Red Wines

wines

Intense blackberry and blueberry aromas as well as mushroom undertones. Violets, too. Sweet tobacco. Full-bodied and layered with polished tannins. Very long and beautiful. Give it two or three years to show what it has but already a beauty.James Suckling | 96 JSIn a vintage that can lack a little pizzazz, the 2014 Pape Clement stands out for its exuberant, sexy, full-bodied style. Checking in as a blend of 58% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Petit Verdot, aged in 60% new French oak, its deep purple color is followed by a layered, ripe, sexy wine that has loads of currants, blackberries, smoke tobacco, and forest floor aromas and flavors, with just a touch of chocolaty oak. Silky and incredibly pure on the palate, with impeccable balance and sweet, yet present tannin, it’s already impossible to resist, yet is going to deliver the goods for another 20-25 years. It’s a beauty!Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe 2014 Pape Clement has quite a potent bouquet with lavish red cherry, kirsch, iodine and pastille-like scents, the oak probably needing another couple of years to fully integrate. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine line of acidity, quite refined and focused with appreciable tension towards the finish that comes laden with succulent, tobacco-infused blackberry fruit. This is a sumptuous and yet refined Pape-Clement that demonstrated the most matière or substance out of all the Pessac-Léognan 2014s that I tasted, except for the Haut-Brion. It is certainly a wine destined for a long future.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMThe 2014 Pape Clément is strikingly beautiful. Dark, sumptuous and creamy, it exudes class. Black cherry, mocha, spice, espresso, menthol and new leather are all pushed forward in a spherical, rich wine that captivates all the senses. As always, this is an overt style, but the purity of the fruit comes through nicely now that the oak has started to integrate. There is plenty of the Magrez trademark richness, but done in a slightly more restrained style than in the past. This is a gorgeous wine by any measure. Tasted three times.Antonio Galloni | 94+ AGRestrained compared to some vintages and all the more successful for it. Fine but firm tannins; grip and lovely hold to the dark, brambly, bilberry and cassis fruit. Great potential. Drinking Window 2023 - 2035.Decanter | 94 DECRipe and richly fruity, the wine is full bodied with great acidity as well as firm tannins. It will keep for many years. Bold tannins and a fine tension between the fruit and acidity are all promising for the future. Drink this impressive wine from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WELavish in profile, this sports a range of warm fruitcake, anise and black tea aromatics followed quickly by a gush of raspberry, plum and boysenberry confiture notes. Velvety, showing ample structure through the finish, pulling the fruit and wood notes together. A rare bird, stylistically, in this generally understated vintage. Best from 2020 through 2035. 11,667 cases made, 2,500 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 93 WS

2014 was an up and down vintage across Bordeaux but one that saw particular success in St Estèphe, and it’s great to see how well this is doing at six years on. There is clear depth and interest to the brambly fruit on the nose - it unrolls on the palate and makes you feel it has more to give. Could easily drink now although the tannins will integrate further, and should stay at this plateau for a good decade or more. The tannins are slightly chewy, they have give in them and contribute to the feeling of fullness and confidence through the palate. Notes of dark chocolate with St Estèphe power - austere on the finish right now but so juicy and mouthwatering that you’re happy to be patient. 3.7pH. Harvest from September 29 to October 14. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECThe initial wood flavors in this wine rapidly give way to rich fruit. Spice and black-plum flavors are built by a firmly tannic superstructure. The aftertaste brings out the acidity. This wine should develop well over the long term. Drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe spice and floral characters are fresh and perfumed. Walnuts. Medium body with firm and silky tannins and a linear and crisp finish. Orange peel undertone to the currants. Tight and racy. Needs two to three years to open up. Try in 2020.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2014 Phelan-Segur has quite a punchy nose with blackberry, iris and iodine scents that shoot from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a pleasant chewiness on the entry. This segues into a well balanced middle with well-judged acidity, crisp black fruit infused with graphite and a touch of sea salt towards the finish. It might not quite have the finesse of the top Saint Estèphe’s, but there is clearly decent length and energy here. Tasted twice with consistent notes.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMPure and expressive, featuring a lovely beam of cassis gilded with light lilac, wet pebble and tobacco notes that should emerge more with cellaring. Shows textbook typicity for the AOC. Best from 2018 through 2028. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2014 Phélan Ségur is powerful and driven but also a bit compact. Bright red cherry, iron, leather, smoke, licorice and blood orange are nicely delineated in the glass. Ferrous savory notes add lovely complexity throughout. The 2014 has put on quite a bit of weight and darkness over the last year and half, but the tannins need time to soften. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 90+ AG

Dense and beautifully ripe, this is a rounded rich wine. It focuses on the tropical yellow-fruit spectrum. That gives a full wine with wood-spice hints and just the right amount of citrus acidity to give it a lift. Drink this finely structured wine from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEA big black-cherry and bitter-chocolate nose leads into a rich, concentrated palate, where the fruit easily holds sway over the powerful, dry tannins. It’s these that drive everything along right through to the assertive, slightly earthy finish; impressive long-term stuff! Try in 2021.James Suckling | 96 JSIn 2014 Smith Haut Lafitte produced an exceptionally soft, sexy Grand Vin. Dark cherry, plum, tobacco, licorice, menthol and red-toned fruit are all nicely delineated, while expressive floral notes give the wine a closing flourish of aromatic intensity. The 2014 is quite pretty, if a touch slender. It will drink well with minimal cellaring given its soft contours and supple, inviting personality. The blend is 62 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 % Merlot, 6 % Cabernet Franc and 2 % Petit Verdot. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGThis has a generous feel, with ripe fig, boysenberry and blueberry compote fruit flavors that are entwined with alluring roasted apple wood, melted licorice and warm fruitcake notes. The broad, mouthcoating finish has a terrific graphite underpinning to stay honest. Best from 2020 through 2035. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2014 Smith-Haut-Lafitte has a fragrant mulberry and strawberry scented bouquet with cedar and subtle undergrowth scents emerging with time. There is something almost Musigny-like here (written as a complement incidentally—why not be compared to the greatest Burgundy Grand Cru?). The palate is medium-bodied with a soft and mellow opening. Quite spicy in the mouth with leather-tinged fruit on the open and inviting finish, there is something very approachable about this Smith-Haut-Lafitte, though like the 2014 Pape-Clement, it contains the substance to drink well over 10-15 years.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThe 2014 Smith Haut Lafitte shows the elegant style of the vintage, yet the depth of fruit that’s common from this estate. Blackberries, currants, scorched earth, spicy oak and tobacco leaf nuances give way to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured 2014 that has ripe tannin and nicely integrated acidity. It has tons of character and is a beautiful, elegant wine to drink over the coming 15 years or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDHighly successful across white and red in 2014, So much character and grip. Firm varietal definition, but with a touch lower acidity than some as picked late to balance acidity levels. Great persistency and potential. Drinking Window 2017 - 2030.Decanter | 93 DEC

