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The 2006 Pichon Lalande, which blows away the 2005, represents a return to the velvety-textured, rich, sexy style most readers would associate with Pichon Lalande. This blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot no Petit Verdot was included in the final blend exhibits a dense purple color as well as abundant aromas of chocolate, coffee, cedar, black currants, and a subtle touch of smoke, a rich, savory, full-bodied mouthfeel, plump, fleshy fruit, and a superb finish. This is a 21st century version of the brilliant 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2030.One of the major disappointments in 2005 was Pichon Lalande, but the change in ownership, with the Roederer/Deutz champagne firm taking control in 2006, resulted in a very severe selection being instituted, only 41% of the production went into the grand vin.Robert Parker | 95 RPOne of the most pleasant and unexpected surprises in this tasting, the 2006 Pichon Lalande is gorgeous, which is something I can’t say about too many wines in a vintage marked by climatic ups and downs and irregular ripening. Dark, powerful and intense, the 2006 possesses exceptional balance. A host of black cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and menthol flesh out in this decidedly somber, virile Pichon Lalande. In a vintage in which so many wines are so rustic, the 2006 Pichon Lalande is all class. This sleeper Pichon Lalande will drink well for at least the next two decades, perhaps longer.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThe success of this wine owes as much to Merlot as to Cabernet. The Merlot has created the ripeness and smoothness of the wine. While the Cabernet keeps it firm and closed up, there is a base of rich, sweet fruit here that will show over the next two years. The style of the wine is moving away from elegance to power under the new regime of owners, Champagne Roederer.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WERich and powerful but also restrained, with the characteristic perfume of Pichon Comtesse, this offers enormous potential for pleasure. The silky damson fruit also has a supporting cast of cloves and dark chocolate, with black truffles just starting to appear. Drinking Window 2017 - 2040Decanter | 93 DEC(Château Pichon-Lalande) I really like the 2006 vintage on the Left Bank and the Pichon-Lalande is a fine example. The bouquet offers up a deep and complex blend of blackberries, cassis, espresso, fresh herb tones, tobacco leaf, a nice touch of sweet bell pepper, gravel, violets and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complex and quite refined in profile, with a fine, almost sappy core of fruit, nascent complexity and very good length and grip on the ripely tannic finish. This will be a classic Pichon with sufficient bottle age. (Drink between 2021-2060).John Gilman | 92+ JGDisplays currant and blackberry, with hints of licorice. Full-bodied, with round, chewy tannins and lots of fruit under the structure. A rich wine for the vintage, needing plenty of bottle age. Best after 2014. 16,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Cheval Blanc is a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc. It has the most floral bouquet of the four Serié A Grand Cru Classé: an explosion of crushed violets and potpourri, hints of leather and cigar box, the Cabernet Franc clearly lending this complexity and character. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. It feels wonderfully structured and comes with an insistent grip that coats the mouth. This is backward and almost surly, but you have to stand back and admire the precision and arching structure on the mineral-rich finish. Top-dog Saint Emilion? That’s for sure. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 97 RP-NMDark chocolate and mocha flavors, very dark and intense, this is a big, concentrated wine, flavored with bitter cherries and structured. Certainly a great Cheval Blanc.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEDisplays lots of milk chocolate, cedar, berry and cappuccino aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins, this is structured and layered for the vintage. Mouthpuckering. Needs time. This is one of the wines of the vintage. Best after 2015. 5,400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA supple and heady vintage of Cheval, this gains power and amplitude over the course of several days. What sets it apart is the relaxed sophistication cabernet franc can yield from these 50-year-old vines. That adds vinosity to the Cheval’s tight build, while the beautiful richness of the wine is classic merlot. It’s the color of a black cherry, with the ripe flavor of that fruit darkened by the scent of figs, brightened by a floral note of violets. The tannins are supple, with a depth that will sustain the wine for decades.Wine & Spirits | 95 W&SGood deep ruby-red. Captivating nose combines blackberry, menthol, licorice, bitter chocolate, violet and a flinty, iron-like element. Densely packed and very fresh, with superb energy and definition to the complex flavors of cassis, blackberry, licorice, menthol and minerals. A floral element contributes to the impression of vibrancy. This is more impressive than it was at any stage of its elevage, offering surprising chewy richness and sweetness for a brand-new Cheval. Finishes with broad, toothdusting tannins that mount slowly and saturate the palate. This wonderfully smooth wine gained in precision and floral perfume with 24 hours in the recorked bottle and should be at its best roughly between 2015 and 2035.Vinous Media | 94 VMA blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, the 2006 Chateau Cheval Blanc is a classic wine from this under-the-radar vintage and offers a perfumed, complex bouquet of red and black fruits, dried flowers, earth, spice box, and tobacco. With medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, elegant texture, ripe tannin and impressive length, it’s approachable today yet will keep for two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDSeptember rainfall hit St Emilion quite hard, and there was some dilution in the grapes, and careful selection and sorting were required. The 2006 Cheval Blanc has recently shown well but this bottle was not entirely satisfactory, though far from faulty. The nose is ripe and intense, with a grapy raspberry character and considerable poise and finesse. On the palate it’s still firm and tannic; it’s certainly concentrated, but quite grippy too and lacks the charm of the nose. A long chewy finish makes one wonder how the wine will evolve, but mature Cheval Blanc is unlikely to disappoint. Drinking Window 2019 - 2032.Decanter | 92 DEC

(Château Lafleur) The 2008 Lafleur is an absolute classic in the making and likely to be ranked as one of the great vintages at this estate from the first decade of the new millennium. The bouquet is deep, pure and youthfully reticent, as it offers up a complex mélange of black cherries, red currants, coffee, a very strong and complex base of soil, nutskins, cigar wrapper and a deft framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very, very soil-driven, with a rock solid core of fruit, ripe tannins, very fine acidity and excellent focus and grip on the very long and well-balanced finish. A classic Lafleur and a magically beautiful bottle of wine. (Drink between 2022-2060).John Gilman | 96 JGTasted with Baptiste Guinaudeau, the 2008 Lafleur is a wine for which I have a lot of time, and as it approaches a decade old, it is beginning to loosen up a little. There is plenty of fruit on the nose—more than I have encountered on previous bottles, with a mixture of red and black fruit—and a hint of bell pepper and sage. The main difference is that those previously rigid tannin have loosened their collar in recent months; therefore, this Lafleur is now entertaining the notion of drinkability. There remains a linearity to this Lafleur—and there is still that backbone—yet it seems to flow nicely across the mouth, and there is superb mineralité on the finish. It's probably destined to be overshadowed by the succeeding two vintages, but I suggest you do not overlook the 2008 Lafleur.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 96 RP-NMThe 2008 Lafleur is a wine that I have tasted several times. It mirrored my previous encounters. There is still impressive fruit concentration on the nose, equally distributed between red and black, a hint of clove and just a touch of Italian delicatessen emanating from the Cabernet Franc. The palate has just melted a little since its obdurate infancy, although it is still quite linear and "strict". You might argue that the 2008 Lafleur is a little charmless at the moment, but bottle age will sculpt and abrade this Pomerol into a very fine, if slightly aloof wine. (This was not shown at BI Wine & Spirit’s horizontal but a bottle was opened at a private dinner when I was in Bordeaux a few days earlier).Vinous Media | 96 VMA bright, fresh, very pure style, with raspberry and bitter cherry fruit flavors laced with judicious toast and a streak of red licorice. The nicely fleshy finish puts on weight as it airs in the glass, developing alluring notes of black tea and incense. Drink now through 2019.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2008 Mouton Rothschild checks in as a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot brought up in mostly new barrels. Undeniably one of the top wines in the vintage, it offers a rare opulence and sexiness in its awesome bouquet of crème de cassis, Asian spices, chocolate, and crushed flowers. Deep, full-bodied, powerful, and still young, it fills the mouth with fruit, has sweet tannin, and a great finish. It’s still ruby/plum-colored, with no signs of evolution, but is far from unapproachable and is drinking incredibly well today. It will keep for another two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDAnother hit, although this is not as glamorous as some vintages of Mouton. The expression here is just a little more Pauillac, rather than Mouton. Layers of blackberry and grilled almonds are marked by a touch of austerity in the Cabernet which I almost never find in this wine. It remains a beautiful Mouton in a vintage where you don’t always get this level of texture and expression. It’s still young - we are actually nowhere near lift off yet. Drinking Window 2022 - 2038Decanter | 96 DECA rich wine, opulent in character. There is power here, with richness of fruit and texture. It is both serious side and exuberant, with its bursting black berry fruits.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WETasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2008 Mouton Rothschild has always been in the shadow of the ensuing couple of vintages, but I was not the only person at this tasting that commented upon the class in show here. It replicated previous showings: cedar and graphite present and correct, though accompanied by something a little more exotic - eucalyptus maybe? The palate is beautifully balanced, very detailed and extremely fresh. This conveys so much energy and animation before reverting towards a more classic and structured, pencil lead finish. Those in the know will stash up on the 2008 Mouton Rothschild because it is destined to turn into one of the "dark horses" of the decade. Tasted May 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NMAromas of roasted fruit plus hints of grilled meat and chocolate. Full body, firm and chewy tannins and bright acidity. Tangy and lively. Needs time still to come together to soften the tannins. A little hard. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 94 JSAfter the 2009 and 2010, the 2008 Mouton Rothschild comes across as a touch slender. Lavender, smoke, grilled herbs and licorice add the closing shades of nuance in this delightful, mid-weight Mouton. In 2008, the blend is 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot harvested between October 2 and 15. Two thousand eight is remembered as a highly variable year. Overcast skies finally opened in mid-September, which allowed the growing season to conclude on a high note.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis shows the cool, leafy profile of the vintage, with fresh tobacco and bay notes standing out, while the core of plum and blackberry fruit continues to fill in behind them. Shows wet earth and singed alder elements through the finish. This has nearly dropped its angular feel and is developing well, with just a slight twinge of crisp acidity on the finish.--Non-blind Mouton-Rothschild vertical (March 2017). Drink now through 2036.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

(Château Ducru-Beaucaillou) The 2008 Ducru-Beaucaillou is one of the top wines of the vintage and a stellar bottle in the making. The wine delivers a truly stunning bouquet, as it soars from the glass in a mélange of cassis, dark berries, French roast, tobacco leaf, a complex base of gravelly soil tones and a deft framing of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full and wonderfully suave on the attack, with a sappy core of fruit, ripe, perfectly-integrated tannins and great length and grip on the nascently complex finish. While Ducru has produced exemplary efforts in both 2009 and 2010, make no mistake, the 2008 is the finest of the troika. A great 2008! (Drink between 2022-2075)John Gilman | 95 JGA gem from the Left Bank is the 2008 Château Ducru Beaucaillou, which comes from just one-third of the total production and is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot. This brilliant Saint-Julien boasts a still vivid ruby/purple color as well as a head-turning bouquet of crème de cassis, high-class smoke tobacco, truffle, and some gravelly, rocky minerality. Possessing medium to full-bodied richness, silky tannins, and thrilling purity of fruit, it’s just at the early stages of its drink window and has an easy two decades or more of prime drinking.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDOne of the stars of the vintage, and a remarkable achievement in 2008, with impressive richness, this dense purple colored wine is almost as opaque as the 2010. Spring flowers, crushed rocks, creme de cassis and some subtle oak are followed by a full-bodied, concentrated wine that transcends the vintage character in its power, richness, and aging potential. It also exhibits tremendous precision, purity, and depth of character. It is more forward than the 2010 is likely to be, but probably not as sumptuous as the 2009 will turn out to be. This is a wine to buy. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2035.Robert Parker | 95+ RP(Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Cabernet Sauvignon, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, Red) The 2008 Ducru-Beaucaillou smells quite Cabernet-Sauvignon with an appealing bouquet of spices, blackcurrant, black berries, and green bell pepper touches. It has a tense and straight palate with building tannins but perfectly balanced. There is a hint of bell pepper and tobacco on the finish that amplify an impression of freshness on the long, airy finish. Its needs some time (10 years) to chill out. (Drink between 2022-2030)Decanter | 95 DECWow. This is really impressive for the vintage, with a solid core of raspberry, currants and spices. Full and round, with velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Superb winemaking for the vintage. Try after 2013.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2008 Ducru-Beaucaillou has a fresh and vibrant nose. Occasionally this can come across a little stemmy and maybe it does here, but it is a facet that I think lends complexity and intrigue, touches of brine combining wonderfully with the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite firm tannins. There is a solid backbone to this Ducru-Beaucaillou; maybe this bottle is just closing in a little and one that would have benefitted from more decanting (indeed, it develops more precision in the glass.) Very fine, but give it more time. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 94 VMChocolate, coffee and sweet plum notes give this wine great richness. It has wood that needs time to integrate, although the main character is beautiful, velvet-textured, ripe fruit and plenty of sweet tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is dark and brooding, with a tarry wall holding the black currant, melted licorice and espresso notes at bay for now. Extra roasted sage, cedar and briar push in on the finish, which shows an old-school hint. Rock-solid. Best from 2013 through 2021.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Possibly the wine of the vintage, the 2008 Pavie has the elegance of the Pavie Decesse and the power of the Mondotte. It’s a brilliant, sexy beauty loaded with notions of crème de cassis, blackberries, spice box, and licorice, with a classic Saint-Emilion-like liquid rock minerality. This all carries to a full-bodied Saint-Emilion that offers loads of fruit and texture, yet remains fabulous polished, elegant, and balanced. It’s a wine that builds incrementally on the palate, with beautiful depth of fruit and ripe tannins. Bravo to Gerard Perse for another tour de force in Bordeaux! Drink it any time over the coming 30 years or more. The blend of the 2008 is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis is starting to be perfect to drink now with chocolate, grilled-meat, plum and wet-earth character. Full-bodied, tight and focused. The acidity has diminished and this shows balance. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSA slightly more compact style of Pavie in this vintage, but still full-bodied, the 2008 has a youthful, dense purple color and is seriously endowed with concentrated, rich fruit, licorice, graphite, forest floor, and loads of dark plum and black and red currant fruit. This wine still has some tannins to resolve, and should be cellared for another 4-5 years. Drink over the following two decades.Robert Parker | 94+ RPDry tannins dominate this wine. Pavie’s style has become less exuberant, more restrained, which allows the terroir to show through in its tannins and concentration. This is for long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEPavie is all about digging in for the long haul, and at 10 years old it starts to make sense. Those tannins are still chewy but not ferocious, the fruit savoury and concentrated. It has far more power than a typical limestone St-Émilion for at least four of its five beats, until that salted almond taste kicks in on the finish and the slate wall appears before you and you start to ascend, and then you think, hang on, in another 10 years this might just be reaching its peak! (NB: Pavie was upgraded to ’1er Grand Cru Classé A’ status in 2012). Drinking Window 2022 - 2038Decanter | 93 DECA very solid effort in a difficult year, showing light bay and tobacco notes out front, quickly followed by a mix of raspberry and red and black currant fruit. Shows a lightly chewy edge, along with more tobacco and bittersweet cocoa elements, on the finish. This pulls about all it can out of a wet and cool year.--Non-blind Pavie vertical (March 2017). Best from 2018 through 2025. 6,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

One of the superstars of the vintage, the 2008 Trotanoy is a wine that transcends the vintage. Typically, this is not one of the more lush, sexy wines of Pomerol, but rather a muscular, masculine effort, and that’s the case in 2008. A deep purple color is followed by copious amounts of red and black fruit, earth, cedar and forest floor notes. The wine reveals a full-bodied texture, phenomenal concentration for a 2008, plenty of sweet tannin and a terrific finish. While it was surprisingly approachable, it will benefit from several years of cellaring and last 20-25 years. Bravo!Robert Parker | 96 RP(Château Trotanoy) The 2008 Trotanoy is certainly one of the riper examples of the vintage that I have come across, as it reached a full fourteen percent in alcohol in this year, but the long, slow growing season has allowed the sugars to mount slowly and the precision of the terroir in this wine has remained truly remarkable. In several respects, I prefer the cooler and refined profile of the 2008 Trotanoy to the bigger and more powerful iterations of this great estate in 2009 and 2010. The bouquet on the wine is deep, very pure and impressively discreet, as it offers up scents of red plums, black cherries, Cuban cigars, coffee, beautiful minerality, herb tones and a fine base of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full, pure and chiseled, with a fine core, superb focus, ripe, moderate tannins, good acids and outstanding length and grip on the nascently complex and very intensely flavored finish. A beautiful and utterly classic vintage of Trotanoy that reminds me a bit of the 1975 in terms of precision and purity. It will be very interesting to see how this ranks in comparison to the more powerful wines of 2009 and 2010 at this estate when time has had its say, thirty or forty years down the road. (Drink between 2020-2075).John Gilman | 95+ JGThis is very muscular for the vintage, with blueberries, minerals, flowers and stones. Full bodied and powerful with beautiful rich tannins and a long, long finish. So much going on. Let it go for five or six years.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2008 Trotanoy is a ferociously backward Pomerol that did not engage at Farr’s horizontal. Another bottle served over lunch that had undergone a long decanting was far more representative. It has a gorgeous bouquet with raspberry and menthol, a little dark chocolate and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with ample freshness and vigor although it clearly demands a long aeration to really click into fifth gear. This is a multi-dimensional Trotanoy that probably needs another couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 94+ VMAn impressive wine, showing its power and concentration in a structure integrated with chocolate, bitter coffee and spice. Black plum notes add a juicy character to this powerful wine.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is a more powerful expression of Pomerol, with black tea and tar notes framing the core of blackberry and plum fruit. Loam, roasted tobacco leaf and braised cèpe notes fill in on the finish. This should be fun to age. Best from 2013 through 2020. 1,875 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

I continue to love the 2008 Château Latour, unquestionably in the top handful of wines in the vintage. A rich, powerful blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, this ruby/purple-hued beauty boasts a classic Latour nose of blackcurrants, spice box, saddle leather, tobacco leaf, and cedar pencil. Deep, medium to full-bodied, and perfectly balanced, give it another 2-3 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy bottles over the following 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDExpressive fruit aromas and wood perfumes announce this wine. With 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a complex wine marked by purity of black fruits, berries, toast and tannins. It has power, richness and a lovely edge of spice to go with the acidity. The wine is firmly structured, while bursting with fruit and freshness.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEAn extraordinary wine, the classic 2008 Latour (13.5% natural alcohol) is composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc (40% of the production made it into the grand vin). Its dense purple color is followed by hints of espresso roast, cassis, burning embers, truffles and graphite. Rich with full-bodied power, beautiful purity and graciousness allied to a voluminous, savory, broad mouthfeel, this beauty will be drinkable in 4-5 years and will keep for three decades.Robert Parker | 95+ RPA little subdued, as with the Lafite right now, but this is built to last and is layered and structured. Liquorice, cassis and blueberry notes take the lead, with a punch of tannic power and a crushed mint leaf finish. A classic Latour, starting to be ready to drink but sure to age for decades from here. A seductive smoke note appears with time in the glass. Harvest September 29 to October 14. 40% of overall production. (Drink between 2021-2042)Decanter | 95 DECGorgeous aromas. Sandalwood and flowers, so perfumed and beautiful. Spices and currants with cassis too. Amazing nose. Such beauty and density with an iron and pure fruit character. Solid and racy.James Suckling | 95 JSThis is dense and muscular, but balanced, with the flesh to offset the sinew, as pure mulled black currant, melted fig and crushed plum fruit is caressed by substantial but fine-grained structure. The long, iron- and tobacco-filled finish has excellent focus and drive. This could rival LLC for longest-lived wine of the vintage. Best from 2013 through 2022. 9,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2008 Latour is dark, brooding and virile, with huge tannins that convey an impression of gravitas. Grilled herbs, leather, sweet pipe tobacco, iron and cedar add to the wine’s distinctive aromatic complexity. There is plenty of density and richness, but the color and slightly advanced flavor profile are a bit out of character. Ideally, at this stage Latour should exhibit more freshness and vibrancy. Of course, it is possible the 2008 might remain at this plateau for many years to come. Time will tell. The blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and drops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.Antonio Galloni | 93 AG

Still vibrantly colored, the 100% Merlot 2008 La Violette boasts a fabulous bouquet of blackcurrants, cherries, spring flowers, forest floor, and licorice. Ultra-fine, medium to full-bodied, balanced and beautifully textured, almost Burgundian, this beauty is already impossible to resist but will keep for another decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDFashioned from yields of 18 hectoliters per hectare with 13.5% natural alcohol, the opaque ruby-hued 2008 exhibits tell-tale floral notes intertwined with raspberries, sweet black cherries, licorice and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and strikingly pure as well as multilayered, the 2008, despite its precociousness, will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 20-25 years. It is one of the top successes of the vintage.Robert Parker | 95 RPBright ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry and licorice. Fat, lush and sweet, with excellent depth of texture. Wonderfully layered, large-scaled, utterly seamless wine, yet I found myself wishing for some more floral high notes. Will give great early pleasure.Vinous Media | 90 VMThis is ripe and filled in, with plum sauce, warm currant paste and cherry preserve flavors all wrapped together and carried by the plush, velvety finish. There's a modern kiss of toast on the back end. Nicely done. Drink now through 2015. 291 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2008 Le Gay is a beauty. Still lively colored, with a complex bouquet of blackcurrants, savory cherries, earth, and dried herbs, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, fine, elegant tannin, and a silky, layered, seamless texture. It has a beautiful finish and is an incredibly classy, elegant wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDOne of the top successes of the vintage, the 2008 Le Gay, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc (13.5% alcohol) was produced from tiny yields of 25 hectoliters per hectare. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet nose of spring flowers intermixed with blueberries, blackberries, dark raspberries, crushed rocks and white chocolate. Full-bodied, super intense and extremely promising (although it is unusually backward for a 2008), it will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring and may merit an even higher score in a decade or so. It should last for 30+ years, making it one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage.Robert Parker | 94+ RPRacy blackberry and graphite notes are framed by light toast and mineral in this vibrant, expressive red. The ripe tannins are well-integrated and give backbone to the plush texture. There’s beautiful balance, with depth and drive. Drink now through 2020. 1,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2008 Le Gay has an intense Merlot-driven bouquet that soars from the glass: kirsch, orange zest, rose petal and touches of truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, crisp acidity, nicely structured with a structured, saline finish that just lacks the aftertaste that would have clinched the deal. Not bad, though I suspect that decanting, always necessary for this Pomerol cru, would have resulted in a higher score. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 91+ VMFirm blackberry and bilberry fruits are accompanied by smooth tannins in this lovely wine full of Pomerol typicity. No need to wait any longer to start enjoying this - those luscious cappuccino notes allow for an easy entry into the rich fruit and tannic backbone. Drinking Window 2018 - 2036.Decanter | 90 DEC

The 2008 Palmer has a very intense bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, crushed violet and iris scents, blossoming in the glass whilst retaining superb delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine but quite rounded tannin that frame the pure blackberry and raspberry fruit. There are touches of white pepper and clove towards the finish, completing quite a superb Margaux from Thomas Duroux. Equal with Château Margaux? It might even be better... (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits annual 10-Year On tasting).Vinous Media | 95 VMThis has a deeper grip of fruit, one of the best so far, delivering spades of Margaux typicity and a gorgeous balance of seamlessly linked fruit, tannin and acidity. This is the right time to be drinking this wine, but it will still unfurl further. Flavours of pencil lead, brambly blackberry fruits and a cedar swirl. A gold for me, in a silver vintage. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032Decanter | 95 DECRich and concentrated, touched easily by toasty wood. The tannins are so sweet, blending easily into the powerful texture of black berry fruits with, hints of licorice. This is a ripe wine, its acidity always present.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA stunning success for the vintage, and possibly the Margaux of the year, this wine, which achieved 13.5% natural alcohol, is a blend of 51% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot. Loads of barbecue smoke, licorice, incense, blackberry, new saddle leather and forest floor notes jump from the glass of this dense, purple-colored wine. Extraordinarily intense and full-bodied, with plenty of tannin, but not the formidable structure of the 2010, this is going to be one of the longest-lived wines of 2008. It is full, rich, layered, and should be reasonably approachable with 3-4 years of bottle age, and will also keep for 30+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RPA wine that’s just now starting to hit prime time, the 2008 Palmer is a blend of 51% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot that was brought up in plenty of new oak. This medium to full-bodied effort offers a youthful, vibrant ruby/purple color as well as a smoky, dark-fruited style as well as notes of chocolate and earthy minerality. With beautiful concentration, still-present ripe tannins, and a great finish, it’s a great drink today, yet I suspect it has another 30 years in it. It’s a beautiful Palmer that shows the classic style of the vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDPalmer knows what to do. Plenty of blackberry and licorice aromas and flavors follow through to full body, with chewy tannins and a vanilla, cedar and chocolate aftertaste. Needs time to mellow. Layered and beautiful. Best after 2012.James Suckling | 93 JSOffers dark plum, mulled currant and blackberry notes, with flashes of roasted apple wood and maduro tobacco, plus cocoa and espresso. There’s nicely rounded flesh and a long, integrated finish that has some extra grip. Clearly apart from the Margaux pack in 2008. Best from 2013 through 2019. 7,080 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

One of the true blockbusters in the vintage is the 2008 La Mondotte, which is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc brought up in 100% new French oak. This is a huge, rich, incredibly satisfying Saint-Emilion that’s overflowing with notions of blackcurrants, truffles, scorched earth, and forest floor. Loaded with sweet fruit, full-bodied, concentration, and with a finish that won’t quit, it’s a thrill a minute and can be drunk today with incredible pleasure or cellared for another decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA brilliant effort, the 2008 La Mondotte is a candidate for “wine of the vintage.” This blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc hit 14% natural alcohol. Yields were 24 hectoliters per hectare. The wine boasts an opaque purple color along with sweet aromas of mulberries, creme de cassis, blackberries, espresso roast, chocolate and toast. Sweet tannin, an opulent mouthfeel and a flamboyant personality make for a prodigious/compelling wine that can be drunk now or cellared for two decades or more. This is an unbelievable 2008 of extravagant intensity and richness. Bravo! Anticipated maturity: now-2025.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe blend is 90 percent Merlot with the rest in Cabernet Franc. It's an impressive young wine with lots of blueberries, spices and flowers. The owner says the unique character comes from the chalky soil of the gentle hillside vineyard above the town of St. Emilion. It's full bodied, with a rich and velvety tannins structure and a big, long finish. Bright acidity too. Give it four to five years of bottle age before trying.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2008 La Mondotte has a simple but pure bouquet with red cherry, crushed strawberry and rose petal aromas and subtle notes of vanilla pod that are neatly embroidered. The palate is medium-bodied with darker fruit than its Saint-Émilion peers: blackberry, Dorset plum, a hint of fig and quite a saline, marine-influenced finish. It exerts a gentle grip and feels quite persistent in the mouth. It just needs two or there more years but it remains and enchanting Saint-Émilion. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMThere are strong mint and herb aromas on this round, sweet-tasting wine. Its fresh texture is infused with a pleasing black-currant flavor. The tannins indicate that it's also an age-worthy, complex wine.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis is a step up from the pack, with dark plum, blackberry, fig paste and Black Forest cake aromas and flavors, backed by very polished, well-integrated structure. Hints of black tea, licorice and roasted vanilla bean lace up the beautiful finish. There's some grip as well, and this should age nicely in the mid-term. Drink now through 2019. 525 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

This is a "wow" wine, with a stunning display of plum, blackberry and raspberry confiture aromas and flavors, allied to a dense but very velvety structure. Licorice, violet and plum cake notes fill in the background. Everything carries through the long, lush finish until the fine chalky minerality finally appears, adding remarkable finesse to this otherwise explosive display. Hard not to drink now, but this will cruise in the cellar.--Non-blind Pavie Macquin vertical (December 2014). Drink now through 2030. 3,750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSDeep garnet colored, the 2009 Pavie Macquin leaps from the glass with gregarious Chinese five spice, prunes, baked blackberries and hoisin notes with hints of licorice and chargrill. The full-bodied palate is quite mature with a plush, velvety texture and loads of baked berry and exotic spice layers, finishing long and perfumed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPVery dark and dense with roasting coffee beans, black plum and prune aromas plus a touch of volatility. A self-confidently decadent wine with a distinct sweetness at the front, but a rather drying finish. This needs time to soften. Better after 2022. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 94 JSVery fruity aromas hint that this is a bright wine, its tannins shaded by the red and black berry flavors. The structure is integrated, showing ripe as well as fresh fruit with final flavors of chocolate.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WERipeness is pushed to the edge in the 2009 Pavie-Macquin. Maybe over the edge. Readers will find a full-bodied, voluptuous wine bursting at the seams with radiant intensity. Exotic, racy and full-bodied, Pavie-Macquin is a good example of the heavily-extracted style that was in favor back then. I find it lacking in both complexity and interest.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThis estate has really delivered some exceptional bottles in recent vintages, with, for me, the 2015 and ’16 some of the best ever. But the 2009, at this tasting at least, shows some high-toned aromatics that err towards volatile, with a flavour of kirsch that’s a little excessive, and a finish that’s a touch abrupt. That’s not to say you won’t find plenty of rich, well-expressed cassis fruit notes along the way though, and a ton of spiced olive paste. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040.Decanter | 92 DEC

Gorgeous ripe fruit character, with loads of blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity, fresh, grapefruit aftertaste. Really beautiful. Best ever from here. Best after 2018.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2009 Cantemerle finally shows the potential that it displayed out of barrel. It has a delightful, well-defined bouquet with blackberry, cedar and tobacco aromas, vigorous with impressive delineation and class. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, and a taut line of acidity. Fresh and vibrant with a poised and quite tensile finish. This is a wonderfully crafted 2009 Left Bank. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Cantemerle) In contrast to the hot and rustic personality of the 2010 Cantemerle, the 2009 is a superb example of this excellent terroir in a ripe and buxom vintage, and this wine is quite strong. The superb nose shows far more purity than its 2010 counterpart, wafting from the glass in a generous mélange of cassis, sweet dark berries, tobacco leaf, lovely, dark soil tones, cigar wrapper and a bit of smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, plush and primary, with a fine core, ripe, chewy tannins and very good focus and grip on the long, youthful and very well-balanced finish. This is a lovely, broad-shouldered Cantemerle in the making, but give it plenty of time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 92 JGVery structured wine, with black currant fruit and dense acidity. The tannins are dark, firm, solid. This is a fine wine from Cantemerle, reveling in the richness of the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEReaders looking for the more ethereal, elegant side of Bordeaux need search no further than Cantemerle, one of the estates in the very southern end of the Medoc. Dense ruby/purple (nearly opaque), this wine offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, raspberries and black cherries. The wine is ethereal, medium-bodied, and by no means a blockbuster, but long and intellectual. However, the tannins are present, and the wine is certainly capable of putting on weight with time in the bottle. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 25+ years.Robert Parker | 91+ RPThis broad, fleshy style delivers toasty spice and tobacco notes up front, followed by dark cocoa, crushed plum and mulled blackberry fruit flavors. This really stretches out nicely in the glass, with alluring dark fruit and a velvety feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2017. 33,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The finest Batailley I have had in many years, the dense purple-colored 2009 exhibits a boatload of tannin as well as sweet, caramelized, black currant fruit intermixed with hints of charcoal, cedarwood and smoke, a full-bodied mouthfeel and the aforementioned high, but sweet, well-integrated tannin displaying no jaggedness. Batailley often requires considerable patience as it can be one of the longest-lived Pauillacs. Atypically for Batailley, the 2009 should be ready to drink in 5-7 years and keep for three decades.Robert Parker | 94 RPA rich yet dry Pauillac that’s now very attractive to drink and has a good harmony in spite of the generous alcohol. Long, supple finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 93 JSThis wine showed exceptionally well, both at the the Bordeaux 10 Years On tasting in London a few weeks ago and in the Decanter Premium tasting in New York. It’s great value for this level of Pauillac. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040Decanter | 93 DECSmooth black currant fruit with great density as well as superripeness. The wine is charming, while still having a powerful structure. Still a relative value in Pauillac, Batailley is now showing real class.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2009 Batailley seems a little closed on the nose at first and needs more encouragement than its peers, eventually unfurling with cedar and graphite infused black fruit, slightly earthy in style. The palate is medium-bodied with fine definition, quite linear and poised with a touch of cracked black pepper on the finish. Excellent. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VM(Château Batailly) The 2009 Batailly has really turned out well and is clearly one of the candidates for sleeper of the vintage on the Left Bank. The nose is deep and classy, as it offers up scents of cassis, tobacco leaf, gravelly soil tones, smoke, espresso and a deft framing of cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, medium-full and poised, with fine intensity of flavor, ripe tannins, lovely focus and a fine, classic profile on the long and bouncy finish. This is old school Pauillac in the best sense of the word. (Drink between 2017-2040)John Gilman | 90-91 JGA chewy core of black currant, tobacco and roasted apple wood stretches out through the grip-framed finish. Fresh acidity rides underneath to keep it all lively. A solid version, with a throwback hint. Best from 2013 through 2023.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

An extremely rich and ripe wine with currant, cherry and balsamic aromas. Hints of leather. Follows through on the finish. Full body, round and velvety tannins that are reserved and beautiful. Sweet and sour. Savory, too. Drink or hold. This has a long life ahead of it.James Suckling | 98 JS(80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% cabernet franc): Bright full ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of blackberry, cassis, lead pencil, violet and minerals, complicated by a superripe note of crushed raspberry. Extremely primary and pure, offering sharply defined cassis, violet and mineral flavors of great class. The perfectly integrated acidity and a vibrant floral character from the cabernet franc give the middle palate terrific lift. Though very ripe in its flavor profile, this wine conveys a rare lightness of touch that is typical of Sassicaia but rare for this vintage on the Tuscan Coast. Finishes with noble tannins and outstanding palate-staining length. For all its creamy power and charm, I really like this wine's balance and the subtle delivery of its complex flavors. I have tasted every vintage of Sassicaia on countless occasions and, other than the legendary 1985, I have no doubt that this is one of the two or three best Sassicaias at a similar stage of development. Though the 2009 won't surpass the once-in-a-lifetime 1985, it is starting out its life in bottle with almost the same perfectly balanced, opulent creamy texture and depth of that incredible wine, which I remembertasting both in Rome and in Tuscanyimmediately upon release. In fact, that wine was so good that even thoughI was still auniversity student (and thus on a studentbudget), it was the firsttime in my lifeI ever bought a full case. If I were a university student today, I'd do the same with the 2009, even though the price of Sassicaia is far higher today. There's profound potential here, but younger wine writers and consumers who weren't seriously involved in tasting back in the '80s may well be surprised by this wine's voluptuous, atypically opulent texture and thus miss its sheer greatness.Vinous Media | 97+ VMSome torrefied, caramel notes on the nose, this is a wine that vibrates with a beautifully held together crimson red colour. On the palate, there are signs of a hot vintage, with hints of exotic fig, yet it’s shot through with fresh crushed violet notes. Can feel some sun bleaching, although again a heady sweet spice fragrance takes over. This is grilled charcoal over a roasted blackcurrant Cabernet core. And then, just as you are wondering about the exoticism of the fruit, the sweet relief of fresh mint comes slipping in on the finish. What a beautiful wine. Elegant, but packs quite a punch.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2009 Bolgheri Sassicaia is the richest and darkest edition in recent memory. This super-charged Sassicaia boasts enormous power and concentration thanks to its impressive phenolic foundation. Black currant and blackberry confit are followed by spice, leather, tar, road paving and black truffle. It shows preliminary tertiary signs with licorice and crushed mineral. The wine wraps thickly over the palate delivering tight textural firmness and integrated structure. You taste the sweetness of the fruit and the depth of the oak tannins. No matter how you approach it, this wine scores very high on the intensity meter. For the record: Tenuta San Guido General Manager Carlo Paoli expressed concern about the integrity of his sample, but I remained extremely pleased by the gorgeous wine before me.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPSassicaia has been showing amazing results in recent years, and the 2009 vintage opens with all the intensity and beauty you should expect of Italy's flagship super Tuscan. Notes of blackberry, soft spice, chocolate, espresso and a touch of rosemary oil make for a beautiful bouquet. The mouthfeel is long, supple and rich. Drink after 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis tightly knit, dense red is full of black currant, cherry, herb and spice flavors. The tannins are aggressive now, but this is long and detailed, with an herb and spice aftertaste. A classy wine. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2014 through 2028. 17,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFrom the famed estate in Bolgheri, where the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rochetta first planted Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1940s, this is a grand vintage of Sassacaia that will need years to fully evolve. Plentiful spring rains prepared the vines for the hot summer of 2009, sustaining them with plenty of moisture in the stony, limestone-inflected soils. A portion of Cabernet Franc (15 percent) emphasizes the fresh tobacco and green herb scents in the blend, while the black olive flavors of young Cabernet Sauvignon fill out a plush, rich texture. This is silken in the middle, with acidity keeping it bright even as oak builds up in the finish. Cellar this for ten years or more to capture the vineyard’s fullest expression.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&S

From proprietor Jonathan Maltus, this blend of three terroirs, two on sand and one on gravel, is a blend of 92% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. About 2,000 cases are produced, and the prodigious 2009 is the finest vintage to date. Inky blue/purple, with notes of licorice, camphor, black truffle, blackberry and blueberry, this full-bodied wine has massive concentration yet at the same time displays elegance and harmony. The equilibrium and 60+-second length make for a huge, massive, but incredibly well-balanced wine, like a shadow of the proprietor himself. Drink it over the next 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 96 RPBlueberries and sandalwood on the nose. Full body, with super fine and silky tannins. They are fine and compressed. Try in 2017.James Suckling | 92 JS(old-vines merlot with a bit of cabernet franc): Bright, deep ruby-red. Blackcurrant, blackberry, licorice, mocha and dark chocolate. Densely packed, sweet and deep, with noteworthy energy to the black fruit, mineral and bitter chocolate flavors. Still tightly coiled for a Right Bank 2009 for all its plushness of texture. The slowly building finish is concentrated and long.Vinous Media | 92 VMA solid, modern style, with a core of fresh raspberry and blackberry fruit liberally inlaid with toasty spice and anise notes. Stays juicy and inviting through the finish. Drink now through 2018. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Richer, purer and rounder than its sibling, Armailhac, this has good concentration of juicy fruits, with inky Pauillac power and tannic hold. But it also shows the beauty of Pauillac, as those fierce tannins begin to show their more gentlemanly side, while still providing structure. Really great quality. Drinking Window 2020 - 2038Decanter | 95 DECThis is very classic for the appellation with as much smoky and earthy character as ripe cassis. Good concentration and a stunning balance of ripe fruit, fine tannins and a long elegant finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 94 JSThis wine continues the upward progression of Clerc-Milon. It has weight and density while also showing sweetness and delicious acidity. A very complete wine.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2009 Clerc-Milon has more richness and depth than the d’Armailhac: black cherries, blueberry, cedar and touches of mint. This has a lot of generosity. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, fresh and harmonious with a persistent peppery finish that lingers in the mouth. This bottle is more representative than the one served blind at Farr’s 2009 horizontal. Superb. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMJuicy and nicely framed with a singed bay leaf note, which allows the medium-weight core of crushed plum and mulled fig to glide along nicely through the velvety finish. This fleshes out considerably as it sits in the glass, showing more layers of dark fruit and lingering minerality. This has some power in reserve, but lovely balance as well. Best from 2013 through 2024. 11,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis fat, fleshy, dense purple-colored 2009 exhibits abundant notes of creme de cassis, roasted espresso, chocolate, berry fruit and underling hints of high quality, unsmoked cigar tobacco. Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and a touch of Carmenere, it reveals plenty of structure and tannin, but the evolved aromatics offer a deceptive view that the wine will be drinkable early on. I do not think this is the case as the tannins kick in once it hits the palate. This seriously endowed, powerful, boisterous, muscular Pauillac should hit its prime between 2017 and 2035..Robert Parker | 92 RP(Château Clerc Milon) The 2009 Clerc Milon is a lovely example of the vintage. It is not quite as classically styled as the Batailly above, as it carries a bit of extravagant Mouton toasty, nutty oak, but it is a very well made wine this year. The nose offers up scents of cassis, black cherries, cigar smoke, soil and a judicious dollop of toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, long and quite classically proportioned, with good length and grip on the ripely tannic finish. (Drink between 2018-2040)John Gilman | 89-91 JG

A big, powerful, masculine Pomerol with a style not dissimilar from Le Gay, the dense purple-colored 2009 Gazin exhibits black currant, black cherry liqueur, coffee, roasted herb, an exotic Asian spice component, vanillin, creme caramel and toasty oak in its aromatics and flavors. From a vineyard near Petrus, Le Gay and La Fleur Petrus, it is full-bodied with licorice, earth, truffle and creme de cassis in the mouth. Give this powerful, backward 2009 an additional 6-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades.Robert Parker | 96 RPVery dark, spicy and mysterious, this is a concentrated and graceful Pomerol that shows what was possible in this vintage if everything was done right. The stunningly fine tannins drive the very long subtle finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2009 Gazin has a very concentrated, high-toned bouquet with Merlot firmly in the driving seat, a mixture of black and blue fruit. The palate is rounded on the entry with supple tannin, succulent and glossy in style with macerated black cherries and salted liquorice towards the finish. This needs another year or two in the glass. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMGazin has vines at the highest point in Pomerol, at just over 40m, right next to Petrus. This is a powerful, upright wine that’s just getting going at 10 years old. It was double-decanted for two hours before the tasting, which helped enormously compared to when I tasted it a few weeks ago. You can feel the tannins holding everything in place buy the quality and intensity of the fruit is unmissable. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040Decanter | 93 DECThis has it all in place—dark, smoldering tobacco and cocoa notes, rich plum sauce, braised fig and steeped black currant fruit, joined by lengthy, mouthcoating, tar-tinged grip. Still youthfully raw, though, so cellar for maximum effect. Best from 2014 through 2028. 5,541 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA smoky wine, its fruit submerged in the wood character. It does have weight, along with powerful, tight tannins. It’s a wine that will need many years.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

Pale gold, the 2009 Climens offers up a fabulously fragrant nose of green tea, chamomile, powdered ginger, lemon marmalade and fallen leaves with suggestions of spice cake and preserved mandarin peel. The palate is super intense with vibrant, energetic fruit and layer upon layer of perfume and spice nuances, finishing very long and incredibly youthful.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPRich and opulent, but the Barsac terroir keeps it reined in. Exotic fruit notes, baked apple and confit fruit. Pure, velvety and unctuous but with a bite of citrus zest freshness coming in behind. Biodynamic estate. Drinking Window 2019 - 2050Decanter | 97 DECThe 2009 Climens has a clean and pure bouquet with honey and brioche aromas, like pure sunlight! The palate is fresh and crisp with superb botrytised fruit. Great tension and a dash of ginger and lemongrass spice up the detailed finish. This is a Climens that is only just beginning to demonstrate what is capable of. Bon vin! Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe superb palate boasts richness, with honey and orange zest notes. It shows fine balance between the flavors of orange jelly and the intense botrytis-driven notes. It has a light, delicate texture and acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WERounded and broad in feel for now, with richly layered toasted almond, ginger cream, brioche and glazed apple notes that all glide through the viscous finish, where a flash of green tea can be found. This has the buried zip for the long haul, which it will need to assimilate fully. There’s lots in reserve. Best from 2015 through 2034. 4,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

An absolutely spectacular effort, the 2009 is one of the all-time great La Gaffelieres produced. One would have to go back to the 2005, 1947 or 1961 to find this level of quality from this ancient, historic vineyard planted adjacent to the walls of St.-Emilion, on the Cote Pavie. Dating back to the 1400s, this estate has been owned for over three centuries by the Malet-Roquefort family. Composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc (in the past it was two-thirds Merlot and the rest split between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc), the 2009 reveals compelling elegance, tremendous intensity and opulence and more viscosity than one normally sees. Lots of kirsch, licorice, incense, truffle, asphalt, blackberry and cassis notes dominate the aromatics and flavors of this full-bodied, viscous, fabulously pure, flamboyant St.-Emilion. Drinking it now may be considered infanticide by some consumers, but it is already attractive, and should last for 3-4 decades.Robert Parker | 95+ RPBig and juicy with loads of ripe fruit and spice. Coffee and chocolate. Full. Powerful and intense. Exotic finish.James Suckling | 94 JSStraight down the line, this wine shows fruit and acidity. The tannins are relatively soft while the fruit is forward. Blackberries, coffee and licorice notes all come together.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEVery fleshy, with lush, velvety-textured plum sauce, currant paste and melted licorice notes, woven with toasty spice and backed by a dark chocolate bark note on the finish. Best from 2014 through 2023. 4,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Very ripe for a second wine this is now delicious thanks to the rich blackberry and cassis fruit, full supple tannins and long finish that’s simultaneously dry and creamy. Where is that porterhouse steak? Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 95 JSThe estate’s second wine, the sexy 2009 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux, offers lots of black raspberry, cedar and foresty/underbrush notes in its round, generous, full-bodied, seductive embrace of black fruits interwoven with floral notes results. This seamless second wine is one of the finest Chateau Margaux has made to date. Enjoy it over the next two decades.Robert Parker | 93 RPThe 2009 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux has a very pure bouquet with blackberry, raspberry coulis, cedar and light violet aromas, quite intense and graining power in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly powdery tannin. The acidity is very well judged, a completely harmonious Pavillon Rouge with just the right amount of spice to enhance the finish. Excellent. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMVery rich, dense, pushing great blackberry fruits and ripe tannins. As always on the level of a classed growth.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis is an absolutely killer combination of vibrant, plush red fruits and finely-wrought tannins that are still working hard on the silky-smooth palate. With vibrant edging to the colour and a gorgeous, mouthwatering finish, this is a near-perfect Pavillon - ready to enjoy now but will go long. Great stuff, and bodes well for the rest of the vintage in Margaux. Drinking Window 2019 - 2036.Decanter | 93 DECVery sleek, with a lovely winey edge to the plum, cassis and blackberry fruit, laced with roasted apple wood, lilac and singed iron notes. Tangy and lengthy, with ample depth, but also nearly approachable now. Best from 2013 through 2023.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. A strong performance from Batailley under blind conditions, easily surpassing its showing at the UGC in London last year. The 2010 has a very elegant bouquet with blackberry, cedar and leather, well defined and very nicely focused, though not the most vigorous amongst its peers. The palate is very well balanced with filigree tannins, perfectly judged acidity and a very appealing "classic" style of Pauillac very the top drawer. What a superb Pauillac - a benchmark Batailley. Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP-NM(Château Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Well-integrated 55% new oak and a great vintage from this 60ha estate, reflecting the precision in vineyard selection and winemaking that has only improved as second and third wines have been introduced. Fresh and refined, evoking subtle power, yet with a smooth texture, like satin. Sensual cassis, kirsch and forest strawberry jam aromatics. Try with roast quail in rosemary and thyme. (Drink between 2021-2050)Decanter | 95 DECAromas of freshly sliced mushrooms and dark fruits. Full body, with an incredible depth of fruit and finesse here. The tannins are amazing quality. Love the texture. Give it four to five years of bottle age.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2010 Batailley has a vivacious, outgoing and quintessentially Pauillac nose with blackberry, mint and graphite bursting from the glass and demanding attention! The palate is medium-bodied with ample black fruit laced with graphite, sage and cracked black pepper. Wonderful depth and grip here, fanning out nicely towards the finish where there is a soupçon of oak still to be subsumed, therefore give this another three or four years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMWith advice from consultant and Bordeaux University professor Denis Dubourdieu, Batailley has improved immensely in the past few years. This 2010 reinforces that trend, revealing a wine that is structured with Cabernet Sauvignon and is attractive with black currant fruitiness. Age for the medium-term.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis sports suave, mocha-infused toast, showing notes of dark plum, blackberry sauce and steeped fig. The dense, cocoa-coated finish has a smoldering tobacco note in the background. Rustic and slightly chewy in the end, but a bit of cellaring should tame this easily. Best from 2014 through 2026.Wine Spectator | 91 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