Saint Emilion Wines

wines

This is just so good. Not overly big, it has nuance, sapidity and grace, with space between the lines. It’s not sacrificing its concentration but it gives you a chance to get onboard and accompany it along the way. I love the quality of the brambled blackberry and loganberry fruit here, and the touch of austerity that gives a welcome note of bitter chocolate to the finish. It has great tannic grip and there’s no question that this will age well, but it’s also extremely drinkable now. Tasted several times, and each occasion blew me away. My favourite vintage to date from this property.47hl/ha yields, as in 2016.Drinking Window 2027 - 2042Decanter | 98 DECViolets, blackcurrants, cloves, tobacco, orange zest and dark chocolate on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins and fresh acidity. Sleek and refined with elegant floral and spice notes on a long finish. Interesting hint of bitterness at the end. Try from 2025.James Suckling | 97 JSOne of my favorite wines, the 2018 Château Pavie Macquin is 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon that comes from a cooler terroir above Pavie. This Cuvée is always hard to judge in its youth, since it’s often closed and reserved, but it builds beautifully with bottle age and offers an incredibly classic, complex, powerful, and elegant profile at maturity. Brought up in 70% new French oak, the 2018 reveals a dense purple hue as well as classic Saint-Emilion notes of cassis, black cherries, white truffle, chalky minerality, violets, and tobacco. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has polished tannins, a wonderfully pure, elegant texture, and the balance and class to benefit from a decade of bottle age and keep for three decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 97+ JDThe 2018 Pavie Macquin is a blend of 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly, sensuously unfurls to reveal a gorgeous perfume of Black Forest cake, Morello cherries, baked plums and violets, with nuances of licorice, Indian spices and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has achingly plush tannins and fantastic freshness framing the spicy black fruit and mineral layers, finishing long and so, so fragrant. Wow—just stunning!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2018 Pavie Macquin was impressive out of barrel. It has retained its opulent bouquet, perhaps becoming even more luxuriant and plush, offering copious black cherries, cassis and violet aromas and hints of vanilla pod and iodine in the background. The palate is where this really impresses, because its opulence is effortlessly counterbalanced by a bead of acidity that imparts freshness and tension. This is a multilayered Pavie-Macquin endowed with tremendous length on the aftertaste. Even after 60 seconds I can still feel this Saint-Émilion lapping upon my senses. Superb.Vinous Media | 96 VMSleek, pure, aromatic and streamlined version, with lovely cassis, cherry puree, violet and mesquite notes tightly wound together, while anise and savory hints peek in. Long finish is carried by chalky minerality. A wine of poise. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2037. 5,500 cases made. Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe pure black currant fruits of this exemplary wine are matched with bright acidity and ripe, solid tannins. It is impressively rich and will certainly age well.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

The Le Pin of Saint-Emilion, the 2018 Château Tertre Roteboeuf is another exotic, sexy, singular wine from the Mitjavile family, whose vineyard is ideally situated on the eastern side of Saint Emilion. The 2018 isn’t far off the style of the 2016 yet is perhaps even more exotic and up-front, offering a wild nose of white chocolate, black cherries, green tobacco, bacon fat, exotic flowers, and vanilla bean. Brilliantly concentrated on the palate, it has silky, polished tannins, a rather muscular, structured style, thick aromas and flavors, and a great finish. This is another genius effort from François Mitjavile that’s in the same league as the 2005, 2010, and 2016. There’s nothing else out there that comes close to resembling the wines from this estate! It needs 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2018 Tertre-Rôteboeuf is a rich, heady Saint-Émilion. Ripe, flamboyant and creamy, the 2018 captures all of the opulence of the vintage. Black fruit, bittersweet chocolate, spice, new leather and tobacco gradually open in the glass, but the 2018 is a dense, plush wine that needs time to show all it has to offer. The bouquet displays a bit of reduction, so opening the wine in advance and possibly decanting, are advisable. As always, François Mitjavile crafts one of the most distinctive wines in all of Bordeaux.Antonio Galloni | 96 AG

