Saint Emilion

wines

Winemaker Jean-Luc Thunevin has hit a home run in the vintage, and his 2020 Château Valandraud is unquestionably up with the crème de la crème out there. Made in a ripe, sexy, plush style, it brings an incredible amount of ripe black fruit, chocolate, vanilla, espresso, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. This carries to a full-bodied, powerful Saint-Emilion that somehow stays weightless and graceful on the palate, with moderate acidity, ripe tannins, and a great, great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDWow. This is really super polished with incredible length and intensity, offering blackberries and hazelnuts. Superb richness that is reserved and poised. Great length. Full-bodied, extremely long and exciting.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThis wine from the premier classé estate is seriously structured, dense and firm. At the same time the beautiful black currant fruits, acidity and fine perfumed character balance its richness. It is an impressive, memorable wine that will develop well over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE(Château Valandraud, St-Émilion, Bordeaux, France, Red) This is excellent, broad-shouldered with ample depth to the brambled fruits, liquorice, cigar box spice, with a gorgeously saline finish. Chalky, grippy tannins keep tugging you back into the body of the wine. The tannic grip is helped by a linen rather than silk texture that stops things being overly smooth and instead adds depth and interest to the powerfully knitted body, as do white flowers on the aromatics as it opens. Good stuff. 100% new oak for 24 months. A yield of 49hl/ha. Thunevin has sold a 50% stake in Valandraud to the Lefevre family at Sansonnet (also the new owners of Villemaurine, so a busy year for them). (Drink between 2029-2046)Decanter | 96 DECOpaque purple-black colored, the 2020 Valandraud bursts with scents of crushed black plums, boysenberries and blackberry preserves, followed by hints of dusty soil, garrigue and clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a lot of energetic, crunchy black fruits with a lively backbone and beautifully ripe, rounded tannins, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2020 Valandraud is impressive. Inky, deep and exquisitely layered, it possesses tremendous richness in every dimension. crème de cassis, chocolate, licorice, new leather, spice and lavender build as the 2020 gains volume in the glass. Silky and plush, with magnificent balance, this is shaping up to be one of the wines of the year. A magnificent effort from Muriel Andraud and Jean-Luc Thunevin. Superb. Tasted two times.Vinous Media | 95-97 VM

Rich and explosive in feel, the 2021 Cheval Blanc is outrageously beautiful. For the first time since 2011, the Grand Vin is more than 50% Cabernet Franc. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and mocha are all amplified in this potent, luxurious Cheval Blanc. Polished, seamless tannins wrap it all together. This is one of my favorites of the vintage.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe aromas of currants and flowers with hints of stones and sandalwood are enticing. Medium- to full-bodied, with an impressive structure of polished yet intense and focused tannins that run the length of the wine. Both the acidity and tannins play off each other, giving a punchy character. A classic Cheval. Only 13.3% alcohol. 52% cabernet franc, 43% merlot and 5% cabernet sauvignon. For a decade or so, this wine never had so much cabernet franc. Needs four or five years to soften. Drink after 2029.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2021 Château Cheval Blanc has turned out beautifully in bottle, and director Pierre-Olivier Clouet even considers it to be superior to the 2020, a preference that I share. Wafting from the glass with aromas of mulberries and cherries mingled with incense, iris and rose petals, framed by a deft touch of new oak, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a velvety attack that segues into a rich, concentrated mid-palate framed by sweet, powdery tannins and concluding with a long, penetrating, rose-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe Grand Vin 2021 Château Cheval Blanc is unquestionably a candidate for the wine of the vintage. Based on 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon (the 2011 comes close to this blend), it has a vivid purple hue as well as gorgeous aromatics of black raspberries, spring flowers, cassis, freshly sharpened pencils, and damp earth. Medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, and incredibly elegant, it has plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. While it already offers pleasure, it deserves 4-5 years in the cellar and will shine over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDSmells wonderful, the nose full of milk chocolate and fragranced cherries, so pure and precise. Wonderfully clean and delineated - also has a sense of weight and expanse to the aromas - blueberries and blue flowers. Taut and controlled, this strikes an immediate buzz in the mouth, straight and focussed, not much deviation from the core, but this has a nice texture that gives a bounce to the expression. Still young and a bit coiled, but this carries wonderful freshness and a real sense of drinkability. It’s on the light side, some new oak coming out in the spiced edges and liquorice undertone but I like the no frills nature. Not showing off at all, but giving refined elegance. When it’s ready, it will be a real pleasure to drink.Decanter | 96 DECBarrel Sample. Nearly 60% of the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this is an impressively structured wine. Power and density are right up front, there are fruit and spice tones along with a fine lift at the end.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, there were 72,000 bottles produced of Cheval Blanc 2021. It has a deep garnet-purple color and springs from the glass with energetic notes of kirsch, black raspberries, and wild strawberries, followed by suggestions of menthol, lavender, and cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with red berry and mineral layers, supported by fine-grained tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long with loads of floral sparkles. So, so pretty!The Wine Independent | 96 TWIPolished and inviting in feel, offering notes of dark cherry and plum puree infused with black tea, followed by persistent echoes of warm stone, violet and bay through the lengthy finish. Lacks the density of a classic, but displays a seamless feel that avoids the austerity of the vintage. Great effort. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2040. 6,058 cases made, 462 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

This is really open with bright and flamboyant aromas of cassis and cherries. Blueberries. Some peaches as well. I don’t remember a young Ausone like that. Full-bodied with flamboyant fruit and energy. Very fine tannins. They are there but you don’t feel them. Supple but very fruity. And intensely fruity at the end.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe Ausone 2022 is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, with a yield of 38 hl/ha. The Merlot was harvested between 5th and 7th September and the Cabernet Franc between 21st and 27th September. It has a pH of 3.57, a TPI of 66, and it is opaque purple in color. The wine is completely closed on the first smell, requiring a lot of swirling to begin to release fragrant notes of dried roses, licorice, cast-iron pan, and cumin seed, giving way to a core of Morello cherries, wild blueberries, and redcurrant preserves. The full-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance, featuring very fine-grained, very firm tannins and breathtaking tension to frame the tightly wound red and black fruit layers, finishing with epic length and mind-blowing complexity. Holding its cards close to its chest, it’s a hard wine to read at first glance, yet there’s a lot of nuanced sub-text bound within the rock-solid structure. I see this slowly unfolding over many years to become a wine for the ages.The Wine Independent | 97-99+ TWIThe Grand Vin from this hallowed terroir is an even split of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that was fermented in wooden vats and will spend 20 months in new barrels. Its saturated purple hue is followed by an up-front, sexy, full-bodied Ausone offering a wealth of fruit as well as notes of black cherries, blueberries, chocolate, scorched earth, and an incredible sense of spring flowers. Concentrated and incredibly pure, with silky tannins on the palate, it has the texture and fruit to almost shine even now but should still evolve for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDQuite intense nose, strongly perfumed and scented with purple flowers and a mix of red and black fruit. Fragrant with chocolate, tobacco, cedar, cinnamon, crushed stones and liquorice. Aromatically very inviting. Plush and sapid, tannins are ripe but the acidity gives it real tension so you get some intensity of texture and sharpness of fruit on the palate making it a bit serious and tense right now though with lovely detail and lots of precision in terms of tannins and fruit. Mouthwatering acidity is at the fore, really giving some zing and electricity to this while the crushed stones, liquorice and clove spice give the accents around the edges. Clear strength and concentration, such power underneath - you do feel the heat from the alcohol (15.4%!) but the acidity and soft mineral elements help keep the balance and frame though it’s not as demonstrably mineral as some years. Acidity does settle and this expands slowly - keeping the linearity and sense of focus but also giving hints to its power and ageability. Sculpted and well delivered, characterful and confident with long ageing potential. Long finish with graphite, pencil lead and toasted spices on the finish. 3.57pH 85% grand vin, 20,000 bottles. Harvest 5 and 9 September for Merlot, 21 and 27 September for Cabernet Franc. A yield of 38hl/ha. Potential upscore in bottle.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Ausone was picked from 5 to 30 September and matured for 20 months in French oak. These aromatics take a little time to open in the glass. Once they do, they are precise with wilted iris flowers infusing the black fruit and background pencil box and incense hints. The palate is medium-bodied with silver bead acidity threaded through the blackberry and bilberry fruit. Fresh and focused, this Ausone possesses a structured finish with a pinch of black pepper on the finish. Elegant in style, this Ausone almost creeps up in you and seduces, intellectual and persistent in the mouth. Upon departing, I couldn’t help wondering if I had witnessed this Saint-Émilion demonstrates its full potential, hence the plus sign against my score. 14.4% alcohol.Vinous Media | 95-97+ VMA blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Ausone unwinds in the glass with aromas of plums, raspberries and cherries complemented by hints of crushed mint and spices, framed by a lavish patina of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, layered and rather muscular, it’s deep and concentrated, its vibrant core of fruit framed by a serious chassis of rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. Given its imposing levels of structuring extract, it will require patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP

One of the clear standouts of the vintage! A sensual, fun, salivating and sublime wine from winemaker Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse that manages to give such generosity, power, terroir markers and overall drinkability. Aromatic, scented, open and expressive with cherries, blackcurrants, purple flowers and crushed stones. Sleek and supple, sharp, tangy acidity and concentrated ripe fruit - it’s forward and intense, direct but defined and detailed. Fine and supportive tannins have bite and a mineral tang putting you squarely in St-Emilion on limestone. Raw and wild in a way, but so expressive and open - honest and just such a captivating wine that belies the heat of the vintage with its cool menthol, blue fruits and lifted finish. Streamlined and focussed, sustained, determined and characterful - sleek in the best way, this is confident but not showy. Succulent, classy, polished. A brilliant wine. 3.5pH. A yield of 42hl/ha. Harvest 6 - 9 September for Merlot and 23 September for Cabernet Franc. Julien Viaud and Axel Marchal consultants. 98-100 points. Decanter | 98 DECA beautiful and enticing red with blackberry, hazelnut, dried flower, spice and berry character. It’s full yet poised with finesse and richness while also being bright and energetic. Precise.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe 2022 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse is made from 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc (the highest ever proportion) with a yield of 42 hl/ha. Deep garnet-purple in color, it spills out of the glass with fantastically perfumed notes of lilacs, molten licorice, Indian spices, and cedar chest, giving way to a profound core of blueberry preserves, blackberry pie, and boysenberries with a waft of crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is rich and opulent, delivering layer upon layer of fragrant black and blue fruit notes, supported by amazing tension and very fine-grained tannins, finishing long and beautifully perfumed. Dazzingly electric, it’s pure energy in a glass! The pH, BTW, is just 3.50—gotta love limestone.The Wine Independent | 97-99 TWIThe 2022 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) looks to be another brilliant wine from this incredible terroir located just outside the village of Saint-Emilion. Based on 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc resting in 68% new oak, it sports a dense purple hue as well as a floral, intense bouquet of cassis, liquid violets, black cherries, truffly earth, and graphite. Hitting 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.5, it’s full-bodied and has a pure, layered, opulent mouthfeel and just about perfect tannins. There’s a little bit more clay in the soils at this estate (there’s still plenty of limestone) which gives the wines plenty of power and richness, and the 2022 holds onto a beautiful sense of elegance.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98+ JDThe 2022 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) promises to be the finest wine that this superb limestone terroir has produced in at least several decades. In recent years, the quality of the site always shone through, but it was sometimes obscured by an impactful vinification and élevage (plenty of creamy new oak and malolactic fermentation in barrel). Much of the estate’s Cabernet Franc was frequently eliminated from the blend. Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse has changed that, incorporating fully 31% Cabernet Franc in the blend to deliver a complex and compelling wine evocative of wild berries, plums, rose petals and violets. Medium to full-bodied, pure and vibrant, it’s supple and layered, with beautifully refined tannins, terrific depth at the core and a long, chalky finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2022 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse was picked on 6-9 September for the Merlot and 23 for the Cabernet Franc, representing the highest percentage to date. It was cropped at 42hL/ha with 14.9% alcohol and a pH of 3.5. Aged in 68% new oak, it has a delicate nose that completely disguises that summer’s warmth. Precise redcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas are laced with minerals. The limestone soils percolate and evince the estate’s style under Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse. It seems to deepen, to "stretch out" with aeration, manifesting more darker fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, mineral-driven and almost pastille-like in terms of purity with its mélange of red and blue fruit and granular texture. Background notes of tobacco and black truffle begin to surface with time. There’s just a trace of white pepper on the finish. Precise, focused and with plenty of substance, this is a characterful and intellectually satisfying Duffau. Most importantly, not only will it be flippin’ delicious, but you get the sense that Joséphine is only just getting started.Vinous Media | 95-97 VM

Another wine that’s going to flirt with perfection is the 2022 Château Pavie Macquin, and this might be the finest vintage I’ve ever tasted from this address. A blend of 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon, it reveals an inky purple hue as well as a stunning bouquet of pure cassis, liquid black raspberries, truffle, scorched earth, and graphite. Full-bodied, concentrated, and massive on the palate, it may be the largest-scaled Pavie Macquin ever produced. But don’t let that scare you off – it stays flawlessly balanced, has pure, fine-grained tannins, and a great finish. I’ll be a buyer.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98+ JDPerfumed and aromatic, smells rich but not too intensely with roses and soft purple flowers. Succulent and really quite crisp and clear, such clarity to the fruit, with both a sharpness of acidity and mineral bite to the tannins. Liquorice, blue fruits, cool chalky tones, You get a sense of the power and structure, it’s wide and full, thick but keeping the freshness and tension with super high acidity giving the mouthwatering nature and a touch of austerity. Precise and detailed with energy and tension as well as depth and clarity. Great potential. A yield of 31hl/ha.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Pavie Macquin, 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, is deep garnet-purple in color. It is quite closed to start off, revealing scents of cedar chest and dried roses before giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of blackberry pie, Morello cherries, and boysenberry preserves, plus suggestions of Indian spices and cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate is super-taut and muscular, delivering a firm frame of ripe, grainy tannins and fantastic tension to support all the tightly wound layers, finishing very long and minerally. Likely to require considerable patience before it hits its stride, its a Pavie Macquin for marathon runners, not sprinters.The Wine Independent | 96-98+ TWIThe 2022 Pavie Macquin is a gorgeous wine, not quite as exotic as it can be, which will no doubt please those who find this wine on the richer side within the context of Saint-Émilion. Dark red fruit, chalk, mint, white pepper and spice all race across the palate. Given the small size of the berries and the heat, the winemaking team led by Nicolas Thienpont opted for gentler vinification with fewer punchdowns than the past. The result is a decidedly linear, vibrant Pavie Macquin that bristles with the chalky, saline energy that is a signature of this part of Saint-Émilion, but that has not always been present in a wine that in the past has been more about textural opulence. The blend is 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted four times.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThis site can deliver such powerful, tannic wines that I was left especially impressed by the supple, harmonious style of the 2022 Pavie Macquin. Unwinding in the glass with notions of sweet wild berries, rose petals, spices, violets, bay leaf and new oak, it’s full-bodied, deep and vibrant, with a layered core of fruit, bright acids and a long, penetrating finish, where powdery structuring tannins make themselves felt but without any asperity. Of course, this remains a deep and powerful wine, but Nicolas Thienpont and his team continue their shift toward more judicious extraction, with excellent results.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP

The 2022 Bél-Air Monange was picked from 8 to 20 September. It offers copious red fruit on the nose laced with graphite and sous-bois scents, gaining complexity in the glass. I love the detail and delineation of this wine. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-sculpted tannins that frame the layered mineral-rich fruit. Supremely focused with a surfeit of tension on the finish, there’s an abiding sense of harmony and completeness to this Saint-Émilion that feels draped in limestone. A wine befitting their eye-catching new château building.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMLoads of mocha, red fruits and hazenut. Nuts too. Wild strawberries and violets. Full-bodied and juicy with dusty and fine tannins that spread across the palate. Lovely soft texture. Elegant and long at the end. Rich and juicy at the end. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc.James Suckling | 97-98 JSA fabulous wine in the making. Perfumed aromatics on the nose, ripe black fruits and purple flowers. Clean and intense, grippy straight away, the tannins give the impact and hold the attention, ripe fruit, but lean cool mineral tannins that provide both the freshness and sense of structure. Focussed with bite and depth, stylish and sure, I love the liquorice tang, not spiced at all but giving an extra level of minerality, terroir and freshness. Still quite shy to an extent, it’s serious but so polished and pure. Refined and superbly well built. Juicy but controlled, not too sharp, or severe, quiet, calm, persistent and well balanced. Gorgeous terroir markers and a chalky texture on the finish that is so moreish. Potential upscore in bottle. Harvest 8-20 September. Decanter | 98 DECAnother beautiful vintage for this cuvée, the 2022 Château Belair-Monange is 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc coming from a mix of terroirs on the upper plateau and hillside vineyard just outside of Saint-Emilion. This dense plum-hued effort offers up an incredible bouquet of black raspberries, chalky minerality, spring flowers, and graphite. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it has an incredibly sense of minerality, a great mid-palate, and enough structure to warrant a solid 7-8 years of bottle age.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97+ JDAromas of blackberries, cherry preserve, black tea and licorice introduce the 2022 Belair Monange, a full-bodied, deep and powerful wine with a layered, somewhat liqueured core of fruit, powdery tannins and a long, expansive and slightly heady finish. Perhaps because the vines are younger, this is the cuvée in the Mouiex portfolio that shows the ripeness of the vintage the most this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-95 RP