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Beautiful ruby red colour, rapsberry puree and cocoa dusting aromatics, still young, a wonderfully embracing tannic frame, rapsberrry, blueberry and loganberry fruits, slate-scraping minerality, just a gorgeous wine that is bursting out of the glass and still has so much more to give. Balanced, mouthwatering, persistent, just at the start of its long and pleasure-filled life, showcasing so much that is wonderful about 2005. Get on board. This is a 2 point higher score than the last time I tasted in April 2021, reflecting that the 2005s are just right now beginning to open up.Jane Anson | 96 JATight and dense still but so integrated and seamless in texture. Aromas of chocolate, hazelnuts, dried spices and currants. Full body, superfine tannins and a texture that is so caressing and beautiful. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSTasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London, the 2005 Calon Segur is on par with the wonderful 2000. The only real difference is that this needs more time in bottle. It has a captivating nose: blackberry and boysenberry fruit coming at you at full pelt; dried blood and bacon fat developing as secondary aromas just behind. There is fine delineation here - an underlying mineralité sure to surface with time. The palate is very intense and disarmingly youthful, almost ferrous on the entry with layers of ripe black fruit that segue into an earthy finish (with a curious light tang of Marmite on the aftertaste!). It is a fabulous Calon Ségur, though the millennial wine might ultimately possess greater precision. We will see. Tasted March 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMHas a beautiful nose of crushed berry, spices and nutmeg, with a hint of coffee. Then turns to licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long finish of vanilla, berry and cinnamon. Beautifully crafted. Best after 2014. 17,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFirm and structured, the Calon-Ségur remains surprisingly muscular. Produced from a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and a splash of Petit Verdot, all aged in new casks, this shows a bright redcurrant and mint nose with a bit of spice and smoke. The feel on the palate is tannic and firm, perhaps lacking a bit of generosity at this point, but the rich extract suggests that with time it should come around. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 93 DEC(Château Calon-Ségur) The 2005 vintage at Calon-Ségur was comprised of more than fifty percent merlot, and while the wine is a good wine in its way, it lacks the brightness, soil signature and classic profile of the wines from 2006 forwards. The bouquet is deep, reserved and shows admirable depth in its constellation of dark berries, tobacco leaf, woodsmoke, espresso, herb tones, a touch of hoisin sauce, dark soil and nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with good purity at the rock solid core, firm tannins and excellent length and grip on the black fruity and still very youthful finish. Qualitatively, this is clearly the equivalent of the 2006, but I have a far stronger preference for the style of the latter vintage, as this is just missing a bit of spark from all of its merlot in the blend. A very good wine, but not a classic Calon-Ségur. (Drink between 2022-2050)John Gilman | 92 JGDeep, bright ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, leather, smoked meat, earth and menthol. Chewy, brooding and deep, with concentrated black cherry, menthol, mineral and leather flavors framed by a powerful spine of acids and tannins. Really saturates the palate on the tannic back end. I’d give this classic St. Estephe a decade of aging, at which time this wine may well merit an even higher score.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

This strikes exactly the right note aromatically: it’s wonderfully sexy, smoky, intriguing and tantalising. On the palate it follows up these aromatics perfectly with silky-smooth tannins and well brushed damson and black cherry fruits. It’s fully ripe but still with give and subtlety. Great stuff! 2009 saw the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever included in this wine. Drinking Window 2020 - 2044Decanter | 96 DECThe 2009 Calon-Ségur is deep garnet in color and opens with a beautiful fragrance of redcurrant preserves, cassis, black cherry compote and red roses plus nuances of cigar box and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied and wonderfully elegant in the mouth, it has a compelling line of very ripe, fine-grained tannins and oodles of freshness supporting the fragrant layers, finishing long and perfumed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPDelivers gorgeous aromas of blackberry, blueberry and licorice, with hints of tobacco and spice. Full-bodied, offering a lovely texture and refinement. Very long and beautiful, with tangy acidity and lively fruit. A rich, yet very balanced, Calon. This is almost all Cabernet Sauvignon instead of the normal blend with 40 percent Merlot. The château is now using 100 percent new wood. Like the changes.Wine Spectator | 96 WSWith a lot of fennel and earth character this is a classic St.-Estèphe, but on the palate it has a suppleness that’s modern in the best sense. Needs time to soften. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSA big step up over the 2008 and, I suspect, the finest wine from this estate in the 2000s, the 2009 Château Calon Ségur reveals a healthy ruby hue to go with textbook notes of red and black currants, tobacco leaf, damp earth, gamey meats, and Asian-like spices. This is classic, traditionally made Bordeaux, with full-bodied richness, a layered, structure mouthfeel, wonderful sweetness of fruit, and a great finish. A wine that starts out tight and reserved yet builds with air, don’t be afraid to give bottles plenty of air if drinking any time soon. It’s certainly in its drink window, yet also has another 30-40 years of longevity ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD(Château Calon-Ségur) Our vertical tasting in Washington was again the first time I had seen the 2009 Calon- Ségur, as I had not tasted the wine during En Primeur, and I was very, very impressed with the quality and style of this wine. The cépages is fully ninety percent cabernet sauvignon in this vintage, and the perfectly ripe, but not overripe cabernet has made this an instant classic. The beautifully ripe and pure nose wafts from the glass in a vibrant blend of black cherries, sweet dark berries, cigar smoke, dark soil tones, pungent violets and a suave base of nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very classy on the attack, with a rock solid core of pure fruit, superb soil inflection, impeccable focus and balance, ripe, fine-grained tannins and outstanding length and grip on the seamless and youthfully complex finish. This is a great vintage of Calon-Ségur in the making! (Drink between 2022-2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2009 Calon-Ségur has a classic Saint-Estèphe bouquet with pencil box and freshly tilled earth on the nose, beautifully defined if not with quite the same pedigree that François Millet imparts into the Grand Vin nowadays. (Less Merlot here than other examples.) The palate is medium-bodied, masculine in style, a little closed at first, strict and detailed yet missing some flesh and density on the finish. Unlike the bottle poured blind a week later that was much more exuberant and higher-toned. It is a fine Calon-Ségur but it is shaded by say the 2014, 2015 and 2016. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM

One of my favorite vintages from this incredible terroir located on the upper plateau of Saint-Emilion, the 2009 Château Canon is just about pure perfection in a glass. It delivers a monster bouquet of blackberries, raspberries, white truffle, and flowery incense that develops beautifully with time in the glass. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it’s still classic Saint-Emilon, offering incredible minerality as well as structure. This brilliant wine can be drunk any time over the coming two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDMedium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Canon is a little reticent to begin, opening out to notions of rare beef, cast iron pan, cigar boxes and cloves with a core of baked plums and mulberries plus a waft of dried lavender. Full, richly fruited and sill quite youthful, the palate has a firm yet velvety texture and seamless freshness supporting the generous fruit, finishing long and mineral laced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPA fleshy and generous St.-Emilion with a great interplay of fresh and super-ripe plum aromas. Behind this is quite a major tannin structure and plenty of chalky minerality that carries the bold finish beautifully. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 95 JSHugely dense, foursquare wine with great fruit and the purest tannins. Chocolate and coffee predominate at the same time as sweet tannins and acidity. A wine that combines charm with great power.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE(Château Canon) The 2009 Canon is an unequivocally great wine in the making and will probably end up resembling the 1982 Canon in style, but prove to be superior to that fine bottle. As is the style of classically made wines such as this, today the ’09 Canon is tight, structured and only hinting at the superb complexity to come, but with its superb quality clearly evident. The bouquet offers up an excellent aromatic mélange of black cherries, dark berries, espresso, woodsmoke, herb tones, tobacco leaf, lovely soil tones and a touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and rock solid at the core, with impeccable balance, firm, ripe tannins and great focus and grip on the long, properly reserved and chewy finish. A great classic in the making. (Drink between 2020-2070).John Gilman | 93-94+ JGThe director of Canon in 2009 was John Kolasa, a less deft touch perhaps than Nicolas Audebert today, but still making some great wines. This has ripe fruits and a generous attack. It’s still very young but there are hints of a wine that’s starting to evolve, with moments of tobacco and leather. The mouthwatering juiciness through the back half of the palate is really appetising, and although it’s less precise than a Canon of today, you can certainly see all the building blocks here. It has a slightly savoury quality to the fruit, not displaying the excess of some St-Emilions in this vintage. A good quality wine, this is entering its drinking window but has plenty of time left. Drinking Window 2019 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECThis is a creamy, lush, hedonist’s wine, with suave, textured layers of fig sauce, puréed plum and cassis woven with hints of mocha and pain d’épices. Picks up grip though, joined by a roasted mesquite hint on the finish for added length. Best from 2014 through 2025. 4,415 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2009 Canon has a surprisingly muted bouquet despite rigorous aeration, reluctantly offering black fruit, meat juices and light garrigues-like aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy, slightly coarse tannin, quite spicy but overall, rather overbearing and lacking tension on the finish. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 91 VM

