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The 1986 is finally emerging from the dormant stage that many of the wines from this vintage (especially the Medocs) have been going through. It is a full-bodied, still backward wine that will appeal to classicists and old line traditionalists given its firm structure and austere tannins. Nevertheless, the color is a healthy deep garnet and the wine exhibits wonderful freshness along with notes of underbrush, damp earth, black currants, cedar and new saddle leather. Well-balanced with good depth, medium to full body, and a tannic (although not excessively so) finish, this may not be the most finesse-styled, elegant Lynch Bages ever produced, but it is an interesting Pauillac that will benefit from another 3-4 years of cellaring. While it may never hit the peaks achieved by great Lynch Bages vintages, it will be one of those rare wines that will last 40+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RP5.3 g/l total acidity; 13.1% alcohol): Garnet-tinged dark ruby-red. Black fruits, candied red cherry, licorice, minerals, cedar and iron on the complex, still-reticent nose. Then more approachable on the palate, displaying a lovely restrained sweetness to the blackberry and blueberry fruit and excellent lift and clarity from lively acidity and solid underlying minerality. The finish features noble, fine-grained tannins and subtle persistence. An unusually accessible 1986 but very typical of the fleshy Lynch-Bages personality, this boasts lovely concentration and sneaky depth. Very well done.Vinous Media | 93 VMDark in color, with intense aromas of ripe black cherry, cedar and light herbs. Medium- to full-bodied, with firm tannins and a medium finish. A bit lean today, but there’s lots going on here.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

There is so much tobacco and red fruit on the nose of this wine. Exotic and decadent. Full-bodied, with a sleek and racy tannin structure and fresh acidity. Refreshing and clean, yet mature and wild. Still one of the big surprises of the vintage.—’89/’99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Château Beychevelle) I had not drunk a bottle of the 1989 vintage of Beychevelle in almost a decade and was very happy to find it is starting to open up beautifully and now offering a complex aromatic constellation of cassis, desiccated cherries, a touch of meatiness, gravelly soil tones, cigar ash, just a hint of chipotle pepper and a nicely discreet base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and quite tangy for the vintage, with fine focus and grip, a lovely core, modest tannins and a long, balanced and blossoming finish. Given how well Beychevelle ages, it is still relatively early days for the 1989 here, but the wine is now easing into its plateau of peak maturity and really starting to drink with generosity and breed. (Drink between 2018-2055)John Gilman | 92 JG

The 1989 Haut-Bailly is drinking beautifully, offering up aromas of dark berry fruit mingled with burning embers, spices and cedar box. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and sumptuous, with a rich core of fruit, melting tannins and a long, penetrating finish, it’s a broad, supple wine of immense charm and character.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPGorgeous wine, so well crafted. Good dark-ruby color. Aromas of cherry, spice and cocoa. Full-bodied, firmly tannic and a long finish of fruit and tannins. Needs time to mellow.--1989 Bordeaux horizontal.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 1989 Haut Bailly is a vintage that I have tasted several times, and one of my picks from the pre-Wilmers era despite some bottle variation. This is a good example, displaying quite a muted nose initially, but unfolding to reveal lovely sandalwood and sage aromas. It is much more rustic compared to the same wine nowadays, yet seductive. The palate of blackberry, black olives and cracked black pepper is quite harmonious, with satisfying depth, and after three decades, it continues to show commendable energy. While it lacks a little length, this remains a delightful Haut Bailly. Tasted at a private dinner in London.Vinous Media | 91 VM

A beautiful wine, with layers of ripe fruit, berry, cedar, vanilla and light spice. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. Very, very classy stuff.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 94 WSSomewhat closed and reticent after bottling, but still impressive, this 1995 possesses a dark ruby/purple color, as well as an oaky nose with classic scents of cassis, vanillin, cedar, and spice. Dense and medium to full-bodied, with softer tannin and more accessibility than the 1996, but not quite the packed and stacked effect on the palate, the 1995 is an outstanding textbook St.-Julien that will handsomely repay extended cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.Robert Parker | 91 RPVery good ruby-red. Currant, tobacco, game and roasted nuts on the expressive nose. Full, supple and sweetly oaky. Also wears its oak more gracefully. Very long on the finish, with ripe, tongue-coating tannins.Vinous Media | 91 VM

(Château Lagrange) The 1996 Lagrange is a deep, pure and beautifully made vintage for this property. The bouquet is complex and classy, as it offers up a lovely mélange of pure black cherries, a touch of plum pudding, tobacco, fresh herb tones, a lovely base of soil and a touch of toasty oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, long and rock solid at the core, with a suave personality, ripe, well-integrated tannins, sound acids and fine grip on the long, palate-staining finish. This will be a terrific Lagrange in due course. (Drink between 2015-2050).John Gilman | 93+ JGThe 1996 Lagrange has long been my favourite vintage from the 1990s. It was picked from 26 September to 11 October. This is a level up in quality over the previous vintage with far more delineation and complexity: blackberry, wild hedgerow, sandalwood and light dried blood aromas. The palate is fully matured with firm tannin, but sufficient fruit to back it up. This is well balanced with plenty of freshness, tart cherries, allspice and light Moroccan spice notes on the harmonious and persistent finish. Excellent. Tasted at the Lagrange vertical at the estate.Vinous Media | 92 VMWonderful aromas of blackberry, light spices and currant follow through to a full-bodied palate, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Still tannic and tight.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008. 24,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis impeccably run, Japanese-owned property has fashioned a superb 1996. Opaque purple-colored, with a backward yet promising nose of classically pure cassis intermixed with pain grille and spice, this medium to full-bodied, powerful yet stylish wine possesses superb purity, a nicely-layered feel in the mouth, and plenty of structure. It will not be an early-drinking St.-Julien, but one to lay away and enjoy over the next 2-3 decades. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2022.Robert Parker | 90 RP

The second bottle, from an estate I know like the back of my hand, was the 1996 Pontet Canet. One or two people had suggested that this might be past its best; after all, it predates the innovations and application of biodynamics overseen by Alfred Tesseron by several years. On the contrary, it has aged beautifully. Cedar, scorched earth and mint blossomed on a nose that is firmly into its secondary phase, yet laden with more fruit than expected considering both its age and the austere style of Left Bank 1996s. The palate might be nearing the end of its drinking plateau, so don’t hold back if you own a few bottles. But I admired its balance and density, its structure and classicism, and the typical Pauillac traits of cedar and a touch of mint toward the finish. I savored it down to the last drop.Vinous Media | 93 VMI was shocked by how backward the 1996 Pontet-Canet was on the three occasions I tasted it in January. This wine possesses superb potential, but it appears a decade's worth of patience will be necessary. The color is a saturated dark purple. With coaxing, the wine offers aromas of black currant jam intertwined with minerals, sweet oak, and spice. A full-bodied wine, it possesses layered, concentrated, sweet fruit, with an elevated level of ripe tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035.Robert Parker | 92 RPAromas of black licorice, currant and toasted oak. Full-bodied, with silky, refined tannins and a medium finish. Holding back still.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

No written review provided. | 92 W&SThe stunning1999 Pape Clement is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Merlot. The wine is performing better from bottle than it did from cask. There is a fabulous bouquet of smoke, blueberries, raspberry cassis, and liquid minerals. This is a medium to full-bodied, layered, concentrated wine with no hard edges. As it sat in the glass, additional aromas of cedar wood, graphite, and cigar smoke emerged. This is a classic, sexy, knock-out Pessac-Leognan with a surprisingly dense, rich style for a 1999. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.Robert Parker | 91 RP

From magnum, a youthful colour, reflecting slow evolution. Aromas of cedar, lead pencil, roasted and primary fruit. Fine grained, noticeable tannin. Excellent balance of power and smooth texture. Noé Tesseron described it as ’older school Pauillac’, and I liked it a lot. Long finish. Aged 60% new oak. (Drink between 2021-2045)Decanter | 95 DECUpgraded in score over my original rating, which was several points lower, Alfred Tesseron has done a remarkable job since 1994 with Pontet-Canet, which has been hitting first-growth levels since 2003. But the 2000 also shows exceptionally well. In need of another decade of cellaring, this dense purple wine has a classic nose of incense, charcoal, creme de cassis, and subtle new oak. Full-bodied, powerful, still very tannic, and shockingly backward, this is a big, rich wine that has put on weight and seems to need more time than I originally predicted. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035+.Robert Parker | 94+ RPI drank this fabulous 2000 Pontet-Canet in Hong Kong last summer at home with family. It was a wonderfully complex wine that was really starting to show its best. On the nose it displayed tar and currants with hints of dried fruits and berries. It was full-bodied yet so refined and delicious at the same time.James Suckling | 94 JSDeep red-ruby. Explosive nose combines raspberry, roasted currant, grilled nuts and exotic spices. Rich, sexy, silky and full in the mouth, with expressive flavors of black raspberry, game, smoke and truffle. Finishes with strong but suave tannins and excellent length. St. JulienVinous Media | 93 VMA lovely lead-in of singed cedar and vanilla notes gives way to slightly taut, racy red and black currant fruit flavors that drive nicely through an iron-edged finish. Rather sleek and tightly focused, relying more on minerality than power.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis is a very modern style of wine, with generous new wood and super-ripe fruit flavors, balancing with polished solid tannins. Very international in style, it is good, but could come from anywhere.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

What a perfumed, elegant, structured wine, with all the elements of fruit, wood, tannins just in the right place. It shows great tannins, powerful black and red berry fruits, denseness, and a classic, fresh aftertaste.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA dense and decadent wine with chocolate, currant and licorice aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, firm tannins and a fresh finish. A beautiful wine now. It shows the finesse and class of an aged Bordeaux.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2001 Gruaud Larose has a much more vivacious bouquet than the millennial Gruaud, featuring vibrant black cherry and raspberry fruit, pressed iris, light peaty scents and a touch of tobacco that emerges with time. There is more delineation here compared to the 2000. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins and touches of soy borrowed from the previous vintage, yet there is more depth and delineation toward the finish.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis shows a rich and dense nose of blackberry, coffee and smoke. Full-bodied, with soft and round tannins and a long, smoky finish. Very fresh and velvety. GL is really doing excellent things these days, even in less-than-easy vintages. Best after 2008. 2,455 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSSurprisingly accessible as well as supple, this 2001 St.-Julien reveals a deep plum/purple color along with a rich bouquet of smoke, roasted vegetables, black currants, plums, licorice, and Asian spices. Velvety-textured and medium-bodied, with loads of fruit, and a plump, expansive, plush texture, this is an atypically forward Gruaud Larose to drink now and over the next 12-14 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

There is a great link here between the tannins, delicious red berry fruits and blackcurrants and the almost architectural structure. The wine certainly has fine fruit, a great balance, very complete, finishing gently, ripe and soft.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEColour-wise this wine has held itself together a little more than the 2000 vintage. The higher acidity could be down to the cooler nights in 2001, and this displays more grip and vibrancy through the palate. It definitely seems to have further to go on the palate – the fruit is black, tight and a little less expressive right now then the 2000. Nevertheless, this is still an extremely classic St-Julien, not hugely generous but with more intense menthol and cold ash notes. Well balanced. Aged in 50% new oak. A touch of Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030Decanter | 91 DECVery perfumed with blackberry and light wet earth. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, long finish. Rich and generous for the vintage. Much better than from barrel. Best after 2007. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2002 Léoville Barton offers blackberry, tar and a touch of brine on the well-defined, focused nose. Medium-bodied and defined by its youthfulness and vigor, the 2002 is quite sappy, with good grip on the finish. I admit that I was astonished when the identity of this bottle was revealed. Recommended given its market price. Tasted at the inaugural Vinous off-line.Vinous Media | 93 VMEven better from bottle than from cask, and one of the finest wines of the vintage, this dense purple-colored 2002 reveals wonderfully sweet notes of charcoal, fresh mushrooms, smoke, earth, leather, cassis, and cedar. Full-bodied, highly extracted, broodingly backward, dense, and deep, this impressively endowed offering is built for the long term. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028.One of the classic wines of Bordeaux and still realistically priced, Leoville-Barton is becoming increasingly popular because of the extraordinary quality/price ratio it offers.Robert Parker | 92 RP

An undeniable success as well as a candidate for the Graves of the vintage in 2002, the 2002 Pape Clement boasts a deep ruby/purple color in addition to notes of smoke, hot bricks, scorched earth, red and black currants, and some high-class cigar tobacco. It is medium to full-bodied with a rich, textured mouthfeel, wonderful sweetness, ripeness of tannin, and a long finish with hints of plums, licorice, and subtle barrique. It should drink well for 15-18 years. No property in Bordeaux is pushing the envelope of quality as hard and as enthusiastically as proprietor Bernard Magrez’s Chateau Pape Clement. This is a fabulous terroir in the suburbs of Bordeaux, several miles from the area’s two legends - Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion.Robert Parker | 93 RPA hugely toasty wine, one that tastes more like a California Chardonnay than a blend of Sauvignon, Semillon and Muscadelle. It works, because it is a great, rich wine, with balanced, ripe fruit, acidity and crisp fruit flavors. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEMedium red-ruby. Black raspberry, mocha, tobacco and nutty oak aromas. Suave, silky and full, with complex flavors of raspberry, minerals, gravel and woodsmoke. Unusually plump for the vintage, yet also firmly built and quite primary. An excellent showing.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Dense aromas of licorice, tobacco, cedar and currants. Subtle yet complex. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a rich, long finish. Very pretty. One of the best from Pauillac this year, and clearly better than 2001. One of the surprises of the vintage. Best after 2008. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSBlack fruits and cherry interlaced with pleasant notes of mint, anise, and truffles. On the palate, the fine, precise tannic structure seems quite delicate but provides excellent length on the finish. This provides another example of stylistic evolution toward greater precision along the lines of that of the 2001, possessing as these two wines do both vivacity and weightlessness on the finish. Even if this bottle has reached its apogee, it remains very elegant. (Drink between 2022-2030)Decanter | 92 DEC

The warmth of the year comes through in a fatter more velvety texture than you find in many Haut-Baillys, and in its clearly generous autumnal berry fruit, deep black pepper, liquorice and saffron spice. All this is set alongside pulsing aromatics, and a juicy finish that shows the fruit was ripe but not overripe. Excellent, easy to recommend in what was a challenging vintage where terroir absolutely shone through. Drinking Window 2020 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECThe warm vintage of 2003 gives this loads of fruit, like raspberries and strawberry jam. Full-bodied and very fresh with soft, round tannins. A long and yummy wine. Delicious now but please wait to pull the cork until at least 2013.James Suckling | 93 JSI remember being worried about how well the 2003 Haut-Bailly would turn out, but it has aged beautifully. Made from a final blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, it currently offers fresh tobacco leaf, red and black currant notes, and hints of burning embers and charcoal. Having put on weight over the last eleven years, it is more complete and fuller than I expected. Enjoy this pretty, luscious, fully mature 2003 over the next decade.Robert Parker | 91 RP

Another brilliant effort from this estate, the 2004 Lascombes (a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot) exhibits a deep blue/purple hue along with a sweet perfume of blueberries, black raspberries, cherries, incense, smoke, and spring flowers. While opulent, underneath the full-bodied richness of fruit and depth is a structured wine. As it sits in the glass, an espresso roast character (no doubt from new oak) also emerges. Enjoy this pure, structured, fleshy beauty between 2010-2025.Robert Parker | 93 RPGood bright ruby. Wild aromas and flavors of blackberry, coffee, mocha, chocolate and game. Sweet, dense and lush but with plenty of acidity giving the wine shape and structure. Quite concentrated for 2004: offers a very broad mouth feel without coming across as heavy. Finishes with horizontal, toothcoating tannins. An impressive showing.Vinous Media | 91 VMLascombes was an underperformer for years, and now the new owners are making up for lost time with no expense spared on consultants and new oak. This young wine is massive and powerful, yet for several days there was little apparent fruit to back it up. Eventually, the oak relented and plummy fruit along with mineral tannins began to show. All dressed up, but there is substance behind it if you’re patient.Wine and Spirits | 90 W&S

As so often, Léoville-Barton stands out for its style and elegance. With fresh fruit and acidity allied to generous tannins, it sums up the character of the 2004 vintage. Very classic in Bordeaux terms: not hugely powerful, but delicious.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is an impressively endowed vin de garde that should age effortlessly for 20-30 years. How Anthony Barton continues to fashion uncompromisingly primordial Bordeaux that are always among the biggest and densest of all the St.-Juliens is beyond me, but he does it year in and year out. Moreover, when it’s time to set the price, he appears to have the consumer foremost in his mind. The 2004 is a classic Leoville-Barton meant for long aging. Concentrated, with loads of smoke, creme de cassis, forest floor, and earthy notes emerge from this impressive, but oh, so backward wine. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030+.Robert Parker | 92+ RPBright red-ruby. Deep aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, leather, smoke and flowers. Dense but juicy, with lovely finesse and flavor intensity. Notes of mocha, chocolate and leather linger nicely on the lively finish, which features substantial but rather fine tannins. This is excellent.Vinous Media | 91 VMCurrant and dark chocolate, with hints of mineral. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Balanced. A more delicate and refined style. Best after 2011. 21,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSPowerful minerality runs through this wine, wrapping the primary flavors of blueberries into blackness. There’s also an herbal edge, the scent of rosemary cutting through the fruit. More extracted and showing more oak than Bartons of times past, this is structured to age two decades from the vintage.Wine and Spirits | 90 W&S

Along with Leoville Las Cases and a few others, this is among the stars of the appellation. Made in a more floral, supple, Margaux-like style, the deep ruby/purple-hued 2004 Leoville Poyferre exhibits sweet, broad flavors, and plenty of tannin lurking beneath the surface. However, the abundant cherry, black currant, licorice, and smoke notes obscure the tannic clout. This rich, powerful, broad beauty should be drinkable in 2-3 years, and last for two decades.Robert Parker | 93 RPA powerfully extracted wine, which almost—but not quite—submerges what is a fresh, fruity layer. The new wood that goes with the extraction is obvious at this stage in the wine’s development, but that cassis fruit will bring out the freshness later.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEClear leather and autumnal hedgerow aromatics, showcasing soft bramble fruits and full of life and character. After a slow start, the 2004 vintage is starting to stretch its wings and show some real character. This is a wine that surpasses its vintage, as you might expect from the producer. It was an abundant vintage with high yields, which perhaps explain why it is showing the beginning of tertiary character and less concentration to the fruit, but no doubt it will stay put at this moment of evolution for a long while. Drinking Window 2018 - 2034Decanter | 92 DECVery clean, with blackberry, currant and light vanilla aromas. Full and juicy, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Impressive despite a slightly hollow midpalate. Wait and see as this grows in the bottle. May be a bit overextracted this year. Best after 2011. 20,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This one of my favorite 2004 Bordeaux to drink at the moment. It shows lovely sweet tobacco, flowers and currants on the nose and palate. It’s full-to-medium-bodied, with silky, firm tannins and a spicy, fresh finish. So delicious now.James Suckling | 93 JSTasted at the château, the 2004 Montrose is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot picked between 24 September and 15 October. It has a foursquare but precise bouquet that unfolds in the glass to offer brambly red berry fruit, tar, undergrowth and cedar aromas. There is a touch of mint that emerges with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with tannins that gently grip. It is more savory than other vintages: hints of bacon fat and bell pepper towards the harmonious finish that lingers nicely in the mouth. Probably earlier drinking that other vintages, yet this Montrose has personality and will give drinking pleasure for 15-20 years. Tasted September 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMDark-colored, with beautiful spice, blackberry and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, round and velvety, with wonderful balance and a long, long finish. This is a Montrose that caresses your palate. Best after 2011. 26,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSDeep, bright ruby-red. Sexy, ripe aromas of currant, black plum, raspberry, smoked meat, mocha, jasmine, black olive and earth. Smooth in texture but vinous and bright, with a penetrating character to the flavors of plum, currant, mocha and tobacco. Finishes bright and fresh, with dusty, tactile tannins and a classic St. Estephe medicinal note. This tightened up with aeration.Vinous Media | 91 VM This is a modern take on Montrose, which for years had been one of the stodgiest of the great Médocs. The wine has the intensity this vineyard often gives, black as indigo ink and concentrated, but without excess weight. Instead of stolid, the tannins feel luscious and sweet, riper and softer than the classical profile of Montrose. The complexity and foresty freshness is there to develop over the course of a decade or more.Diageo Château & Estate Wines, NYWine & Spirits | 91 W&SFine concentration of red and black fruits on the nose – a very good natural intensity and depth. Moderate tannins give some structure, leading to a medium to intense finish. A classic Médoc. Drinking Window 2014 - 2022Decanter | 90 DEC

A dense, powerful wine, packed with very dry, very dark tannins. There is great fruit as well, ranging from black currant to black plums to black cherries. A very fine wine.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE(Château Beychevelle) Tasting the 2005 Beychevelle at the property in April was a great pleasure, as I had not tasted the wine at the UGC tastings of the new vintage in New York back in 2008 and consequently had not yet had a chance to handicap its potential. Like many of the top 2005s today, this wine has really closed down, but its quality is still very evident on both the nose and palate. The wine offers up a very black fruity young aromatic mélange of cassis, dark berries, a nice touch of Beychevelle meatiness, a great base of gravelly soil tones and just a touch of its new wood still in evidence. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with a great core of black fruit, striking soil signature, very tangy acids, ripe, substantial tannins and outstanding length and grip on the beautifully focused finish. This will be a serious long distance runner, but eventually, the 2005 should take its place as one of the greatest vintages ever produced at the estate. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 94 JGThe Grand Vin, the 2005 Beychevelle is a gorgeous wine, with plenty of crème de cassis, floral notes, underbrush and forest floor. It is sweet and medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannin and beautiful texture and purity. Drink it over the next 20 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPWe hit Beychevelle at a fragrant, gentle moment in its evolution. With a few hours of air, the wine was a lithe beauty, its cool red fruit giving a soft, sculpted feel. My notes are all about elegance, finesse and restraint-similar to the harmony this showed en primeur. With another day of air, the power of the tannins shows more directly, tarry and strong enough to sustain this wine for a decade or more.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SGood deep red-ruby. Subtle oak accents very ripe aromas of plum, currant, mocha, chocolate and tobacco leaf. Sweet, ripe and broad, with good density and freshness to the currant and spice flavors. Not a blockbuster but sweeter than the 2006 and longer on the aftertaste, finishing with fairly substantial but ripe tannins.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Fabulous aromas of crushed raspberry, blackberry, mineral and licorice follow through to a full-bodied palate. This is chewy yet silky, with a long, long finish. Balanced and powerful. Best after 2012. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThose dream conditions of 2005 have given a wine that's supple and approachable. The tannins have relaxed and there's a sense of breathing between the lines of dark fruit, liquorice and pepper. It's a gorgeous moment to drink this - it's still young, with firm, brambly fruits but the structure is open, softly textured and welcoming. Rich, impressive and extremely drinkable. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking Window 2019 - 2028.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2005 Clos du Marquis is a rich, concentrated beauty that has ample ripe red and black fruits intermixed with notes of tobacco, scorched earth, and graphite. Rich, concentrated, and powerful, with terrific depth of fruit, it's showing some evolution and maturity today and is drinking spectacularly well, yet it has another 15 years of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDMusty and mushroomy, with red fruit chasers on the nose and palate. Round and fruity, but still needs three years. Pull the cork in 2013.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2005 Clos du Marquis is in a very attractive place today. Time has softened the tannins nicely, allowing the wine's radiant personality to really shine. Sweet tobacco, cedar, mint, dried flowers and dried cherry are all laced together in this expressive Saint-Julien. There is a bit of rusticity here, but all the elements are well balanced just the same.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGThe superb second wine, the 2005 Clos du Marquis, reflects the utter brilliance of the 2005 grand vin. It boasts an inky/ruby/purple color along with a sweet perfume of lead pencil, ripe cherries and black currants, and hints of earth and vanillin. Dense, chewy, fleshy, and full-bodied, this beauty will be drinkable in 3-4 years, and should keep for 15-20.Robert Parker | 91 RP

A joyous Lascombes, this is the first vintage to hit stride since the US investment firm Colony Capital took over in 2001. It’s a meaty wine draped in fragrant tannin, built for long aging. It’s also an exuberant wine, in both the bright, red currant-scented fruit and the bristle of the tannin. A playfully complex flavor lasts for minutes, the wine still youthful and fresh four days after it was opened. Margaux chic.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SDark in color, with an impressive nose of licorice, toasty oak, chocolate and blackberry. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very pretty and structured. Best after 2012. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(52% cabernet sauvignon, 45% merlot and 3% petit verdot) Good bright ruby. Blueberry and licorice on the nose, lifted by spicy oak. Chewy, lush and dense, but with a sappy quality giving shape to the fruit. Very tactile, solid wine with a saline quality suggesting energetic extraction. But this offers impressive mouth coverage and finishes broad and long, with nicely restrained sweetness. Wait until 2011.Vinous Media | 89-92 VMLascombes is approaching the form its status as a second growth suggests. This wine is close, packed with dark fruits, figs and juicy black currant extract. The aftertaste has some bitterness, with layers of toast and spice coming through strongly.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

(Château Léoville Barton, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, Red) 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot. A return to a more classic profile, with silky, dark damson and cassis, more structured tannins and great persistence. A lovely, extremely accomplished 2006, although it is still quite closed and backward right now. (Drink between 2017-2040)Decanter | 94 DECThere’s a great dark color to this, with intense aromas of cedar, wood, new leather and crushed blackberry. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit and a firm, powerful palate. Long and mouthpuckering. A muscular baby. Best after 2015. 18,750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSRight at the top of its form, this 2006 is one of the finest wines to come out of the vintage. The wine is structured and dense, but with such heartwarming ripe fruit that the tannins are almost submerged. There is just a hint of wood, but juicy black currant continues right through to the end. In a year, the fruit will lessen, and long aging begin.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WETasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Léoville-Barton has a surprisingly rich and opulent bouquet at first, although it calms down with aeration, offering crushed violet and black cherry scents, reminiscent of a fine Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth. Here the class begins to appear with fine balance and poise, but like the Langoa, it lacquers the mouth with tannins and feels very backward, surprising given the vintage. Cellar this for another decade, folks. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker | 92 RP-NMGood bright ruby-red. Pretty aromas of black cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, minerals, licorice and violet. Chewy, rich and deep, with good dense mid-palate fruit and excellent concentration. Fuller and sweeter than the Langoa. Finishes long and delineated, with powerful tannic clout and terrific mineral thrust. A serious 2006 for the cellar.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

Poyferré produced a shimmering, polished Cabernet in 2006, supple and more harmonious than many in the Médoc. Rich new oak lends the wine opulence and darkens the graphite mineral character of the tannins with an espresso-roast blackness. The fruit has dimension, balanced between plump blueberry and a more restrained vegetal note. Satisfying and delicious as a young wine, this should age with grace.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&SBeautifully dense, this generous, rich wine combines great fruit with a firm but sweet structure. The new wood element is still prominent, but this is now beginning to blend well with the ripe fruit. To finish, the tannins reassert themselves.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WETasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Léoville Poyferré has one of the most harmonious and complete bouquets from Saint Julien: very well-defined blackberry, briary and chalky scents, real focus and delivery here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, ripe tannin matched with well-judged acidity. Like the 2006 Léoville-Barton, it is stubborn and backward, but there is clearly harmony and focus on the finish, the new oak deftly assimilated in the fabric of the wine. This is a lovely wine from Didier Cuvelier. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMFull ruby-red. Ripe aromas of currant, milk chocolate and smoky oak. Lush, sweet and full, with superripe yet backward flavors of dark berries, dark chocolate and minerals. Wonderfully layered, structured wine whose excellent vinosity and firm tannins call for several years of patience.Vinous Media | 91 VMWonderful aromatics that display beautiful aromas of bramble fruits, evolving with age into glowing embers without sacrificing fruit. A rich smoked chicory note is evident that sets Léoville Poyferré apart from the other two Bordeaux Léovilles. Still young and crackling with life with undeniable exoticism. There is a real sense of lift through the palate and excellent persistency. Drinking Window 2018 - 2034Decanter | 90 DECBlackberry, licorice and blueberry aromas lead to a medium- to full-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a clean finish. Firm and attractive. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This classic, powerful, firm Lynch Bages may be as concentrated (if not more so) than the 2005. It possesses a dense purple-tinged color, tell-tale cassis notes interwoven with hints of roast beef, savory herbs, spice box and subtle oak, good acidity and ripe tannin. The result is a full-bodied, fleshy Pauillac that will benefit from another 3-4 years of cellaring. It is capable of lasting 20-25 more years.Robert Parker | 94 RPYear after year, Lynch-Bages is able to produce sumptuous wines, typically rich, powerful and structured. This is solid, the blackberry ripe fruit enveloping this structure with a velvet sheen. This is developing into one of the successes of the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WESlowly and confidently inching towards its drinking window, but needs another three to five years before it gets there. Deep plush fruit with tight liquorice root and menthol edging against rich blackberry coulis. Beautiful subtle tension and complexity on display. Really a huge amount that uncurls slowly in the glass. Very seductive. Drinking Window 2018 - 2040Decanter | 94 DEC(Château Lynch Bages) The 2006 Lynch Bages was raised in eighty percent new oak, which intuitively would have seen a bit excessive in a vintage such as ’06, but the wine has worked out well and looks to be a fine example of the year. The nose is deep and lovely, as it offers up a complex mélange of cassis, black cherries, tobacco, herb tones, gravel, espresso and toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full, long and suave on the attack, with a fine core of fruit, plenty of ripe, well-integrated tannins and fine length and grip on the nascently complex finish. (Drink between 2019-2035)John Gilman | 92 JGVery focused and pretty now, with currants, minerals and hints of dried flowers. Full body with super-integrated tannins and a long, long finish. Beautiful. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSBlackberry, licorice and mint aromas lead to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and lots of blackberry and mineral fruit character. Shows outstanding concentration and balance. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(a blend of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot; 3.54 pH; 6.03 g/l total acidity; 81 IPT; 13.2% alcohol): Fully saturated bright ruby. Currently in a slightly dumb phase and aromatically compressed on the nose, revealing cool blackberry and cassis aromas with extended aeration, complicated by notes of cola, flowers, red cherry and sweet spices. Then soft, round and ripe in the mouth, with persistent flavors of black cherry, cassis and cinnamon. A very serious wine offering impressive definition and very good balance, turning almost austere at the back, but with a pretty, pristine quality to its repeating floral and black fruit notes. Finishes with smooth, building tannins: don’t even think of opening this beauty for another eight to ten years. One of the best vintage for Lynch-Bages in recent memory.Vinous Media | 91+ VMWhile the cedary scent shows this wine’s potential complexity, the tannins bury it for now in extract. It’s as black as ATV tires ripping roots out of the earth as it lays tracks over dark, blueberry flavors. A tough vintage of Lynch-Bages, this needs time to develop past its initial reduction and allow the fruit to come up.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

This shows lovely richness and balance for a 2006, with medium, round tannins that envelop the palate and plenty of currant, chocolate and cedar undertones. It’s long and pretty. Developing nicely. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSClosed but promising, this is a tannic, masculine style of wine in 2006, with an inky bluish/purple color as well as aromas of incense, charcoal, smoked meats, and the classic creme de cassis that one finds in the top Pauillacs. The aromatics are still retrained, but the wine is full-bodied in the mouth, tannic, backward, and set for a relatively long life. This is not one of the profound wines from Pichon Longueville Baron, but it is certainly a top-flight success for the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028.Robert Parker | 92 RPA problematic vintage which suffers from following the majestic 2005. But it delivered fine, if austere, wines in Pauillac. The nose is muted, with blackcurrant and menthol aromas. After a sleek attack, the palate shows immense concentration and formidable tannins that are still grippy, austere, and chocolatey (described by Christian Seely as ’bad-tempered’!). This has density rather than charm or finesse, and is far from being ready to drink. Perhaps it’s a bit too extracted - one hopes the slightly dry tannins will soften and harmonise. Long, with a chewy finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038.Decanter | 92 DECThere’s an excellent dark color to this, with blowsy, rich aromas of crushed blackberry and currant. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish. The center palate will fill in with time. This has lovely balance. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2006 Pichon-Baron has the same showy crème de cassis–tinged bouquet that I have remarked upon in previous bottles, pure but missing the complexity of the 2004 and 2005. The medium-bodied palate is bold and assertive, with thick, chewy tannin, but the class and sophistication are not at the level I would expect. It offers volume and matière but not panache. I am intrigued to see how it will age. Tasted at the Pichon-Baron vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 90 VM