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

An utterly perfect wine from Alain Vauthier, the 2015 Château Ausone offers off the hook notes of crème de cassis, black raspberries, toasted spice and dried flowers, with more floral and mineral characteristics developing with time in the glass. Amazingly deep, full-bodied, pure and ethereally textured, with building density and tannin, it’s one of those wines that need to be tasted to be believed. Unfortunately, the production is minuscule (and expensive). A wine that will make your heart rate jump, give it 4-5 years of cellaring and I suspect it will keep for as long as you’d like to hang on to bottles. It’s a tour de force in wine and the wine of the vintage in 2015.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis magnificent wine brings together the great fruit of the vintage in a complex structure. The acidity, ripe tannins and power of this dense wine are enormous, as is its aging potential. With that acidity and tannic structure, and with the perfumes from the Cabernet Franc, this wine will evolve slowly and with a measured pace. Drink from 2028.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WEComposed of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot aged in French oak barrels, 85% new, for 20 months, the 2015 Ausone features a deep garnet-purple color and comes bounding out of the glass with expressive plum preserves, wild blueberries and cherry pie aromas plus fragrant nuances of roses, licorice, Indian spices, baker’s chocolate, new leather and cedar chest plus a touch of underbrush. Big, rich, opulent and full-bodied in the mouth, it is laden with bold blue and black fruits, superbly supported by very firm, very finely grained tannins and wonderfully seamless freshness, finishing with long-lingering exotic spice hints.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RP(Château Ausone St.-Emilion, France) Very intense and aromatic Ausone with rose petals, fresh herbs, dark berries and raspberries. Full body and great intensity and brightness. Purity and focus reminiscent of crushed grapes. Such beauty, greatness and elegance to this wine. Goes on for minutes. Needs four or five years to come completely together but so long and beautiful. Try drinking in 2021.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2015 Ausone has a detailed, precise bouquet whose intense, graphite-infused black fruit gains intensity with each swirl. This is very sophisticated and compelling. The poised, medium-bodied palate delivers filigreed tannin, perfect acidity and an extraordinarily persistent finish that outclasses almost everything around it. This is outstanding and surely represents one of the wines of the vintage. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 98 VM(Château Ausone, St-Émilion, Red) 50% each Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Suave texture but so much power behind. Fine, fragrant nose of pure berry fruit then real density and depth on the palate. Layered fruit and tannins but finely etched. Clean, long and persistent.Decanter | 96 DEC

Made in a more flamboyant, lifted style than the 2016, the 2015 Château Beychevelle offers a beautiful, medium to full-bodied, sexy yet elegant style as well as perfumed notes of black cherries, plums, incense, spices, and dried flowers. Given the sweetness in its tannins as well as its purity of fruit, it can be enjoyed today yet will keep for 20+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThis elegant estate, with its views down to the Gironde estuary, has produced an excellent 2015. It is properly firm with tannins although this structure is well balanced with the ripe, stylish black-currant fruits and acidity. A juicy finish bodes well for the future. Drink this generous wine from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2015 Beychevelle comes across as much more powerful and plush in bottle than it did as a barrel sample. The black cherry, smoke, leather, tobacco, spice and incense notes are all endowed with notable textural depth. Voluptuous but also quite tannic, the 2015 is going to need at least a few years to come into its own. Readers should expect a powerful, brooding Saint-Julien. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGPerfumed red with so much presence and brightness. Flowers, currants and blueberries. Some citrus. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Very fine and vivid. Better in 2022.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2015 Beychevelle is a blend of 47% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot aged 18 months in barrel, 50% of which were new and 50% second fill. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it’s scented of smoked meats, scorched earth, garrigue and new leather with a core of cassis, cherry cordial and plum preserves. The medium-bodied palate is a little firm but delicate, with lovely vibrancy and a bit of grip on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPLovely mulled plum and blackberry fruit glides along a cleanly embedded graphite edge, while violet and anise details skirt along the edges. The finish picks up a tasty ganache coating while keeping the energy up. Rock-solid. Best from 2022 through 2040. 20,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis really does expand outwards in the mouth, with an excellent quality of juicy black fruit on display. This has more potential than the 2014 vintage — contrary to many other wines in this part of the Médoc. 4% Petit Verdot makes up the blend. Drinking Window 2024 - 2043.Decanter | 93 DEC

