, two legends. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 100 JS

This has a lovely copper color with aromas of cloves, spiced apples, raspberries, gingerbread and pastries. Delicious yeasty and spicy undertones. Excellent density and focus, with fine and firm bubbles, yet it’s light on its feet and so fresh. Long, chalky and salty at the end. Chardonnay and pinot noir. 3.8g/L dosage. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2012 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elizabeth Salmon offers up hints of red berry fruit, ginger, spice, rosewater, mint and crushed flowers. There is a feeling of classic austerity that runs through the 2012. I would prefer to cellar this for at least a few years, as it is quite reticent at this stage. Chalk, mint, white pepper and bright saline accents linger on the pointed finish. Dosage is 3.8 grams per liter. Disgorged: first trimester 2023.Vinous Media | 96 VMElisabeth Salmon 2012 shows all the signs of being a true classic for Billecart-Salmon, beautifully balanced between the most alluring Pinot aromatics – black cherry juice, peach melba and fresh raspberry – and an engine of pure, persistent Chardonnay energy of bright clementine and zesty length, all lifted with subtle details of allspice, rose petal and nougat and delivered on an effortlessly silky mousse. Open for business, yet without the showiness that the wines of this vintage can sometimes display, it’s a rosé of assured refinement and quiet intensity that seems set for a long future. 55% Chardonnay from Chouilly, Avize, Cramant and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger with 45% Pinot Noir from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Ambonnay, with 8.3% red wine addition from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. 2.9% fermented in barrel, and released after 115 months on lees with a dosage of 3.8g/L.Decanter | 95 DEC

Very perfumed with black currant and cassis bush character. Medium to full body, fine and chewy tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Still a little tight but fun to taste now. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2012 Sammarco is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot. Like with the d’Alceo, this hot vintage does not deliver the same soaring intensity and complexity as seen in past years. It shows added softness and succulence instead. The bouquet is driven by sweet fruit and dried berry aromas that underline the warm vintage. Allspice, clove and more sweet fruit appear on the close.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPFragrant purple flower, ripe black-skinned fruit and dark spice aromas slowly emerge on this savory blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese. Full bodied and succulent, the smooth structured palate delivers crushed raspberry, black currant, star anise and chopped mint alongside a backbone of firm polished tannins. Drink 2018–2024.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WECastello dei Rampolla’s Sammarco comes across as unusually medium in body in 2012, with a distinctly red-toned flavor profile. I have seen other lighter vintages blossom with time in bottle. That may very well be the case here as well. Readers should expect a floral, bright Sammarco built on mid-weight structure and finesse rather than power.Vinous Media | 92+ VMA light and supple, yet firm, red, offering strawberry, cherry and leafy flavors. Fresh and juicy, with a lingering aftertaste of fruit, herbs and earth. Drink now through 2023. 1,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The perfect 2013 The Bard is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot, coming from four vineyards that Realm uses consistently -- B Weitz, Houyi, Blair and of course, the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane in St. Helena. There are 950 cases of this extraordinary wine, which has it all. Notes of graphite, blackberries, roasted espresso and chocolate are followed by a wine of enormous, massive extraction, richness and intensity, but no hard edges. This seamless work of vinous haute couture is staggeringly rich, very long, but not the least bit heavy or overbearing. This is a killer effort that’s already showing enormous complexity but should age effortlessly for 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 100 RPFrom one of the greatest vintages ever for Napa Valley, the 2013 The Bard is a similar blend to the 2012 and is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot sourced from a multitude of vineyards. It’s slightly more purple-hued than the 2012 and has a killer bouquet of crème de cassis and blueberry fruits as well as violets, white chocolate, vanilla bean, graphite, and chalky minerality. Insanely good on the palate, this full-bodied, perfectly balanced beauty has a great mid-palate, ultra-fine tannins, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s one of those wines that delivers