A full 80% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend of 2009, giving it an unmistakably Pauillac character in terms of its dense tannins, and its pencil lead, slate character. Power and finesse abound, with a pulse of electricity and a softening from smoked oak on the finish. One of the best Grand-Puy-Lacostes delivered under owner François-Xavier Borie. Tasting utterly gorgeous right now... Drinking Window 2020 - 2042.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2009 Grand Puy Lacoste is one of the great vintages from this estate in the modern era. It storms from the glass with scents of blackberry, undergrowth, cedar and mint, retaining the classicism of GPL. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity. Very harmonious with a gorgeous, lithe, graphite infused finish that lingers in the mouth. Bon vin. Tasted blind at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMDark and delicately spicy this a very complete medium-full bodied 2009 that’s not a jot too ripe or too firm. Beautiful balance through the long polished finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 95 JSI loved the 2009, and like most 2009s, it has a ripe, sexy, yet still classic style that’s evolving gracefully, with ample darker currant and black cherry fruits as well as tobacco leaf, cedar pencil, truffly earth, and spice box-like nuances. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, with plenty of mid-palate depth and tannins, it’s going to continue drinking brilliantly for another two decades. It needs an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon. (Drink between 2021-2041)Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThis is a step up, with ample black currant confiture and roasted fig notes allied to a racy graphite and iron spine. Very sleek through the finish, despite its heft, with a long finish filled with cassis bush and tobacco. Best from 2013 through 2025. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA complex, dusty tannin wine, layering smoky wood and black fruits with a the firmest dry character. Very intense, rich, dense and potentially powerful.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEMedium to deep garnet in color, the 2009 Grand-Puy-Lacoste opens with a nose of sweaty leather, damp earth, baked cherries and dried mulberries with touches of fried herbs, black olives and cast iron pan. Medium-bodied, firm and chewy, this is a more elegantly styled 2009 with provocative herbal sparks and a ferrous finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

This is an architectural wine, very classical in its structure like so many of the top wines of 2010. It’s powered by ripe tannins and beautiful black currant fruits. While the wine is gorgeously ripe, it also has a powerful dark and structured character. For long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WESure pure fruit to this red with a minerality and floral undertone. You can smell the warm stones. Full body, with a beautiful depth of fruit and velvety tannins. Dense and balanced. Layered with a light salty and meaty character as well. Great length. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. Try in 2017.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2010 is performing well,. With Cabernet Sauvignon dominating the blend, the wine has a dense plum/purple color along with notes of underbrush, black currants, plum, licorice, smoky charcuterie and some roasted herbs in the background. Full-bodied, moderately tannic and set for an extremely long life, this will not be a wine to please those looking for immediate gratification. Rather, I would suspect this wine will close down even further in bottle and, despite its full-bodied, powerful, massive size, it will need at least a decade of cellaring before it is accessible. This is another 2010 capable of lasting 35-50 years.Robert Parker | 94+ RPThe 2010 Calon-Ségur has a slightly gamey bouquet, vibrant and energetic with plenty of red and black fruit. This appears to gain complexity with aeration, revealing hidden facets with each swirl of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and a really gorgeous, surprisingly fleshy but focused finish that exudes style and class. What a lovely wine. You could almost broach this now although I prefer to leave this a few more years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMOn May 9, 2010, a hailstorm took a heavy toll on the estate’s vineyard, so yields were down to around 30hl/ha. The resulting wine is both profound and seductive, expressing a compelling combination of fresh and floral but also powerful and spicy scents. The ample palate also presents a marvelous mix of delicacy and racy tannic force, and even the long finish has this element of a double character, in this instance, a sun-drenched style and structure that ends with a final flourish of freshness. Drinking Window 2022 - 2035.Decanter | 94 DEC(Château Calon-Ségur) I did not have the opportunity to taste the 2010 Calon-Ségur during my En Primeur visit in the spring of 2011, as Madame Gasqueton was a bit difficult to make an appointment with that year and she condescended to receive my friends only on a day while I was still in Germany tasting the 2010ers. Consequently, I was very curious to see how this wine had turned out in this difficult and overrated vintage, and I found it to be one of the better 2010s that I have tasted, though with a bit of the grittiness to the tannin structure that is emblematic of this year. The bouquet is ripe, but pure in its blend of red and black cherries, Cuban cigar wrappers, dark chocolate, dark soil tones, smoke and nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite primary, with a fine core of fruit, ripe, slightly harsh tannins and excellent length and grip on the decidedly “cool-fruited” finish. This is a very good 2010, but to my palate, it was not in the same league as the other two wines in this flight- the 2009 and 2008 Calon. I would also have to give the slight edge to both the 2012 and 2011 at this estate over this more powerful 2010 Calon. But, that said, this is a very strong example of this vintage. (Drink between 2025-2065)John Gilman | 92+ JG

A wine that could easily be mistaken for a First Growth, the 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is an incredibly powerful, full-bodied wine by this estate’s standards, yet it nevertheless holds onto a terrific sense of elegance as well as perfect balance. A huge nose of blackcurrants, smoked earth, tobacco, lead pencil, and spice give way to a concentrated, blockbuster styled Margaux that has thrilling depth of fruit, masses of ripe tannins, and great length and finesse on the finish. This brilliant wine is just now seemingly on the edge of its drink window and offers immense pleasure, yet it has another 30-40 years of life ahead of it. Along with the 2015 and 2016, it’s the greatest wine made at this estate in the past two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDDeep garnet in color, the 2010 Rauzan-Ségla is youthfully reticent and closed to begin, slowly unfurling to offer notions of underbrush, black truffles, smoked meats and tar over a core of baked black cherries, prunes and crème de cassis plus touches of iron ore and crushed rocks. Full-bodied, concentrated and jam-packed with savory/earthy fruit, it has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing with great length and expression.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPOne of the top Margaux wines, this is in top form, finely balanced and as elegant as it is powerful. It is darkly structured, dense yet balancing tannins with ripe black plums. It expresses the complexity of the vintage. A wine for serious, long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2010 Rauzan-Ségla has a wonderful bouquet, very pure and engaging with wild strawberry, blackberry, rose petals and boysenberry jam. It just feels very focused and beautifully delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with lively red and black fruit laced with cracked black pepper and cedar. It is extremely balanced, almost symmetrical, with a precise and persistent finish. Bon vin. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 95 VMFlashy style of Margaux, with alluring warm cocoa and black tea aromatics followed by cashmere-textured plum sauce, steeped fig and blackberry confiture notes. The well-integrated structure makes this seem almost accessible now, but the ample length and a smoldering tobacco note make a case for cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2030. 9,666 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThere’s a wonderful deep and dark fruit to this second wine from Rauzan Segla, with hints of soft tannins. Lovely ripe fruit and a chocolate, light raisin at the end.James Suckling | 90-91 JS(Château Rauzan-Ségla) The 2010 Château Rauzan-Ségla is another fine example of the vintage, but much like the 2010 Château Rauzan-Gassies, a completely traditional approach once again in the cellars here would pay dividends in terms of even more profound expression of terroir. The bouquet on the 2010 is a very classy blend of cassis, dark berries, tobacco, gravelly soil tones, classy new wood and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and sappy at the core, with fine focus and a fair bit of firm, slightly dry-edged tannins on the long and bouncy finish. A touch of the tannins here seem derived already from the new wood, but the overall balance is splendid and this wine should have no difficulty carrying its wood over the long haul. A very successful, ever so slightly “overly-polished” example of the vintage. (Drink between 2020 - 2050)John Gilman | 90+ JG

Inky plum in colour, you can see this is rich and textured even before going anywhere near the nose, which then displays ripe fruit. Gorgeous quality, a wine that is packed full of graphite, pencil lead, waves of violet, cassis, liqourice, and chewy but well defined tannins. Leaps out of the glass and is clear proof that, when it gets it right, the 2014 vintage equals the 2015 in this northern sector of the Médoc. Good value also compared to the 2015 and 2016 - a must buy for me. 70% new oak,..Jane Anson | 97 JAAromas of currants, blackberries and blackcurrants with hints of chocolate and spices. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Juicy and muscular wine. Needs three or four years to open. Beautiful.James Suckling | 96 JSFragrant and perfumed, this wine is the epitome of great Cabernet Sauvignon. It is fruity, juicy yet with serious concentrated tannins. There is spice from the wood aging along with a dash of pepper, all the while just bringing out the beautiful black-currant flavors. Drink this wine from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2014 Lynch-Bages is just as powerful and dense from bottle as it was from barrel. Deep, powerful and bold, it possesses remarkable richness in all of its dimensions. Ripe red cherry, spice, leather, tobacco and rose petal all develop in the glass, but it is the wine’s sheer amplitude today that is quite remarkable. It will need quite a bit of cellaring to be at its best, and is clearly built to age. This is a terrific showing from the Cazes family. The blend is 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc and 2 % Petit Verdot.Antonio Galloni | 94+ AGThis has beguiling hints of plum cake and melted licorice peeking out, while a core of cassis and blackberry confiture waits in reserve. There’s ample grip, but this remains very polished and integrated, with lovely echoes of anise and fruitcake showing through the very lengthy finish. Will be hard to keep your hands off this while it ages. Best from 2019 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2014 Lynch Bages was actually similar to the 2014 Pichon Baron on the nose: tight and surly at first, demanding a lot of coaxing from the glass. It eventually opens up with a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and tobacco, gaining more harmony and intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite linear and focused at the moment, precise if just needing a little more body and depth to evolve on the straight-laced finish. Give this Pauillac 4-5 years in bottle and it is likely to repay you.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMVery well-expressed natural concentration of fruit, very ripe tannins and lots of complexity to come. A richly textured, firmly structured wine with the Lynch-Bages hallmarks for the future. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035.Decanter | 92 DEC

Swathed in spicy and toasty oak aromas, this has a wealth of superbly expressed red and dark berries, flowers and mint. The palate delivers a very assertive and energetic array of dark berries and spiced plums with a fresh, focused, vibrant finish. Superb wine. Try from 2023.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2015 Grand Puy Lacoste is just as compelling from bottle as it was from barrel. Sensual, polished and refined, the 2015 is all class. Silky tannins, perfumed aromatics and beautifully delineated fruit are some of the signatures. The natural richness of the year comes through nicely, but without overpowering the wine’s mid-weight sense of structure. This is a fabulous example of the year.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGI love this from the first nose. It’s not quite as complex as the 2017 at Grand-Puy-Lacoste, never mind the 2016, but this is still an exceptionally good Pauillac in the vintage. There’s black fruits, firm tannins, excellent graphite and slate notes and touches of liquorice with clear depth and length. Very good quality, and carefully extracted, it goes gently into the night. 75% new oak. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECThe wine from this estate, owned by one of the great Bordeaux families, is already balanced between fruit and tannins. Black currants from the Cabernet Sauvignon comes through strongly, giving a juicy character to the wine’s structure. It is rich and will mature well. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis is on the charming side of the spectrum, with a rounded hint to the mix of violet-infused plum and cherry fruit, accented by notes of singed cedar and sandalwood. Light black tea and warm cast iron accents pervade the finish, returning this to a more typical Pauillac profile. Best from 2020 through 2032. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2015 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is another classic wine that shines for its elegance, balance, and sheer class. Offering medium-bodied notes of crème de cassis, crushed flowers, new leather, and ample tobacco, it has good tension and concentration, a fresh, tight texture, and outstanding length. It has some upside and will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, at which point it should drink nicely for two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDThe 2015 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is medium garnet-purple colored with a nose of red and black currants, cedar chest and roses with a touch of dusty earth. The medium-bodied mouth is chewy, with lively fruit and good balance.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RP

The 2016 Beychevelle has a stunning bouquet of vibrant, shimmering blackberry and wild strawberry fruit laced with crushed stone and rose petals. The well-balanced palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and a slightly savory/dried blood finish that lingers in the mouth. Tasting both in London and in Bordeaux, I found the latter bottle to have a little more precision and race on the finish. This will surely be a benchmark for this Saint Julien estate.Vinous Media | 96 VMI was able to taste the 2016 Château Beychevelle on two occasions, and it showed beautifully both times. This is also the first vintage made in the new cellar. Medium to full-bodied, incredibly seamless and elegant on the palate, yet beautifully concentrated, it offers a heavenly perfume of spring flowers, violets, saddle leather, and blueberry and cassis fruit. A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and the rest Cabernet Franc, brought up in 50% new oak, it’s still tight, taunt, and reserved on the palate, yet has the hallmark purity of fruit and balance of the vintage front and center. Hide bottles for 4-6 years, and it will keep for 25+ years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe 2016 Beychevelle is comprised of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. It spent 18 months aging in 50% new and 50% second use barrels. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it is a little broody to begin, opening slowly to reveal subtle savory notes of dried herbs, charcuterie and black olives before breaking through to a profound core of warm cassis, baked black plums, red currant jelly and candied violets. The palate is medium-bodied and delicately played with a quiet intensity of tightly wound nuances and fantastic freshness, finishing with a lingering savory lift. This latent beauty will require a bit more time than most 2016s, but it promises to overdeliver to those prepared to wait. Around 19,000 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPStacks of cassis, graphite and smoke on the nose of this rather full-bodied St.-Julien with a ton of velvety tannins that drive the long finish that’s simultaneously sweet, fresh and powdery. Try in 2022.James Suckling | 94 JSNow with a brand-new, see-through glass winery, this estate is showing its true elegance. The wine does not have great power but it offers a ripe, smooth, sophisticated texture and black fruits. It already shows delicious flavors that will improve. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis has a slightly beefy edge, with warmed plum and blackberry paste flavors pumping through. Shows a touch of heft on the back end, with dark tobacco and earth notes leaving a subtly chewy feel, though there’s ample fruit to soak that up. Best from 2024 through 2038. 19,167 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSBy this vintage, the gravity-operated vat room and cellar were in operation, with smaller steel vats allowing for greater parcel selection. Still closed on the nose, though with firm blackcurrant and blackberry aromas in the background, it’s suave and concentrated, showing ripe tannins and ample acidity. The wine seems balanced, though it’s not showing much complexity yet. Structured and persistent. Drinking Window 2024 - 2045.Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a thrilling wine. Dense and beautifully layered, the 2016 is also quite a bit richer than it usually is. Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and structure pulse through the wine. The red-toned fruit is incredibly primary at this stage. Readers should be prepared to cellar the 2016 for at least a handful of years. It has been nothing short of magnificent on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGAs to the reds, the 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that saw an extended maceration, malo in barrel, and 18 months in just 35% new French oak. This deep purple-hued beauty boasts a powerful bouquet of tobacco smoke, damp earth, gravelly, rocky minerality, wood smoke, and loads of dark fruits. Full-bodied, deep, concentrated yet incredibly elegant and seamless on the palate, it’s a legendary Chevalier in the making. While I rated this as high as 99 points on one of the four separate occasions I was able to taste it, I’m being conservative with the score. it has some upfront charm but needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will keep for 3-4 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDAromas of blackberries, red and dark plums, cedar and gravel, as well as red flowers and brown-leaf tea. It offers a very sleek and powerful array of ripe dark fruit and a very plush, focused and elegant bed of fresh, fine and powerful tannins. Plenty of aging potential, this is still quite tight. A blend of 55 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 35 per cent merlot, five per cent cabernet franc and five per cent petit verdot. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 97 JSThe core of fruit flavor here is sappy and dense, with lots of kirsch, raspberry pâte de fruit and plum reduction notes, yet this stays fresh and racy overall, with a bright iron spine, flashes of tea and tobacco and a long finish that shows a wonderful infusion of alder and tobacco flavors. Offers a lovely combination of prodigious fruit details, with a tug of earth. Best from 2024 through 2038. 12,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThis elegant wine wears its firm tannic structure lightly. It is densely textured, just starting on its road to maturity. Black-plum and berry fruits give the wine its weight as much as the tannins. It will age well over many years. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis is so young right now, which seems crazy to say for a white wine, I know. But at two years old it has hardly begun to gather us to its side, let alone reveal its secrets. This will clearly have plenty to show in a few years’ time - white peach and pear flavours, and a gorgeous texture of slate caught against saline minerality. This is going to age, and then some. It has closed down since 2016 En primeur. Drinking Window 2020 - 2032.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rocks up with expressive warm plums, blueberry compote and cassis scents with suggestions of sandalwood, baking spices and potpourri. Medium-bodied and delicately styled yet with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, it sports restrained earth-laced fruit and a long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP

The 2016 Grand Puy-Lacoste has a clean, precise bouquet with nicely detailed blackberry, briar and tobacco aromas, touches of mint emerging with time, all utterly charming. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity, conveying a sense of symmetry throughout and leading into a deft, quite persistent finish. This is very classy, and it should age with style. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 97 VMA neoclassical edition of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, this has cedar, graphite, deeply integrated cedar and spicy-oak influence and a very fresh array of ripe blackberries, dark cherries and cassis. The palate is so seamless. It builds beautifully and delivers a long, seamless array of perfectly ripe dark fruit, swathed in fine, firm, ascending layers of tannins. As good as we have seen in recent vintages, this is a star of the vintage. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 97 JSThis has a punch of mouthfilling dark cassis fruits and lots of complex tobacco, liquorice and truffle. Layer upon layer of flavour is joined by tight tannins, but with air and life in between. It’s young and well balanced, easily equal to the power of a Lynch Bages or a Pichon Baron. I loved it en primeur and love it again here. Consultant is Eric Boissenot, technical director is Christel Spinner. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038.Decanter | 96 DECThe deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Grand-Puy-Lacoste gives up pure kirsch and red and black currants with violets and baking spices. Medium-bodied, firm and grainy, it’s very expressive with good concentration and length.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPA lively style, with lots of briar and tobacco notes out front, backed by punchy plum and black currant paste flavors. Has a shot of sweet tobacco lining the finish, with echoes of savory and hints of iron giving this range and length. Best from 2023 through 2038. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSJuicy and jammy, this wine is already smoothly textured. Its black fruits add a fresh touch and give a ripe feeling. Likely to develop quickly the wine will be ready to drink from 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

Readers looking for the next superstar in Bordeaux need to jump on the bandwagon of Les Carmes Haut-Brion, who have produced one of the wines of the vintage in 2016. The 2016 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion checks in as a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 39% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that hit 13.8% natural alcohol and spent 22 months in 65% new French oak. Its deep purple color is followed by a complex bouquet of high-class smoke tobacco, decaying flowers, charcoal, gravelly minerality and loads of sweet black and blue fruit. Possessing full-bodied richness, flawless integration of its acidity, fruit, and ultra-fine tannins, and a blockbuster finish, this is another 2016 that possess both power and elegance. Do your best to hide bottles for 5-7 years and it will keep for 3-4 decades. Don’t miss it. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Breathtaking in its beauty, the 2016 soars from the glass with stunning aromatic and flavor intensity. Red cherry jam, wild flowers, mint, blood orange and sage are some of many notes that develop. In the glass, the 2016 is a vivid, statuesque, exotic wine that takes over all the senses as it delivers tons of pure pleasure. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2016 for at least a few years, but that will be virtually impossible. The 2016 is a towering masterpiece from Les Carmes Haut-Brion and Technical Director Guillaume Pouthier. Tasted three times.Antonio Galloni | 98 AGTerrific ripeness, depth and complexity on offer here. This has a very attractive array of bright, ripe blueberries and cassis with some leafy and earthy notes. The palate has a quite deep, long and vibrant array of perfectly ripe dark plums and blueberries. So good. Best vintage this decade. Try from 2023.James Suckling | 97 JSThis offers alluring waves of ganache-tinged plum sauce, blackberry reduction and steeped açaí fruit flavors, while tobacco and singed mesquite notes hang in the background. Shows a lovely bramble echo through the finish, with the fruit easily keeping pace. This has range, distinctive mouthfeel and serious length. There’s a new player officially in the Pessac game... Best from 2023 through 2038. 3,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSWith 51% whole-bunch fermentation for the Cabernet Franc and Merlot, this is the highest proportion in this wine. This is just gorgeous, with a beautiful sweetness on the attack from ripe fruit and a touch of smoked caramel. It really rises through the palate, gripped by liquorice, hazelnut, dark chocolate and black cherry fruits that ripple through the palate. I loved this wine En primeur and it is absolutely living up to its billing. It has an IPT of 90, but the tannins are full of life, yielding in just the right places while still confident and keeping everything in line.Great persistency too. 3.49pH. 80% new oak, 10% Stockinger and 10% amphoras. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 39% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 65% new and 35% one-year-old oak for 22 months. This vintage represents one of the largest percentages of Cabernet Franc for this wine. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it gives notes of kirsch, black raspberries and black plums with touches of cassis, violets, chocolate box and pencil shavings. The palate is medium-bodied, firm, grainy and lively with loads of layers and a long, well-poised finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP

The Elvio Cogno 2019 Barolo Ravera is just gorgeous, starting with its enticing scents of woodland berry, blue flower, forest floor and camphor. Made partly with whole cluster fermentation, the structured palate is young but already shows depth, featuring layers of succulent raspberry, licorice, menthol and baking spice framed in firm, refined tannins. Give it time to fully develop. Drink 2027–2044. Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOThis wine opens a window on one of the best cru sites in the appellation—the Ravera Vineyard on the Novello side, where steep hills descend down from a castle perched atop a beautiful panorama. From this vantage point, you look up at Novello and the Elvio Cogno winery built midway up the incline. The 2019 Barolo Ravera benefits from this special place and represents a wider net of fruit selected from across the estate vineyard. As a result, Ravera often shows extra versatility and depth. The 2019 vintage offers wild berry, blackcurrant, tart fruit, iodine and campfire ash. This is on the darker and more concentrated side of the Barolo spectrum. 15,000 bottles were released.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2019 Barolo Ravera is beautiful with floral and spice perfume and offers a Burgundian aesthetic, with notes of apricot and wet stone. It is medium-bodied, highly refined, and pure, with complexity that continues to evolve in the glass, revealing notes of rhubarb, apricot, wild raspberry, and dusty earth. A beautiful and expressive wine with a lot of grace, it is going to drink well at a lot of stages, so don’t worry about whether to drink it soon or forget about it in the cellar over the next two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDTannins are sheer and long with a steely and muscular nature, yet they are nicely integrated. Full and toned. This is a wine for the cellar yet it already shows pretty floral and blue fruit character. Drink after 2029.James Suckling | 96 JSUsing two clones of 70- to 80-year-old Nebbiolo on calcareous soil in the distinguished MGA of Ravera, this 2019 has incredible energy. Delicate red fruits accompany earthy depths and balsamic lift, while in the mouth grippy tannins underline concentrated wild red fruits. It’s vertical in nature – as you may expect given the limestone soils – delivering a shot of citrus peel on the long and super-fresh finish.Decanter | 95 DECNo written review provided. | 95 W&SThe 2019 Barolo Ravera marries finesse with the energy that is typical of all the wines from this part of the appellation. Tasted next to the 2018, it possesses gorgeous inner sweetness and captivating perfume to match its mid-weight personality. Hard candy, blood orange, mint, iron, spice and dried flowers all open in the glass. Here too, the tannins are admirably balanced for a young Ravera Barolo.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2019 Seña was produced with a Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot with the Chilean character of the high percentage of Carmenere. Most of the volume fermented in stainless steel with some 10% in concrete vats, and the final blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, and 10% in Stockinger vats. It’s 13.5% alcohol and has good acidity and freshness, coming through as medium-bodied, elegant and balanced. This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy sweet spices and great freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, seamless and pure, with pungent flavors and a soft texture. It’s long, clean, defined and super tasty. I feel this wine is getting better and better by the vintage. The grapes were picked quite early, and that helped to contain the ripeness and seems to have been a great decision. There was also an exception in the Panquehue zone where the Seña vines are, where the summer was cooler than the average, so quite different to many other regions in Chile. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPSuch beautiful aromas of crushed berries, currants, walnuts, allspice and nutmeg follow through to a full body with tight, ultra fine tannins that provide length and intensity. A finish of slightly dried cherries with wet earth, slate and stone. Chewy and fine-grained. A wine with soul and length. Give it time. Drink after 2025.James Suckling | 98 JS(Seña, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aconcagua Valley, Chile, Red) The twenty-fifth vintage of a wine first made in 1995 by the Mondavi and Chadwick families is one of Francisco Baettig’s best editions yet: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and Petit Verdot aged for 22 months in French oak (10% in foudres). The nose offers redcurrant, blackberry, and cherry over a bed of sweet spices, cedar and peppers. Dense core and firm grip, it needs to be decanted or left in the bottle for a while longer. (Drink between 2022-2032)Decanter | 97 DECThe 2019 Seña was made in a year in which the average temperatures were similar to 2018 but organized differently: the spring was warm and the summer cool. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carménère and 4% Petit Verdot, it was aged for 22 months, 90% in mostly new French barrels and 10% in foudres. Purple in the glass. The nose presents notes of plum with hints of blackberry and expressive layers of mint and herb. In the mouth the firm tannins are refined and a little compact. A delicate wine that will improve in the bottle.Vinous Media | 96 VM