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Although still youthful, I do not think the 2000 Monbousquet will develop much more complexity. It is a seductive, rich, generously endowed effort revealing plenty of spice box, herb, black currant, kirsch, espresso, and toasty oak characteristics in a decidedly modern, but opulent, fleshy style. Enjoy this endearing, long, velvety-textured St.-Emilion over the next decade.Robert Parker | 93 RPBright ruby-red. Roasted currant and black cherry scents complicated by sexy oak. At once chewy and silky in the mouth, with complex, fresh flavors of plum, redcurrant, vanilla, coffee, smoky oak and woodsy underbrush. Finishes sweet and long, with thoroughly ripe tannins. This was bottled in February of this year after 28 months in barrel; it wasn’t too long ago that this wine received barely 18 months of elevageVinous Media | 92 VM

Extremely young with an unbelievable deep purple color, the 2000 Troplong Mondot has hardly budged since I tasted it in 2003. Two recent tastings confirmed that this is the greatest Troplong Mondot between their profound 1990 and more recent vintages such as 2005, 2008, and 2009. Copious chocolate, graphite, blackberry, blueberry, cassis, and ink characteristics are present in this full-bodied, powerful, massive St.-Emilion. While the tannins are noticeable, they are better integrated than they were seven years ago, and the fruit, extract, and richness clearly outweigh the wine’s structure. This 2000 will benefit from another 4-5 years of cellaring (longer than I originally predicted), and has at least two decades of drinkability ahead of it.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe 2000 Troplong Mondot is another vintage that I have not tasted for a long time. This includes some Cabernet Sauvignon that was north-facing and subsequently removed for the 2001. The youthful bouquet of black cherries, cassis, marmalade and blood orange is vibrant and precocious and shows fewer secondary aromas than some of its peers. It opens nicely to reveal camphor and star anise aromas, almost Rhône-like. The palate is chewy, quite dense and backward but initially lacks a bit of charm. Licorice and sloes come through. Slightly granular in texture, it feels tight at first, but it deserves applause for its freshness and improves with aeration, loosening up and finally developing that missing charm.Vinous Media | 93 VMNo written review provided. | 93 W&SA soft, rich wine that bears all the classic qualities of the Valette family’s winery - a strength of line along and complexity. The fruit is ripe, ultra-generous, but is still tempered with layers of acidity and soft tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WELovely berry, cherry and spice, with hints of mineral. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a pretty mineral and berry aftertaste. A sexy and refined red. Best after 2009. 7,080 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The completeness of 2001, with its miraculous balance, is present in this wine. The acidity, ripe blackcurrants sit comfortably on top of dry tannins, the fleshiness of the fruit taking the edge off the tannins. It seems to bring out the structure, the fruit and the refreshing acidity of great Cabernet.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThis is one of the best vintages of the past 30 years, utterly and absolutely gorgeous. It was first vintage made with Isabelle Davin as the in-house oenologist. Rich and welcoming fruit structure, effortless in how it makes its presence felt, with a mouthwatering finish of charcoal and slate that tempers any suspicions of over-ripeness. This is floating out of the glass, it’s currently at that moment when the great Médoc wines take flight. Even with the gloss of Léoville Poyferré there is no mistaking those Médoc tannins. Drinking Window 2018 - 2040Decanter | 94 DECThe 2001 Léoville Poyferré, which I had not tasted for a decade, is very harmonious on the nose and features slightly darker fruit than the 2000, offering blackberry, cedar, fresh tobacco and smoke aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded, lithe tannins, fresher than the 2000 and more backward. It has a disarming velvety texture and turns spicy toward the finish. Hints of clove and bay leaf linger on the aftertaste. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VMNo written review provided. | 93 W&SSweet notions of plums, black currants, caramel, and spicy oak are provocative and alluring. Subtle but substantial, layered, and textured, with medium body as well as sexy, up-front flavors, low acidity, and ripe tannin, this beauty is among the most evolved and flamboyant of the appellation. Nevertheless, it should age well. Anticipated maturity: now-2016.Robert Parker | 90 RPSmoky and rich with lots of spice and berries. Medium- to full-bodied, with very good tannins with soft and silky texture and a medium finish. Not as impressive in bottle as barrel, but outstanding. Best after 2008. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

A brilliant dense purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary perfume of camphor, graphite, plums, cassis, and barbecue spices. A prodigious, multilayered, medium-bodied effort with exceptional concentration, a fabulous texture, and a 50-second finish, this brilliant achievement is one of the vintage’s monumental wines. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+. P.S. Yields were a mere 28 hectoliters per hectare, which no doubt explains the wine’s stunning concentration.One of the superstars of the vintage, Pape Clement’s 2001 provides further evidence that this property, ambitiously managed with great dynamism by visionary Bernard Magrez, is pushing quality to the maximum and is obviously attempting to go head to head with its most famous rivals, Haut-Brion and La Mission-Haut-Brion (both located a few miles from Pape Clement).Robert Parker | 95 RPNo written review provided | 93 W&SThe 2001 Pape Clément has a splendid nose, ripe and forward and more complex than the 2000, featuring a mixture of red and black fruit, sprigs of fresh mint, menthol and juniper, all nicely focused and finely delineated. The medium-bodied palate delivers supple tannins matched with a fine bead of acidity. Silky-smooth and persistent, it caresses the mouth with notes of white pepper and mulberry. This was burly and tannic in its youth but has since softened. It’s drinking well at this moment and will do so for another 20 years. Very fine. Aged for 18 months entirely in new oak.Vinous Media | 92 VMAromas of berries, tobacco and meat follow through to a full-bodied palate, with good fruit, silky tannins and a delicate finish. This is a refined Pape. Best after 2007. 7,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This fully mature, gorgeous 2003 Branaire Ducru possesses silky tannins, lots of cedary, spice box, floral, black cherry, forest floor and velvety leather-like notes, full body, and an opulent, complex yet elegant style. A beauty of complexity, richness and finesse, it should continue to drink well for another 5-6 years.Robert Parker | 94 RPExtremely perfumed, with currants, blackberries, and flowers on the nose. Full bodied, with a solid core of beautiful fruit and super chewy, yet polished tannins. This is a brick house. Pull the cork after 2016. Find the wineJames Suckling | 94 JSOpulent aromas of blackberry, olives and toasted oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with big chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Big and muscular wine. Best after 2009. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(72% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 4.5% petit verdot and 3.5% cabernet franc; 3.75 pH; 13% alcohol): Bright ruby-red. Intense mocha and sweet spice notes complicate ripe dark cherry and macerated plum aromas on the very ripe, deep nose. Large-scaled and plush, with ripe but not cooked red and black fruit flavors. Surprisingly lively acidity and seamless tannins give the wine good support. Finishes creamy and long, with a repeating note of mocha. For the most part I am not a fan of the 2003 Bordeaux owing to the furnace-like summer, but the Branaire-Ducru is a knockout and owner Patrick Maroteaux has always told me he thinks it’s one of the best wines he has ever made. Not surprisingly in 2003, the grapes were harvested much earlier and faster than usual, between September 9 and 24.Vinous Media | 92 VMOne of the great estates of southern Saint-Julien, producing wines whose regularity in succeeding vintages is remarkable. For 2003, Branaire has produced a dark wine, with dry, powerful tannins coming from very ripe fruit. The wood is dry and toasty, leaving a general impression of a wine that will age at a stately pace.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

The spectacular 2003 Leoville Poyferre exhibits a dense purple color with a touch of lightening at the edge as well as notes of creosote, barbecue smoke, jammy black currants, licorice and spice box. This intense, voluptuously textured, full-bodied St.-Julien possesses low acidity and ripe tannin. Still fresh and exuberant, it is just entering its plateau of full maturity where it should remain for 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 96 RPI love the rich and opulent nose to this with flowers, plums and currants. Full and powerful with great freshness and balance. Still a little tight, yet dense and intense. Wonderful wine through and through. Leave it alone for five or six years still. Pull the cork after 2016.James Suckling | 95 JSPure cassis on the nose. Impressive. Full-bodied, thick and powerful, with loads of fruit and big, velvety tannins. Goes on for minutes on the palate. Huge wine. Very, very impressive. This is one of the big surprises of the vintage. Best after 2012. 19,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Château Léoville Poyferré, Cabernet Sauvignon, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, Red) Smells really lovely, you get that burnt caramel note, cola, sour cherry, some bramble blackcurrant and dried flowers in the background. Really chewy and mouth filling, I love the texture - tannins, fruit and acidity are well integrated and gently mouth filling - a charming success without the markers of the hot vintage. You get the minerality on the tongue, the soft cinnamon and turmeric spice with blackcurrant and blackberry fruits and a cooling, lifted finish. Excellent expression. A joy to drink now, and perfect with food. A fantastic 2003. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. (Drink between 2022-2036)Decanter | 94 DECA huge, opulent wine that packs sweet, rich tannins and spicy fruit. In the midst of all this decadence, though, is a kernel of tannic dryness. This estate, long the weakest of the three Lèoville wines, is now back in top form. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEVibrant red in color, reserved behind a wall of new oak, this wine offers concentrated black cherry and damson plum flavor with delicious richness. Then the tannins strike, mostly mineral in the end, fine, but not fresh (as the color and fruit had initially led me to believe). Give it a few years to mature, then serve it with a steak for pure hedonism.Wine and Spirits Mag | 92 W&SThe 2003 Léoville-Poyferré has always been one of this infamous vintage’s success stories. Perhaps in recent years it has lost some of its vigour on the nose with black plum, brown spices, leather and that light Bovril aroma, but there is better delineation than many others. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and quite savoury. It is beginning to show some dryness and little monotony on the finish. I wonder whether its best days are behind it? Still a very decent showing however. Tasted at the Léoville-Poyferré vertical at the château with Sara Lecompte Cuvelier..Vinous Media | 91 VM

The Château l’Eglise-Clinet 2004 was served from magnum ex-cellar. It has a very fragrant bouquet with wonderful purity and delineation: dark cherries, blueberry, a touch of orange sorbet and violets. There is real sophistication here, especially in context of the vintage, one of the few 2004s that possesses a bouquet that locks you in. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, superb acidity, perhaps "classic" in style for want of a better expression, but very long with that spicy kick of black pepper and tobacco on the finish. This is just beginning to drink now, though personally I would afford it another two or three years, just to make sure. Tasted March 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMThe 2004 l’Eglise-Clinet is an outstanding wine for the vintage, where notes both from bottles and magnum have been uniformly impressive. It has a fragrant bouquet with copious red cherry, crushed strawberry, orange sorbet and violet aromas that you would think come from a warmer growing season. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-grain tannin, a fine bead of acidity, resolutely classic in style with a persistent tobacco-laced finish. It is a quintessential l’Eglise-Clinet that can be broached now, but will also age. Tasted at a private dinner in London.Vinous Media | 94 VMViolet, blackberry, vanilla and fresh leather follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long finish. Balanced and very pretty. A lovely wine. Best after 2010. 1,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Beautiful ruby red colour, rapsberry puree and cocoa dusting aromatics, still young, a wonderfully embracing tannic frame, rapsberrry, blueberry and loganberry fruits, slate-scraping minerality, just a gorgeous wine that is bursting out of the glass and still has so much more to give. Balanced, mouthwatering, persistent, just at the start of its long and pleasure-filled life, showcasing so much that is wonderful about 2005. Get on board. This is a 2 point higher score than the last time I tasted in April 2021, reflecting that the 2005s are just right now beginning to open up.Jane Anson | 96 JATight and dense still but so integrated and seamless in texture. Aromas of chocolate, hazelnuts, dried spices and currants. Full body, superfine tannins and a texture that is so caressing and beautiful. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSTasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London, the 2005 Calon Segur is on par with the wonderful 2000. The only real difference is that this needs more time in bottle. It has a captivating nose: blackberry and boysenberry fruit coming at you at full pelt; dried blood and bacon fat developing as secondary aromas just behind. There is fine delineation here - an underlying mineralité sure to surface with time. The palate is very intense and disarmingly youthful, almost ferrous on the entry with layers of ripe black fruit that segue into an earthy finish (with a curious light tang of Marmite on the aftertaste!). It is a fabulous Calon Ségur, though the millennial wine might ultimately possess greater precision. We will see. Tasted March 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMHas a beautiful nose of crushed berry, spices and nutmeg, with a hint of coffee. Then turns to licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long finish of vanilla, berry and cinnamon. Beautifully crafted. Best after 2014. 