incredible intensity yet still glides across the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It’s less evolved than the 2012 and has another two decades or more of prime drinking ahead of it. Hats off to winemaker Benoit Touquette for an incredible, magical wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2013 The Bard is the most intriguing of the three Realm blends because it has enough freshness and overall energy to balance the more overt elements. Inky blue and purplish fruit, spices, new leather and savory herbs flesh out in a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend that is both opulent and also vibrant, with plenty of detail and nuance, not to mention enough underlying tannin to drink well for the better part of the next decade, perhaps longer. Most of this fruit emerges from Blair, a site in Calistoga.Vinous Media | 93 VMDelivers a powerful combination of dark berry, dried herb, underbrush and stylish oak. Most impressive are the licorice and blackberry flavors on the finish, revealing extraction, tension and character. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2020 through 2030. 950 cases made. Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2013 Le Desir represents 2,500 cases. This is the softest of the three wines in 2013, and this blend of 61% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec emerges with more than half of the cuvée coming from Hillsides in Alexander Valley, 37% from Chalk Hill and the rest tiny dollops from Bennett Valley and Knights Valley. Opaque purple, like its siblings, the wine is showing incredible floral, blueberry and espresso notes, exotic Asian spices, velvety texture, a supple, multilayered mouthfeel and incredible finish, with incense and licorice. This is magnificent young wine, with a good 40-50 years of upside potential. Pierre Seillan is justifiably proud of what he has achieved, and his first vintage of Vérité was only 1998, but they go from strength to strength.Robert Parker | 99 RPThe most exotic and aromatically seductive of the Verité wines, wild red and black fruits marry with nuances of cigar tobacco and incipient floral details. While similarly large-scalled, La Desir’s tannic structure is more supple than its siblings and its palate presence appealingly energetic. 62% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Malbec. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DECThis is a tannic and rich red that is tightly wound and very muscular. Full-bodied, very intense and powerful. Needs time to show its full self. Try in 2021.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2013 Le Désir is once again alluring. Le Désir is quite powerful and intense, but it also has fairly soft contours for the year. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, chocolate, mocha, licorice and cloves are all pushed forward. Energetic and explosive, the 2013 is going to need at least a few years in bottle to settle down, but it has plenty to offer. I tasted the 2013 from tank just prior to bottling.Vinous Media | 92-95 VM

The 2013 La Muse, like all of the 2013s, comes about one-third from Alexander Valley vineyards, 40-plus percent from Chalk Hill, and the rest Knights Valley and Bennett Valley – all high-elevation hillside vineyards. A blend of 89% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec at 14.3% alcohol, the wine is amazingly like a great vintage of Petrus, with mulberry, black cherry, licorice, truffle and unctuous, thick, juicy fruit all present in this full-bodied masterpiece. The tannins are still present. The wine has purity and savory presence and is remarkable. The finish goes on for well past a minute. This wine would probably benefit from 5-8 years of bottle age and last 40-50 years.Robert Parker | 100 RPFascinating aromas of blackberries and orange peel with dried flowers. Full-bodied and very structured. Superb density and length. Just starting to open up now. Fantastic merlot.James Suckling | 98 JSAnother huge wine, the 2013 La Muse is endowed with serious power and overall structure, especially compared to the 2012 tasted alongside it. Sweet tobacco, grilled herbs, cedar and smoke add considerable nuance. There is plenty of fruit and overall richness, but the imposing tannic heft is going to demand considerable cellaring.Vinous Media | 93-96 VMNotes of black raspberry, forest floor, burnt sugar, methol and rich barrel toast are the prelude to a wine strucutred around fine, dense tannins and good acidity. 89% Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Malbec, La Muse is the richest and most opulent of the Verité wines, as well as the most marked by its barrel programme, but it retains nicely savoury definition. Drinking Window 2023 - 2045.Decanter | 93 DEC

