Red Wines

wines

The 2016 Las Posadas is a stunning Howell Mountain wine. Inky, rich and hedonistically beautiful, the 2016 is simply magnificent. Crème de cassis, chocolate, menthol, licorice, lavender, cloves, mint, graphite and crushed rocks are all amped up in the glass. Unctuous, creamy and super-expressive, the Posadas captures the opulence of Howell Mountain. It is simply magnificent in every way.Vinous Media | 100 VMA blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Las Posadas Proprietary Red is an amazing effort that’s just entering what will be an extended drinking window. Gorgeous notes of blueberries, black cherries and mulberries appear on the nose, joined by a subtle leafiness (tobacco? bay?) that helps to temper the sweet nature of the fruit and bring a more savory, food-friendly quality to the wine. It’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a stunningly long finish that manages to be both velvety and vibrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPBlueberries and blackberries with fresh herbs and hints of walnuts and almonds. Some crushed stones. Full body and tight, chewy tannins. Dark fruit and resin and cedar undertones. Extremely long and flavorful. Finely crafted. Drink after 2022.James Suckling | 99 JSFeatures seemingly endless waves of steeped blackberry, warmed fig and cassis flavors rolling through, supported by graphite girders and ornately laced with charcoal, dark bay leaf, alder and tar notes. The fruit and earth elements meld seamlessly through the rock-solid finish. As beautiful as it is large-scaled, this is built for cellaring. Next level. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. Best from 2022 through 2042. 319 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2016 Las Posadas comes from a higher elevation site on Howell Mountain and has an undeniable mountain fruit structure as well as intensity. Stunning notes of pure crème de cassis, hot asphalt, bay leaf, black olives, and a touch of beef blood all emerge from this big, rich, full-bodied powerhouse. It’s loaded with potential, has huge tannins, a mountain of fruit, and a great, great finish. It’s almost impenetrable, though, and needs a solid 7-8 years or more of cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JD

A perfect wine in every sense, the 2016 Madrona Ranch comes from a site at the base of Spring Mountain and is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It does everything right, with a magical bouquet of currants, ground herbs, licorice, graphite, spice, and who knows what else. These all carry to a massive 2016 that has a layered, multi-dimensional texture, building tannins, a colossal mid-palate, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s another heavenly wine from a great terroir and a great winemaker! Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 30-40 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis is phenomenal. The precision and brightness is amazing with ultra-fine tannins that are so polished and so beautiful. Full to medium body and fabulous fruit. Wonderful length and beauty. The purity and balance is incredible. Dark berries, walnuts and dark chocolate. Makes you want to drink it now, but be patient and revel in the greatness. Try after 2022.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2016 Madrona Ranch is fabulous. Rich, dense and creamy, the 2016 is remarkably finessed from the very first taste. Rose petal, mint, spice, gravel, red cherry and blood orange are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass, but more than anything else the Madrona Ranch is a wine of extraordinary balance and allure. Don’t miss it!Vinous Media | 99 VMOn the brooding side at first, with a core of dark fig and black currant paste flavors, ensconced in cocoa and roasted alder notes. A warm, loamy underpinning emerges steadily through the muscular finish, gaining a creamy feel and extra chestnut, tobacco, licorice root and tar elements with air. This relies on a seriously profound bass line, so just check your subwoofer before hitting play. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2042. 345 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2016 Madrona Ranch Proprietary Red comes from David Abreu’s first vineyard love, located in St. Helena at the base of Spring Mountain (visitors to Newton Vineyards traverse the property). Like so many other great full-bodied reds, it’s massively concentrated and rich yet also possesses a certain lightness and elegance, so that it never seems heavy or overdone. Marked by cassis and dark-chocolate notes, it’s wonderfully satisfying, with a long, velvety finish and soft layers of ripe tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RP

Another perfect wine is the 2016 Thorevilos, and my notes on this beauty were laced with expletives. Full-bodied, mammoth-sized aromas and flavors of cassis, crushed flowers, dark chocolate, rare meat, and Asia spices all emerge from the glass. With incredible mid-palate depth, building tannins, and a seamless texture, it has flawless integration of its fruit, tannins, and acidity, no hard edges, and that rare mix of power and elegance. It’s already hard to resist yet will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 20-30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDPhenomenal aromas of blackberries, fresh lavender, orange peel and hints of asphalt. Walnut shell, too. Full-bodied, firm and super structured with wonderful, chewy tannins and purity of fruit at the end. A joy to taste, even drink now, but needs time to come around. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2016 Thorevilos has developed into a very sexy, racy wine. I don’t remember a young Thorevilos being this approachable. Rose petal, mint, sage, dried flowers and mint are some of the many notes that open up with a bit of time in the glass. This is such a gorgeous and totally compelling wine. In a word: superb.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis vineyard lies east of the St Helena AVA, but it isn’t high enough in elevation to be considered part of the Howell Mountain AVA. Don’t let the Napa Valley AVA fool you—this vineyard, now rechristened as Ecotone, is a top site, with lots of rock and white soils derived from volcanic ash. The 2016 Thorevilos Proprietary Red features scents of pine needles and rosemary accenting mixed berries and cassis, plus darker notions of chocolate and French roast. Full-bodied, rich and velvety in texture, it finishes long, smooth and savory, adding notes of black olives and earth.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPA stunner, with a seriously deep, dark core of warmed blackberry, black currant and fig paste flavors coursing along, laced with bay leaf, cassis bush, roasted alder, smoldering charcoal, cast iron and stone notes. The tarry structure will carry this through what should be a very slow evolution. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2040. 317 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

Bold cherry, dried raspberry and myrtle add to the intensity and the brightness of the bouquet. The Altesino 2016 Brunello di Montalcino displays a lively and fruit-forward ensemble with an infectious and cheerful sense of energy. This is a tonic and crisp expression of Sangiovese with lifted berry aromas backed by subtle spice, tar and licorice gained over two years of barrel aging. This is a 110,000-bottle release (and a good buy for Brunello).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPBalsamic aromas of wild thyme, juniper, eucalyptus and pine lead off, with cherry and plum fruit at the core. There’s latent energy that’s restrained for now by the grip of tannins, yet this is lithe and nimble despite the solid structure. Best from 2024 through 2045. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2016 Brunello di Montalcino has remarkably consistent integration from the nose to the palate. There are generous aromatics of fresh raspberry, rosemary, lavender and Mediterranean herbs. The palate opens up with ripe and inviting cherry fruit and tea leaf, with supple tannin and freshness on the finish. Its drinkability now should not be confused for a lack of structure, as it is true to the energetic nature of the vintage. Drink 2021-2036.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDFresh violet, forest-floor and some pear-skin aromas, underneath brambleberries. Fresher style of Brunello. It’s medium-bodied with silky tannins and a great balance between fresh-fruit and forest flavors. Drink after 2023. James Suckling | 95 JSRemarkably pretty and poised yet packed full of potential, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino lifts with grace and elegance, showing dusty roses, wild strawberry, white smoke and hints of wet stone. It’s silky and refined, with cooling acids and minerals giving way to savory red berries and spice. Energy remains high, even as fine tannins create a classically dry and youthful expression, tapering off to violet florals, mocha and a hint of licorice that seems to linger for well over a minute. This is deceptively drinkable today, yet it has all of the necessary components to gain in weight and complexity over a decade or more of cellaring.Vinous Media | 94 VMOne of four estates in Tuscany owned by Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini, Altesino counts six vineyard sites throughout Montalcino. They extend from the region’s far north all the way to the southeastern corner of Castelnuovo dell’Abate. An assembly of these, the 2016 Brunello has a sunny, fluid Mediterranean character. It is graciously scented with cinnamon, lavender and sage blossom. Traces of orange and leather appear on the palate. Mid-weight with succulent fruit and fresh, ripe tannins, this is almost approachable now but will offer delightful mid-term drinking. Drinking Window 2022 - 2034.Decanter | 94 DECThis polished red opens with aromas recalling violet, wild berry, forest floor and new leather. On the bright, savory palate, lithe, fine-grained tannins accompany spiced cranberry, pomegranate, blood orange and vanilla before finishing on bitter almond. Fresh acidity keeps it light on its feet. Drink 2023–2031.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

Beautiful aromas of plums, flowers, truffles, earth, and hot stones. Full-bodied, yet the very fine and polished tannins have fabulous poise and elegance. Plush. Love the finish. One of the best ever from here. Drink from 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSThis has more concentration than the 2015, less immediately seductive but the layers are evident, and it’s hard to fault the construction. Plush and sexy and full of Pomerol pleasure, but also real depth, power and spice. Lovely wine, with the juicy saline kick on the finish that you want in Beauregard. Love this, but needs time - those tannins are chewy right now. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2040Decanter | 95 DECDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Beauregard is a little closed on the nose, opening to warm black plums, blackberries and mulberries with touches of chocolate box and dried herbs plus violets hints. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm, grainy and packed with muscular fruit, finishing long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPI loved the 2016 Château Beauregard, which was firing on all cylinders during my visit. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure, with good acidity and a meaty nose of black fruits, truffle, bouquet garni, and earth, it’s beautifully balanced and about as classic Pomerol as it gets. Give bottles another handful of years and it will deliver the goods over the following 10-15.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDStructured from the start, with a light charcoal edge and a strong graphite spine supporting the core of dark plum, blueberry and açaí berry flavors. Tobacco and alder details are etched on the finish, with the fruit driving through. Slightly taciturn in style, but cellaring should lighten the mood. Best from 2023 through 2033. 2,917 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

A dense and layered red with ripe plums and blueberries, as well as hints of wet earth and moss. Full-bodied, velvety and layered with fantastic fruit and creamy, velvety tannins. Plush and deep. Great wine. Try from 2023.James Suckling | 97 JSMade of 100% Merlot on clay and limestone soils, the 2016 Bellevue is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and charges out of the glass with enthusiastic notions of crushed red and black plums, kirsch, ripe blackberries and rose petals plus touches of yeast extract, black olives, aniseed and cinnamon toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house with a solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness lifting the densely packed, multilayered fruit to a good, long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPMade from 100% Merlot and cooler limestone and clay soils, the 2016 Château Bellevue shows a beautiful minerality and freshness in its black raspberry, crushed rocks, graphite, and dried flower aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied, focused, and precise on the palate, with fine yet certainly present tannins. Give this beauty 3-5 years and it will cruise for two decades. (Drink between 2022-2042)Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2016 Bellevue is dense and powerful, but also quite reticent following its bottling this past June. Dark and virile, the 2016 is going to need at least a few years to come into its own. The intensity and volume the wine showed en primeur are very much in evidence, but also presently enshrouded by a wall of potent tannins. Gravel, smoke, game, leather and tobacco give the 2016 much of its savory character. I loved Bellevue from barrel, but it is far less showy from bottle.Antonio Galloni | 93+ AGLush and inviting, with warm cassis and plum sauce flavors that glide through, laced with anise and rooibos tea hints while sweet toast and wood spice notes stays nicely buried through the finish. A delicious, fruit-driven example. Drink now through 2035.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThere is a lovely creamy texture to this wine, joined by attractive spice notes. It’s ripe but not overly so, showing good persistency and juicy fruit that fills out the tannins. Organically farmed. (Drink between 2024-2040)Decanter | 93 DECThis wine offers intensity and concentration. If it is one-dimensional it also has layers of acidity, tannins and juicy freshness that are immediately delectable. Drink this wine from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