This is a very linear red and layered at the same time, showing blackberry, blueberry, black-truffle, bark and stone character. Chalk and minerality, too. It’s full-bodied and well framed with gorgeous intensity and freshness. Muscular with wonderful structure and brightness. Salty and savory notes on the finish. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2018 Troplong Mondot will take readers who haven’t tasted these wines in a few years aback. Stunning in its aromatic presence, the 2018 is silky, medium-in body and super-refined. Once again, I am blown away by the wine’s total sense of precision. The Cabernets are only 15% of the blend, and yet the 2018 is so strongly marked by floral and savory accents. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint, rose petal and lavender all build in the glass. The 2018 is regal, refined and absolutely exquisite.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe 2018 Troplong Mondot is blended of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with 15% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, with considerable coaxing and swirling it slowly emerges from the glass like a waking giant, building to a towering bouquet of preserved plums, blueberry pie and Morello cherries with gentler wafts of violets, star anise, fruitcake and cast-iron pan. The concentrated, full-bodied palate possesses impressive purity and brightness of fruit commingled with richer, riper elements and supported by firm, velvety tannins, finishing with lovely freshness and on a lingering ferrous note. It’s a wine that’s not just delicious, it’s seriously interesting too.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2018 Château Troplong Mondot showed beautifully. Based on 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it reveals a dense purple color as well as ripe beautiful aromatics of black cherries, red plums, graphite, espresso, Asian spices, and gravelly earth. Beautiful on the palate as well, it’s medium to full-bodied and has a rounded, expansive texture, plenty of mid-palate depth, building tannins, and present yet integrated oak. This classic, impressive Troplong Mondot will need 5-7 years of bottle age but will evolve for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe tannins are beautifully integrated into this velvet-textured wine. It has density and richness allied to concentration. At the same time, it has kept wonderful freshness and acidity to give it fine lift. The aging potential is obvious.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis is a dense and profound wine, but it’s a little shy aromatically at present. The palate is juicy and well constituted with attractive volume, beautiful texture, silky tannins and an unreserved but unaggressive power behind. The finish is firm and persistent. Despite the alcohol, everything is balanced and contained. Aged in 60% new oak barrels. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECThis shows the profile of the vintage, with a touch of plum pit and savory austerity along the edges of a core of red and black currant and cherry paste flavors. Late tugs of warm earth and tobacco on the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035. 8,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

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

Another stunning vintage from this brilliant estate that is just delivering hit after hit. Concentration and intensity right from the initial aromatics, damson, cassis and blackberry fruits that you could almost drink now until the tannins build up across the palate and remind you that this is built to last. Velvety texture, black chocolate and crushed stone minerality on the finish. One of the wines of the vintage. Tasted twice, one week apart. 60% 1st wine. A yield of 45hl/ha. (Drink between 2027-2044)Decanter | 98 DECFrom one of my favorite châteaux on the Right Bank, the 2019 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) is 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. It's a tighter, more closed 2019, yet it offers beautiful purity and focus in its cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as notes of tobacco leaf, graphite, chocolate, and chalky minerality. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and again, with this remarkable purity and precision, it has enough tannins to warrant 4-6 years in the cellar and will be incredibly long-lived. It's a beautiful Saint-Emilion. It’s worth pointing out that the 2019 is the vintage bottled by Nicolas Thienpont and starting in 2021, the estate is in the hands of Josephine Duffau-Lagarrosse.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDThe 2019 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) has turned out beautifully in bottle. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild blueberries, raspberries, violets, rose petals and forest floor, framed by a deft application of creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered, with a lively core of fruit, bright acids and fine, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, precise, saline finish. It displays all the structural refinement and vibrancy of flavor that this sector of Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau is capable of.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPBlackberries and black chocolate with licorice and berry highlights. Flowers and crushed stones, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. Plenty going on here. Very subtle and refined for this estate. Needs two or three years to come together. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2019 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse, matured in 60% new oak, has maintained wonderful purity on the nose of ebullient red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, very elegant and poised and perhaps delivering less of the blue fruit element than I noticed from barrel. The cohesive palate conveys exquisite balance, fine, slightly granular tannins and a very subtle ferrous note toward the finish. This is an understated wine that is endowed with ample freshness, and I can see it aging beautifully for 30 or more years.Vinous Media | 95 VM