The 2013 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, shows great intensity, with a slightly more burning ember and scorched earthiness to it, giving it a more Graves-like character compared to the purity of the Tychson Hill. The wine is full-bodied, rich, layered and possibly slightly more tannic and backward than the Tychson Hill, but that could be because it had recently been bottled. It should evolve over the course of 30+ years.Robert Parker | 98 RPThe 2013 Cariad is fabulous. Pliant, expressive and nuanced in the glass. Here, the tannins are suave and supple, which makes the wine unusually accessible today. There is plenty of delineation in the dark, mineral-laced flavors, but the 2013 impresses for most of its superb textural depth. Cariad is made mostly from fruit sourced from David Abreu’s Madrona Ranch vineyard in St. Helena.Vinous Media | 98 VMSuperb aromas of black fruits, black truffle and leather. Black olives. Full body, fabulous soft and velvety tannins, and superb length. The texture to this is so luxurious and sexy. Cardamom, game, earth and intense fruit. Yet poised. A blend as always of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot. Hard not to drink now.James Suckling | 97 JSExhibits a tight bundle of rich, extracted dark berry, mocha, licorice, savory herb and underbrush flavors, with accents of smoky oak. A tour de force that is best served after a long decant or some cellar time. The finish is deep and extracted. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2020 through 2032. 900 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

A driven and serious DP with aromas of chalk, biscuits, apricot stones and lemons. Some spice and dried flowers, too. So sleek and sophisticated. Elegant. Yet, it’s long and powerful, with a sharp minerality. Tight and precise. Reminds me of bottles from the 1980s, such as 1988. It really takes off. Disgorged October 2021. Drinkable on release in January 2023, but better in a couple of years. A DP for the cellar.James Suckling | 98 JSVivid acidity and a chalky underpinning make a crystalline frame for finely detailed notes of ripe melon, mandarin orange, toasted brioche and candied ginger in this harmonious Champagne, which is expressive and expansive on the palate, but with a sense of finesse and restraint. Long and creamy on the mineral-laced finish. Drink now through 2037.Wine Spectator | 96 WSDisgorged in October last year, the 2013 Dom Pérignon is a lovely wine, defined by the long, cool growing season. Offering up aromas of crisp stone fruit, tangerine oil, buttered toast, pear, almonds and clear honey, it’s medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with bright acids and a pillowy, enveloping profile, concluding with a long, saline finish. Vincent Chaperon recalls that shatter at fruit set moderated yields and that a drying east wind in the weeks before harvest helped to maintain the good sanitation necessary to wait to pick at full maturity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPThe 2013 Dom Pérignon is quite delicate and understated. It reminds me of the 2004, but with a bit more mid-palate richness and a bit less energy. Apricot, tangerine peel, white flowers, jasmine, mint and light honeyed notes all meld together. There’s lovely vinous intensity as well as a feeling of openness that make the 2013 a delight to taste today. The 2013 doesn’t look to be an epic DP, but it sure is delicious right now.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2013 Brut Blancs de Blancs Louis Salmon is an exceptional follow-up to the 2012. Naturally, the 2013 offers a bit more tension, cut and drive, all signatures of this late-ripening vintage. Chalk, slate, crushed rocks, citrus confit and hazelnut all race across the palate as the 2013 sizzles with tension from start to finish. This is still a baby. Give it time. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2024.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis blanc de blancs is very pure and fresh, showing white flowers, light hazelnuts, peaches and grapefruit on the nose, with a hint of oyster shells. It’s sleek and chalky on the palate, linear and racy, with very fine bubbles and a bright acidic backbone. 100% stainless steel vinification. Chardonnay from Cramant, Chouilly, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and some Oiry. 4 g/L dosage. Disgorged January 2024. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS

The 2013 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is much more exuberant than the 2012, even though on the surface, that does not exactly align with the respective vintages. The decision to use a bit more new oak, more still red wine and a touch higher dosage to soften the natural austerity of the year paid off handsomely. Rose petal, blood orange, spice and kirsch confer a decidedly exotic flair. The ample, substantial finish is striking. Dosage is 4.4 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2024.Vinous Media | 97 VMVery fragrant wildflower honey, citrus, sliced apple, nutmeg and pastry aromas. It’s beautifully fresh and saline on the palate, with fantastic concentration, but in a delicate, silky way. Long, elegant and chalky finish. 53% pinot noir (Ay, Mareuil-sur-Ay (9%) and Bouzy) and 47% chardonnay (Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger). 4.4 g/L dosage. Disgorged January 2024. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS

The 2013 Cappella is dense, young and full of energy. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather and licorice are front and center. Still young and vibrant, the 2013 is seriously impressive. It can be enjoyed now, but another few years in bottle will help soften the tannins further. What a stellar wine it is. The 2013 is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot. At this stage, this is the most approachable 2013 in the range.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe Cappella, which usually has at least 35-30% Cabernet Franc in it, looks absolutely fabulous now that the 2013 Cappella is finally in bottle. They only made about 206 cases of it, so it’s a small cuvée from this vineyard on the back streets of St. Helena. It displays sweet espresso notes, loads of white chocolate, blackberry, Asian spice and incense. It is full-bodied and opulent, with the tannins surprisingly silky and well-disguised, which is somewhat unusual in this vintage of extraordinary power and density. This is a 35- to 50-year wine.Robert Parker | 96 RPThis has the broad-shouldered persona of the vintage, but its muscular physique is deftly cloaked in velvety structure, with loam, warmed cassis, alder, steeped plum and sweet tobacco notes that are seamlessly layered. The long finish shows latent drive as a graphite underpinning plays its role, giving the fruit the support for a lengthy encore. There’s plenty of life ahead for this too. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Blind 2013 California Cabernet retrospective (February 2023). Drink now through 2040. 239 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Fantastic complexity here with aromas of toast, biscuit, lemon, almond, chalk and some fennel. It’s long, sleek and mineral, with tight, very fine bubbles and so much tension and precision. Very long and chalky finish. Disgorged end of 2023. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2013 Comtes de Champagne captures all the pedigree of this great vintage in its energy, depth and vibrancy. Lemon confit, dried flowers, chamomile, spice and crushed rocks all race across the palate. Passionfruit, ginger, marzipan and mint appear later, filling out the layers beautifully. Harvest took place in October in what has become the exception rather than the norm in Champagne.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe 2013 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne’s bouquet is compellingly fresh and minty, revealing aromas of white fruit—notably pear and apple—marzipan and sweet spices, as well as a light touch of citrus mingled with classy autolytic notes. On the palate, this is a structured, tensile and ethereal Champagne with high acidity—a sign of a classic vintage—animated by a mousse of striking finesse and delicacy. Although already enjoyable, it should develop well for several decades.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

The 2013 Reserva Viña Tondonia is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Graciano and Mazuelo, grown in the calcareous soils of the Tondonia meander in Rioja Alta. Aged extensively in American oak, it offers restrained black fruit, wild herbs, balsamic hints and sweet spices with gentle cedar and vanilla notes. Medium-bodied with chalky grip and a layered, tertiary finish, this is a benchmark classic—refined, enduring and unmistakably Tondonia.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe canonical red 2013 Viña Tondonia Reserva has a developed nose of dried roses and tar that transported me to Piamonte but soon took me back to the López de Heredia cellars in Haro with the mixture of mushrooms, truffles, damp earth and decayed leaves, hints of brick dust and spice. 2013 was a rainy year, with 753 liters of it, well above the average of 530 liters in Haro. It was also a cooler year, and the ripeness was slow, so they didn’t start picking until the seventh of October, but they had to hurry up because of the risk of botrytis. The crop was not so big, because they suffered from hail in July that affected the Viña Tondonia, coupled with strong winds that broke many branches. The breakdown in 2013 comes to 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in old oak vats with indigenous yeasts. All the wines age in old American oak barrels in their caves, in this case for no less than six years. It comes in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity, perhaps a lighter vintage with higher acidity that translates into a lot of energy, a fine-boned palate and very fine tannins with a vibrant finish. 190,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021. It should be released in the spring of 2025, almost 12 years after the harvest. And look at the price...Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPWhat a juicy wine. Medium-bodied, showing lots of citrusy allure to the savory plums with a touch of leather. Very bright and succulent. The tannins are firm but resolved. Really long. So delicious and irresistible now but will hold for sure.James Suckling | 95 JS

If you want to know what St.-Estèphe smells like, this is it. Aromas of spices, black truffles, forest floor, dried strawberries and tar. It’s full-bodied yet pinpointed on the palate with fabulous density and richness. It’s opulent but in a reserved and checked way. This needs at least five or six years to come around, but it’s already fantastic. What harmony and structure. Try in 2022 if you can keep your hands off it!James Suckling | 98 JSThis is an immensely dense wine that is going to be a classic. The dark tannins are still lined with wood aging but that will go because the fruit underneath is also just as dense and intense. Blackberry, black plum and damson plum give power and sweetness. This is a great wine with huge potential. Drink from 2028.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2014 Cos d’Estournel is rich, powerful and seductive, with notable unctuousness but a medium-bodied frame. Plum, blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate and lavender notes flesh out in an effortless, sumptuous wine that will provide superb drinking for the next few decades. The 2014 needs time to shed some baby fat, but it is quite impressive, even in the early going. The blend is 65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 33 % Merlot and 2 % Cabernet Franc.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGThe grand vin 2014 Cos D’Estournel is gorgeous, and I think a step up over the 2015. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, this deep, inky-colored 2014 boasts a gorgeous perfume of ripe currants and cassis fruits, loads of chocolaty oak, cedar and scorched earth, full-bodied richness, and building, firm, yet ripe tannin. It’s certainly one of the gems in the vintage, as well as one of the more structured, opulent and age-worthy. Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThere’s a clear consistency across Cos d’Estournel’s wines – the quality is absolutely unmissable, but don’t open the 2014 just yet. Remember that from the end of August the weather really favoured St-Estèphe, with the result that all those key elements - tannins, acidity and fruit - are here in force. It’s still young and closed, with tight tannins, but after 10 minutes or so in the glass olive paste and rosemary notes emerge, followed by graphite and bilberry fruit. Give it time, then reap the rewards. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECA blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cos d’Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed at this stage, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPIntense, with a roiling core of luscious loganberry, blackberry and black currant fruit. Singed spice, apple wood and black tea accents emerge steadily on the finish. Has a rare combination of density and precision. Will cruise in the cellar. Best from 2020 through 2035. 14,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2014 Calon Ségur is a real show-stopper. Unusually ripe, powerful and seductive, the wine exudes class. Myriad shades of plum, sweet red cherry, pomegranate, spice and blood orange are all on display. Wild flowers, tobacco and host of more aromatic notes develop in the glass. Above all else, though, the 2014 is a wine of pure power and breadth. This is yet another fabulous showing for the 2014 Calon Ségur, a wine that vies for top honors in this vintage. Don’t miss it. The blend is 67 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 19 % Merlot, 15 % Cabernet Franc and 2 % Petit Verdot.Antonio Galloni | 96+ AGThis is real powerful and sexy with a voluptuous style of ripe fruit, mushrooms and wet earth. Leafy. Full and seductive. Better after 2021 but already fantastic.James Suckling | 96 JS(Château Calon Ségur, Merlot, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, Red) In Vincent Millet’s view, this is a vintage in which the St-Estèphe appellation really stood out for quality thanks to very fine weather conditions there from September to October. A nose of complex yet fresh aromatic intensity is composed of blackberry, black cherry, and cassis with a floral flourish to boot. The palate benefits from juicy and ample substance with the effect lengthened thanks to its fine-grained and finely-etched tannic structure. This is a quintessential Calon Ségur that already gives drinking pleasure, but it will also stay the distance for up to twenty years or more. (Drink between 2022-2035)Decanter | 95 DECThis is a beautifully perfumed wine. With a high proportion of ripe Cabernet Franc, it is not only structured but has a fine dried fruit character that gives the wine a memorable richness. The wine is tight with its tannins, likely to age over decades. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2014 Calon Ségur has to be considered an undeniable success in the vintage, offering the elegance, balance, and charm that’s the hallmark of this late growing season. Still relatively tight and reserved, with beautiful notes of black currants, smoked earth, graphite, and tobacco leaf, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful purity, and a layered, elegant style that opens up with time in the glass. It has more density than the 2015 and will keep for two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDOn the darker side of the spectrum, with dark currant, plum and blackberry fruit, inlaid with ample dried bay and tobacco notes. Pepper and charcoal details fill in the finish, adding range and energy. A touch [i]sauvage[n] in style, this will have fans for sure. Best from 2020 through 2030. 6,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2014 Calon Ségur has a much more reticent bouquet than either the 2014 Montrose or Cos d’Estournel. There is blackberry here, a hint of cassis and violets, fine purity but bolshie and withdrawn at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, more red fruit than the Montrose with a smooth, quite silky Merlot-like, graphite finish. Tasted on two occasions in Bordeaux, the second bottle exuded more panache and joie-de-vivre, coming across a little more spicy with a longer aftertaste.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NM

The purity of cabernet sauvignon fruit is what impresses here. Subtle and energetic plum and currant aromas follow through to a gorgeously harmonized palate of wonderful fruit and an ultra-long finish. Current bush and light earth adds to the complexity. Lasts for minutes. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 97 JSThere is a sense of pure juicy black-currant fruit that shoots through this great wine. With tannins that are firm while not a jot too much, the wine is crisp, packed with fruit and set for many years of aging. It is beautiful, fruity and intensely structured. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2014 Château Margaux represents 36% of the year’s total production and is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Affording the glass five to ten minutes to open, the aromatics are very similar to those expressed out of barrel, those dark cherries and violets, tightly wound at first but unfurling beautifully and seemingly with each swirl of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin and it appears to have fomented a little more finesse during its élevage. There is wonderful mineral tension and dash of spiciness on the persistent finish. There remains some tightness here, the implication that this is a Château Margaux determined to give long-term pleasure. Therefore, do not be afraid to give it a decade in the cellar.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NMThis is solidly packed, with layers of warm fig bread, plum compote and black currant preserves, carried by a silky yet substantial structure. As the fruit plays out, the anise, black tea and singed alder notes in the background come into clearer focus, giving this remarkable range. Everything glides beautifully through the suave, gently toasty finish. Best from 2020 through 2035. 10,835 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe grand vin from the Mentzelopoulos family and late manager Paul Pontallier is the 2014 Château Margaux which checks in as a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, as always, raised in 100% new barrels, and represents a scant 36% of the total production from the estate. A regal, classy, and nuanced beauty, its ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a terrific perfume of cassis, licorice, spicy oak, sandalwood and a hint of vanilla. With a beautiful core of sweet fruit, ripe, polished tannin, no hard edges, and a great finish, this full-bodied 2014 shows the classy, elegant style of the vintage brilliantly. Give bottles 5-7 years and it should deliver plenty of pleasure over the following three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDStriking black fruits from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, yet restrained – even severe – with less charm and more firmness; the opposite of showy. With great natural density and tannins that do not overwhelm, this is a classical Château Margaux that will need time to fully open up. Drinking Window 2022 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2014 Château Margaux, has a fragrant bouquet with blackberry, graphite and light violet aromas. This feels very refined, very Margaux as banal as that sounds. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite precise tannin. This is an unreservedly understated First Growth, more masculine then I remember from barrel and just after bottling, firming up a little for the long-haul. In some ways, the higher Cabernet Sauvignon renders this a little more Pauillac-like in flavour profile, although it has the finesse that is synonymous with this estate. Excellent. Tasted at the property.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2014 Talbot is soft, silky and wonderfully nuanced on the palate. Much more refined from bottle than it was from barrel, the 2014 has moved toward greater finesse over the last two years. This is a lovely effort. Lifted rose petal and lavender notes add closing nuance. The blend is 62 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 % Merlot and 6 % Petit Verdot. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGThe smoky oak, full body and chunky tannins make a bold statement; indeed, the wine has plenty of flesh and packs a big tannic punch on the finish. Best Talbot in years. Drink in 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSGood, firm fruits are well placed, with notes of cedar, liquorice and cassis – this really is an enjoyable Talbot that offers the promise of a long life. There’s enjoyable grip and tenacity through the palate, with spicy, flexible tannins. It has a substantial weight that fleshes out and deepens. It’s savoury in the French sense of ’savoureux’, with connotations of juiciness and a ’give me more’ appeal. Aged in 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECThis has melded together nicely already, with a core of gently steeped plum, blackberry and anise flavors intertwined with light licorice snap and roasted apple wood notes. Focused and solid, but with a charming supple edge. Best from 2020 through 2030. 26,283 cases made. Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis generous wine is on the fruity side of the 2014 spectrum. Blueberry and black-currant fruits are supported by the spice and tannins from wood aging. The wine is likely to develop easily over the medium term. Drink from 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2014 Talbot felt reticent and tightly knit on the nose, so I placed my glass to one side and allowed it to aerate for 15-20 minutes. This paid dividends as it revealed blackcurrant, smoke and tobacco aromas, hints of boysenberry with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite structure and perhaps needing more flow. It feels a little rigid at the moment and I would want more persistence and depth on the finish. Let’s see how this ages in bottle, because it certainly showed improvement between samples in October 2016 and February 2017.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90+ RP-NMCut from the same cloth as the 2015, just more classic in style, the 2014 Château Talbot offers lots of black fruits, smoked herbs, graphite and a touch of lead pencil on the nose. This is followed by a classically styled, medium-bodied, dense, impressively concentrated 2014 that has another 10-15 years of prime drinking. This is always a well-made, classic Saint-Julien and readers can’t go wrong here.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

More tight and reserved than the 2015 yet just as good, the 2014 The Absurd checks in as 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot brought up in new oak. This cuvée is always a selection made by winemaker Benoit Touquette and comes from mix of vineyards. It’s an incredibly opulent, powerful wine offering a dense purple/plum-color as well as a mountain of pure crème de cassis, tobacco, cedarwood, and chocolate, with even a touch of spring flowers emerging with time in the glass. The palate doesn’t lose a beat either and is full-bodied and concentrated, yet as light and graceful as they come, with silky tannins and perfect balance. It needs a solid decant if drinking any time soon, and I suspect it will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age. It’s a magical wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot, is the 2014 The Absurd, basically a choice of their finest barrels, or as winemaker and owner Benoit Touquette says, “The crème de la crème.” This is another perfect wine equaling their incredible 2013. Yet the 2014 is slightly more forward and showy, as many 2013s are just beginning to shut down. There are 250 cases of this majestic wine that has an opaque purple color, extraordinary nose of spring flowers, blueberry, blackberry, creosote, charcoal, toast and spice. The wine has unbelievable fruit on the attack, midpalate and finish, compelling purity, texture and a finish of close to a full minute. It is (as advertised by the winery) a “showcase of the best of Napa Valley with the freedom of expression that results from no rules.” Drink now-2035.Robert Parker | 100 RPBlackberries, blueberries, pretty florals and cherries. Extremely aromatic. Full-bodied, layered and powerful. Delightful depth and sexiness. Juicy and entrancing. Moreish. You want to drink it. Better in 2022.James Suckling | 97 JS