17,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFirm and structured, the Calon-Ségur remains surprisingly muscular. Produced from a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and a splash of Petit Verdot, all aged in new casks, this shows a bright redcurrant and mint nose with a bit of spice and smoke. The feel on the palate is tannic and firm, perhaps lacking a bit of generosity at this point, but the rich extract suggests that with time it should come around. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 93 DEC(Château Calon-Ségur) The 2005 vintage at Calon-Ségur was comprised of more than fifty percent merlot, and while the wine is a good wine in its way, it lacks the brightness, soil signature and classic profile of the wines from 2006 forwards. The bouquet is deep, reserved and shows admirable depth in its constellation of dark berries, tobacco leaf, woodsmoke, espresso, herb tones, a touch of hoisin sauce, dark soil and nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with good purity at the rock solid core, firm tannins and excellent length and grip on the black fruity and still very youthful finish. Qualitatively, this is clearly the equivalent of the 2006, but I have a far stronger preference for the style of the latter vintage, as this is just missing a bit of spark from all of its merlot in the blend. A very good wine, but not a classic Calon-Ségur. (Drink between 2022-2050)John Gilman | 92 JGDeep, bright ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, leather, smoked meat, earth and menthol. Chewy, brooding and deep, with concentrated black cherry, menthol, mineral and leather flavors framed by a powerful spine of acids and tannins. Really saturates the palate on the tannic back end. I’d give this classic St. Estephe a decade of aging, at which time this wine may well merit an even higher score.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

This great terroir sandwiched between Vieux Château Certan, Petrus and La Fleur Petrus, on the high plateau of Pomerol, has been owned for many years by the Barrau-Badar family. Beautiful coffee, cedar wood, Christmas fruitcake, black cherry and blackcurrant fruit jump from the glass of this full-bodied, rich, multi-layered, and very impressive Certan de May. I don’t remember it showing this well in barrel and post-bottling, but it is strutting its stuff at age 10, and has a good 20 years of upside left to it. This is a beauty. I especially admire the layered, textural style of the wine. Drink it over the next 20 years.Robert Parker | 95+ RPBlackberry and green tobacco aromas, with hints of coffee bean, follow through to a full body, with big, velvety tannins and a complex finish of dark chocolate and berry. Chewy and muscular, yet caressing and pretty. Best after 2015. 2,000 cases made. Wine Spectator | 94 WSA hugely perfumed wine with smooth tannins. It’s impressively ripe, with vibrant black fruits.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Stunning now. A fabulous nose of currants, crushed raspberry and blackberry. Full- bodied, with perfectly integrated tannins and a long, caressing finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe tannins dominate this dark, brooding wine. At this stage, it seems to have closed up, leaving the fruit and acidity buried. But with this concentration, the future looks promising. There is a long aging potential here.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WELagrange produced a joyous cabernet in 2005, with the lovely textural fatness and kindness of tannin that places it clearly in St-Julien. The dark fruit has youthful energy, the tannins a woodsy undertone, like biting into a fresh grilled porcini. The purity of the flavor makes it delicious; that fruit purity is the factor distinguishing the best wines of the vintage. In the case of Lagrange, it will make the wine approachable through the course of a long life; though if you find pleasure in the details, wait on this until it’s at least ten years old and check on it at twenty.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SThe 2005 Lagrange was picked from 21 September until 10 October. It has a harmonious and vigorous bouquet with blackberry, cedar, tobacco aromas and just a light estuarine scent that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins and much more mid-palate presence than prior vintages. There is more body and grip, a sense of boldness towards the finish that should stand it in good stead for long-term ageing. Superb. Tasted at the Lagrange vertical at the estate.Vinous Media | 93 VMCurrant, mineral, plum and light toasty oak follow through to a full body, with ultrasilky tannins and a long, caressing finish. This is thoroughly beautiful. Superbalanced and very pretty. Best after 2011. 24,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Château Lagrange (St. Julien)) I really like the 2005 vintage of Château Lagrange, which will be an outstanding example of the vintage in due course. The bouquet is starting to show some nice secondary signs of development, though the wine remains still quite youthful on the palate. The nose wafts from the glass in a mix of black cherries, dark berries, cigar smoke, dark soil tones, nutty new oak and a topnote of tobacco leaf. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with fine focus and grip, nascent complexity and a long, ripely tannic and tangy finish. The 2005’s fairly firm tannins and good acidity are going to make this an extremely long-lived wine, but they will also demand a bit more patience before starting to drink the ’05 Lagrange. (Drink between 2025-2085).John Gilman | 92+ JGLagrange 2005 is an impressive effort, if perhaps trying just a bit too hard. If the nose still shows a fair bit of wood, although the wine has the ripe blackcurrant fruit to balance this out. The tannins are firm and somewhat angular on the palate, giving a slightly austere feel to the finish. The blend is 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot with 9% Petit Verdot, picked from 21 September, and aged in 60% new casks. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 92 DEC

A complete and sexy wine with very polished and refined tannins yet there’s an energy and posture that gives the wine such intrigue. Buy it. James Suckling | 96 JSVery grapey on the nose, with mineral, tarragon and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, with very well-integrated tannins and a light vanilla, berry and milk chocolate aftertaste. Subtle and balanced. The best Nenin in years. Best after 2012.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA very smooth, rich wine, with a slight touch of pepper from the alcohol. The tannins are huge but submerged by ripe fruit. There's almost Napa-like ripeness, but also delicious acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEAn attractive minty, almost eucalyptus nose, with red cherry brightness; however, it’s not as dense or long as the 2015. Indeed, while the 2015 is a little closed, the tannins here come across almost hard by comparison, making the wine less charming than you’d expect from a Pomerol. The blend contains 74% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 90 DEC

One of the greatest wines of the vintage is, not surprisingly, from proprietor Denis Durantou. A remarkable effort in every sense, the 2006 l’Eglise Clinet is not far off the quality of the prodigious 2005. Its inky/ruby/purple color is accompanied by a powerful nose of mocha, caramelized red and black fruits, smoke, graphite, and truffle. Massive and rich with full-bodied power, excellent focus and definition, and moderately high tannin, this is an “outlier” for the vintage (as Malcolm Gladwell would say) with unbelievable length and richness. Unfortunately, patience will be essential as it needs a minimum of 5-6 years of cellaring. It will age effortlessly for three decades.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe 2006 L’Eglise-Clinet was picked 15 to 21 September and matured in 80% new oak. It has quite a deep color and a little more turbidity than other vintages. It offers brambly red fruit on the nose, secondary aromas of black tea and truffle, not as powerful as the 2009 but with fine precision. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly candied opening, more a playful l’Eglise-Clinet with finely chiseled tannins, moving towards more secondary notes of liquorice and a light marine note (seaweed?) towards the finish. Tasted at the l’Eglise-Clinet vertical at the château in April 2018.Vinous Media | 95 VMNot quite up to the soaring standards of 2005, but still there is confidence, poise and stunning depth. Sit back and feel your palate slicing through the fruit, layer by layer, getting down to clean minerality and charcoal smokiness. Don’t waste this – give it further ageing in bottle and share it with friends who will be patient through what is not the easiest of approaches. Drinking Window 2016 - 2035Decanter | 95 DECViolet, black licorice and berry aromas follow through to a full body, with chewy tannins and a powerful finish. Layered and rich or the vintage. Needs time to develop. Best after 2014. 1,350 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Wow. Minerals, cedar, almost like warm stones in the heat. And then some spice. A wine that’s gorgeous, beautiful to taste now, but you know there’s so much more coming to it. Will be better in three to five years. But it’s already gorgeous – decant a couple hours in advance.James Suckling | 95 JSSlowly the potential of this impressive wine is coming out. It is rich, the new wood flavors blending with the ripe blackberry sweetness and tight tannins. Chocolate flavor power through this concentrated wine.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEDeep ruby-red. The nose shows an almost exotic ripeness but also a high-pitched quality to the aromas of fruitcake, graphite and spicy oak. Dense and intensely flavored but at the same time quite juicy and penetrating, with terrific lift to its dark fruit flavors. An outperformer for the vintage, this rather powerfully structured wine has a serious spine for aging.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe 2007 Pontet-Canet showed well, with a soft, rounded, medium to full-bodied style that is endearing and a joy to drink. Offering up plenty of spicy dark fruits, cedarwood, and lead pencil notes, it has sweet tannins, good, not great concentration, and impeccable balance, all making for an incredibly charming Pauillac to drink over the coming 8-10 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDTasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Pontet-Canet has an upfront bouquet with (for the vintage) quite lavish red and black fruit tinged with violet and creme de cassis. The palate is sweet and opulent, displaying impressive concentration and a velvety blueberry and black cherry finish that lingers long in the mouth. You would never ascribe this to the 2007 vintage, a Pontet-Canet determined to overcome the limitations of the growing season. In a sense, it succeeds, yet it must sacrifice some of its Bordeaux typicité in the process. Tasted February 2017.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMCurrant and dark licorice aromas follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a caressing finish. A beauty. Best after 2013. 20,835 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

A spectacular effort from this estate rivaling their 2005, but more flashy/flamboyant, this dark ruby/purple wine has a strikingly intense nose of licorice, flowers, plums and dark berries. Medium to full-bodied, very approachable and silky, this suave, very sexy wine can be drunk early on as well as aged for 20+ years.Robert Parker | 95 RPShowing beautifully, the 2009 Château Brane-Cantenac is loaded with classic Margaux notes of sandalwood, dried flowers, spice, truffle, and blackcurrants. Based on 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up in 70% new French oak, it’s medium to full-bodied and has a beautifully textured, elegant mouthfeel, terrific mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It’s a quintessential, elegant yet textured, concentrated Margaux to enjoy over the coming 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDPlenty of Margaux balance and effortless elegance here, showcasing a concentrated blackcurrant and blackberry fruit character. Soft smoky oak comes in on the finish, with fine tannins and gentle floral aromatics. Only 37% of the production make it into the 1st wine, aged in 70% new oak. The vineyard here lies across a gravel outcrop, with certain sections that are sandy-gravel, with the 1st wine invariably Cabernet Sauvignon dominant. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2009 Brane-Cantenac was picked from September 22 to October 9 with a modest 13.4° alcohol. This has long been a great Margaux. It is very delineated and yet very generous on the bravura bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, crushed stone, cedar and a touch of mint. The palate is fresh and bursting with energy right from the start. There is plenty of weight and presence here, but that tension binds this Brane-Cantenac together. Then there is that Pauillac-inspired, graphite finish that lingers for 45+ seconds. This is one of Henri Lurton’s best wines. Tasted at the Brane-Cantenac vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 94 VMWarm and rounded, this spicy wine has wood flavors just showing through the ripe fruit. It is already delicious, with rich blackberry flavors right up front, although its aging potential is evident with the concentrated, deep structure.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEPlenty of fresh plum fruit alongside the bitter chocolate in the nose, but on the palate this retains the Margaux lightness and elegant dryness, the finish just slightly warm. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 92 JSRipe and fleshy, with an enticing mix of linzer torte, currant confiture and crushed plum fruit offset by hints of briar and bay leaf. The long finish lets roasted apple wood, singed iron and tobacco leaf notes fill in, while staying plush in feel. Combines the ripeness of the vintage with a nice old-school feel. Best from 2013 through 2025. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

One of the finest wines to come from Cantenac Brown for many years, this is powerful and dense, dominated by Cabernet Franc tannins and fruits. The structure has a smooth, polished character that locates it firmly in Margaux, giving elegance and discreet fruitiness. Age this fine wine for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe greatest Cantenac Brown I have ever tasted, the 2010 is one for the ages. Dense purple, with an extraordinary nose of sweet forest floor, blackberry jam, pen ink and graphite, this wine soars from the glass, giving it an aromatic dimension and intensity I have never seen from this estate. The tannins are present, as they are in most Cantenac Browns, but the wine’s sweetness, broad, skyscraper-like mouthfeel, dense, purple color and spectacular length (close to a minute) make this a giant classic and a fabulous sleeper of the vintage that still remains under-priced, considering how great its potential may be. This is a wine for those with cold cellars and youthful DNA. It is going to need at least a decade of cellaring and should last for 20-40 years. A classic!Robert Parker | 94+ RPThe 2010 Cantenac Brown feels a little muted on the nose compared to its peers, but with modest aeration it develops very attractive, leafy black fruit, tertiary in style and beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very well judged acidity and plenty of substance towards the finish. I love the cohesion and focus of this Margaux. I wrote to buy this after its impressive showing at Southwold in 2014 - yet another blind tasting confirms its pedigree. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMBeautiful dark inky purple with ruby highlights. The difference with 2009 is clear in terms of structure, style and knitted-down fruit. They are both brilliant, and quality-wise it’s hard to pick as they have such different personalities. Higher acidity in 2010 set against confident tannins means your mouth is watering by the mid palate and it doesn’t let up. Tons of black fruits and evident spice, slate, cigar box and liquorice bud, savoury and still zipped up. It needs a few more years in bottle before it will really start to soften. 45% of harvest in the 1st wine, 60% new oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECA wine with firm tannins that are polished and reserved yet there’s an underlying richness of fruit. Plums, blueberries and citrus character. Some tar too. Juicy and delicious to taste. Try in 2016.James Suckling | 94 JSVery fresh, with a bold display of dark blueberry, loganberry and plum fruit aromas and flavors that push ahead, followed by singed spice, black licorice and toasty vanilla bean notes. Displays a polished feel on the finish, kept honest by a buried charcoal accent. Shows plenty of length for the cellar. Best from 2014 through 2028.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The definition of poised and confident, this has pretty much consistently delivered since the very first taste during En Primeur. Deeply layered, textured, confident and powerful, both very Pomerol and very 2010. Coffee beans and bitter chocolate are the dominant flavours alongside cassis and blackberry autumnal berry fruits. Both gourmet and restrained. Just about ready to go but will hugely benefit from three to four hours in carafe first, and will further improve over the next few years, and indeed over the decades to come. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045Decanter | 97 DECGorgeous nose with lots of dark fruit like plum and blueberries. Crushed pepper and chalk with wild strawberries and vanilla. Dense and velvety on the palate with superbly polished tannins and great depth. It’s absolutely gorgeous now but needs at least five to six years of bottle age to really shows its great quality.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2010 Clinet is a baby, but man, what a wine. Checking in as mostly Merlot, with small amounts of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this deep ruby/purple-tinged beauty gives up fresh, tight aromas of blackcurrants, black cherries, damp earth and forest floor, with its background oak buffered by serious amounts of fruit. Full-bodied, concentrated and deep, yet also elegant and layered, with the freshness, purity, and structure of the vintage, it sings even today with a decant, but is best with a few more year of bottle age. It’s going to keep for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe blend is largely dominated by 85% Merlot, with some Cabernet Sauvignon and a small amount of Cabernet Franc also included. Inky/purple-colored, the wine has an exceptionally full-bodied, layered, moderately tannic mouthfeel and impressive power. Loads of melted chocolate/fudge and black fruits galore along with some coffee bean, mocha, as well as some background oak are all present in this big, formidably endowed, masculine style of Pomerol that will take longer to shed its tannin than the 2009. I would give this wine 5-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 30+ years.The 2010 is another fabulous effort from this estate of just over 20 acres located in the sector named the same as the chateau, Clinet. Modest yields of 38 hectoliters per hectare produced a final blend that hit 14.4% natural alcohol.Robert Parker | 96+ RPThe 2010 Clinet has a crisp, precise bouquet that is tightly wound but extremely well focused. It would benefit from decanting of preferably more bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, impressive backbone with black fruit laced with white pepper, sage and cedar towards the persistent finish. This is a serious Pomerol with huge potential. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThis showy, packed and well-endowed Pomerol pumps out notes of warm linzer torte, plum preserves and blackberry reduction, all supported by a broad, charcoal- and ganache-coated structure and deeply embedded acidity. Very muscular on the back end, this boasts a still-chewy feel. Among the most backward of the 2010 Pomerols, this requires significant cellaring. For those who enjoy more power than subtlety. Best from 2017 through 2035. 3,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSNew wood mint aromas give this wine its great polished feel. The tannins offer a counterpoint of richness here, firm and dense. The fruit takes a while to show through, then brings the fine plum skin flavors suffusing through the wine.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Wow! This wine exceeded my enthusiastic barrel tasting notes. A big, back-strapping blockbuster from Gazin, in which the oak seems to be pushed into the background (thankfully), the wine offers up notes of caramelized black cherry and black currant fruit interwoven with mocha, white chocolate, subtle toast and hints of coffee beans and tobacco leaf. The exceptional aromatics are easily followed up by a full-bodied, powerful, broodingly backward, rich, intense wine with multiple dimensions, layers of fruit, and a sensational finish of close to a minute. This is one of the all-time great efforts from Gazin. It should be forgotten for 6-10 years and drunk over the following 30 to 40.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe 2010 Gazin has an astonishingly precise bouquet with real intensity and bravura, mainly black fruit laced with truffles and morels, becoming more ferrous with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, crisp acidity, a beguiling sense of symmetry and just a little gaminess towards the finish. What a wonderful Pomerol. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe kind of vintage that was always going to suit Gazin, and for certain there is plenty of the estate signature here - dark fruits, bitter chocolate, firm tannins and architectural angles. Excellent persistency, this stretches out through the palate. Impressive rather than loveable perhaps, but there is depth and concentration and it is just about starting to open up, underscoring as ever that Gazin is among the last of the Pomerols to reach its drinking window. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045.Decanter | 95 DECA subtle red with ultra-fine tannins that accentuate a palate of chocolate, berries and nuts. Full and very round. It’s refined and beautiful. Hard not to drink now but wait at least five years. Top wine from Gazin.James Suckling | 95 JSDense, with a dark, smoldering feel as charcoal and coffee weave around a core of mulled fig, blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The long, muscular finish features singed iron and black tea notes for added range. Needs a little time, but should unfurl nicely. Best from 2015 through 2030.Wine Spectator | 93 WSRich fruit currants and berries, intensely juicy, packed with dark very ripe fruit. A powerhouse of berries.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

Great nose of spices, dried herbs, chocolate and coffee. Very intense nose. Full-bodied, with fabulous tannins and finesse. This is layered and rich yet very harmonious. Best Monbusquet ever. Try after 2018.James Suckling | 95 JSA lush, modern, style, with hyperdrive on the blueberry, loganberry and boysenberry fruit flavors. Nothing gets too heady though, as there’s charcoal-studded grip, smoldering coffee grinds and roasted bay leaf notes all in the background for definition and further development with cellaring. Modern, yes, but firmly grounded in its terroir. Best from 2016 through 2035. 7,000 cases made. Wine Spectator | 95 WSBottle unfined and unfiltered, it exhibits notes of Christmas fruitcake, black raspberry, cedar wood and spice box and has a full-bodied, fleshy, succulent mouthfeel, sweet tannin and decent acidity along with the tell-tale purity that always seems to emerge from the Perse estates. This wine should drink beautifully for at least 12-15 or more years.Robert Parker | 93 RPVery oaky nose, plums and black cherries, but it’s stylish too. Plump, concentrated, and fleshy, with ample tannic backbone and grip. It’s austere and brooding now, with little charm or finesse, but there’s an impressive intensity and weight of fruit and no trace of overripeness. Good length, and built to last.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2010 Monbousquet has plenty of blackberry, boysenberry jam and fig aromas on the intense nose, well defined with hints of dried honey in the background. It improves with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, plenty of body and depth with multi-layered black fruit, tobacco and white pepper notes, leading to a slightly tarry, grippy finish. This could be a long-term proposition. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Aromas of black olives, violets and fresh fruit follow through to a full body, with a dense palate of dark fruits and olives. Long and polished. Handmade wine. You sense it. Pure Merlot sensation. Try in 2014.James Suckling | 95 JSVery complex and perfumed aromas of black cherry, violet, black tea and minerals. Also complex and perfumed on the palate, with savory blackberry, black pepper and spice flavors showing multilayered depth and a bright mineral overlay. Finishes bright and long, with a fine dusting of noble tannins and a lovely light touch. A lighter styled Galatrona, but a knockout wine.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThe chocolate and cocoa notes highlight the black cherry, blackberry and pomegranate flavors in this dense red. Flamboyant, showing plenty of oak, this remains vibrant, intense and long, with a spicy aftertaste. Merlot. Best from 2016 through 2026. 500 cases imported. — BSWine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2010 Galatrona seems to be going through a closed phase at the moment, or perhaps the bottle we opened was not exemplary. The wine boasts an inky dark appearance with sweet aromas of red rose and sweet cherry. You need to swirl your glass with great vigor to dig down deeper. As you do, it slowly releases tones of toasted nut, exotic spice and dark leather. Overall, the bouquet offers less intensity (especially compared to the exuberant, hot vintages 2011 and 2012 tasted prior to this wine in our vertical tasting). The wine ends with integrated fruit flavors and a pretty point of fresh acidity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Rich, dark and spicy in its aromatics and its fruit - really get that feel of a red wine steeped in aromatic herbs and spices. Less evident austerity than the Montrose although that is not to say that this is a generous vintage at Cos, more that it benefits from a sense of powerful exoticism. The hail meant picking the Cabernet a little earlier than they might have wanted (harvest was September 5th to 16th), but they have handled it well, and this still has plenty to give with a little more ageing in bottle. 80% new oak. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECThis is really excellent for the vintage with currants, dark berries and minerals on the nose and palate. Full body, firm tannins and a long finish. It’s a bit linear but racy and superb. One of the best of the vintage. Better in 2020.James Suckling | 95 JSComposed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the deep garnet-purple colored 2011 Cos d’Estournel gives up compelling notes of roasted nuts, black cherry compote, blueberry pie and red and black currants with touches of yeast extract and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, very firm, grainy textured and with a great core of youthful black fruits, the palate reveals loads of savory layers on the very long finish. This is very youthful and slowly maturing—a very impressive showing for this vintage!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPowerful, very rich and very concentrated, this epitomizes the opulent style of Cos d’Estournel. A sense of extraction is overwhelmed by the huge, ripe fruit. It shows velvet texture at first, but then the tannins come on strongly, leaving a wine that will age over many years. Drink from 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Château Cos d’Estournel) Like the 2011 Les Pagodes, the Château Cos d’Estournel this year shows an awful lot of sappy ripeness that strongly suggests that there was some back-blending to add some mid-palate muscle to the hail-strafed fruit this year. This is, of course, all perfectly acceptable under the rules in Bordeaux, where up to fifteen percent of a different year can be blended into the current vintage. In fact, it was probably just in case of depredations like the September 1st hail storm that the regulations were left in place. The nose on the 2011 Cos d’Estournel is ripe and sappy, offering up scents of black cherries, a touch of black raspberry, coffee bean, gravelly soil tones and plenty of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and shows off the “cool season” structure in its hard and quite substantial tannins, but with a thick and sappy core to support this wine’s tannic clout. The finish is very long, focused and backwards. At this point in time, it is hard to be sure how well this wine will integrate all of its tannin over time, so I have scored the wine within a range. But, it is a very well-made wine from what were near catastrophic conditions. (Drink between 2027-2075).John Gilman | 90-92+ JGThe 2010 is hard to follow, but this presents a lovely beam of raspberry and cassis fruit, with light bay and savory notes and flashes of violet and chalk on the finish. This has tightened up a little in bottle, which is good, and represents a fine effort considering the hail that came at the end of the season.—Non-blind Cos-d’Estournel vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2025. 12,667 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSGood deep ruby. Spicy aromas of dark plum, red cherry, botanical herbs and graphite. Dense, bright and energetic, with good herbal lift to the precise blackcurrant and dark plum flavors. This fresh, lively wine picks up flesh and depth with aeration. The tactile, chewy finish is pure, long and perfumed.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Huge structure, huge potential, a wine that will bring out all the fruit and density of the vintage while remaining very fresh. Black plums are already showing strongly along with the dry core that promises aging. It’s serious while alive and bright. Drink this major wine from 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis has some toast to shed, but retains a terrific core of crushed plum and blackberry confiture. Has a beautiful ripple of charcoal for texture, honest acidity for balance and a bolt of iron that keeps this firmly grounded. A brick-house Cabernet. Best from 2018 through 2030. 8,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Château Leoville Las Cases) The 2011 Château Leoville Las Cases is a classic in the making, but like the 1986 that Monsieur Rolland compares this wine too, it is going to take a long time to come around from behind its substantial wall of tannin. The superb nose offers up a classy and very pure blend of cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, gravelly soil tones, cigar smoke, espresso, a touch of tobacco leaf and a discreet base of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite pure on the attack, with a very tightly-knit personality, a rock solid core of fruit, seamless and very firm tannins and outstanding length and grip on the laser-like finish. This will be a superb vintage of Leoville Las Cases in the fullness of time, but plan on cellaring it at least fifteen years before opening a bottle and most likely, the wine will take every bit of thirty years in the cellar to really reach its apogee. (Drink between 2027-2075).John Gilman | 94+ JGA very, very good wine with creamy oak across ripe summer pudding and poached purple berries; superb balance and drive. The tannins are assertive but never threaten. Sweet ripe fruit is served up with bright, vibrant and ripe style; raspberry, mulberry and red plum flavors, great sustain, long and impressive.James Suckling | 94 JSOne of the more formidably backward and potentially long-lived wines of the vintage, the medium to full-bodied 2011 Leoville Las Cases behaves like a first-growth, which in a sense it truly is. Revealing a dense inky/purple color, it is a structured, rich, impressively endowed effort that is meant for the long haul. Atypical for this vintage, it requires 5-7 years of bottle age and should drink well for two decades thereafter. The final blend was 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Yields were a low 27 hectoliters per hectare, and the natural alcohol achieved 13.4%.Robert Parker | 93+ RPThe 2011 Léoville Las-Cases is much more introspective on the nose than its peers, though it unfolds to reveal quite mineral-driven black fruit, leather and graphite aromas. It never fully lets go. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine acidity, fresh and lively with a focused, graphite-tinged finish. Maybe a little conservative in keeping with the vintage, though this is well crafted. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VM

(Château L'Évangile, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, Red) A deep-coloured wine with real Pomerol ‘flesh’ and structure. This is a wine that grows in the glass, showing its class as it opens up; will probably benefit from two or three more years or early decanting. The property was replanting Cabernet Franc, so this is almost entirely Merlot. (Drink between 2025-2035)Decanter | 96 DECAn extremely polished L'Evangile with light chocolate, stone and cedar that turns to green olive with hints of sweet tobacco. Full body, tight center palate with polished and very tight grained tannins. So much energy here. Beautiful to taste but can't wait to see it in 2020.James Suckling | 95 JS(Château l’Évangile) Monsieur Vazart, Technical Director at Château l’Évangile, reported that the harvest was perfect at the estate this year, with the picking teams starting to harvest grapes on September 22nd and finishing up on October 9th, with the grapes brought in with lovely ripeness. The wine is a gorgeous example of 2012 l’Évangile, tipping the scales at a ripe, but absolutely effortless 14.4 percent alcohol (the same level as at Pétrus this year) that exudes purity and precision. It is a far more classic example than either 2009 or 2010 at this address and, without question, is one of the best wines of the vintage. The bouquet is a superb blend of black cherries, black raspberries, cigar smoke, dark chocolate, violets, soil and a deft framing of cedary new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and vibrant, with a fine core of fruit, velvety tannins and excellent length and grip on the focused and classy finish. The 2012 Château l’Évangile is an absolute classic in the making. (Drink between 2023-2050).John Gilman | 94 JGThis dark ruby/plum Pomerol offers up sweet black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, velvety tannin, medium to full body, and a nice lushness and silkiness. A beauty with great fragrance and suppleness, it’s not enormously endowed, as a great vintage would be, but it is certainly an outstanding wine and a brilliant effort from ’Evangile in 2012. Drink it over the next 15 years.Robert Parker | 94 RPA dense, dark, woodsy style, with loads of tobacco, charcoal and tar holding sway over steeped plum, black currant and Black Mission fig flavors. Shows a serious graphite bolt on the finish, along with a tug of dark earth. A rather powerful rendition of Pomerol that will need some time to stretch out fully. Best from 2018 through 2032. 3,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2012 Château l'Evangile has a little more exoticism on the nose compared to the 2012 La Fleur de Gay that preceded it: dark chocolate and camphor scents, coalescing nicely with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and acidity, sour cherries mixed with white pepper and a gentle grip with hints of leather towards the finish. I feel this has personality and Pomerol DNA, though it flirts with being overly exotic. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 90 VM

If you want to know what St.-Estèphe smells like, this is it. Aromas of spices, black truffles, forest floor, dried strawberries and tar. It’s full-bodied yet pinpointed on the palate with fabulous density and richness. It’s opulent but in a reserved and checked way. This needs at least five or six years to come around, but it’s already fantastic. What harmony and structure. Try in 2022 if you can keep your hands off it!James Suckling | 98 JSThis is an immensely dense wine that is going to be a classic. The dark tannins are still lined with wood aging but that will go because the fruit underneath is also just as dense and intense. Blackberry, black plum and damson plum give power and sweetness. This is a great wine with huge potential. Drink from 2028.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2014 Cos d’Estournel is rich, powerful and seductive, with notable unctuousness but a medium-bodied frame. Plum, blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate and lavender notes flesh out in an effortless, sumptuous wine that will provide superb drinking for the next few decades. The 2014 needs time to shed some baby fat, but it is quite impressive, even in the early going. The blend is 65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 33 % Merlot and 2 % Cabernet Franc.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGThe grand vin 2014 Cos D’Estournel is gorgeous, and I think a step up over the 2015. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, this deep, inky-colored 2014 boasts a gorgeous perfume of ripe currants and cassis fruits, loads of chocolaty oak, cedar and scorched earth, full-bodied richness, and building, firm, yet ripe tannin. It’s certainly one of the gems in the vintage, as well as one of the more structured, opulent and age-worthy. Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThere’s a clear consistency across Cos d’Estournel’s wines – the quality is absolutely unmissable, but don’t open the 2014 just yet. Remember that from the end of August the weather really favoured St-Estèphe, with the result that all those key elements - tannins, acidity and fruit - are here in force. It’s still young and closed, with tight tannins, but after 10 minutes or so in the glass olive paste and rosemary notes emerge, followed by graphite and bilberry fruit. Give it time, then reap the rewards. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECA blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cos d’Estournel has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed at this stage, offering slowly emerging scents of fresh blackcurrants, black plums and blackberries plus nuances of pencil shavings, dried lavender, bay leaves and fertile loam with a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, it has a generous mid-palate of muscular, youthful fruit with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPIntense, with a roiling core of luscious loganberry, blackberry and black currant fruit. Singed spice, apple wood and black tea accents emerge steadily on the finish. Has a rare combination of density and precision. Will cruise in the cellar. Best from 2020 through 2035. 14,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Inky plum in colour, you can see this is rich and textured even before going anywhere near the nose, which then displays ripe fruit. Gorgeous quality, a wine that is packed full of graphite, pencil lead, waves of violet, cassis, liqourice, and chewy but well defined tannins. Leaps out of the glass and is clear proof that, when it gets it right, the 2014 vintage equals the 2015 in this northern sector of the Médoc. Good value also compared to the 2015 and 2016 - a must buy for me. 70% new oak,..Jane Anson | 97 JAAromas of currants, blackberries and blackcurrants with hints of chocolate and spices. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Juicy and muscular wine. Needs three or four years to open. Beautiful.James Suckling | 96 JSFragrant and perfumed, this wine is the epitome of great Cabernet Sauvignon. It is fruity, juicy yet with serious concentrated tannins. There is spice from the wood aging along with a dash of pepper, all the while just bringing out the beautiful black-currant flavors. Drink this wine from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2014 Lynch-Bages is just as powerful and dense from bottle as it was from barrel. Deep, powerful and bold, it possesses remarkable richness in all of its dimensions. Ripe red cherry, spice, leather, tobacco and rose petal all develop in the glass, but it is the wine’s sheer amplitude today that is quite remarkable. It will need quite a bit of cellaring to be at its best, and is clearly built to age. This is a terrific showing from the Cazes family. The blend is 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc and 2 % Petit Verdot.Antonio Galloni | 94+ AGThis has beguiling hints of plum cake and melted licorice peeking out, while a core of cassis and blackberry confiture waits in reserve. There’s ample grip, but this remains very polished and integrated, with lovely echoes of anise and fruitcake showing through the very lengthy finish. Will be hard to keep your hands off this while it ages. Best from 2019 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2014 Lynch Bages was actually similar to the 2014 Pichon Baron on the nose: tight and surly at first, demanding a lot of coaxing from the glass. It eventually opens up with a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and tobacco, gaining more harmony and intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite linear and focused at the moment, precise if just needing a little more body and depth to evolve on the straight-laced finish. Give this Pauillac 4-5 years in bottle and it is likely to repay you.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMVery well-expressed natural concentration of fruit, very ripe tannins and lots of complexity to come. A richly textured, firmly structured wine with the Lynch-Bages hallmarks for the future. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035.Decanter | 92 DEC

One of the highlights in a dark horse vintage for Bordeaux, the 2014 Pichon Lalande is absolutely exquisite. Aromatic and silky on the palate, with bright, finely sculpted fruit and mid-weight structure, the 2014 is a picture-perfect example of the best 2014 has to offer. I have always adored the 2014 Pichon Lalande. This tasting only serves to reinforce that feeling. Ideal conditions in September extended the harvest and yielded perfumed, silky wines.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGShowing the hallmark elegance and seductiveness of this terrific estate, the 2014 Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande is deeply colored (especially in the vintage) and delivers a heavenly bouquet of crème de cassis, ripe plums, graphite, cedar pencil, roasted coffee, and tons of building minerality and liquid rock-like nuances. Incredibly pure, textured, full-bodied, and with a seamless integration of its fruit, tannin, and acidity, it’s already approachable but will keep for two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDWarm and ripe, this is a beautifully balanced wine. It is packed with black-currant fruits that are bursting out of the glass. A darker side comes with the tannins and new wood flavors that are still prominent. It looks likely the wine will develop slowly, so don't drink before 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEVery solid, with lots of cassis bush and sweet tobacco notes adding texture to the core of crushed ripe raspberry, blackberry and plum fruit flavors. A licorice snap accent dances throughout, while a bolt of iron runs underneath. This is Pauillac. Best from 2020 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 94 WSNow firmly under the ownership of the Rouzaud family of Champagne Roederer, Pichon-Lalande continues to make wines of finesse as well as structure. The blend can include a lot of Merlot, but in 2014 two-thirds was composed of Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is more subdued than when tasted in 2016, but it still shows very ripe blackcurrant and blackberry aromas, laced with some mint and oak. The texture is velvety and surprisingly open, even forward, but there are underlying tannins to ensure a long life. The finish is persistent and vigorous, with purity and clarity of fruit. (Drink between 2020-2038)Decanter | 93 DECAromas of cassis bush and shaved chocolate with berries. Full body, velvety-textured tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Tangy undertones with fresh acidity. Drink in 2020.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2014 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has an expressive bouquet with lively blackberry, cedar, flint and graphite aromas that are not powerful, yet display admirable precision. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, the Merlot content lending this Pauillac its trademark fleshiness and roundness, yet there is clearly structure here (not always a trait of this Pauillac growth). It will develop more complexity and personality with bottle age, but at the moment you can sit back and just admire the cohesion and superb length. Winemaker Nicolas Glumineau has overseen a quite wonderful Pichon-Lalande, one with inbuilt longevity.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NM