This is the second 100-point Vigna Le Rocche, following the 2015. What the former had in intensity of fruit and transparency, this has in structure and power. The purity of fruit is sensational in this young Barolo, offering blackberries, black truffle and iron. Rust too. This is so tannic and powerful with incredible structure. This may be the most structured Barolo from Bruno Giacosa I have ever tasted as a young wine. Speechless. Full-bodied and so intense, yet it remains fresh and agile. Traditional in every sense of the word, but this is clear and clean. A classic in the making. It will be in the market January 2022. Leave this for at least six to eight years. Try in 2027.James Suckling | 100 JSThe Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche sees its fruit sourced from the oldest vines in the Falletto cru. This wine boasts all the signature touches of Serralunga d’Alba with the massive structure, density and the long aging potential that comes with Nebbiolo grown in this village. The wine spreads evenly over the palate, imparting its considerable fruit weight and generally leaving a big impact. This Barolo is really quite lovely and beautiful. The bouquet is fluid and ever-shifting, showing new sides with firm fruit, blackberry, smoke, rusty nail and mineral with every swirl of the glass. I visited this vineyard site shortly before tasting this wine and marveled at the beautiful peacocks that roam free between the rows of vines.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP

This has enticing notes of ripe black cherries, mushrooms and truffle oil. A beautiful, full red with lots of silky tannins, concentrated flavors and delicious layers of cherries and licorice. The fruit really covers the intense tannins nicely. Best ever from here. Drink after 2023.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2016 Brunello di Montalcino from Tenuta Buon Tempo mixes wild strawberries with hints of plum, sweet herbs and flowery undergrowth. It’s soft and soothing at first, ushering in ripe red/black fruits with cooling acids and minerals, which creates a lifted and refined expression. This turns very floral and classically dry through the finale, with hints of sweet spice and licorice resonating above a coating of fine-grained tannins. The 2016 Tenuta Buon Tempo gains volume and depth the longer it sits in the glass, leading me to believe that the best is yet to come.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2016 has a fairly deep concentration of color, with aromas of blackberry, plum, violets, and tobacco. The palate is approachable and full-bodied, with fine-grained tannin. The aromas follow through to the palate, but with more freshness and lift, and this wine will be welcome drinking over the next 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDAt the southeastern edge of the denomination, Buon Tempo was originally established in the early 1990s. The property has been owned by Swede Per Landin since 2012. Open-knit and friendly, this cheerful Brunello leads with cherry and blackberry. Charmingly accented by flint and pepper, the palate offers lots of crunchy, fresh acidity. Smooth overall, with just a touch of astringency showing up on the finish, it will make for delightful drinking over the next five to seven years. Drinking Window 2022 - 2028.Decanter | 90 DEC

Composed of 74% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in 70% new French barriques, the 2016 Canon is medium to deep garnet-purple in color, and—WOW—it opens with the most stunning perfume of violets, red roses and kirsch, giving way to a core of black cherry preserves, chocolate box, licorice, warm plums and Chinese five spice plus an earthy waft of underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely filled with expressive, perfumed black berry layers accented by lively red fruits and exotic spices, supported by impressively fine-grained tannins and fantastic tension, finishing very long with jaw-dropping energy. Tasted three times, I had one opportunity to taste the 2015 and 2016 Canon side by side. While I love the bold, rich, seductive nature of the 2015, this 2016 kicks it up a notch in terms of polish, precision, depth and persistence. Most notably, the superbly ripe, exquisitely fine-grained tannins on this 2016 bring to the table a whole other level of sophistication. Bravo!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThis wine is impressive both from its structure and its fruit, one of the stars of the vintage in Saint-Émilion. It has great weight, concentration as well as style and aging potential. The ripe fruit shines through the structure, promising an elegant maturity. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2016 Canon has the unenviable task of following the astonishing 2015, and it does a damn good job, even if it doesn’t reach the same ethereal heights. There is a pleasing strictness and poise on the nose; this is less immediate than the 2015, yet intellectual, a Canon that expresses its terroir rather than tons of fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, a smooth texture and a slightly savory but persistent finish, which feels a little plusher than the 2015, implying that this might drink a little earlier. But there is unquestionably immense breeding locked into this rejuvenated Saint-Émilion, which is now firmly ensconced among the top-flight Right Banks.Vinous Media | 97 VMLike Rauzan-Segla, Canon is owned by Chanel with 2016 being the second great vintage for winemaker Nicolas Audebert. After the top-scoring 2015, 2016 is a more restrained wine which demonstrates elegance rather than power. Dark berry and cherry fruit dominate the palate, with pronounced, leafy red-fruit/violets and roses on the nose. Fine-grained tannins, some smokiness from 70% new oak, this is another glorious St-Emilion with a long future ahead. (Drink between 2023-2045)Decanter | 97 DECComplex aromas of blackberries, iodine, oyster shell and wet earth. Ever so perfumed. Full-bodied, yet reserved and tight with very silky tannins that are energized and minerally. Takes off at the end. The freshness lifts it. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2016 Château Canon is another beautiful wine from this estate, made in a more streamlined, elegant style compared to the richer, sexier 2015. Checking in as a blend of 74% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc all from a magical terroir situated on the upper plateau just outside of the village of Saint-Emilion, it saw a small percentage of the blend go through malolactic fermentation in barrel, and the wine spent 18 months in 70% new French oak, with the balance in once-used. Gorgeous notes of blueberries, cassis, spring flowers, white truffle, and crushed rock nuances all come soaring from the glass and it has notable intensity as well as complexity. Medium to full-bodied, with vibrant acidity, ultra-fine tannins, and a straight, silky texture, I don’t think it matches the 2015 on concentration, but it’s perfectly balanced and has a texture to die for. It needs a good 4-5 years of bottle age (or more) and it’s going to be long-lived. Tasted three times.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThis delivers a pretty serious ball of fruit, with a mix of raspberry, blueberry and black currant flavors providing range, while sweet tobacco notes and chalky minerality impart texture and detail. There’s a fresh savory echo on the finish. Much less reliant on toast than most of its peers. Best from 2022 through 2037. 6,667 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 2016 Cantenac Brown seems to have grown aromatically since I last tasted it a few months ago. More complex than I remember, this offers a cornucopia of scents: blackberry, briary, cedar and a lovely mintiness that recalls Palmer. The palate is silky smooth with great depth and delineation, satin-like, multi-layered, precocious black fruit laced with black pepper, tea leaves and cloves, all fanning out gloriously towards the finish. Bon vin! Tasted at the Cantenac Brown vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 95 VMThere is a good chance that this wine has closed down, but aromas nonetheless include subtle notes of violet, black cherry and cassis, presaging a palate of tannic finesse with density. The long finish has tonicity and lift. A few more years patience in the cellar will reward you. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2040Decanter | 94 DECThis has a very delicious and attractive nose offering ample dark berries and plums with cocoa and freshly cut bracken. The palate has a smooth, fan-like array of fine but sturdy tannins that carry very fresh and upbeat into the finish. Try from 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSRichly structured, this dense wine has solid tannins that balance with the black fruits. It is a complex wine, poised and confident while not losing sight of the Margaux elegance. Drink from 2025. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEQuite dark in profile, with steeped boysenberry, raspberry and blackberry compote flavors forming a core that is coiled up with bramble, singed mesquite and anise notes. Lots of juicy energy through the finish, with a mouthwatering streak of graphite. Rock-solid. Best from 2023 through 2037. 9,333 cases made. — JMWine Spectator | 93 WSA solid step up and a brilliant Margaux, the 2016 Cantenac Brown checks in as 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot raised in 60% new French oak. Black cherries, currants, smoke tobacco, graphite, and hints of earth all emerge from this beautifully layered, medium-bodied, and concentrated 2016 that shines for its purity and precision, while still offering beautiful depth of fruit. Give it 3-4 years and enjoy this fabulous effort over the following 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93+ JDThe 2016 Cantenac Brown comes from a Margaux estate that has upped its game in recent years. It has an intense bouquet with floral aromas filtering through the black cherries, cassis and boysenberry notes, in an odd way almost Saint-Emilion in style. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. Silky smooth with very well-judged acidity, there is a sorbet-like freshness imbued into this Margaux and it just glides across the palate towards the quite sensual finish. This is certainly equal to the impressive 2015 Cantenac Brown.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92-94 RP-NM

You get a real sense of ripeness, as soon as you get a whiff of this red; blackberry essence, ripe stems, vanilla and lifted balsamic vinegar and shoe polish are out in full force. It’s on the full-bodied palate where the power really hits you — this is a chewy, full-bodied Barbaresco with unforgiving, stocky tannins and densely packed dark fruit. Don’t tread lightly here, but expect a powerhouse of fruit and tannin! Drink from 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSRose, menthol, wild herb and forest berry aromas lead the nose. Linear and elegantly structured, the savory palate is loaded with finesse, offering wild cherry extract, licorice and orange zest framed in firm, refined tannins. Bright acidity lends balance and tension. Drink 2024–2036.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEStrawberry, cherry, eucalyptus and mineral flavors highlight this slim yet flavorful red. Balanced and refined, featuring a resonant finish packed with lively tannins. Best from 2022 through 2040. 750 cases made, 105 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Made in magnum, this is the only wine in the portfolio to blend across vineyards. The aromas are arresting, with notes of firepit, funk, green herb, potpourri, chimney and black and green olive. Rich, intense but still lithe savory flavors follow. The intensity and length of the finish is captivating.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA blend of vineyards, the 2016 Syrah Wallah Wallah Special #10 is only bottled in magnum format. It has a fresh core of strawberries on the nose, with a dusty minerality and hints of wild sage over soft, smoky and charcuterie aromas. The wine has a focused and balanced core of fruit and florals on the palate, with violets, dried herbs, black pepper and a taut minerality that is thoughtful and elegant, concluding with attentive tannins on the elongated finish. Magnums age well, so this can be forgotten in your cellar with little to no repercussions to the quality of the wine. This bottling is Washington State’s smart wine buy of the year. Who doesn’t love magnums of fantastic and beautiful wine? Only 460 cases were made. Grab some for your cellar!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPOnly released in magnum, the 2016 Syrah Wallah Wallah Special #10 is always a mysterious blend of multiple vineyards. It has beautiful complexity in its ripe black cherry and cassis fruits, iodine, tobacco, ashtray, and earthy/peat moss-like aromas and flavors. This gives way to a full-bodied, concentrated Syrah that has bright acidity, loads of fruit, and a focused, juicy style that’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDA blend of vineyards that changes each year, this has a sense of elegance with a distinctly spicy and quite floral edge (there is some viognier) and a lithe, juicy and very drinkable feel. This is more immediate, a wine to celebrate with and only bottled in magnum. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSBright dark red. Lovely Côte-Rôtie-like aromas of black raspberry, violet and bacon fat. Dense and savory, with strong raspberry fruit lifted by a minty nuance in the mid-palate. Piquant mace and nutmeg notes contribute energy and a black pepper component lifts the finish. Quite firm but utterly edge-free, this youthfully bound-up wine finishes saline and long, with an emerging note of black licorice. Not currently as complex as some of the other 2026 Syrahs at this address, this wine calls for patience. (13.5% alcohol; bottled in magnums; according to Elizabeth Bourcier, this wine is from "a secret blend of vineyards)".Vinous Media | 93 VMSvelte and luscious, with effortlessly complex raspberry and blueberry flavors accented by garrigue, smoky beef and cracked pepper notes. The finish is long and elegant, with refined tannins.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2016 Cheval Blanc is blended of 59.5% Merlot, 37.2% Cabernet Franc and 3.3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose is incredibly youthful yet not so shy as some other 2016s at this stage, giving wonderfully intense scents of red currants, black cherries, wild blueberries and violets with nuances of star anise, cinnamon stick, rose hip tea, cigar box and wood smoke plus a touch of beef drippings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has jaw-dropping elegance and depth, offering up layer upon layer of fragrant red and black fruits plus an extraordinary array of mineral sparks, supported by a rock-solid grainy texture, finishing with epic persistence and an edifying perfume. This is a very different style from the rich, opulently hedonic 2015, yet this wonderfully fragrant, beautifully poised and intellectually compelling 2016 is equally extraordinary.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2016 Cheval Blanc is one of the most beguiling wines of the vintage. Constantly changing in the glass, the 2016 is at once wonderfully refined and yet also quite powerful. Dark cherry, espresso, spice, leather, tobacco, mint and lavender give the 2016 tremendous aromatic presence. On the palate, the 2016 is rich, exotic and persistent, with real staying power and captivating balance. Pierre Lurton, Pierre-Olivier Clouet and the team at Cheval Blanc turned out a masterpiece in 2016. Don’t miss it.Antonio Galloni | 98 AGThis just keeps on going and going, the oak is perfectly integrated but holding everything in place. It has race, depth, complexity and feels true to the personality of the estate. It’s deftly put together and feels grown-up, as Cheval Blanc so often does, with wonderful fresh mint notes and clear tannic structure. It’s a bit like putting together a puzzle in your mouth, with a different piece fitting snugly into place every minute. It doesn’t try too hard to impress, like so many others. This is the first year since the early 2000s to have some Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Drinking Window 2026 - 2046.Decanter | 98 DECThis has turned into a very dense wine, with waves of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry paste forming the core. Wrapped tightly in layers of tobacco and loam for now, while singed alder, incense, black tea and bergamot notes peek in here and there. The finish rumbles like thunder for now, with the swath of tannins, and there’s just a twinge of drought-induced austerity. But there’s acidity and drive too, and this will cruise in the cellar for some time. Best from 2025 through 2045.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe grand vin 2016 Château Cheval Blanc checks in as 60% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in new barrels, and this is the first year a replanted block of Cabernet Sauvignon has made the top cuvée. Compared to the 2001 by Pierre Lurton, it displays stunning aromatic fireworks with notions of blackcurrants, forest floor, iron bar, graphite, and spice all soaring from the glass. It develops more floral nuances with time in the glass and, as always with this cuvée, it’s all about complexity and elegance. More medium to full-bodied, with beautiful tannins and perfect balance, it’s a decidedly classic, focused, elegant wine from this estate that will keep for 3-4 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDRich, smoky and with powerful fruit, this structured wine also has an impressive perfumed character. Spice, blackberry fruits and rich tannins give wonderful firmness that will allow the wine to age well. Drink this already beautiful wine from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEOn the nose, the restrained black fruit aromas are interwoven with a striking leather note and some spice. A very classical Bordeaux with a self-confidently dry personality. Long and ripe finish that feels more mature than most of the wines of this vintage. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.James Suckling | 94 JS

Hot crushed stones and dark berries jump out of the glass. Full body, very dense fruit and powerful tannins, yet it remains agile and bright with beauty and energy. So muscular and toned. Truly outstanding Clerc for the future. Unwavering nature to this. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 96 JSI was able to taste the 2016 Château Clerc Milon on multiple occasions and it was always brilliant, showing a deep ruby/purple color as well as sexy aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, new saddle leather, spicy oak, and graphite. Deep, powerful and beautifully concentrated, it’s a rock star of a Pauillac that’s going to keep for 30 years or more. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Carménère, all aged 16 months in 50% new French oak.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThis fifth growth, bought by Mouton-Rothschild in 1970 has been revitalised by the Mouton team in the past decade, especially in the vineyard, and now performs well beyond its classification. Clerc-Milon owns some 41 hectares and in 2011 opened a new, elegantly designed modern winery. A huge majority of the vines are more than 50 years old. In 2016 picking took place from 26 September to 15 October, and the blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmenere. The wine is dark, mineral and polished, very sophisticated, precise and pure, with intense ripe fruit and liquorice aromas, and a particularly silky texture. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2045Decanter | 95 DECThe Cabernet Franc was fantastic this year, so it was all used in the grand vin. The final blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Clerc Milon leaps from the glass with beautiful scents of chocolate-covered cherries, plum preserves and crushed blackcurrants with suggestions of lilacs, cardamom, underbrush and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm frame of finely grained tannins and seamless freshness lifting the perfumed fruit to a nice long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPA fresh and stylish version, with chalky minerality running from start to finish. Succulent plum and cassis fruit flavors coil around this and absorbs this easily at first. Then pretty violet and lilac notes guild the finish, with the minerality taking a slightly firmer stand. Best from 2023 through 2035. — JMWine Spectator | 94 WSDark and concentrated, this wine offers depth and intensity. It has great ripeness as well as fine tannins that are integrated into the fruit. It is so juicy and exuberant that it’s hard to remember the tannins that will allow the wine to age. Drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2016 Clerc Milon is striking. Here, the interplay of dense fruit and supporting structure make for a wonderfully complete and expressive wine. Dark blue stone fruit, licorice, lavender, spice and menthol are all beautifully delineated in the glass. The aromatic and structure of both Cabernets come through with notable energy and precision. The 2016 has enough density and pedigree to drink well for many years to come.Antonio Galloni | 93 AG

Tasted on four separate occasions, the 2016 Château Clinet is another brilliant wine from this estate. Showing slightly more freshness and purity than the 2015, its saturated purple color is followed by a thrilling array of crème de cassis, graphite, ground herbs, and a terrific sense of minerality. Deep, full-bodied, with building tannins, and a magical sense of purity and elegance paired with real density and depth, it needs short term cellaring and will keep for three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2016 Clinet is composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged using the Oxoline system, in 70% new and 30% one-year-old barrels for 16 months. It has a deep garnet-purple color with cedar and smoked meats on the nose giving way to black and red plums and earthy notions with wafts of cassis and pencil shavings. The palate is medium to full-bodied, elegant, polished and vivacious with loads of red and black fruit layers and an earthy finish. Around 4,416 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis is a wine that makes you want to slow down, take your time and let those flavours envelop you. It’s a little subdued right now, but the texture pulls you in and holds on tight. There is Cabernet in the DNA here and you feel it: a touch of austerity in the first breath, then an intense punch of dark, tight cassis fruits with a liquorice and dark chocolate finish. It’s taken on more flesh on the bones during ageing, with the aromatics blossoming through the glass and revealing floral, violet-stained edging and a silky smooth tannic frame. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.Decanter | 97 DECBeautiful blue fruit and earth with hints of black truffle, this has a violet and fragrant edge, too. Really complex, youthful impression here. The palate has mouthwatering fruit flavor and terrific sense of fresh energy and cut on the finish. A blend of 90 per cent merlot and ten per cent cabernet sauvignon. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2016 Clinet has a gorgeous bouquet of copious red berry fruit mixed with truffle and undergrowth scents, all fresh and vibrant. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and, like the L’Evangile that preceded it at this blind tasting, displays noticeable acidity. However, it is more knitted together than that wine, and it fans out wonderfully on a long, spicy, quite firm finish that prompted me to score lower than I might have done, because it remains a very fine Pomerol in the making. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 94+ VMWarm and fleshy in feel, showing dark plum, boysenberry and blackberry sauce flavors infused with mulling spice and black tea notes. Singed alder and tobacco hints flicker on the finish, adding texture. This delivers an encore of fruit detail on the finish too, with some sneaky length. Seductive. Best from 2021 through 2034. 4,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The aromas are very decadent with white truffle, dark berries and wet earth. Dense raspberries. Full-bodied, it grows on the palate with fantastic chewy tannins that are polished and intense. Like a beautifully formed wave in texture. Try in 2022.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2016 Clos de l’Oratoire is dense, resonant, but also quite closed in on itself. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice and smoke all meld together in this super-expressive, layered Saint-Émilion. In 2016, Clos de l’Oratoire is quite understated and shows more of an emphasis on freshness than in the past, typical of all the Stephan von Neipperg’s wines today. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGFresh, bright and engaging, with damson plum, raspberry and cherry pâte de fruit notes bouncing along, laced with red licorice details and backed by a light Black Forest cake accent on the juicy finish. This seems like it’s all fruit but the lovely cut and floral persistence through the finish imparts an elegant hint. Drink now through 2033. 5,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFrom the team at Canon-la-Gaffelière, the 2016 Clos de L’Oratoire is a winner based on 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc raised in 45% new French oak. It’s a ripe yet structured Saint-Emilion that has terrific minerality in its black raspberry and cassis fruits as well as notes of chocolate, tobacco, and subtle oak. A terrific wine, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age to shine, but is capable of keeping for 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDThe 2016 Clos de l’Oratoire is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that was picked between 10-17 October and matured in 45% new oak. It has a fresh, perfumed and floral bouquet, with pressed rose petals infusing the red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit. There is a sense of airiness here that I like. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, slightly grainy tannin, hints of tobacco and leather complementing the black fruit with a welcome soupçon of austerity towards the masculine finish. Excellent.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91-93 RP-NM

The 2016 Cos d’Estournel is blended of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc aged in 65% new and 35% two-year-old French oak for 15 months. Bottled in July 2018, it is deep garnet-purple colored and starts off a little closed and reticent, opening out slowly and seductively to reveal beautiful lilacs, rose hip tea, crushed stones and camphor nuances over a core of crème de cassis, kirsch, wild blueberries and mocha plus wafts of incense and wood smoke. The palate is simply electric, charged with an energy and depth of flavors that seem to defy the elegance and ethereal nature of its medium-bodied weight, featuring super ripe, densely pixelated tannins that firmly frame the myriad of fruit and floral sparks, finishing with epic length. Just. Magic.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPIn my last sighted review of the 2016 Cos d’Estournel, I wrote: "I suspect it will close down for a period in its youth." Perhaps it is already beginning to shut down, because though this wine was deeply impressive, it fell just a notch short of ethereal previous bottles, despite its "pixelated black fruit" on the nose and "sublime balance" on the palate. I tasted the wine twice thereafter, though this time with a 4-6 hour decant, and this revealed the Cos d’Estournel that has amazed since I first tasted it out of barrel.Vinous Media | 100 VMThis is muscular yet so well defined and toned. Full-bodied with deep and dense fruit on the palate, yet powerful and rich at the same time. So much sandalwood and blackberry character. Chewy and rich at the finish. This is a warm and generous wine, but the alcohol is just over 13 degrees. Not that high. Love the finish. Extravagant. Magical. Try from 2025.James Suckling | 100 JSThe grand vin 2016 Cos d’Estournel checks in as 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc that saw 70% new French oak. One of the more seamless, pure, elegant versions of this cuvée out there, it boasts a saturated purple color as well as a monster nose of pure crème de cassis, gravelly, rocky minerality, tobacco leaf, crushed violets, and lead pencil shavings. One of those “iron fists in a velvet glove” wines, with full-bodied richness and beautiful structure that’s covered by thrilling levels of fruit and texture, it stays tight, compact, and incredibly focused on the palate. It’s already brilliant given its purity of fruit and balance, but it deserves a decade of bottle age and will keep for 4-5 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThis is a little tight right now, as are so many of the 2016s. The fruit is deep, dark and concentrated, with fierce tannins that will take a long time to come around but will age well. There’s no question that this is a monumental Cos, with the walls of slate ready to be scaled, joined by a rosemary and black olive tang, juicy liquorice root and lashings of cassis. I tasted this wine both en primeur and again during a vertical at the property in July, and have felt thrilled to recommend it each time. Aymeric de Gironde was still the director at the time, before leaving in 2017. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.Decanter | 97 DECThis has a core of slightly exotic loganberry, plum and boysenberry fruit laced with singed spice, savory, lilac and incense notes, while a buried chalk-edged minerality sits in reserve. Very sleek, with a wonderfully long finish that lets the fruit and other elements shimmer. Best from 2025 through 2040. 15,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSPowerful tannins show strongly in this elegant, structured wine. Rich black-currant and black-plum flavors are lifted by acidity. The wine has weight and concentration, but also is poised and fresh. This combination will allow the wine to age for many years. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cos Labory opens with cassis, plums and herbs with notions of black soil and pencil lead. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and fresh with fine-grained tannins and nice purity, finishing long.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2016 Cos Labory is a supple, pretty wine with plenty of near and medium-term appeal. Sweet tobacco, cedar, leather, scorched earth and menthol are all nicely laced together. From bottle, the 2016 is a bit more subdued than it was from barrel, while some slightly rough contours are going to need time in bottle to sort themselves out fully.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGRich and powerful, with good freshness underneath the fruit. The components of the wine are off the charts, extremely knitted down and barely budging. It has amazing silky tannins and just a slight tartness to the fruit on the finish which pulls things up abruptly. Plenty to love here. 57hl/ha yield. Matured in 50% new oak. (Drink between 2024-2040)Decanter | 92 DECThis firm wine has the classic structure of Saint-Estèphe. Dry tannins march together with black fruit to create a wine that will take a while to soften and open up. There is potential here for a rich, fruity wine, but wait until 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEPlenty of plum and smoke on this rather broad St.-Estèphe and there’s just enough character and structure to hold it on track. Soft finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 90 JS

This is a really driven d’Armailhac showing blackcurrants and fruit tea with hints of bark on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, very firm and structured with a long and powerful finish. Direct and linear. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 95 JSA thrilling bottle of wine that readers should snatch up is the 2016 Château d’Armailhac. This deeply colored, medium to full-bodied, powerful Armailhac gives up a lovely perfume of blackberry and plums fruits, violets, graphite, cedar pencil, and earthy, herbal nuances. Classic, ripe, layered, and just a beautiful Pauillac any way you look at it, it has plenty of upfront sex appeal but is going to keep for 20-25 years as well. Bravo! The 2016 is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 D’Armailhac opens with gregarious crème de cassis, blackberry pie and mulberries scents with hints of chocolate box, roses and charcoal with a waft of dried sage. Medium-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2016 d’Armailhac, which was bottled in May 2018, has an elegant bouquet that unfolds in the glass, offering blackberries, briar and a touch of cedar and mint. The palate is medium-bodied with dense tannin, grippy in the mouth, and quite voluminous, with perhaps more density on the solid, almost broad-shouldered finish compared to the Clerc-Milon. This fulfills all my expectations from my barrel tasting and is quite simply one of the best d’Armailhac wines ever made.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis juicy red sports dark plum, fig and boysenberry fruit backed by an equally strong wave of bramble and sweet tobacco notes. The cast-iron spine pins down the finish, so give this a little time to integrate fully. Best from 2023 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThere’s fairly high acidity on the attack here, and yet it’s well balanced by a body that’s richer and deeper than in many years of Armailhac. You can definitely feel the texture and the powerful depth of brambly fruit, and there are also some of the signature lilting floral notes, given extra charge through graphite, liquorice, cassis, and that pulsating acidity. Great quality. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECThis is a ripe wine, full of black fruits with attractive tannins. It has depth but the wine is more about fruitiness and relatively quick development. Drink this already delicious, lightly spicy wine from 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The brightness and precision already comes through on the nose with floral, blackcurrant character. Full-bodied and very tight and creamy with polished tannins that last for minutes. Warm and intense. Needs four to five years to show all it has, yet already a beauty.James Suckling | 96 JS(Château d’Issan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Tasted over two days, and although the attack is supple, with fruit and light notes of espresso, the palate is somewhat low key in its expression of red and black fruit with overtones of spice. One notices high toned acidity, and I suspect that the wine has entered a youthful, ’closed-in’ phase. What cannot be denied: fine grained tannin and impressive length on a finish marked by freshness and tonicity. Don’t touch before 2025 at least, however. (Drink between 2025-2045)Decanter | 95 DECThis wine has an austere structure, with firm tannins. The fruit comes through slowly, revealing an attractive black-currant flavor and ample acidity. This will be a very fine wine with time; try after 2029.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2016 D’Issan is blended of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot, aged in 50% new and 50% one-year-old French oak for 18 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it has vibrant black cherries and blackcurrants notes with chocolate mint, beef drippings, black olives and cigar box. Medium-bodied with a well-sustained, intensely flavored mid-palate, it has a rock-solid, grainy frame and long savory finish. 10,500 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThe 2016 d’Issan has a well-defined bouquet of blackberry, violets, rose petal and light undergrowth aromas, displaying fine lift and great intensity. The medium-bodied palate offers fine-grained tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Fresh and vibrant, with a very harmonious, elegant and persistent finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 94 VMI loved the 2016 Château d’Issan and this is a certainly a wine to seek out. Made from a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot from yields of 55 hectoliters per hectare, aged 18 months in 50% new oak, it has a beautiful perfume of blue fruits (cassis, blueberries, etc.) as well as hints of graphite, subtle oak, and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, with integrated acidity, a terrific mid-palate, and perfect balance, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age and is going to cruise in good cellars for 20-25 years or more. It’s a beautiful, elegant, seamless wine that’s very much in the style of the vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ JDLight pepper and savory hints lead off in this bouncy, juicy version, with bright cassis and bitter cherry fruit forming the core. Shows a light mineral edge on the finish.Wine Spectator | 88-91 WS

The 2016 Boca captures the purest essence of the appellation so well. Medium in body, with striking precision and tons of energy, the 2016 is just fabulous today. Blood orange, mint, spice and sweet red cherry, they all meld together in a wine of remarkable elegance and finesse. All the elements are so well balanced. Don’t let the wine’s weightless feel fool you, there is plenty of depth. The 2016 is exceptional. Don’t miss it.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGA fragrant blend of Nebbiolo and 15% Vespolina, this linear, focused red has aromas of rose petal, alpine herb, new leather and underbrush. On the racy, medium-bodied palate, notes of white pepper and star anise accent ripe Morello cherry before a savory saline finish. Tightly wound fine-grained tannins and a backbone of firm acidity provide the ageworthy framework. Drink 2026–2036.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2016 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has an intense bouquet with blackberry, redcurrant and cranberry scents laced with tobacco and woodland aromas. Lovely definition and focus here. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, enormous depth and great concentration, perhaps the most Musigny-esque of the Bonnes-Mares. Great length but it needs some serious cellaring. Enormous potential here. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMAs usual, Clair’s Bonnes-Mares will be a wine for the long haul. A detailed nose of cassis, wild rose, currant leaf, incipient venison and a gentle framing of new oak precedes a vibrant, taut and full-bodied palate, its tannins rich but chalky, even firm. This is tight-knit and full of energy - promising for those willing to wait a good fifteen years.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECClear bright colour with a softly oaked bouquet and some weight of fruit behind. Quite an elegant wine. Not hugely concentrated on the palate but with attractive light fruit and fair length. Tasted Sep 2019.Jasper Morris | 94-97 JMThe 2016 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru has a very stern bouquet, quite distant at first, then gradually almost reluctantly unfurling with sea-influenced black fruit, hints of brine and oyster shell in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boded tannin, foursquare for a Bonnes Mares, eschewing flamboyance for something more noble. This is certainly a more Morey-inspired Bonnes Mares than Chambolle, but nevertheless is a very fine wine of considerable breeding.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPLike the Bèze there is a moderate lashing of toasty oak framing the spiced mix of various red berries, earth and floral hints. There is even more power if not necessarily more size and weight to the big-bodied and very serious flavors that flex plenty of muscle on the superbly persistent finish. This knockout effort is even more structured than its grand cru counterpart and again, this will indisputably not be a wine for early drinking.Burghound | 93-95 BH

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 complexity, concentration and drive make this an excellent Clos in 2016. The fruits vary from citrus to exotic stone fruits. Green tropical and white floral notes, too. The palate has a staggeringly concentrated core of acid-drenched lemons, lime, peaches and green mangoes. Incredible depth, high acidity and a very long finish. A great Clos! Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS(Chablis “les Clos”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2016 les Clos from Didier Séguier is a fitting close to this tour de force tasting of the vintage. The wine is stunning on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet offering up scents of apple, lime, a hint of tangerine, smoky overtones, flinty minerality, wet stones and dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, brisk acids and great backend mineral drive on the very young, very long and snappy finish. This will need bottle age to blossom, but it will be a great example of les Clos in the fullness of time. (Drink between 2024-2065)John Gilman | 96 JGClear bright and pale. Attractive aromatics, in a subdued register, all to play for. This has good energy through the middle, while the finish has that limestone backwash that I associate with Clos and very good length. DIAM 10 closure. Tasted May 2019.Jasper Morris | 94 JM(just 18 hectoliters per hectare produced owing to frost and mildew): Pale yellow. Lovely brisk citrus and apple aromas complicated by gingery spices, white pepper and iodiney minerality. Large-scaled, dense and quite powerful but not yet filled in, with its very concentrated peach and citrus flavors accented by ginger and white pepper. More glyceral in the early going than the Preuses but showing less personality today. This fruit was picked very ripe, with nearly 13% potential alcohol, according to Didier Séguier.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe Clos is excellent this year, opening in the glass with a complex nose of orange blossom and zest, confit citrus and a touch of spice. This wine is the most textural, full-bodied and complete in the Fèvre cellar, with a deep core, lovely minerality and impressive dimension.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECEnticing aromas and flavors of green plum, lemon, apple and seashore mark this balanced, seamless white. The flintiness adds an extra dimension, making this complex, while the finish builds nicely. Drink now through 2024. 120 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSAn even more complex nose displays excellent Chablis typicity with its smoky combination of lychee, citrus, white orchard fruit, sea breeze, mineral reduction and soft oyster shell nuances. The broad-shouldered flavors are rich and concentrated to the point of opulence while managing to retain reasonably good precision on the citrus and solidly dry finale that really fans out as it sits on the palate. Note that my rating assumes that better depth will develop over time as the finish is somewhat one-dimensional at present.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2016 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos, cropped at around 17 hectoliters per hectare, was blended the day previous to my visit and is due to be bottled in December 2017 or perhaps the following month. As such, the aromatics are too leesy to assess. The palate is balanced with a saline, sour lemon-tinged entry, perhaps lighter than the Bougros Côte Bouguerots and with a prickle of spice toward the finish. It should gain complexity and harmony throughout its élevage and will be one to watch.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

Extremely deep and ripe on the nose with dried-berry, chocolate and plum aromas that follow through to a full body, round and soft tannins and a flavorful finish. A rich and soft-tannin structure to the wine. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 94 JSPartnered with Château Giscours as far as the winemaking team is concerned, this estate has created its own style. This wine shows a hint of initial austerity before opening out with rich fruits and structure. It needs time and the wine will not be ready to drink before 2025. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEPowerful, intense and concentrated, those tannins are big in quantity and quality. This is a sombre, intellectual wine in the way that many 2016s are. It has a good texture of silky black fruits through the palate, suggesting this will age well, while a white pepper crescendo gives a spicy kick on the finish. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend, with the wine aged in 50% new oak.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2016 du Tertre has a refined bouquet of black fruit infused with loamy, sous-bois scents, gradually evolving more intensity with aeration. The medium-bodied palate is well-defined, with lithe tannins, a fine bead of acidity and a detailed, quite precise finish. This just requires a couple more years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 91 VMFresh damson plum, bitter cherry and savory notes are seamlessly layered together, with fresh tobacco and a flash of iron checking in on the pure, silky, persistent finish, where the slightly high-pitched fruit plays out nicely. Best from 2021 through 2032. 13,333 cases made. — JMWine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2016 Du Tertre is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot picked from 27 September until 19 October. Estate manager Alexandre van Peek told me that this represents one of the highest levels of Cabernet Sauvignon in recent years. Matured in 35% new oak, it has a harmonious bouquet with pure blackberry, raspberry and mineral scents that are neat and well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, quite saline on the entry, understated at first, but gaining weight in the mouth and delivering a precise and minerally, classic Margaux finish. All it’s missing is the persistence on the finish. It just seems to rush out the exit door before you’ve really gotten to know it. Hopefully it will develop that side during barrel maturation.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90-92 RP-NMAn outstanding Margaux with its classic perfume of sweet red fruits, dried flowers, balsam wood, and spice, the 2016 Château du Tertre is medium-bodied, elegant, and seamless on the palate. This is one of those wines that grows on you with time in the glass, and while it plays in the elegant, pretty end of the spectrum, it has wonderful fruit. It should keep nicely for 15 years or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD