Saint Emilion

wines

The 2018 Canon is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel. Maybe more so. Vertical and explosive in the glass, Canon sizzles with tension and vibrancy. Readers will find a majestic, soaring Grand Cru Classé that captures all the magic of Saint-Émilion’s limestone plateau. Canon exudes mind-blowing precision and deliciousness. It is another magnificent effort from Technical Director Nicolas Audebert and his team.Antonio Galloni | 98 AGThe Grand Vin is the 2018 Château Canon, which is based on 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc brought up in 52% new French oak. Its incredible bouquet delivers richness paired with amazing freshness and precision, offering loads of crème de cassis and darker berry fruits intermixed with classic Saint-Emilion chalky minerality, graphite, scorched earth, and spring flowers. Gorgeous on the palate as well, with medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and again, this wonderful sense of freshness paired with ample richness, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. The 2009 and 2015 are still my favorite vintages of this wine, but this is up there with the best of them.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDA beautiful Canon that performs the 360-degree trick in your mouth of expanding up, down and out. Of course a little austere right now at this young age, but already walking the tightrope towards richness; the creaminess in the texture becomes clear after 20 minutes in the glass. This has salinity, purity, precision and grip, showing its distinct personality and its ability to draw juice and mouthwatering expression from the fruits. Drinking Window 2026 - 2048Decanter | 98 DECBlackberries and tar with wet-earth and dark-bark aromas. Dark-chocolate and brownie notes, too. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins and a round, caressing finish. Lovely focus and intensity, though dense and layered. Extremely creamy and polished. Really precise and bespoke. It already opens beautifully on the palate. Drink after 2025.James Suckling | 98 JSA blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Canon has a pH of 3.69 and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it tumbles effortlessly out of the glass with a gorgeous perfume of candied violets, preserved plums, black cherry compote and Ceylon tea with hints of kirsch, powdered cinnamon, chocolate box and fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with juicy black fruit layers, supported by plush, oh-so-soft tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThis estate owned by the Chanel luxury group continues its winning streak with this latest release. Dark and firm at this stage but with obviously powerful, rich black fruits, the wine is destined for a long aging. Tannins and structure pour through dense blackberry and damson flavors, leaving room for a succulent aftertaste. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WERipe and focused, with a core of plum, black cherry and raspberry compote notes that are still a bit coiled up, though inlaid with a racy chalky spine and notes of black tea and tobacco that should all meld as it stretches out in the cellar. A restrained, refined, lengthy wine that drips with class. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Made of 100% Merlot, the 2018 Bellevue has a deep garnet-purple color and a profound nose of plum preserves, blackberry compote and stewed black cherries, followed by an undercurrent of cedar chest, violets, aniseed and iron ore with a touch of garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate packs the mouth with wonderfully energetic black fruits and a lively backbone, framed by ripe, rounded tannins, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.Bellevue is the pretty little vineyard poised just above Château Angelus in Saint-Émilion. The soils here are clay/limestone, and it is planted to 100% Merlot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2018 Bellevue has a gorgeous bouquet of copious red berry fruit, crushed rock, rose petals and cedar scents that gain intensity with aeration. The fresh, vibrant palate is very well balanced with fine tannins, perfect acidity, precise mineral drive and a classy finish. This is a superb Bellevue that lives up to its promise from barrel.Vinous Media | 93 VMLots of red and blue fruits, violets, orange blossom, and more exotic notes emerge from the 2018 Château Bellevue. Medium to full-bodied, it offers beautiful purity, ripe tannins, and a good spine of acidity that keeps everything fresh and vibrant. Beautifully done, it will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for upwards of 15 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDThere is clear austerity on the approach, with the fruit pulling inwards through the mid-palate before widening out. It has an impressive texture with fleshy plum and ripe red apple fruit. You can feel the softness of the tannins, gently laying in wait, and this gets pretty big on the juicy, seductive finish, where there’s a ton of liquorice to fall into. An organically-certified estate owned by the de Bouard family. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040. Decanter | 93 DEC

Love the floral character to the aromas of dark fruit, such as blueberries and black cherries. Red and black licorice, too. The full-bodied palate starts slowly and then expands with super polished, searing tannins that lead you up the palate into a place of grandeur. Lightly chewy at the end. Such great purity and presence here. 6% cabernet sauvignon in the blend with franc and merlot. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2018 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a 3.75 pH and 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs considerable swirling and air to releases fragrant notes of stewed plums, juicy black cherries and ripe blackberries with underlying suggestions of damp soil, black truffles, rose oil and cardamom with wafts of underbrush and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with rich black fruits and loads of earthy accents, framed by super firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness to balance, finishing with amazing length and a beautiful array of floral and mineral sparks. Thirty-three plots contributed to this wine, out of the forty-three in production. Of the rest, five went into Petit Cheval and five into bulk. It will need a good 6-7 years at least to really start to strut its stuff and should cellar for a further 30 years or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThe 2018 Cheval Blanc is magnificent. In a vintage in which so many wines are opulent and dense, Cheval Blanc maintains striking translucence while conveying the natural radiance of the year. Silky, perfumed and exceptionally vivid, the 2018 pulses with energy from start to finish. Sage, mint, lavender and mocha all meld together on the sumptuous finish. Cabernet Franc, such a Cheval signature, has probably never been so ripe. In a word: dazzling.Antonio Galloni | 98+ AGShowing beautifully from barrel and now from bottle, the 2018 Château Cheval Blanc is a final blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a pure, classic Cheval Blanc in that it relies more on complexity and elegance than power, offering a beautiful perfume of red and blackcurrants, spring flowers, spice, forest floor, incense, and tobacco. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Cheval Blanc offering wonderful purity of fruit, a seamless, layered texture, incredible tannins, and a lengthy, focused finish. It shows less of the sunny style of the vintage now than it did from barrel, and it’s a wonderfully complete wine that delivers awesome freshness in its aromatics, plenty of ripe, sweet fruit, and the tannins and structure that seem to come from a long, cooler season. Reminding me slightly of the 2016, with a touch of the 2001, give this gorgeous wine 5-7 years of bottle age, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe first thing that strikes about this wine is its massive density. The second is the richness of the structured Cabernet Franc that is such an important element in the blend. Weight is balanced by the intense fruits and amazing freshness of a wine that has such concentration. This wine will age for years. Don’t touch it before 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThis has the vintage’s profile, with a sleek and slightly austere frame holding a core of cassis, bitter cherry and raspberry coulis notes tightly together while flashes of bay, dried anise and savory add range and detail. Has a late tug of warm earth along with a very perfumy echo through the finish. A beauty. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2038. 10,208 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLovely ripeness on the nose, full of dense Morello cherries and milk chocolate notes, this feels round and just very complete. It has a density on the palate immediately, voluminous with chalky, gentle gripping tannins, almost chewy on the second taste, that fill the mouth. Generous and expansive. Voluptuous fruit with a capitvating and satisfying texture, it’s really the mouthfeel that’s in focus, big and wide - coating the mouth. Flavours are concentrated around blackcurrant and black cherry with some sweet strawberry and soft chalkiness as well as a touch of sweet liquorice too. Clear depth and power though still youthful and somewhat shy. An excellent Cheval. (Drink between 2028-2055)Decanter | 96 DEC

One of the wines of the vintage is the 2018 Château Pavie, and Gérard Perse continues to produce one of the greatest wines in the world, in just about every vintage. Based on 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 shows the slightly more restrained style of the estate today yet still brings classic Pavie richness, depth, and grandeur. Revealing a deep purple color as well as a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, damp earth, tobacco, chalk, and lead pencil shavings, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, incredible purity, a dense, concentrated mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like sense of minerality on the blockbuster finish. There’s a backward, inward style here that actually reminds me of the 2000. This is another magical, probably immortal wine from this terroir that marries power with elegance perfectly. Don’t miss it!Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2018 Pavie is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has a 3.58 pH and 14.48% alcohol. Very deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with a fabulously expressive nose of crème de cassis, baked plums and blueberry preserves, leading to an impressive array of nuances, featuring notions of dark chocolate, camphor, licorice, rose petals and fertile loam, plus hints of crushed rocks and iron ore. The rich, full-bodied palate offers layer upon layer of opulent black and blue fruits with loads of exotic spice sparks and pretty floral and mineral accents, supported by firm, super plush tannins and remarkable tension, finishing with epic length and depth. This could only be Pavie. It makes for a seductively stylish glass now, but patience will be rewarded if it is afforded 5-7 years in bottle, at least, then drink it over the next 30+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPImpressive aromas of pure, crushed blackberries and brambleberries with red and black licorice and black olives, as well as incense, following through to a full body with round, creamy tannins and lots of fruit. Yet, it’s tight and reserved at the finish. Needs three or four years to open and start showing its true character. Powerful and linear. Cellar-bound. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 99 JSThis is packed with raspberry, plum and boysenberry compote flavors that sail through thanks to the unencumbered feel provided by the polished structure. Fine chalky threads curl throughout as this opens in the glass, with flamboyant flashes of apple wood, anise and violet emerging through the finish. Youthfully dense, but everything is in proportion. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 98 WSPavie is positively striking in 2018. Rich and sumptuous to the core, the 2017 possesses stunning depth and impeccable overall balance. Dark cherry, mocha, plum, spice, new leather and licorice all build as the 2018 shows its allure. Silky, polished tannins round out the finish. This is a stellar showing from the Perse family. The 2018 is absolutely gorgeous.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGNot so long ago, Pavie would have rejoiced in the massive tannic and alcohol potential of this vintage, but they really have done a great job practicing restraint. It doesn’t sacrifice Pavie’s power but of all the wines in this particular lineup it’s the one that carries the weight of the vintage the best, building power by stealth rather than grabbing it from you. This is great quality, with inky depths to the black fruits, accompanied by liquorice and chocolate, and the beautiful salty lick on the finish really completes the picture - your tongue just licks the wall and it’s highly enjoyable! Harvest began on 26 September, later than some in the appellation, with a 38hl/ha yield. Although extraction was kept gentle, with the grapes given a week-long cold soak before fermentation at no more than 28°C, then a five-week maceration (longer than some, but these guys used to do eight weeks or more!), they have achieved a high tannin count of 97IPT and 3.58pH. Drinking Window 2028 - 2042.Decanter | 96 DEC

Another rich, powerful Saint-Emilion, the 2018 Château La Couspaude sports a dense purple/plum color as well as a rocking nose of black cherries, wild herbs, iron, tapenade, and spicy oak. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has an expansive mouthfeel, terrific mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It needs 2-4 years of bottle age to shed some oak, but this is a beautiful, layered, hedonistic 2018 with loads to love.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDBlackberries, blueberries and violets. Dark-purple fruit. It’s full-bodied with very polished tannins that are beautiful and very intense. Chewy and creamy. Needs time to open. A little tight now. Give it time to open. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 94 JSThe vineyard, on the edge of Saint-Emilion city, has produced a juicy, well-structured wine. Restrained tannins back up ripe black-currant fruitiness. An attractive smoky perfume from rich Cabernet Franc in the blend enhances complexity and density. Drink the wine from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis has a solidly built core of red and black currant fruit spliced with an alder streak and backed by subtle black tea and mineral accents through the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2022 through 2032. 3,000 cases made, 750 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WSDark plum colour, with the palate kicking in with black cherry and plum compote. Unquestionably heavily oak-influenced, with liquorice and mocha. Closes down on the finish. 100% new oak barrels. Vineyards on heavily limestone soils with a yield of 35hl/ha.Decanter | 91 DEC

Wild-strawberry, blackberry and blueberry aromas with some spices and herbs. It’s full-bodied with a balance of firm yet elegant tannins. The savory mid-palate leads to a clean finale with serious length. Hard not to drink this now, but it needs four or five years to show its true excellence. Second wine of Angelus. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2018 Le Carillon d’Angélus is silky, pliant and wonderfully expressive. Dark red cherry fruit, mocha, cedar and dried flowers all flesh out. The Carillon benefits immensely from air, which really brings out its aromatic presence and layers. Silky tannins wrap around the finish. This is such a pretty wine.Vinous Media | 93 VMI loved the 2018 Carillon D’Angélus. This Merlot-dominated blend (there’s 15% Cabernet Franc) offers a healthy ruby/purple color as well as a complex, smoky bouquet of ripe black fruits, graphite, tobacco, and a kiss of earth. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, it has a sexy, seamless texture, polished tannins, and the class to drink nicely for 15 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDLifted and spicy on the nose with a splash of dark fruit, the wine affirms its style with freshness, clean lines and a lightness of touch. Nonetheless, there’s plenty of depth and the tannins have been finely worked, the 60% new oak well integrated. It has early appeal but will age. Produced from fruit from three separate parcels: close to Angélus, behind Figeac and at St-Christophe-des-Bardes.Decanter Magazine | 92 DECComposed of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Le Carillon d’Angélus rolls out of the glass with upfront notions of baked plums, stewed black cherries and raspberry pie, plus suggestions of potpourri, Chinese five spice, tilled soil and tobacco leaf. The medium to full-bodied palate is generous and spicy, supported by soft tannins and just enough freshness, finishing savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPBright tobacco and herb notes sparkle out front until the black currant and blackberry compote flavors catch up. The solidly grippy finish shows a dark, slightly brooding profile. Distinctive. Merlot and Cabernet FrancWine Spectator | 90-93 WS

Enormously complex nose that marries so many flinty, savory and citrus aromas. Astonishing texture on the rich but precisely delineated palate, the concentration creeping up on you, building and building to a great crescendo. Enormously mineral aftertaste. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.James Suckling | 98 JSThis is also aromatically cool and restrained with its combination of essence of white orchard fruit, especially pear, along with hints of wood, spice, mineral reduction and rose petal. There is excellent intensity to the textured, concentrated and quite powerful big-bodied flavors that exude evident minerality on the focused finish that is quite tightly wound. This is going to need at least 6 to 8 years of bottle age first.Burghound | 93 BHThe 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Grand Cru opens in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, orange oil, almond paste, pineapple and fresh pastry. Full-bodied, satiny and textural, it’s rich and expressive, with lively acids and a charming, demonstrative personality.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

Camphor, forest floor, cedar and rose aromas come to the forefront on Sandrone’s stunning 2019 Barolo Aleste. It’s racy and youthfully austere, delivering red cherry, pomegranate, star anise, cedar and white pepper framed in tightly wound, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it energized and beautifully balanced. This needs several years to fully unwind and shows serious aging potential. Drink 2029–2049. Abv: 14.5%Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOAleste is a contraction of the names Alessia and Stefano, grandchildren of the late Luciano Sandrone. With fruit from Cannubi Boschis, the 2019 Barolo Aleste shows important richness and structure. This is the proverbial Barolo with a capital B. It reveals thick layers of dark fruit, cherry and spice. It shows sweet tannins and impactful texture. When tasting at the winery, Le Vigne is usually served first, and Aleste comes after that. Both wines promise a very long aging window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2019 Barolo Aleste is another stellar wine from Sandrone. Like Le Vigne, the Aleste is a tightly wound ball of energy. Dark cherry, mocha, plum, licorice and lavender all race across the palate. This racy, but youthfully austere Barolo has a ton to offer. There’s more density and a darker profile than in the Le Vigne, sort of like a soloist to Le Vigne’s orchestra.Vinous Media | 97 VMAn integrated and well-crafted Barolo with flowers and lemon peel to the cherry and strawberry aromas. Medium-bodied with chewy tannins and a linear drive throughout. Tight and muscular. Well formed. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 95 JS

Rose, menthol, star anise and baking spice are just some of the aromas that appear on the gorgeous Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 2019. Focused, elegant and savory, the vibrant palate offers juicy red cherry, spiced cranberry, crushed mint and ground clove before a licorice close. A backbone of fine-grained tannins provide support while bright acidity keeps it impeccably balanced and loaded with energy and tension. What a stunner. Drink 2027–2044. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOThe 2019 Barolo Le Vigne is a historic blend of fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d’Alba, Villero in Castiglione Falletto, Vignane in Barolo and Merli in Novello. This year, a fifth site was added to the final blend. It is the Le Coste MGA in Barolo with south-facing exposures and 45-year-old vines in a two-hectare parcel. The backbone of this wine is Baudana, and Merli adds freshness. The wine needs more time in bottle, but already it proves generous and bold with dark fruit, spice and crushed mineral.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe 2019 Barolo Le Vigne is pure and total seduction. Kirsch, sweet pipe tobacco, mint, cedar, dried herbs and orange peel all grace a Le Vigne built on mid-weight structure and energy. There is a feeling of youthful classicism and austerity that is so beguiling. Readers should plan on being patient, though. The 2019 won’t be ready to drink anytime soon, but there is enough fruit to make me think it will be superb, in time.Vinous Media | 97 VMVery aromatic with hibiscus, crab apple, orange blossom, and ripe strawberry on the nose. Full-bodied, very layered and powerful, yet it remains very fine textured with an intense finish. Slightly more structured than before. Perhaps due to the addition of wines from a new vineyard? Try after 2027.James Suckling | 97 JS

The 2019 Laforge has really filled out nicely. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, tobacco, licorice and lavender build beautifully with some aeration. The 2019 is sumptuous, bold and racy, Laforge is an absolute joy to taste today. This flamboyant, racy Saint-Émilion will be a jewel to drink now and over the next few years.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2019 Château Laforge is more up-front and charming, with medium-bodied aromas and flavors of savory red and black fruits, leafy herbs, iron, and tobacco. It has good acidity, ripe tannins, and, as with all of the releases from Malthus, is beautifully balanced. Drink this already complex, layered, seamless 2019 over the coming 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDLots of lovely fruit and freshness in this red with blackberry and cherry character, medium body and a round, juicy finish. Very attractive already. Drink after 2023.James Suckling | 92 JSThis is a fine wine with great black fruits and an impressive density. Spice and ripe tannins make for a wine for aging. Drink from 2025. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEMedium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Laforge opens with notions of pencil shavings, rose hip tea, crushed rocks and cedar chest over a core of warm black and red plums, boysenberries and spice cake. The medium to full-bodied palate is charged with freshness and energy, offering finely grained tannins to support the red and black fruit layers, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

The 2019 Château Quintus is brilliant and does everything right in the vintage. Loaded with ripe red and black cherry fruits as well as notes of white truffle, leafy herbs, baking spices, and tobacco, it hits the palate with a stunningly balanced, full-bodied profile delivering gorgeous tannins, the purity and freshness of the vintage, and a great finish. Coming from the Dillon team, this is Saint-Emilion brilliance that’s already approachable yet will cruise for another 20-25 years. Bravo.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDOne of highest levels of Cabernet Franc since Haut-Brion arrived at the estate, and it makes its mark in all the right places. A gorgeous sculpted feel, with grip and personality, charcoal slate character, minerality and sappy fruit. White pepper spice, austerity and grip, very much a sign of how good this grape can be in St Emilion. Harvest 19 September through to 27 September for Marlot, then break until October 7 to 9 for Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044.Decanter | 95 DECThis is very spicy, with tile and terra cotta to the dark-fruit aromas. Pine and cedar, too. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a creamy finish. Very fine and long. Need three or four years to come together. 55% merlot and 45% cabernet. Drink after 2024.James Suckling | 95 JSThis is a luscious wine with great black fruits and silky tannins. A blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, it offers succulent acidity and bright perfumes. The wine is sure to age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2019 Quintus exhibits aromas of rich, plummy fruit mingled with exotic spices and smoky, toasty new oak. Full-bodied, broad and textural, it’s rich and fleshy, with a ripe core of fruit, lively acids and powdery structuring tannins. Cabernet Franc represents nearly 45% of the blend this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2019 Quintus has developed into an elegant, sensual Saint-Émilion. Succulent dark cherry, plum, spice, menthol and leather build nicely, lending brooding intensity to this deceptively medium-bodied 2019. The blend of 55.4% Merlot, 44.6% Cabernet Franc is very nicely judged. I can’t wait to see how this ages.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThis has good flesh and focus, with a wave of warmed cherry compote and cassis backed by a red licorice note. Shows a subtle mineral edge that adds a hint of tension to the finish, with a gently mouthwatering echo, too. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2032.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Canon prances out with showy notes of wild blueberries, fresh boysenberries, and black raspberries giving way to fragrant scents of sassafras, cumin seed, star anise, and red roses. The full-bodied palate delivers waves of bright black and blue fruits with wonderful freshness and plush, rounded tannins, finishing long and energetic.The Wine Palate | 100 TWPChâteau Canon has been taking off over the past few years, and here you see why. Just so much complexity, depth, power, interest in the whole thing. This buzzes with life, rises above the palate, full of gunsmoke, truffle, raspberry, blueberry, so delicious.Jane Anson | 100 JADeep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Canon prances out with showy notes of wild blueberries, fresh boysenberries, and black raspberries giving way to fragrant scents of sassafras, cumin seed, star anise, and red roses. The full-bodied palate delivers waves of bright black and blue fruits with wonderful freshness and plush, rounded tannins, finishing long and energetic.The Wine Independent | 100 TWIThe 2019 Canon is creamy and layered. A wine of immense charm and sensuality, the 2019 is immediately appealing today, but also clearly has the potential to age for many decades. The 2019 is not as exuberant as most recent vintages, and yet its balance is simply magnificent. Readers can expect an aristocratic Saint-Émilion that is holding so much in reserve. Patience is key. Tasted three times.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe 2019 Château Canon is another brilliant wine from this talented team that delivers everything you could want from this incredible terroir located on the upper limestone plateau. Based on 74% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc, it has a pure, incredibly refined, yet still powerful profile that takes time to unwind. Offering up beautiful notes of black raspberries, wild strawberries, spring flowers, chalky minerality, and graphite, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a finish that’s something to behold. This isn’t the massive style of the 2015 and reminds me slightly of the 2016. It’s perfectly balanced and, again, the purity and finesse are off the charts. It needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years and enjoyed over the following 2-3 decades. Hats off to Nicolas Audebert for another sensational wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2019 Canon has turned out brilliantly in bottle, wafting from the glass with complex aromas of raspberries and red plums mingled with notions of raw cocoa, dark chocolate, pencil shavings and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional, it’s one of the most refined, elegant right bank wines of the vintage, with a deep core of fruit, beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. This is a superb achievement for Nicolas Audebert and his team.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPCanon has been on an amazing run since 2015, and the 2019 continues this performance. Carries 14.5% alcohol with ease. Complex aromas and flavours of spices, moccha, smoky notes, liquorice and dark cherry/blackberry fruit. Freshness from the abundant acidity and mineral notes give the wine a profound elegance despite the sumptuous texture. Fully deserves its 1er Grand Cru Classé B classification.Decanter | 97 DECBlackberries, blueberries and dark chocolate with bark, mushrooms and chalk. Lavender, too. Full-bodied with firm tannins that are polished and velvety. White pepper, gesso and crushed stone. It’s full-bodied and layered with tightness and focus and a long finish. It’s solid and stalwart, as usual. Reminds me of the very special 1955. One for the cellar. Give this until 2026 to see what it really has.James Suckling | 97 JSViolet, cassis, plum purée and blackberry reduction notes are layered together without being compacted, giving each space to breath and unfurl while letting the fine lacy thread of chalky minerality to flow in between. This shows the heat and slight grain of this distinctive vintage, but manages those aspects better than most. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Lots of roses and dark fruit, such as blackberries and brambleberries on the nose. Full-bodied, yet tight and poised, with real focus and firmness and seamless tannins that run the length of the wine. Minerality and persistence in a cool way. This is very serious for the vintage and for the cellar. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2019 Pavie Macquin has turned out very well indeed, unwinding in the glass with aromas of blackcurrants, cherries, burning embers, black truffle and licorice, framed by a deft framing of new oak that’s more discreet than was the case even a few vintages back. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it’s deep and layered, with a strikingly vibrant core of fruit, powdery, chalky tannins and a long, penetrating, youthfully firm finish. Tasted alongside older vintages, it’s clear that the Thienpont team have eased off extraction, which allows the quality of fruit that this fantastic vineyard produces to express itself all the more completely, delivering the finest Pavie Macquin since 1998.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPThe 2019 Château Pavie Macquin comes from a beautiful, cooler terroir located just outside the village of Saint-Emilion. A wine that always demands bottle age, its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a tight, reserved wine with notes of ripe cassis, mulberry, and blackberry fruits as well as notes of spring flowers, sandalwood, and flowers. The purity is truly something, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a rich, layered mid-palate, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. This is a wonderfully complete, nuanced, flawlessly balanced Pavie Macquin that will round into form with just 5-6 years of bottle age yet keep for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDGorgeous ripe aromatic blackcurrants on the nose. Seriously expressive with sweet touches of milk chocolate - an element of Black Forest gateau to this. Direct and linear on the palate, focussed and precise but with excellent clarity and minerality. You get the blood iron, wet stone slate in both flavour and texture on the tongue against the high toned cherry and redcurrant fruit. Lots of energy here, it’s almost holding back from being fully expressive. Great potential and lovely finish with chocolate, minty freshness and liquorice spice. Drinking Window 2025 - 2043.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2019 Pavie Macquin is exotic and beguiling right out of the gate. Succulent dark cherry, white truffle, leather, tobacco, blood orange, cedar and mint all meld together in the glass. As always, Pavie Macquin is defined by its sumptuous fruit, plush contours and total allure. Pavie Macquin is not exactly subtle, but it sure is delicious. Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThis unfurls as seductively as a cashmere scarf, offering black tea and incense notes amidst a lush wave of dark plum, fig and blackberry reduction flavors. The subtle inlay of charcoal, tobacco and sweet bay adds length and detail through the finish. Gorgeous. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2038. 5,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Wonderfully floral cherry notes on the nose here - ripe, vibrant and appealing. Such great juicy impact, strawberries, cherries and redcurrants, really just hits the palate with brightness, energy and verve. An approachable style but with lots of layers, great acidity and a cooling menthol undertone. Really enjoyable with underlying power and precision. Excellent. (Drink between 2027-2044)Decanter | 95 DECThe exotic, incredibly perfumed 2019 Château Jean Faure comes from the upper plateau region, closer to Pomerol, and just behind Cheval Blanc. Based largely on Cabernet Franc and Merlot, it has loads of red and blue fruits, exotic flowers, sandalwood, and foresty, earthy nuances that develop nicely with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, it’s pure, balanced, and elegant on the palate, with ripe yet polished tannins and a great finish. This singular beauty needs a good 4-5 years of bottle age but is going to impress over the following two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2019 Jean Faure is a quirky Saint-Émilion because of the high percentage of Franc in the blend, which lends soaring aromatic intensity. Sage, mint, tobacco, cedar, licorice and red berry fruit all build in the glass, with bright, saline notes that give energy and shape. Jean Faure is one of the most distinctive Saint-Émilions readers will come across. The 2019 turned out beautifully.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThis has the ripe and rich fruit of the vintage, but is a bit sleeker in feel than most of its brethren, offering a savory streak and a flash of iron. Nice, lingering juniper and black tea notes make this distinctive too. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Best from 2023 through 2035. 6,000 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSBeautiful complexity and finesse with tile, incense, light chocolate, hazelnut and plum aromas and flavors. Hints of dried meat, too. It’s medium-bodied with creamy tannins and a soft, refined finish. Drink after 2023, but it’s surprisingly attractive now.James Suckling | 93 JSOffering up aromas of minty blackberries, licorice and sweet spices, the 2019 Jean Faure is full-bodied, ample and enveloping, with a fleshy core of fruit, melting tannins and succulent acids, concluding with a long, similarly minty finish. From a certified-organic property located between Cheval Blanc and Grand-Corbin-Despagne, this is a charming, expressive wine. Cabernet Franc represents more than 60% of the blend.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

Like a bouquet of fresh flowers on the nose, as well as blackberries, raspberries and blackcurrants. Sandalwood as well. Full-bodied with incredibly polished tannins that have the texture of the finest velvet. The palate is very fine, oriented with fabulously pure fruit and minerally and stone undertones at the finish. It’s so classical in nature. Essence of Ausone. 60% cabernet franc and 40% merlot. From organically grown grapes. Best after 2027.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2019 Ausone was picked September 20-27 for the Merlot and October 3, 5 and 7 for the Cabernet Franc, then matured for 20 months in new French oak with light toasting. This is very refined and focused on the nose, less opulent compared to recent vintages, and very sophisticated, with hints of Montecristo cigar interwoven through the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine but quite firm tannins that frame the lightly spiced black fruit. Touches of pencil lead and white pepper appear toward the prolonged finish. This very composed Ausone might actually drink earlier than other vintages but unequivocally has the substance to age with grace in bottle. There is an abiding sense of completeness here.Vinous Media | 99 VMUnwinding in the glass with deep aromas of wild berries, vine smoke, orange rind, exotic spices and violets, framed by a deft application of classy new oak, the 2019 Ausone is full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with beautiful purity of fruit, lively acids and ripe but abundant structuring tannins. Deep, layered and vibrant, it’s full of potential and will likely emerge as one of the most long-lived 2019s. This is another magical wine from what many consider to be Saint-Émilion’s greatest terroir, and it will demand and richly reward patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThe en primeur sample of the 2019 vintage, as I did not taste in the spring. Full of vivacity and austerity, dominated by the Cabernet Franc, showing roundness and depth to the black fruits as they open, with clear bilberry, cassis and blueberry, a ton of gentle charred smoke notes and graphite. Strong opulence and huge tannins. A wine that is going to age for decades.Drinking Window 2029 - 2050Decanter | 97 DEC

Really smoky, coffee bean aromas on the nose with ripe blackcurrants. Great texture and flavour here, it’s full of herbs and liquorice-tinged black fruits (cherries mainly) but really well integrated so that no one aspect sticks out. Tannins are super fine and smooth and the acidity is well balanced carrying the density of the fruit as well as the freshness. It’s a big shouldered wine there’s no question, power but also poise. Harmonious, charming and elegant. A very complete wine that is balanced with generous fruit, tannins, acidity and mineral freshness. Feels well handled and just excellently executed. Has a real purity to it with sculpting and refinement. Great stuff and still so juicy and appealing at the end. A top buy. (Drink between 2027-2045)Decanter | 95 DECBeautiful clarity of crushed red berries with dried flowers and sliced oyster mushrooms on the nose. Full-bodied with layers of ripe tannins and juicy fruit. Chocolate and walnut character comes through, together with hints of vanilla bean. Beautifully curated. 76% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 4% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2019 Fleur Cardinale is a real head-turner. Lush and voluptuous in the glass, the 2019 offers up copious dark fruit, along with hints of chocolate, spice, new leather, menthol and licorice. There is no shortage or richness or lushness. While the 2019 is certainly a very, very good wine it is not quite as expressive as it was in barrel. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGA consistently impressive Saint-Emilion, the 2019 Château Fleur Cardinale shows the vintage beautifully, with a medium to full-bodied, elegant style as well as classic darker cherry and mulberry fruits, notes of dried herbs, loamy earth, and incense, supple yet present tannins, and a great finish. It’s one classy, balanced 2019 to drink over the coming two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2019 Fleur Cardinale derives from a late-ripening site on the north-facing side of Saint-Émilion’s limestone plateau. Revealing aromas of jammy cherries, spices, dark chocolate and mocha, it’s full-bodied, broad and velvety, with powdery tannins and a generous core of lively fruit, concluding with a chalky finish. This is a fleshy, front-loaded wine in a contemporary style that will please consumers who favor power and richness, but which will leave purists wondering if less might be more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPRichly textured, with currant and fig paste notes rolling through slowly, laced liberally with humus, alder and tobacco. A touch burly, but the fruit has an unctuous hint as a counterbalance. This is for fans of the bigger style. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2037. 8,750 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA rich and smoothly textured wine, this is juicy with black currant fruits and ripe tannins. It has weight and plenty of dense fruit flavors along with tannins that have a fine potential for softening. Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

This has linear, very fine tannins that make it minerally and long. Medium body. Dark fruit with lavender and violet undertones. Very fresh acidity. Flavorful and fine. 74% merlot, 14% cabernet sauvignon and 12% cabernet franc. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2019 Quinault L’Enclos is racy, supple and wonderfully inviting. A wine of depth and texture, the 2019 impresses with its exceptional balance and class. Sweet red berry fruit, cedar, spice, tobacco and licorice build beautifully with a bit of time in the glass. This is a terrific showing from Quinault, which as readers probably know, is owned by Cheval Blanc. Over the last dozen years more than half the property has been developed. The results are starting to show. One of the most unique aspects of Quinault is that 20% of the wine is aged in 550-liter barrels, which are used to confer greater freshness. The 2019 is flat out gorgeous. Antonio Galloni | 93 AG(Château Quinault L’Enclos, St-Émilion, Bordeaux, France, Red) This has intense aromatics and supple tannins. A little subdued at first, then the floral side begins to burgeon out of the glass. Supple and fresh, nuanced blue and red berry fruits, with strength and precision. Harvest September 10 to October 2. A yield of 41hl/ha. Aged in 500l casks and larger 20hl foudres, 50% new oak. (Drink between 2025-2040)Decanter | 93 DECAromas of sweet cherries, rose petals, violets and dark chocolate introduce the 2019 Quinault l’Enclos, a medium to full-bodied, ample and lively wine that’s produced by Cheval Blanc’s winemaking team.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPRound and ripe in feel, with a savory streak amid cassis, cherry and plum compote notes, while tobacco and red licorice wrap up the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2029. 6,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Has any Bordeaux château realized a more wholesale stylistic revolution in so short a time than Troplong Mondot? Since Aymeric de Gironde arrived at the estate in late 2017, the ultra powerful "shock and awe" style of the 2000s is out, and a new refinement is in. Of course, the deep clays that define the core vineyards around the château itself are never likely to produce light or ephemeral wines, but de Gironde has astutely understood that (to develop an analogy), when driving down hill, one can ease off on the accelerator. The 2019 Troplong Mondot is a ringing endorsement of the new direction, wafting from the glass with complex aromas of wild berries, violets, coniferous forest floor, licorice, raw cocoa and subtle spices, followed by a full-bodied, velvety and layered palate that’s seamless and perfumed, its enveloping core of succulent fruit framed by rich, powdery tannins and lively acids. Harmonious and penetrating, I never thought I’d taste a wine like this from Troplong Mondot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe purity of fruit is pretty phenomenal here with blackcurrants, cherries and crushed-stone undertones. Floral notes of roses and violets, too. Full-bodied, yet this is a linear style with super fine tannins and great length and beauty. You really want to drink it. It grows on the palate and shows real power, with breadth and depth. Remains fresh throughout. Really something. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2019 Troplong Mondot is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Vertical and explosive in feel, the 2019 dazzles with its magnificent balance. Inky red/purplish fruit, cinnamon, chocolate, dried flowers and lavender open with a bit of time, but Troplong is not a wine for the here and now, but rather a wine for readers who can be patient. The 2019 is all class and refinement. Those qualities become increasingly apparent over time, once some of the initial power and density subsides with air. This is the first time the Grand Vin was blended before the malolactic fermentation. Antonio Galloni | 97 AG96–98. Barrel Sample. With its rich tannins and serious, concentrated structure, the wine is obviously set for a great future. The Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend offers structure as well as the fine line of blackberry flavors. Filled out with ripe Merlot, the wine shows richness with everything in balance.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE

Lovely intensity on the nose, rich and dark with blackcurrants and some wonderfully attractive floral aromas. Excellent follow through on the palate, this is direct and precise with a good drive of black fruit flavours into a long finish. Fresh acidity underpins the fruit and there is an appealing undercurrent of minerality that is so refreshing. Liquorice spice marks the finish with a touch of dryness from the acidity. A lovely impactful wine with a flavour that goes on and on. Sophisticated, sculpted and well defined. Drinking Window 2027 - 2044.Decanter | 95 DECA riper, richer wine in the vintage, the 2019 Château Bellevue offers up lots of blackberry and currant-like fruits as well as spicy oak, chocolate, and chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has ripe, polished tannins, shows the purity of the vintage, and just has loads of character. I like this today, but it should evolve positively over the coming 4-5 years and hold at a plateau for 15+.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2019 Bellevue is super-distinctive. It offers a striking combination of rich, deep fruit mixed with the intense mineral notes that are such a signature of this cool micro-climate. That makes for a fascinating Saint-Émilion full of intrigue. Red cherry, sage, chalk, dried flowers and white pepper punctuate this decidedly bright, chiseled Saint-Émilion.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGSweet berries and flowers, such as violets and lavender. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins and a long, caressing finish. Really polished. Drink after 2024.James Suckling | 93 JSUnfurling in the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, sweet spices, loamy soil and creamy new oak, the 2019 Bellevue is medium to full-bodied, lively and tensile, with a bright spine of acidity and long, mineral finish. It will likely flesh out with a bit of bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RP

Powerful and explosive in the glass, the 2019 Clos de l’Oratoire possesses tremendous depth and density from start to finish. Black cherry, chocolate, licorice, spice, menthol and lavender are all amplified in this potent, structured Saint-Émilion. Give it a few years to soften. Antonio Galloni | 94 AGAromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, plum leaves, violets and bitter chocolate. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, compact tannins. Very solid with a dense core of dark fruit. Chewy finish. Try in 2026.James Suckling | 94 JSStephan von Neipperg’s 2019 Clos de l’Oratoire has turned out very nicely in bottle, opening in the glass to reveal aromas of sweet wild berries, cherries, loamy soil and raw cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it’s broad and succulent, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a nicely defined finish. It’s produced from holdings on sandy-clay soils in the northeast of Saint-Émilion.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPSweetened and silky berry fruits, lovely combination of juice and tension alongside firm tannins and a confident overall feel. Impressive stuff from Neipperg at this rather under-the-radar classified estate. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECShows steeped red and black currant fruit that mingles with tobacco, worn cedar and savory notes, with a streak of warm cast iron through the finish. Slightly rustic in feel but has character and range, with good energy throughout. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035. 4,600 cases made, 400 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSRipe black fruit (there’s some red fruit as well), tobacco leaf, damp earth, exotic flowers, and some chocolaty notes all emerge from the 2019 Clos De L’Oratoire, another beautiful wine from the Neipperg family and team. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and seamless on the palate, I love its mid-palate, it has gorgeous tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. This is clearly a great vintage for this cuvée. Hide bottles for 4-5 years, and it’s going to have 2-3 decades of longevity, and probably a gradual decline after that as well. It’s beautiful.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

The 2019 Côte de Baleau is classy, super-polished and ready to offer pleasure. Bright floral and spice accents lead into a core of sweet red/purplish berry fruit, spice, mocha, tobacco, licorice and incense. The 2019 has gained a bit of weight in élevage, but it remains gracious and understated in bearing. I loved it.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThe 2019 Château Côte De Baleau shows beautifully, with lots of spicy red and black fruits, subtle background oak, medium to full body, and a great finish. I loved the 2016 and 2018, and this is certainly in the same ballpark.Jeb Dunnuck | 91-93 JDPine needles, bark, potpourri, blackberries and currants on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with tight, chewy tannins. Fleshy, textured finish. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 91 JSAustere attack to the wine, with cassis and blueberry fruits that show salinity and mouthwatering qualities but also the flipside of pronounced acidity. This has plenty of life ahead, with a texture that softens as the charred oak adds sweetness and width. Owned by the Cuvelier family with Michel Rolland as consultant. (Drink between 2025-2040)Decanter | 90 DECDisplaying an opaque purple color, the 2019 Cote de Baleau bursts with plum preserves, baked blackberries and blueberry pie scents plus nuances of mocha, bouquet garni, tapenade and woodsmoke. The medium to full-bodied palate is coated with rich, dark fruits and oodles of freshness, framed by plush tannins and finishing on a lingering aniseed note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91+ RP

The 2019 La Gaffelière is just as impressive as it was en primeur. Bright and tightly wound, La Gaffelière sizzles with energy. Dark red fruit, mocha, blood orange, mint and dried flowers lend striking aromatic presence. There is some youthful austerity here, but nothing time in bottle won’t take care of. The 2019 doesn’t quite match the stratospheric grandeur of the magical 2018, but it comes close. Antonio Galloni | 96 AGA vibrant, fragrant red with aromas of blackberries, currants, walnuts and mint chocolate. Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Pretty walnut notes on the polished finish. Fantastic length. Driven acidity and focus. Try in 2025.James Suckling | 96 JS95–97. Barrel Sample. This estate has made a dark, dense wine in this vintage. That density is penetrated by the freshness of the black currant fruits. The result is a wine that is powered both by structure and crisp fruit. There is definitely plenty of aging potential here.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2019 La Gaffelière wafts from the glass with a rich bouquet of blackberries and cherries mingled with subtle hints of burning embers and loamy soil that’s framed by a deft application of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, it’s a concentrated, vibrant wine built around bright acids and fine, powdery tannins. Its vivid fruit tones and classical balance make this Cabernet Franc-rich blend a promising candidate for sustained bottle age. Anyone who has tasted the great wines this estate produced in the 1950s and 1960s knows how great this site can be; and with stricter selection as well as the elimination of fruit from vines growing on the plain from the blend, that potential appears to be being unleashed at last.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA rich and round nose, bursting with ripe fruit aromas. Plump and voluptuous on the palate all while having excellent acidity that really lifts it up, so you have depth but also this real aerial aspect. Tannins are smooth and really well framed and this is super fresh. Delicate yet deep, round yet layered with chalky minerality. Elegant and engaging. Drinking Window 2027 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECThis rolls out dense fig, boysenberry and red currant paste flavors laced with pronounced chalky minerality and notes of tobacco, dried anise and juniper. The serious tannic drive on the finish puts this in the ’classically austere’ camp. Worth cellaring for sure, but patience is required. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2040. 7,500 cases made, 500 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe flagship 2019 Château La Gaffeliere is mostly Merlot, yet the cuvée always includes around 15% Cabernet Franc. It offers a complex array of spiced red and black fruits, cedary herbs, lead pencil, and a kiss of tobacco to go with a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, impressively balanced style on the palate. It shows the more classic style of the vintage, has no hard edges, and a killer finish. It’s going to be relatively accessible in its youth yet also age gracefully for 15+ years or more. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JD

Baked-plum aromas., together with candied spices, earth, tobacco and light coffee, following through to a full body with firm yet polished tannins and a fresh, vivid finish. It really builds and shows loads of structure and intensity. Give it time to soften slightly, but the flavors and texture are already balanced and sophisticated. Classic style to this. The palate really builds. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2019 Larcis Ducasse is magnificent. Deep and beautifully layered, the 2019 offers tons of youthful resonance wrapped into a super-classic frame. There is a feeling of translucence here that is so beguiling. Sweet dark cherry, tobacco, cedar, menthol and dried flowers are some of the many aromas and flavors that take shape over time. Regal and refined, with an elegant, polished finish, Larcis is magnificent in 2019. Aging in equal parts barrique and 500L tonneaux (which are rare in Bordeaux) helps preserve vibrancy. Larcis Ducasse might be the single most under the radar wine in all of Bordeaux!Antonio Galloni | 96+ AGThe 2019 Larcis Ducasse has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, burning embers, spices and licorice. Full-bodied, sumptuous and enveloping, with a fleshy core of fruit, ripe tannins and succulent acids, it’s a giving, generous wine that’s softer and rounder than Pavie Macquin, its stablemate. This beautiful vineyard, managed by Nicolas Thienpont, is located on the limestone slopes of Saint-Émilion, sandwiched between Pavie and Bellefont-Belcier.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPLushly layered with dark plum, fig and blackberry compote flavors, this is inlaid with singed alder and licorice root notes. Sports a burst of tobacco and warm earth hints through the finish, all while the fruit keeps pace. A lingering echo of violet is a sign of some buried purity as well. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WSMoving to the Grand Vin, the 2019 Château Larcis Ducasse sports a deep ruby/plum color as well as a reserved bouquet of ripe black cherries, leafy tobacco, graphite, and damp earth. Medium to full-bodied and nicely concentrated, with clean, ripe tannins, it’s holding things relatively close to its vest and is going to benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age. I don’t see it matching the greats from this estate, but it’s a beautiful wine. The blend is 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, and there are just under 3,000 cases produced.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDCoffee and liquorice on the nose with some dark chocolate and black cherries. Wow, a deep, dark style here, majoring on liquorice but just gently spicy and quite savoury with some truffle and cedar notes. Really well defined, this has a lovely precision to it - you can feel the polish. Tannins are quite mouth filling and this feels like a fairly serious wine with so much potential. Potent is the word, with such a long lasting flavour. Needs time to come around but will be excellent. (Drink between 2025-2038)Decanter | 94 DECThe wine’s richness shows from the start with dense black tannins and great structure. It is a powerful wine, concentrated and full of potential. The black fruits are open, generous. Drink from 2026. ROGER VOSSWine Enthusiast | 94 WE

The 2019 Château Pavie is another beauty that offers more density and sexiness than just about every other wine in the vintage, yet it is still an unnecessarily restrained expression of this terroir, which is the fad in Bordeaux these days. Based on 50% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 80% new French oak, this deep purple-hued effort has a great bouquet of ripe black cherries, darker currants, tobacco leaf, violets, and graphite, with a beautiful sense of minerality and salinity on the palate. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, it has plenty of background oak, a deep, layered mid-palate, terrific tannins, and a great finish. It shows the more understated, elegant style of the vintage yet is still pure Pavie. Hide bottles for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following 30+.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDLots of blackberry and grilled meat with earth and spice. Some smoky undertones, too. Blackcurrants. Complex. Full-bodied with round, juicy tannins, yet they turn extremely fine and very linear and go on for minutes. Great length. A blend of 50% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 18% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2027, but already a joy to drink.James Suckling | 98 JS97–99. Barrel Sample. This wine has an aristocratic air. The tannins and fruit flavors are rich but not showy, indicating how this estate has found its stride. With its firm structure and bold black fruit tones, it is going to be a wine for long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2019 Pavie is incredibly elegant right out of the gate. Aromas of crushed rose petal, cedar, mint and sweet pipe tobacco are immediately alluring. The 2019 is sensual and inviting, with no excess weight and fabulous overall balance. Blood orange, red/purplish fruit, cinnamon and mint develop effortlessly. Time in the glass brings out Cabernet Franc aromatics and structure, leading to a feeling of vertical intensity that is hugely appealing.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGDreamy right from the start, with a seductive mouthfeel to its mix of raspberry puree, cassis and creamed plum flavors infused with rooibos tea, black licorice and alder accents. Long and extremely fine-grained through the finish, with subtle floral lift and a lingering hint of chalky minerality. Gorgeous. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2040. 8,000 cases made. Wine Spectator | 97 WSSuch an expressive nose, especially after five minutes, dark black bramble fruits with raisins and plums on the nose alongside touches of tobacco and coffee too. Quite refined on the palate, less upfront plump fruit and chewiness, more knitted and focussed with a juicy core yet still powerful, underlying and driving. It’s serious, muscular and strong, really a vein of direct fruit coated in wet stone minerality. I love the tension and acidity with the heady density of fruit and soft perfume around the edges. So much going on here. It’s a bold, confident style, but overall feels well made and purposeful. (Drink between 2026-2046)Decanter | 96 DECWhile the 2019 Pavie does display a touch more restraint that the wines produced here a decade ago, it remains one of the most powerful, extracted wines in all of Bordeaux, exhibiting a glass-staining, opaque purple-black color and a rich bouquet of cherries, blackberries and berry fruit liqueur mingled with sweet spices, loamy soil, licorice and rose petals. Full-bodied, powerful and muscular, it’s thick and textural, with a layered, multidimensional mid-palate laden with ripe fruit and rich, chewy tannins, concluding with a long, youthfully grippy finish. The evolution of the early Pese-era wines at age 20 leads me to suspect that time will be kind to this 2019, but couldn’t this great site—which naturally delivers elevated maturity combined with low pH—be rendered with more charm and sensuality?Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP

I continue to love the wines from this château. The 2019 Château Chauvin shows an impeccably balanced, elegant, yet still concentrated style that’s well worth seeking out. Mostly Merlot (there’s some Cabernet Franc as well as a tiny amount of Cabernet Sauvignon), its deep purple hue is followed by a clean, pure, medium to full-bodied wine offering classic ripe darker cherry and currant fruits as well as spicy oak, chalky minerality, and hints of tobacco. It’s still closed and reserved today, yet the balance is spot on, it has beautifully ripe tannins, and a great mid-palate. It’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have at least two decades of prime drinking. It’s wonderful stuff.Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ JDExtremely aromatic with chalk and dried flowers, as well as blackberries and blueberries. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a steady layer of medium, round and chewy tannins and a long, spicy finish of white pepper and dark fruit. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2019 Chauvin has a lovely bouquet of pretty brambly red fruit, rose petal and light sous-bois aromas, fragrant and floral. The palate is medium-bodied, crisp and taut, quite classic in style, with fine tannins and a structured, off-dry finish. Give this 3–5 years in bottle because there is a lot of substance here.Vinous Media | 93 VMHigh toned cherry fruit on the nose, smells lively. Lovely purity on the palate and also some perfumed aspects which I really like. Nice solid core of flavour - elegant and refined. Textured almost like chewing grape skins with the dryness but also the flavour at the same time. Good overall impression and one for earlier approachability. Drinking Window 2023 - 2041.Decanter | 93 DECA ripe, fruity and smoky wine, this is a solid example of this vintage. The black fruits are open and luscious, giving juicy berry flavors. The tannins lurk underneath where lies the power and aging potential. This Sylvie Cazes wine is all set for medium-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA success from proprietor Sylvie Cazes, the 2019 Chauvin delivers aromas of rich berries and plums mingled with hints of sweet spices and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, lively and seamless, it’s layered and nicely concentrated, with bright acids and powdery tannins. This will merit a bit of patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RP