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 JDSweet 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 JSThe 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 AGUnfurling 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

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 JDBeautiful 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 JSThe 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 WSOffering 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

The 2019 Poesia is one of the finest wines I have ever tasted from Hélène and Patrice Lévêque. Rich and sumptuous, Poesia marries intensity with vibrancy in grand style. Poesia is a big, explosive Saint-Émilion, but it also possesses tremendous energy. Dark fruit, gravel, incense, spice and saddle leather open with a bit of coaxing. There is an exotic quality to Poesia in 2019 that is especially alluring. Brilliant.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGDried flowers, mimosa, blackcurrants, peppercorns and burnt orange on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tightly wound tannins and crisp acidity. Zesty, mineral character on the tight finish. Lightly smoky at the end. Try in 2026.James Suckling | 95 JSMedium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Poesia is a little closed to begin, soon opening out to reveal wonderfully pure notes of crushed red and black plums, fresh blackberries and warm cherries with nuances of allspice, aniseed, potpourri and forest floor. Medium-bodied, the palate is tightly wound, featuring loads of mineral sparks and a wicked backbone of freshness, with very fine-grained tannins to support, finishing long and vibrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94+ RPThe 2019 Château Poesia is a charming, up-front, straight-up sexy Saint-Emilion that brings lots of fruit yet always stays balanced and seamless. Bright red and blue berry fruits, spring flowers, tobacco, and some chalky minerality all define the bouquet, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a supple, elegant texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. This purity of fruit is spot on, and this is another terrific vintage for this château. It already offers pleasure yet will benefit from short-term cellaring and unquestionably evolve for 20-25 years if stored properly.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDEstate owned by Barde-Haut family in a cooler later ripening spot of St Emilion, this has plentiful peppered spice notes and clear austerity. Dark fruits that feel well controlled by the tannins, with lashings of liquorice, smoked earth and black chocolate. Serious, enjoyable.Drinking Window 2025 - 2040Decanter | 92 DEC

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 JDThis 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 JSOne 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 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

Based on a final blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Château Angélus is knockout stuff, and while I’m not sure it matches the perfect 2018, it’s not far off. Gorgeous notes of redcurrants, blueberries, sandalwood, dried flowers, vanilla, and forest floor are just some of its nuances, and it hits the palate with medium to full body, a perfectly balanced, seamless mouthfeel, beautifully ripe tannins, and a great, great finish. It doesn’t have the sheer weight or richness of, say, the 1998, 2000, 2005, or even the 2009, but it doesn’t lack for intensity or power, and it’s just a beautiful example of modern-day Saint-Emilion. It’s already approachable (this was best on day two) yet will keep for another 30+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JD(Château Angélus, Merlot, St-Émilion, Bordeaux, France, Red) Beautifully expressive nose, really so welcoming with hints of sweet red cherries, raspberries, milk chocolate and touches of perfume too - soft but really defined. On the palate there is such charming grip from the tannins and flavour that just takes hold straight away but not in an overly dominating way. It’s smooth but precise, driven from start to finish. Softly chewy tannins coat the tongue with black fruit and some creaminess alongside excellent acidity that gives a mouthwateringly fresh and cooling aspect underneath the ripe red and black fruit flavours. This has real life and energy, bright with clear complexity and layers of fruit, oak and terroir that comes across as a spicy but also wet stone, mineral undertone. Seriously good. You almost want to drink this now and just capture all the elements going on but they’ll continue to soften and integrate over time and also let the beautiful Cabernet Franc elements integrate and come more into play over time. A success in 2019. (Drink between 2028-2050)Decanter | 98 DECRedcurrants, sweet tobacco and flowers with some sandalwood. Very perfumed and floral. So pure. Full-bodied, yet so refined and layered, with a soft, compact palate and a crushed-velvet mouth-feel. Poised fruit at the end, together with fresh, rare wood and a light chocolate undertone to the aftertaste. This is open, yet there’s so much in reserve. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. Leave it in the cellar for at least eight years. Try after 2029.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2019 Angélus is every bit as impressive as it was from barrel. Silky, medium in body and wonderfully nuanced, the 2019 is pure class. All the elements come together so beautifully as the 2019 builds with a bit of air. Forty percent of the Franc was aged in cask, an approach that works so well here in coaxing all of the energy of Franc to complement the Merlot.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe 2019 Angélus bursts from the glass with a rich, dramatic nose of cherries, licorice, sweet spices and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, layered and vibrant, its broad and velvety attack segues into a layered, concentrated mid-palate that’s underpinned by tangy acids and fine, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. It’s a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Its seamless, pure profile reflects the subtle shift chez Angélus away from the rich, toasty style of the 1990s and 2000s toward greater elegance and precision.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

The 2019 Le Tertre Roteboeuf is a terrific success from the Mitjaville family. This amphitheatrical vineyard on the clay-limestone slopes of Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, planted with low, cordon-trained vines, has delivered a striking wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of cassis, blackberries and cherries mingled with notions of violets, cigar box, sweet spices and loamy soil. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, velvety tannins and lively acids, it will richly reward a decade and more of bottle age. Interestingly, proprietor François Mitjaville contended that 2019's distribution of rainfall had tended to invert the usual stylistic distinction between Tertre Roteboeuf and Roc de Cambes, his wine from the Côtes de Bourg; yet, on the day of our tasting, geology trumped weather, because as usual the former was more sensual, the latter blockier and more structured.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2019 Tertre-Rôteboeuf is fabulous. In most vintages, Tertre-Rôteboeuf is exuberant, but in 2019 it is a bit more strict, a bit more linear in construction. That's not a bad thing at all, it just means the 2019 might need a few years in bottle to be at its very best. Black cherry, espresso, licorice, new leather and menthol gradually open in the glass. I especially like the energy here.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGThe 2019 Château Tertre Roteboeuf shows the more elegant, polished style of the vintage nicely yet still has that sexy, perfumed, complex style that's the hallmark of this cuvée. Loads of crème de cassis, kirsch liqueur, tobacco, white chocolate, espresso, and violet notes emerge on the nose, and this full-bodied beauty has a wonderful sense of balance and elegance, present tannins, and a great finish. It's going to be a relatively accessible vintage from this great estate, yet I would bet on it evolving for 25 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JD

A full-bodied, firm and intense red with blackcurrants, toasted walnuts, violets, smoked paprika and dried herbs on the nose. Sturdy frame from firm yet polished tannins. Powerful and wonderfully integrated. Better from 2026.James Suckling | 94 JSI loved the 2020 Château Bellevue, and this might be the finest vintage I’ve tasted from this address. Lots of cassis and blue fruits as well as toasted spice, chocolate, and chalky minerality emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a great texture, ripe tannins, and a nice mix of freshness and richness.Jeb Dunnuck | 92-94+ JD