This dense, rich wine is firm with solid tannins. Its texture and structure give it an opulent character that brings out tannins as much as the ripe black fruits. Powerful and concentrated it needs time to get its potential elegance in order. Then it will be a major wine, so it’s worth waiting until 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEReally lovely bouquet: totally aromatic and full of finesse and restrained power. Great charm and purity of fruit on the palate, showing lovely precision and persistence. This château continues on its progression to the top. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of blackberries, currants, cedar and tobacco. Full-bodied, layered and dense. Great fruit yet tight and structured. A classically proportioned red with so much intensity. A wine for the future. Try it in 2022.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2015 Calon-Ségur has a fresh and very well defined bouquet of raspberry, wild strawberry and crushed stone aromas, very focused and beautifully integrated new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, well judged acidity, lightly spiced and quite saline toward the marine-tinged finish that fans out beautifully. There is classiness in this Saint-Estèphe and it should age with grace. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 94 VMComposed of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Calon-Segur was aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 20 months. It has a deep garnet-purple color and nose of warm blackberries, cassis, black cherries and licorice with touches of roses and dark chocolate. The medium-bodied palate is firm and chewy with good concentration and a spicy finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThis has a nearly plush edge, surprising for the vintage, with warmed plum, blackberry and black cherry compote flavors liberally inlaid with smoldering tobacco, humus and roasted juniper notes. Keeps a fleshy edge through the finish, with a streak of warm paving stone lending an austere hint. Best from 2020 through 2035. 6,667 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2015 Calon Ségur checks in slightly behind the 2014 and is a more sexy, rounded, forward effort that displays fabulous sweetness in its cassis and black currant fruits, spice, graphite, and floral aromas and flavors. With soft tannins, a lovely, elegant texture, and medium to full body, drink it any time over the coming 2+ decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JD

From the very beginning, the 2015 Canon has made an eloquent case for itself as one of the wines of the vintage. Multiple tastings from bottle only confirm what several early tastings hinted at: the 2015 Canon is simply extraordinary in every way. Sumptuous and exotic, with no hard edges and exceptional balance, the 2015 grabs hold of all the senses and never lets up. A rush of red fruit intermingled with floral notes, spice and smoke notes effortlessly runs up the wine’s vertical structure as the 2015 thrills with every twist and turn. The 2015 Canon is a rare wine that is both hedonistic and intellectual - well, maybe it is a bit more hedonistic-leaning. It doesn’t matter. Don’t miss it. This 2015 is masterpiece from General Manager Nicolas Auderbert and his team at Canon.Antonio Galloni | 100 AGSeductive. The nose draws you in deep: It’s like staring into a well of pristine dark cherries, dark plums, blackberries and mulberries. All the oak is perfectly subsumed. The palate’s flawless with immense depth and power and it’s so balanced as to appear to float. Immaculate fresh dark-berry and plum flavors. Silky and deep, ribbon-like finish. Perfect. Best from 2022.James Suckling | 100 JSOne of the wines of the vintage is the 2015 Château Canon which is 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 70% new French oak. It offers a perfect example of the old saying “iron fist in a velvet glove” and boasts gorgeous notes of black cherries, framboise, spring flowers and exotic spices. All these lead to a full-bodied, ultra-pure, seamless 2015 that marries incredible richness and depth with a sense of purity, elegance, and weightlessness that needs to be tasted to believed. This multi-dimensional, seamless 2015 needs forgotten for 4-5 years and will keep for three decades or more. Bravo!Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDA plush, inviting style, with warmed fig and plum sauce notes taking the lead, picking up swaths of cocoa, tobacco and roasted alder along the way. Features plenty of pumping bass, but if you pay attention, there’s a laser of chalky minerality driving the finish. When the baby flesh drops away, this will sail in the cellar for some time. Best from 2022 through 2045. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis estate, now performing on top form, has produced a rich, dense wine. Swathes of black fruits underline the generous structure and intensity. At first taste, the tannins are soft but that turns out to be an illusion. The tannins are just richly cushioned within the beautiful fruit. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEComposed of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% one-year-old barrels, the 2015 Canon is boldly fruited with blackberry preserves, black cherry compote, fruitcake, mocha and plum preserves with suggestions of Indian spices, licorice and black olives. Full-bodied and packed with ripe, rich dried berries and exotic spice layers, it has a firm, slightly chewy structure and just enough freshness (the pH is 3.78), finishing long and savory. Give it another 2-3 years of cellaring to soften its edges and allow its flavor spectrum to fully emerge, and drink it over the next 20 to 25+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPGorgeous blackberry pastilles on a bed of warming mocha, a mouthfilling texture, bold tannins and a vibrant lift of acidity. (Drink between 2024-2041)Decanter | 94 DEC

Impressive richness and clarity of red and dark berries. Lightly spiced-pastry aromas, too. The palate has a very crisp, polished and groomed tannin texture, as well as super fresh flavors that carry long. Great wine. Try from 2022.James Suckling | 95 JSWith structured tannins and red berry notes, this is already showing an elegant structure. It is the fruit that sings here, gently supported by the fine, dusty tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEBased on 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the inky colored 2015 Château Cantemerle offers a terrific bouquet of black currants, smoked herbs, earth, and hints of charcoal. Ripe, concentrated, rounded, and undeniably delicious, with ripe tannin, it’s a terrific vintage for Cantemerle to drink anytime over the coming 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDDeep and bright with a good attack of brambles, gooseberry and raspberry. It just doesn’t quite deliver the suave tannins that you look for in such a brilliant vintage, although the relatively high 6% of Petit Verdot alongside the classic Cabernets and Merlot blend often gives a slight rusticity to them in the early years. One of the few wines in the Margaux region where I prefer the 2016, but this is still a lovely wine. Eric Boissenot consults. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040.Decanter | 91 DEChe 2015 Cantemerle offers classic blackberry and cedar scents on the nose, quite tertiary in style but with impressive focus. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, a fine line of acidity, just the right amount of chewiness and a brisk man, lightly spiced finish. Alongside Camensac, this is another well-crafted Médoc, conservative in style, but a wine that presses the right buttons.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NMFresh, featuring ripe plum and cassis notes gilded with a floral hint and backed by subtle cedar, tobacco and iron notes. Textbook typicity. A rock-solid value. Best from 2019 through 2027. 33,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

A rich, exotic wine, the 2015 Cantenac Brown is simply stunning. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, espresso, licorice and leather all flesh out in this ample, voluptuous Margaux. A rush of super-ripe dark cherry, plum, violet, lavender and sweet French oak builds as this plush, explosive wine shows off its bold personality. The 2015 is quite concentrated and extracted in style, and yet all the elements are wonderfully fused together. I would give the 2015 at least a few years to assimilate some of its new oak.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGPlump fruit, rich raspberry puree and cassis flavours, layered through with chocolate and grilled cedar. This was the same score as I gave it when tasting in barrel in October 2017. Things have closed down a little since then, as this is heading into its dumb phase, but it’s clearly extremely well structured and all the elements are in place for a long future. So wait to open, but this is a complex, nuanced Cantenac. 51% of production in the 1st wine, 60% new oak. Harvest September 17 to October 8. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECBeautiful dusty tannins permeate this ripe wine. It has a smooth and rich texture, with bright blackberry flavors and a refreshing, vibrant close.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThis brims with voluble plum cake, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors, embedded with brambly structure while keeping a polished feel overall. Alluring black tea, roasted alder and licorice details line the finish. You’ll want to jump on this one. Best from 2022 through 2035. 9,583 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSReaders who need more proof that Margaux was the place to be in 2015 just need to taste the 2015 Château Cantenac Brown. Based on roughly 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot it offers an extraordinary nose of crème de cassis, caramelized cherries, flowers, and spices. This medium to full-bodied effort has plenty of tannins, as well as toasty oak, yet is perfectly balanced and has a great mix of both freshness and richness. It’s a tour de force that will be drinkable in 4-5 years and last for 25-30 years!Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe blueberries, blackberries and fresh violets come through nicely on the nose. Full body with round, juicy tannins. Hints of vanilla. Lots of ripe fruit. A little tight now. Try after 2022. Reviewed in Hong Kong Chinese Wine Tasting July 2020.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2015 Cantenac Brown is medium to deep garnet-purple in color with a nose of cherry cola, cassis and warm plums with touches of spice box and pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate sports a lot of oak, with very firm and chewy tannins and a woody finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90+ RP

The level of richness and fruit power captured in this elegant, silky St.-Emilion is impressive. Dark plums, roasted coffee and baking spices are wrapped up in solid, silky tannins. Great depth. Best from 2020.James Suckling | 94 JSFrom an estate recently purchased by Sylvie Cazes, who is renovating the estate, the 2015 Château Chauvin checks in as a blend of 80% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, from sandy/clay soils, that was brought up in 60% new barrels. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a pure, elegant bouquet of crème de cassis, damp earth, candle wax, and spring flowers. Rich, concentrated, and seamless on the palate, with terrific elegance, it has ripe, present tannin, good acidity, and is going to age beautifully. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 92+ JDA great vintage, still young, so as you would expect this is remains tight and very much on primary fruit. Bright and bristling with touches of cedary oak overtones that need to settle but are met step for step by plump dark fruits. The fruits are more clearly majoring on cassis, raspberry and black cherry than in the older vintages, as the work in the vineyard improves quality, and the grip is really extremely impressive, holding through the palate. Clear support from the tannins, this is a well put together wine. 60% new oak, harvest September 28 to October 8. (Drink between 2027-2040)Decanter | 92 DECThe 2015 Chauvin is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and earthy on the nose with bay leaves, warm plums, underbrush, baked cherries and menthol aromas. The medium to full-bodied mouth is firm and chewy, a little taut but packed with flavor layers and finishing with an herbal lift.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThe 2015 Chauvin is showing very well today. Floral notes add brightness to the red berry fruit. The 2015 offers terrific depth to go along with its powerful personality. Searing tannins are present, but also nearly buried by the fruit. Some slightly angular contours remain, but the Chauvin is nicely done. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cheval Blanc is still incredibly primary at this very youthful stage. With coaxing, it unfurls to reveal beguiling notions of ripe black cherries, mulberries, licorice, baking spices and smoked meats with touches of incense and potpourri plus wafts of cast iron pan and crushed rocks. Full-bodied, very rich, very firm/taut and with very ripe, fine-grained tannins, it allows a glimpse at its incredible depth of flavors with a very long multi-layered finish. Wow.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPMade with 45% Cabernet Franc, this great wine offers a beautiful, rich and perfumed character. It was an exceptional vintage for the estate, which incorporated fruit from parcels of the vineyard that would normally be used for the chateau’s second wine into this blend. It is packed with black-fruit flavors and broad tannins, with a background of juicy acidity and a firm structure. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WEPhenomenal aromas of cherries, flowers, blackberries and sandalwood. Pure fruit. Full-bodied, dense and polished with incredible tannin quality like the finest, densest silk ball. In perfect proportions. Compact. Seamless and endless. Gorgeous to taste now but give it six or seven years to understand it better.James Suckling | 99 JSA lovely sanguine hint leads off, followed by racy, elegant juniper, tobacco, red currant and damson plum notes that move in unison. Broadens and deepens, adding notes of currant preserves, warm ganache and smoldering tobacco, with a swath of loamy structure. Yet even as the bass line increases in volume through the finish, this maintains purity and poise. Should deliver some stunning aromatics at peak, which will take awhile to achieve. Best from 2025 through 2045. 8,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSI continue to absolutely love the 2015 Chateau Cheval Blanc. It’s one of those powerful, sexy, yet also weightless and elegant wines that’s going to drink well all its life. Checking in as a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels, it offers a kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors led by beautiful sweet fruits as well as incredible floral, spice, and graphite nuances. It’s full-bodied, with a rich, rounded, opulent texture, sweet tannins, and a blockbuster finish. As with a lot of 2015s, it has the sweetness of fruit and ripe tannin that allows it to drink well today, but it’s going to be very long-lived and have 3-4 decades of prime drinking.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDLovely perfumed fruit on the palate, this has well integrated tannins that have a soft gentle mouth coating texture, with excellent juicy appeal straight away. Really quite herbal here, lots of mint and eucalyptus with tons of liquorice and some mint chocolate. Like the 2016, everything is so well balanced, just giving you hints of different elements. Here it is the cool blue fruit, liquorice and mint. So well executed, defined, precise and svelte. It is mouthfulling too though, you know this is a big wine with plenty of power and structure but so supple and agile. Excellent precision. Still super young and a bit shy, it’s not giving away all its secrets right now but you’d never guess this was from a warm, ripe vintage such is the freshness. Such class on show. (Drink between 2027-2050)Decanter | 97 DECTotally seamless in the glass, with no beginning and no end, the 2015 Cheval Blanc is simply extraordinary. It’s hard to describe the 2015, because all of its elements are so perfectly in place. Beautifully delineated aromatics make a strong opening statement. Vibrant and wonderfully nuanced on the palate, the wine exudes energy and vitality through to the persistent, silky finish. Many other 2015s speak with more assertiveness and volume, but Cheval Blanc is more understsated. In 2015, Cheval Blanc created quite a stir in announcing that a whopping 91% of their crop would be bottled as Grand Vin. There will be no Petit Cheval, while the rest of the wine was sold internally. Antonio Galloni | 96+ VM

This needs time, even in the glass, but it is rich, confident and really rather wonderful. Good quality, with depth and complexity to the fruit - it’s not going anywhere soon. It has chewy tannins that are clearly just gearing up. Easily one of the best Pauillacs I’ve tasted from this vintage. Still pretty austere up front but with huge potential. Coffee, cinnamon and chocolate touches. 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère to finish the blend. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECExtremely floral with blackberry and blueberry character plus hints of violets. Full-bodied yet always in check and reserve with fine tannins and bright acidity that goes on for minutes. Limestone undertones. The finish is particularly long this vintage. Super Clerc. Try in 2021.James Suckling | 95 JSDensely structured and firm, this wine has weight, rich black fruits and great concentration. The tannins are still considerable, with obvious potential. This estate is now on top form. Drink this impressive wine from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA total gem, the 2015 Chateau Clerc Milon checks in as 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Carmenere. This medium to full-bodied, ripe, polished 2015 shines for its purity and elegance just as much as its depth and richness and boasts a beautiful nose of blackberries, black raspberries, and cassis intermixed with lots of spice and cedar pencil nuances. With perfect ripeness, medium to full-bodied richness, sweet tannin, and terrific mid-palate depth, it’s going to improve with 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDA blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere, the medium garnet-purple colored 2015 Clerc Milon opens with expressive crushed blackberries, red and black plums and cigar boxes notions with suggestions of dried herbs, earth and violets plus a waft of dark chocolate. Medium-bodied, fine, fresh and elegant, it has a lovely core of very pure red and black fruits, supported by finely textured tannins and finishing on a lingering perfumed note. This is a very pretty, superbly poised Pauillac!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPInky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and licorice, along with the natural generosity of the vintage, give the 2015 Clerc-Milon is plush, sumptuous personality. Although not especially complex or nuanced, the 2015 offers plenty of raciness in an accessible, fleshy style that can be enjoyed with minimal fuss. From barrel, the 2015 gave the impression of being quite structured, but the bottled wine is far more forthcoming at this early stage. The blend is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGThis offers up a perfumed profile of gently warmed cherry and plum fruit along with notes of black tea, vanilla and licorice. Shows a light sanguine twinge through the finish. Best from 2020 through 2029.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

This wine is definitely softening and taking on shape in the bottle. The juiciness is starting to appear and you can see why this is the most easily approachable of the Mouton stable when young. Really enjoyable, delicately shaped but with the Pauillac signature of menthol and slate. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking Window 2025 - 2036.Decanter | 93 DECBerries and smoke with some wet-earth and leather undertones. Medium to full body, round and velvety tannins and a juicy and delicious finish. Like the walnut and coffee undertone. Drink in 2020.James Suckling | 93 JSComposed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2015 D’Armailhac displays a medium to deep garnet-purple color and exuberant notions of exotic spices and potpourri over a core of black and red cherry preserves plus wild blueberries and a waft of tar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals mouth-filling, juicy black berry flavors with approachable, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPA singed vanilla and alder frame keeps a medium-weight core of plum and black currant fruit coiled up while tobacco and violet details fill in. A pretty, fine-edged chalky spine holds the finish. Best from 2021 through 2031.Wine Spectator | 92 WSMade by the team at Mouton Rothschild, the 2015 Château D’Armailhac is a ripe, sexy 2015 that has plenty of power and depth in its cassis, lead pencil shaving, spice, and roasted herbs aromas and flavors. The 2015 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with roughly 30% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, and it’s medium to full-bodied, balanced, nicely concentrated and should keep for two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThis wine is firm, almost classically Pauillac in its black currants and acidity. The tannins are present behind the bright fruit and crisp texture. This wine has a dry core that will need to soften. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2015 d’Armailhac has a precise, graphite-scented bouquet featuring black fruit laced with light rose petal aromas - discreet but engaging. The medium-bodied palate offers quite firm tannin framing dusky, dark black fruit laced with brown spices and sage. I am just seeking a little more brightness and verve on the finish, but otherwise, this is fine. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Very complex aromas of currants, blackberries and iodine with hints of dried mushrooms and flowers. Full-bodied, very fine and silky with a very, very long finish. Shows tension and finesse. Structured yet shows an ultra-fine texture. Deep, dense center palate, yet it’s all so polished. A wine for the future. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2015 d’Issan is a total knock-out. Spectacularly ripe and intense, the 2015 exudes richness in all of its dimensions. Super-ripe dark plum, lavender, spice, savory herbs, iron, smoke and new leather add myriad shades of nuance to this super-ripe, decidedly hedonistic Margaux. A powerful, dense wine, the 2015 is going to need a number of years before it is close to being ready to drink. I was quite impressed with d’Issan both times I tasted it. The 2015 has really come along nicely. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, aged in 50% new oak. Eric Boissenot consults.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGA powerhouse offering from proprietor Emmanuel Cruse (with consulting advice from Eric Boissenot) is the 2015 Château d’Issan which in 2015 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot brought up in just over 50% new barrels. Offering a spectacular bouquet of blackcurrants, lead pencil, chocolate and espresso, this full-bodied, incredibly sexy Margaux boast sweet, sweet tannin, lots of oak, a stacked mid-palate and a huge finish. It’s a tour de force that’s going to benefit from 5-6 years of cellaring and keep for three decades. As I’ve stated numerous times in this report, Margaux was the place to be in 2015 and I suspect numerous estates have made their best wines to date.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDRosemary, sage, soft white pepper spice - this has a sense of levitation. It’s young but with acidity that bounces alongside the fruit. Good quality and still extremely young at this point. Margaux received less rain than Pauillac and St Julien in 2015 during harvest, and this has plenty of red berry fruits, with density and ripe flesh, if closed up right now. (Drink between 2024-2042)Decanter | 94 DEC93–95. Barrel Sample. This is a serious, structured wine. It has plenty of black plum flavor, although the firm tannins will play an important part in its development. The ample acidity and fresh finish are other harbingers for the wine’s good future.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot aged in 50% new and 50% one-year-old barrels for 18 months, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 D’Issan simply sings with a beautiful perfume of wilted flowers, rose hip tea and mincemeat with a core of cherry preserves and blackberry tart plus a hint of underbrush. Medium-bodied, fine, fresh and elegant, it’s very soft and silky in the mouth with a long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPFocused, with a twinge of singed alder and cedar up front giving this a slightly old-school feel, followed by a good core of steeped plum and black currant fruit. Picks up a bit of the vintage’s velvety edge on the finish, though the cedar note lingers as well. Score Range: 88-91 Wine Spectator | 88-91 WS

Ripe and spicy, this is a smoothly textured wine. Its wood aging and creamy texture are rich, opulent and generous. With tangy acidity in the background, this dense wine is already impressive. Drink from 2022. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEWith a smudge of soft oak on the nose, this is big and ripe in its expression, a beautiful wine that has the balance and polish of a classic Pessac. It’s austere and needs time to open, but shows how Pessac has come of age in 2015 - an appellation where you are picking some of the best qualities of both left and right banks; luscious and generous but still with elegance. This for me has really dug in during ageing and has put on layers. Drinking Window 2023 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECBlackberry and plums sit amid violets, earthy notes and gentle, hazelnut oak. The palate delivers attractively smooth, supple tannins that carry long flavors of fresh dark cherries. Try from 2020.James Suckling | 94 JSA fresh bay leaf note streaks ahead of the core of raspberry and red currant coulis flavors, with sleek sanguine and iron details keeping pace. The long, cedar-tinged finish has good tension and energy. Best from 2020 through 2030. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSMedium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 De Fieuzal is scented of lovely ripe plums and crushed red currants with touches of forest floor and bay leaves. Medium-bodied, firm and grainy with great freshness cutting through the earthy layers, it finishes long.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

This sister property to Château Giscours is firing on all cylinders with this wine. Rich, full of black-currant fruit and dark tannins, it is dense while also supple. It has excellent aging potential and should not be drunk before 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA rich and layered red with dark-berry and chocolate character. Full-bodied, round and juicy with supple tannins. Delicious finish of spices and walnuts. Generous yet fresh. So approachable now but better in 2021.James Suckling | 95 JSGorgeous sandalwood, rooibos tea and warm raspberry aromas lead off, with silky and refined waves of cassis, blackberry preserves and black currant paste flowing through. The long, silky finish is laden with melted licorice, mesquite and iron notes. Best from 2022 through 2035. 13,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFull of a late summer evening feel, where the sense of exuberance fits the sheer languid sexiness of the thing. This has smoky oak, rich blueberries and charcoal. The ripe fruit is not precise so much as enticing; it’s an unhurried and extremely beguiling wine.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2015 du Tertre is a firm, potent wine with plenty of energy and overall drive. As it did from barrel, the bottled 2015 comes across as lacking a bit of mid-palate depth, which makes the wine its rather compact feel. There is good nuance to the savory, earthy flavors, but I would like to see a little more fruit and overall depth. Even so, the 2015 is an attractive wine with plenty of character. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGThe 2015 du Tertre is medium to deep garnet-purple in color with a nose of baked cherries, blackberries and dried herbs with a waft of potpourri and fallen leaves. The medium-bodied palate is delicately styled with perfumed red and black fruits supported by firm, grainy tannins and it finishes with a refreshing herbal lift.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90+ RP

Very deep-set aromas of blackberries and red and dark plum fruits, set amid integrated oak spices, cedar and hints of earth. The palate has a super plush feel with intense flavors of blueberries and dark plums. Succulent tannins that are smooth, entrancing and very long. Try from 2022.James Suckling | 95 JS93–95. Barrel Sample. Smooth and opulent, this is a densely tannic wine. Its dark fruits and dusty texture are backed by juicy acidity and a core of framing tannins. It will be powerful and rich with age.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2015 Faugères is plush, deep and inviting. Succulent red cherry, plum, tobacco, cedar, licorice and new leather are some of the many nuances that take shape, and attractive floral notes add brightness and lift. This is a very pretty and alluring Saint-Émilion from Silvio Denz. The blend is 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGBeautiful aromas and flavors of warm fig and boysenberry reduction lead off, with extra raspberry and cassis notes filling in behind them. Lush in feel, with the structure nicely embedded, letting extra licorice, fruitcake and singed mesquite details chime in. The finish ripples with fruit and fresh acidity. Best from 2023 through 2035. 7,917 cases made. Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2015 Faugeres is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 15 months in French oak, 50% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it has a nose of baked plums, warm cherries and black berries with touches of meat and fried spices. The full-bodied mouth is rich, opulent and spicy with firm, velvety tannins and lovely freshness lifting the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2015 Château Faugeres includes slightly less Merlot than the 2016 and is 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Like a lot of 2015s, it’s already open and approachable and offers lots of cassis and black cherry fruits, plenty of spice, herbs and earth nuances. With medium to full-bodied richness, terrific purity and elegance, and present, yet sweet tannin, I suspect it will fill in with 2-3 years in the cellar and keep for 15+. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

A hold onto your hat wine, the 2015 Château Figeac is pure perfection and one of the wines of this terrific vintage. A blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, its deep purple color is followed by a huge nose of crème de cassis, black raspberries, smoked earth, and graphite. This is followed by a full-bodied, opulent and incredibly concentrated Saint-Emilion that has everything in the right places, no hard edges, thrilling purity of fruit, and a great, great finish. This is one of those rare gems that carries huge intensity and richness, yet still glides across the palate with no sense of weight or heaviness. Winemaker Frédéric Faye thinks the 2016 is even better but that certainly isn’t stopping me from giving this crazy good wine a triple digit score. Everyone owes it to themselves to try and taste this wine at least once!Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDIntense, yet extremely precise nose of red fruit with hints of pomegranate and vanilla. Stunning balance of great ripeness and very fine tannins that give this a wonderfully rich and plush texture at the very long and lingering finish, which gives you so much to think about. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting.James Suckling | 99 JSDominated by the two Cabernets—Sauvignon and Franc—this is a beautifully structured wine. Firm tannins and ripe black currants give a perfumed character that is ripe, dense and impressive. The wine has enormous potential, with great tannins and fruit. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe recent leaps and bounds in improvements that have occurred at this great estate, equating to a dramatic increase in intensity and complexity—without compromising the husky, soft-spoken, sultry voice that is Figeac—is a monumental achievement. Kudos to Frederic Faye and his team for so beautifully expressing what was clearly an extraordinary vintage at Chateau Figeac! Blended of 29% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Cabernet Franc, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Figeac reveals vibrant black cherries, cassis, red currants, black plums and licorice notes with touches of cigar boxes, bouquet garni, potpourri, damp soil and black pepper. Medium-bodied, delicately crafted and with nuanced, quietly intense layers of vivacious red and black fruits, the palate features a solid frame of polished, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and minerally.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe 2015 Figeac is a step up from the 2014 with exquisite scents of red berry fruit, incense, rose petal and crush stone. Pixelated with wonderful precision. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, wonderful backbone allied with a sense of symmetry. It is more saline than previous vintages, with saliva flowing after the wine has exited. One of the standouts from the Right Bank in this vintage. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis is rich and exuberant, showcasing the warmth of the vintage. It’s still basically a primeur wine with beautiful blue-violet reflections, although it was bottled in April and will stay at the estate until January 2018. With silky-smooth tannins, this is a seriously elegant and delicious wine. The coffee stained palate is full of rich black cherries, tight cassis and finely grained tannins. The 2016 has just a touch more focus but that is splitting hairs, as both are exceptional vintages at Figeac. This has real persistence and a mouthwatering quality on the finish, a seriously enjoyable wine that never tries to overpower or show off.Decanter | 97 DECDensely packed, with crème de cassis, raspberry reduction and plum sauce flavors allied to notes of loam, warm cast iron and roasted apple wood. Shows terrific cut and energy, with the iron element helping to push the finish along and letting the fruit linger. Among the more backward wines of the vintage, so patience is required. Best from 2028 through 2045. 8,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Lots of cedar, tea-leaf and hazelnut character and ripe fruit aromas. Citrus peel, too. Full body, round and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Smoky undertone. This is structured and so complex. Drink in 2023.James Suckling | 97 JSA straight up smokin’ red from this vintage is the 2015 Château Gazin and it’s a big, powerful, stacked 2015 that’s for those with patience. Made from almost all Merlot (I think it’s 100%), my notes on this beauty start - and end - with “love it.” Cassis, lead pencil shavings, graphite, forest floor, and tons of minerality all soar from the glass of this sensationally rich, concentrated, medium to full-bodied 2015 that has building tannin, a seamless texture, and a blockbuster finish. Forget bottle for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDMedium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Gazin is scented of baked plums, Christmas cake, mincemeat and plum preserves with hints of chocolate box, coffee, tapenade and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied with mouth-filling baked berries and savory layers, it has firm, chewy tannins and a long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2015 Gazin has a fragrant bouquet of blackberry, briary and truffle; a whiff of bonfire smoke emerges with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin, quite edgy and tensile with a fresh, graphite and tobacco-laced finish that is classic in style. Superb, if missing the same horsepower of 12 months ago. This might well be closing down. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMPlush and warm, with fig, boysenberry and blackberry confiture notes inlaid with light charcoal, black tea and fruitcake hints. The fleshy finish lets the charcoal element lead the way. Best from 2022 through 2032. 6,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFirm with spicy, generous tannins, this is a wine that is showing both ripe black fruits and wood aging flavors. The wood will temper as the ripe, full black fruits develop. It has good aging potential.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE(Château Gazin, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, Red) Youthful blackcurrants, damsons and berries with cedar, coffee and liquorice notes; compact and well-constructed with a silky texture. (Drink between 2023-2033)Decanter | 91 DEC

This firm wine shows the tannic side of the vintage. Those tannins are dusty, enriched with black-currant fruits and a dense backdrop. The wine is concentrated and elegant, very ageworthy and not likely to be ready before 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEPlenty of violets and dark berries on offer here. This has a striking sense of purity as well as an energetic, regal palate. The structure is impressively groomed with effortless depth and length. A standout wine. Try from 2022.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2015 Giscours has a beautiful, clean, pure bouquet of generous ripe black cherry, raspberry and crushed violet aromas that could only come from Margaux. The medium-bodied palate is quite dense but wonderfully poised, offering sappy red fruit and very fine tannin and delivering impressive detail on the bay leaf and tea leaf finish. Alexandre van Beek oversaw one of the best Giscours in recent years. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMDeep, plush fruit which is hard to push through at first - it resists rather than giving way. There are layers of muscular fruit on the palate with some gorgeous touches of tobacco and charcoal. This is one to age - and to double-decant if you’re thinking about opening it up in the next decade. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Giscours opens with expressive cassis, blackberry and red currants on the nose with touches of cedar chest, roses and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied with a good core of muscular fruit and firm, grainy tannins, it finishes long.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPPolished and rounded in feel, with a solid core of plum and blackberry compote flavors, lined with light hints of charcoal, tobacco and violet. Nice perfumy tobacco and warm tar notes show on the finish. Very well-integrated, making this approachable now, but there’s no rush. Best from 2020 through 2035. 23,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

This rich wine is full of fruit and structured with layers of tannin. It’s also stylish and elegant, with a suave texture that is already attractive. Black fruits mix with the structure to give a wine that will age well. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2015 Kirwan is positively stellar. Deep, fleshy and incredibly inviting, the 2015 will drink well right out of the gate. The balance of aromatics, fruit and structure is compelling. Plum, blackberry, chocolate, licorice and spice fill out the wine’s creamy, supple frame. Readers should expect bold, fleshy style.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThe 2015 Château Kirwan showed beautifully and is just another data point pointing to Margaux being the star of the Médoc. It boasts a deep ruby/plum color as well as thrilling notes of black raspberries, toasted bread, Asian spices and lead pencil. With subtle background oak, a ripe, opulent texture, sweet tannin, and notable purity and elegance, give bottle 3-4 years in the cellar and enjoy through 2035+.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDA sleek wine with plenty of tannins, but they are already so well integrated that this has a very elegant personality. The long finish is rather mineral and very pure. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSLeans toward the old-school side, with singed cedar and alder notes, perfumy black tea and mulled spice aromas and a core of gently steeped plum and black currant fruit, all carried by lightly dusty tannins through the finish. Balanced, charming and certain to age gracefully. Best from 2020 through 2032. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe nose has a frankness of expression, with cinnamon spice, cedar and an enjoyable, seductive swirl of ruby and blackberry fruits. Animated on the attack, it is full of pleasure and should be ready just a touch earlier than some others in the appellation - think eight rather than 10 to 12 years. There is complexity here, and a sense of freshness that runs through the structure. Drinking Window 2023 - 2038.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2015 Kirwan has a deep garnet-purple color and nose of crushed red currants, black cherries and black plums with wafts of tilled soil, fallen leaves and bark. The medium-bodied mouth offers nice intensity with soft, fine-grained tannins and plenty of freshness on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The 2015 L’Eglise-Clinet is one of the wines of the vintage. Even better from bottle than it was from barrel, the 2015 towers out of the glass with stunning power and richness. Super-ripe black cherry, plum, licorice, tobacco and menthol are some of the many notes pulse through this riveting Pomerol. There is plenty of structure, but the tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Hints of lavender, smoke, spice, licorice reappear to round out the finish. L’Eglise-Clinet is 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, aged in 70% new oak. More importantly, the 2015 is a total pleasure bomb. This a fabulous wine from Denis Durantou. Don’t miss it.Antonio Galloni | 99 AGThe violets, roses and dark fruits are so evident but they entice you in a subtle and fresh way. Full-bodied, dense and tannic, yet everything is so in tune with everything else and there are no hard edges or loose ends. It’s like a whirlpool that draws you down and then shows you its beauty. The harmony and complexity is phenomenal. Try in 2024 but I don’t want to wait.James Suckling | 99 JSComposed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 L’Eglise Clinet comes bursting out of the glass with a gorgeous perfume of exotic spices and potpourri over a core of blueberry compote, red currant jelly, spiced black plums and mulberries with touches of unsmoked cigars, powdered cinnamon and licorice. Big, rich and full-bodied, the palate offers exquisite harmony, packed with exotic spice and red and black fruit layers, finishing on an epically long-lasting mineral note. In an understated word: WOW.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThis delivers a fresh, enticing beam of raspberry, boysenberry and blackberry coulis flavors that stretch out admirably while light anise, singed apple wood and fruitcake notes check in. Picks up some sneaky grip and a pretty mineral twinge through the finish. Rather elegant overall considering how much is here. Best from 2020 through 2035. 1,510 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe second wine of Eglise Clinet, the 2015 La Petite Eglise is a pretty, elegant, even Burgundian, 2015 that opens up beautifully with time in the glass, Ripe red currants, cherries, sandalwood, cedary spice, and dried floral notes all emerge from this medium-bodied 2015 that has fine tannin and a great finish. It’s certainly not a blockbuster but excels on its finesse and elegance. Drink it anytime over the coming decade. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to taste the top cuvee from this estate.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

I love the freshness and purity of fruit on offer with bright raspberries but also blackcurrants and rose petals. Very sexy on the palate with bright acidity, lazor-sharp tannins and a fine-grained finish. A blend of 75% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Drink in 2021.James Suckling | 93 JSThis estate, just to the east of the city of Saint-Émilion, has produced a spicy wine with layers of dark chocolate and wood flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA fresh, pure style, with a core of cassis leading the way, followed by additional plum and raspberry puree flavors. Violet, iron and sanguine notes chime in. A polished structure carries the finish. Best from 2020 through 2030. 3,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2015 Château La Couspaude is a beauty! Offering a deep ruby/plum color as well as terrific notes of black cherry liqueur, strawberries, spice and toasty oak, it’s medium-bodied, textured and nicely balanced on the palate, with fine tannin. It’s not the most complex wine out there, but man is it a delicious drink. I suspect it will keep for at least a decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

A very refined red with berries, chocolate and walnuts. Full body and a round, juicy texture. Spicy and salty. Delicious already. Needs two or three years to come together. Second wine of Château Montrose.James Suckling | 94 JSDense floral and cassis nose with a minerally graphite base. Very good natural richness of fruit and great purity of expression. A very serious, very exciting second wine. Drinking Window 2021 - 2035Decanter | 92 DEC91–93. Barrel Sample. Very juicy, this is a wine that has spice and open black currant flavors. It is full of fruit, backed by a small edge of tannin that gives the wine a really fresh fruitiness. The wine will develop quickly.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, the 2015 La Dame de Montrose is a classic wine from this fabulous estate. Notes of graphite, damp earth, tobacco leaf, and that classic cassis fruit of Saint-Estèphe gives way to a medium to full-bodied, seamless, elegant 2015 that’s already drinking beautifully. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDThe 2015 La Dame de Montrose is a super-appealing second wine. Fresh and light on its feet for a wine from this property, La Dame is all about silkiness, precision and aromatic presence. Red cherry fruit, white pepper, spice and mint add to the wine’s sensual, open-knit personality. The 2015 is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, and spent 12 months in French oak, 30% new.Antonio Galloni | 90 AG