A brilliant success for this property in the ascendant, the 2020 Berliquet opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of warm spices and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it’s vibrant and dynamic, with polished tannins, a bright spine and a long, elegantly chalky finish. It represents another step up for Berliquet, which will soon benefit from a new winery.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPBlackberry with charcoal and dark earth aromas that follow through to a medium to full body with fruit, iron and moss flavors. It’s structured and well-formed with excellent balance of acidity. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 94 JSAnother brilliant Saint-Emilion in the vintage, the 2020 Château Berliquet is mostly Merlot yet includes close to a third Cabernet Franc, which no doubt contributes to its elegant, finesse-driven, floral character. It’s incredibly pure and classy, with notes of red and blue fruits, sappy spring flowers, graphite, and baking spices all emerging on the nose. These carry to a medium-bodied, ultra-fine, pure, seamless 2020 that offers pleasure today and will offer pleasure in 15+ years as well. This wine is never the biggest or richest in a vintage, but it shines for its purity, balance, and elegance. It’s beautifully done.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDGorgeous fragrance on the nose, really so inviting and scented. Smooth and supple, crisp and fresh, lovely purity of expression here, still quite subtle and delicate, salty, tangy, wild herbs, liquorice, clove and dark chocolate. Not bright in so much as the fruits are quite dark - blackcurrant and cherry, but such concentration with a lightness of touch. Very well worked, focused, pure, detailed, decisive and forward with chalky tannins, expressive of terroir. Lovely style on show here. Another amazingly good wine from this stable in 2020.Decanter | 93 DECA big wine with rich tannins and a dense structure, the wine is solid, the clay soil showing both in the wine’s ripeness and its power. It is a fine wine, concentrated and with layers of black plum flavors. Drink this wine from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WENicely rendered, with a fresh, focused core of damson plum and red currant coulis laced with a floral edge and backed by a refined chalky note. The finish features warm tobacco accents to the blossom notes. A restrained style. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2035. 3,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2020 Berliquet is another step in a direction favoring finesse over the burly power that often marked the wines of the past. Delicate and nuanced, with pretty floral top notes, this mid-weight Saint-Émilion is a charmer. Drink it over the next decade or so.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2020 Château Chauvin offers up a vivid purple hue as well as a meaty, powerful nose of ripe black cherries, roasted herbs, jus de viande, graphite, and a terrific sense of minerality. Showing more floral nuances with time in the glass, it’s medium to full-bodied, has a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, the building tannins of the vintage, and outstanding length. Give it 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ JDComposed of 70% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, aging in French oak barrels, 60% new, for 15-18 months, the 2020 Chauvin has a deep purple-black color and vibrant scents of crushed black cherries, black raspberries and juicy blackberries, plus hints of violets, clove oil and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with muscular black and red berry layers, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPChocolate, bay leaves, oregano and blackcurrants. Full-bodied, with firm yet nicely ripe and polished tannins. Broad and seamless. Caressing and velvety at the end. Try from 2026.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2020 Chauvin has a clean and precise bouquet with dark berry fruit, cedar and crushed stone, becoming more floral with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, again, as it showed from barrel, overtly peppery in style but not excessively so. Fine delineation on the saline Valrona chocolate-tinged finish, this is a very capable Saint Émilion Grand Cru.Vinous Media | 92 VMBeautiful aromatics on the nose which is fragrant and full. Bright acidity and a lively red fruit profile on the palate, more strawberry and redcurrant than black fruits, with searing acidity that does come across as a touch drying right now, along with some salty, wet stone notes and lashings of dark chocolate, cedar, cocoa and liquorice. The grainy tannins and woody elements linger on the cheeks and stop the fruit progression a little early, but this has good potential.Decanter | 92 DECThe wine has richness that imbues the tannins with generosity. The juicy berry flavors and acidity are already succulent. It is the core of dryness that promises the agingWine Enthusiast | 92 WE

Another killer wine in the vintage is the 2020 Château Côte De Baleau, which comes from a cooler, north-facing vineyard on the eastern side of the appellation. Almost all Merlot, it offers a medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling, layered style that carries plenty of ripe tannins, terrific mid-palate depth, and textbook Right Bank Merlot notes of red and black cherries, leather, dried flowers, and chalky minerality. It picks up more and more minerality with time in the glass and is a bonafide mineral bomb. Give it just a few years in the cellar and enjoy it over the coming 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDAromas of currants and blackberries with spiced chocolate, dried herbs and wet stones. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins and vivid acidity. Structured and meaty. Shows freshness and juiciness to its deep, dark-fruited character. Toned, firm finish. Drink from 2025.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2020 Côte de Baleau has an attractive bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, dried blood and cedar. Lovely focus here, real class and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with blackberry, tobacco and graphite, again, very well-focused with an engaging, mineral-driven finish that lingers in the mouth. This a very well-crafted Saint-Émilion that will age with style.Vinous Media | 92 VMLashings of liquorice and dark chocolate combine with ripe blackcurrant and plums, giving a serious tone to this wine. It’s well built, with good support from gently chewy and present tannins, with a long, minty, salty finish. There are touches of dried fruits to this, raisins and prunes, but the acidity is well balanced and this has a nice weight in the mouth. A little drying by the finish. Heft and power, but not brutish.Decanter | 90 DECA ripe, full-bodied wine, this has rich tannins and plenty of spicy character from the wood aging. It is dense, structured with powerful black fruits and a generous, velvet texture. The wine has enough structure to age well. Drink from 2026 Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

A ripe, rich red that delivers loads of crushed-berry, chocolate and walnut character, as well as fine tannins through the center palate. Layered texture.James Suckling | 94-95 JSLots of mulled cherries, blueberries, iron, and bouquet garni emerge from the 2020 Château Faugeres, a rich, focused, yet fruit-loaded barrel sample that has a good sense of purity and elegance. I was able to taste two bottles, both showing medium to full-bodied richness, with one having slightly more precision. Both showed great mid-palates, and this is certainly a beautiful wine in the making. Two to four years should do it well and it’s going to have two decades of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDDeep purple-black colored, the 2020 Faugères stampedes out of the glass with a herd of powerful black fruit notes: blackberry pie, baked black plums and ripe, juicy black cherries, plus hints of wild mushrooms, damp soil, tar and star anise with a waft of tobacco. The full-bodied palate is chock-full of black fruit preserves, framed by ripe, rounded tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe 2020 Faugeres offers ripe black plum and boysenberry fruit on the nose, which is extravagant and verging on ostentatious, though somehow it maintains focus and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with red cherries, boysenberry, cola and light allspice notes on the entry. Well balanced with impressive depth toward the fleshy finish, leaving a lick of dark chocolate on the aftertaste. This is a fine Faugeres that should be afforded 4–5 years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMAlways a concentrated wine and with low 23hl/ha yields it is expectedly so. This translates as intense charred oak on the nose, but they have done a good job of balancing it with ripe berry fruit alongside liquorice and black chocolate. Sleek and confident with clear depth. Another wine that shows the success of Cabernet Sauvignon in the right places of St-Emilion.Decanter | 91 DEC

Rather tropical fruit aromas like pineapple and mangoes, as well as white peaches and lemons with hints of stones and minerals. It’s full-bodied with plenty of fruit, yet it’s fresh and steely. Lots of white peaches at the end. Hints of lees too, like bread dough. 80% sauvignon blanc and 20% semillon.James Suckling | 96 JSCola, liquorice and ripe blueberries on the nose - perfumed, heady and expressive. So delicious on the palate, smooth and driving with excellent energy - a youthful tension to the mid-palate. Sleek and stylish with a gorgeous texture, perfectly weighted to give a mouthfilling expression yet keeping a refined and focused delivery of black fruit, liquorice and floral flavours. Impressive and supremely pleasurable - this makes you want a glass immediately. Spicy, and perfumed because of the Cabernet Franc but all the better for it with 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2020 Le Petit Cheval is stunning. Rich, deep and expansive, the Petit Cheval is outrageously good. In fact, it could easily be mistaken for a Cheval Blanc from anything less than a great vintage. The aromatics are alluring and the balance is sublime; all that really identifies this as a second wine is a bit of mid-palate depth. Sweet floral and spice accents extend the effortless, gracious finish.Vinous Media | 94 VMI wrote in my note on the 2020 Château Cheval Blanc Le Petit Cheval that this is "one hell of a second wine," and it has a kiss of the elegance and complexity found in the top cuvée. Black fruits, roasted herbs, graphite, and scorched earth notes all emerge from this ruby/purple-hued beauty, which has medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. It will drink nicely for 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThis second wine shows so many of the rich, dense qualities of the top wine. Bold black fruits are sustained by serious tannins and a dry core. It will age well. Drink from 2026Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2020 Le Petit Cheval offers up aromas of minty cherries, plums, raw cocoa, mint and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and voluptuous palate underpinned by a broad-shouldered chassis of tannin. A blend of 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Merlot, it’s a rather structured young Petit Cheval that will reward a bit of patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RPSleek and solid, with a well-defined core of dark currant and black cherry puree lined with black licorice and sweet tobacco. Boasts black tea and warm paving stone accents through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2033.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2020 Pavie Macquin is sensational. Rich, dark and explosive, the 2020 balances the natural richness that is such a signature of the estate with a level of energy and vibrancy I have not seen here in the recent past. The result is a towering, imposing Pavie Macquin that hugely delivers. In this vintage, regisseur Nicolas Thienpont did not use the Cabernet Sauvignon, so the blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with the Franc lending aromatic presence, energy and depth. What a total knock out!Vinous Media | 100 VMI have never had a Pavie Macquin like this. It’s so fresh and vivid with black cherry, currant and raspberry character, as well as citrus. Some mineral and spice. Salt, too. The palate is full and linear with a verticality that takes you so deep and long. Endless. Transparent. Drink after 2028.James Suckling | 98 JSVivid and vibrant nose, full of rose petals, lilac floral edges, strawberries and black cherries. Forward, expressive, perfumed, alive. Sensual on the palate, smooth, velvety soft, intense but well balanced with a gorgeous plush, mouthful of ripe tannins. Really very good with the right intensity, structure and push. Powerful but controlled, poised yet plush, wild and raw yet pretty too with tons of energy and St-Emilion glamour. Has a core of juicy, bright red fruits with a grainy, herbal edge to the strawberries, a lovely bitterness, and edges of liquorice, slate and wet stone - nuanced and aromatic. I love this, they haven’t pushed too far and the acidity is brilliant. Clean and precise.Decanter | 97 DECThe dense purple-hued 2020 Château Pavie Macquin checks in as a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from yields of 31 hectoliters per hectare and a selection of 85% of the production. Incredibly pure cassis and blueberry fruits as well as complex spring flowers, liquid violets, white truffle, and a liqueur of limestone-like minerality define the aromatics, and it’s medium to full-bodied on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, the vintage’s pure, focused, structured profile, and a great finish. As in most vintages, this beauty is not for instant gratification and needs 7-8 years, if not a decade of cellaring to show its potential. It’s another true vin de garde from the team of Nicolas Thienpont (Stéphane Derenoncourt also consults) that readers will love to have in their cellar.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDThis full wine’s ripe black fruits are velvety in texture and density. Inherently powerful, the wine keeps a great sense of proportion and balance. It has good acidity, with the freshness and balance coming together. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2020 Pavie Macquin is performing well in bottle, unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet raspberries and cherries mingled with notions of orange zest, violets, spices, bay leaf and vine smoke. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it’s deep and fleshy, its ample core of fruit framed by youthfully firm, chalky tannins. As usual, it’s more structured than Larcis Ducasse, and it remains a bottling that will demand some patience, even if the Thienpont team have subtly eased off on extraction over the last few vintages, a welcome trend that I hope will be pushed further.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPVery expressive, with a lovely violet and cassis set of aromas and flavors that spill forth, though this keeps focus and form, as subtle minerality and a very fine-grained structure allows this to flow gracefully through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2040. 4,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 2020 Château Valandraud Blanc is both deeper and richer, with a more concentrated, medium to full-bodied style as well as incredible aromatics of ripe melon, white fits, lemon, minty herbs, and chalky minerality. With integrated acidity, an almost red wine-like structured mouthfeel, and a great finish, this easily belongs up with the greatest whites in the vintage. It will evolve for two decades if you’re so inclined.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2020 Valandraud Blanc opens with the most gorgeous perfume of orange blossoms, honeycomb and allspice, leading to a core of pink grapefruit, lemon tart and lime cordial, with a waft of aniseed. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with layer upon layer of tropical and citrus fruits, supported by a crisp backbone and satiny texture, finishing with epic length and perfume. Stunning.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2020 Valandraud Blanc, centered upon 60% Sauvignon Gris, an underrated variety, has a nicely focused bouquet with apple blossom, lemon verbena, chamomile and light pear aromas. The 80% new oak is neatly enmeshed. The palate is well balanced with a fine thread of acidity, quite complex with a modicum of spice and stem ginger. There is something different about this white Bordeaux emanating from the grape varieties, a wine with character and sufficient salinity to tempt you back for another sip. Just 3,000 bottles made.Vinous Media | 94 VMHerbal lemon, caramelised patisserie, baked lemon tart with some apple flecks. Round, unctuous, strong and bold, but clean and clear with a honeyed, caramel pastry tang on the palate balanced by a shot of zesty lemon, lime, orange and peach - the citrus fruits holding the backbone with high acidity and freshness. Richly layered and powerful but also friendly, generous and lively. It’s serious but with elements of fun!Decanter | 94 DECDense, complex white with sliced fennel, grapefruit, clove, burnt vanilla pod, green pineapple and herbs on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, textured and phenolic, with slightly bitter herbal and spice character. Better after 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSJuicy and fresh, with lots of deliciously bouncy gooseberry gelée and lemon peel flavors streaking through. Laced with quinine and fleur de sel notes on the finish. Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2024. 350 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis is a powerfully rich wine, with ripe citrus and yellow fruit flavors. Acidity is balanced by the dense texture and spicy undercurrent. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Readers may not know it, but this team makes some incredible whites. The 2020 Virginie De Valandraud Blanc has a beautiful perfume of bright citrus, lemon pith, and chalky minerality as well as a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet still racy and vibrant style on the palate. It’s gorgeous today, but this will evolve gracefully for 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDTypical Sauvignon Blanc nose of herbs, peas, apple and stalky elderflower with some white chocolate. Bright, textured and clear, a lovely clean sensation, I like the creamy yet piercing lemon and lime. Thrilling with clarity and elements of chalky, lemon, salty lime, nectarine and bitter orange peel. In a quiet phase but plenty of appeal.Decanter | 93 DECThis has aromas of almonds, thyme, clove, lemons and green apples. Crushed stones, too. Creamy, medium-bodied and textured, with a nutty thread throughout. Excellent weight and intensity. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2020 Virginie de Valandraud Blanc is a very pretty and expressive dry white. Hints of passionfruit, tangerine oil, mint and pineapple all grace this airy, weightless white.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe 2020 Virginie de Valandraud Blanc leaps from the glass with exuberant notes of green guava, passion fruit and ripe pears, plus hints of coriander seed, lemongrass and wet pebbles. The medium-bodied palate has impressive purity and intensity, delivering a racy backbone to offset the tropical fruit flavors, finishing long and lively.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RPCrackles nicely from the start, with oyster shell, lemon peel and gooseberry notes. Shows lots of mouthwatering zip through the finish, which brings you back for another sip. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris. Drink now through 2024. 1,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS