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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

This impressive Pauillac is performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel. Made by the staff at Mouton Rothschild, it is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by a bouquet of grilled meats, subtle herbs, coffee, black currants, and a hint of camphor. The sweetness of the tannins, full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning length, all in gorgeous symmetry, suggest this is one of the finest d’Armailhacs yet made. Moreover, it is still reasonably priced by the standards of this region. Anticipated maturity: now-2025.Robert Parker | 91 RPThis is shows lovely ripeness and roundness with pretty fruit and a rather creamy texture. Lead pencil and blackcurrants. Subtle yet flavorful finish. Touch of dryness at the end. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JSBright red-ruby. Raspberry, mocha and coffee aromas perked up by pepper, tobacco leaf and fresh herbs. Silky on entry, then suave and refined in the middle palate, with perfumed flavors of redcurrant, leather and peppery herbs. Finishes subtle and persistent, with fine-grained tannins. A very refined claret: this has turned out very well.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Lovely flavors of apricot, dried tangerine, pineapple and papaya rush along, supported by hazelnut, frangipane and coconut notes. Despite the depth, this is very, very pure, with filigreed acidity carrying the long, long finish. Drink now through 2037. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSMedium lemon-gold colored, the 2006 d’Yquem is a little reticent at this stage, slowly revealing notes of pineapple pastry, dried apple slices, orange preserves and spice cake plus nuances of crème brûlée, preserved ginger, nutmeg and baking bread. The palate offers mouth-coating tropical fruit and baking spice layers with a seductive oiliness to the texture and loads of citrus sparks, finishing with bold freshness and amazing length. Allow it just a couple more years in bottle to get over this slightly muted hump, then drink it for the next 25+ years. For number crunchers: 13.8% alcohol, 122 grams per liter residual sugar, and total acidity is 4.2 grams per liter H2SO4.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPThis is the rich wine of the vintage. With its intensen fruit, piles of spice, but excellent balance, this promises flavors of baked apples and intense dried fruits. The botrytis layer is discreet, a hint rather than overpowering.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2006 Yquem is initially tightly-wound on the nose before revealing enticing scents of mandarin, dried honey, quince and just a very slight adhesive scent. This is well-defined yet certainly demands more coaxing than its peers. The palate is well-balanced with fine delineation, a caressing viscous texture with desiccated orange peel and a touch of bitter lemon that counterbalances the richness. I noticed this 2006 becoming spicier with aeration. Excellent. Tasted at the Yquem dinner at Rick Stein’s restaurant in Barnes.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Jean-Nicolas Méo unequivocally makes my favorite example of Richebourg in all of Burgundy, as I love the synthesis of intensity and elegance that he routinely achieves in this wine. The 2006 is another magical bottle, as it offers up a stunning bouquet of red and black plums, blood orange, cocoa powder, a profound base of soil, violets and a fine framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and utterly refined, with a stunning core of fruit, flawless balance, great acids and very fine-grained tannins on the endless and celestial finish. Simply a great wine by any stretch of the imagination- all this needs is time. (Drink between 2018 - 2060)John Gilman | 96-97 JGA rich, concentrated red, intense with black currant, blackberry and spice aromas and flavors. The sweet palate is matched to lively acidity and refined tannins, and this kicks in on the aftertaste with violet, cassis and mineral accents. Best from 2013 through 2035. 4 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSDeep ruby-red. Superripe aromas of black raspberry and dark chocolate. Suave and wonderfully vibrant, but with less obvious easy sweetness than the Vosne premier crus. This boasts an impeccable balance of acidity, minerality and tannic spine, not to mention an impressively deep, sappy core of fruit. Very restrained now, but very long on the aftertaste, with a powerful impression of extract and slowly mounting tannins.Vinous Media | 94 VMA ripe and densely fruited nose displays somber and cool aromas of game, smoke, spice, violets, underbrush and sexy black berry fruit aromas. There is excellent verve to the powerful, serious and brooding middle weight flavors that culminate in a stunningly long, complex and balanced finish. Not surprisingly this is still exceptionally tight and not giving much today but it seems relatively clear already that this is built for the medium long haul. In sum, this is a classic Riche of sheer class.Burghound | 94 BHFine bright mid-red, not exaggerated. Gentle perfume at first, some dark cherry with brighter red notes, very youthful. A touch more oak emerges over time and while the wine is not too extracted, the tannins are currently a little obtrusive in the manner of 2006s at the moment. Give this 10 more years. Tasted Nov 2011.Jasper Morris | 94 JMDark cherry and black raspberry jam; dark chocolate; and burley tobacco fill the nose from Meo-Camuzet’s 2006 Richebourg, which then coats the palate with jam- and liqueur-like sweetness and viscosity of fruit, along with practically ineradicable chocolate, spice, tobacco, and toasted pecan. But for all of the sweet richness on display here, in contrast with most of the other wines in its collection, this displays hints of chocolate and fruit pit bitterness; crushed stone; roasted meat flavors; and primary, sappy fruit juiciness all of which not only add interest but offset the sweetness and keep the wine from becoming fatiguing or monolithic. There seems to be even more tannin here than in the corresponding Cros Parantoux, but it is well-integrated and fine-grained. I imagine myself directly tasting this wine’s high skin-to-juice ratio here. Meo thought that vis-a-vis the Cros Parantoux, his 2006 Richebourg was relatively inexpressive on the day I tasted it. If so, then obviously my score will have proven depressed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

The 2006 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts from Sylvain Cathiard really blossomed in the glass, unfurling to reveal notes of plums, dark chocolate, rich soil, burning embers and some savory and hard-to-define bass notes, its new oak nicely digested at age 12. On the palate, the wine starts out a little foursquare but opens up to become quite expansive, more taut and controlled than the 2005 En Orveaux tasted the following day, with fine-grained but not yet melted tannins, a deep core of fruit and a long finish. An excellent Malconsorts with a full decade ahead of it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPGood full red. Darker fruits on the nose, complicated by minerals, violet and sweet oak. Rich and silky but at the same time minerally and firm; boasts impressive volume and texture but comes across as almost weightless. Finishes tight and youthfully closed, with superb mineral energy and toothcoating tannins. Lovely already but this should really be held for five or six years.Vinous Media | 93+ VM(Domaine Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru Red) A gorgeously layered and deep nose of spicy, and once again notably cool black pinot fruit seems to offer up a different nuance with each examination and serves as a classy intro to the supple, rich, round and strikingly pure mouth coating flavors brimming with dry extract on the hugely long finish that exhibits serious power. This is a big yet refined wine that remains the current reference standard for Malconsorts though, happily, there will be more serious competition going forward with Domaines Dujac and de Montille coming to the party. Impressive but note that patience will be required. (Drink starting 2016)Burghound | 93 BH

The 2006 Clos De La Roche Grand Cru knocked it out of the park. Still incredibly youthful, it blossomed over the course of the evening, revealing loads of spice and forest floor characteristics paired with beautiful fruit. It certainly has a vibrant, almost crunchy style, yet the mid-palate is terrific, it’s flawlessly balanced, has ample ripeness, and is just a joy to drink. It’s just now at the early stages of maturity and has another 15-20 years (if not more) of longevity ahead of it. I’d certainly be thrilled with bottles in the cellar.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe Dujac 2006 Clos de la Roche is a dark, brooding Pinot no less complex or long than its Clos St.-Denis sibling. Here, the animal side is a gamey, faintly sweaty beast; the fruits dark and as bitter as they are sweet; and the sense of chocolate-like richness remarkable in the context of the vintage. And rather than an energetic sense of interplay, this conveys a layering of fruit, meat, and stony, saline mineral elements, supported by tactile viscosity and a sappy sense of almost indelible cling. Lucky are those who can follow and compare both of these wines over the next dozen years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2006 is showing well, with ripe, lush notes of mulberry fruit and a suggestion of lilac and spice on the initial attack. There is still plenty of primary fruit, but subtle developed hints of smoke and game are starting to appear. Alec Seysses lamented that the vintage is overlooked. Indeed, today this wine shows great finesse, silky tannins, and an outstanding acid balance that carries the wine through to a sensuous finish.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThis beauty is evolving glacially with its reserved and still quite primary nose of intensely floral red berry fruit, earth and discreet spice nuances. There is excellent concentration and power to the robustly constituted big-bodied flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the impressively complex, balanced and wonderfully long finale. While this could be enjoyed now it is very clearly still on the way up and I would recommend allowing it at least another 5 years or so first. In a word, excellent. Note that another bottled tasted in November 2017 was not as good as it was extremely tannic and somewhat drying. I rated that bottle: 92?Burghound | 94 BHThe 2006 Clos de la Roche was in splendid form in November, and clearly will be a great bottle of wine. The bouquet is deep and pure, as it offers up a refined mélange of red plums, raw cocoa, cherries, blood orange, a lovely base of soil and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is fullish, complex and intensely flavored, with beautiful focus and depth, tangy acids, very fine-grained tannins and a beautiful, long and palate-staining finish. A beautiful vintage for this consistently compelling wine. (Drink between 2016 - 2045)John Gilman | 94 JGGood deep red-ruby. Musky, meaty nose is dominated today by chocolate and minerals; lower-pitched than the Clos-Saint-Denis. Fat and sweet in the mouth, with an almost liqueur-like ripeness and wonderful silky depth. Offers compelling sweetness if not quite the detail of the Clos-Saint-Denis. Finishes with a boatload of chewy, granular tannins. Not especially perfumed today but this has the size of a 2005.Vinous Media | 93+ VMYouthful fresh colour, lighter than 2005 of course but still as it should be. There is a sucrosity to the fruit which is enchanting followed by a slightly drier structure. Really good now in its youth. Balanced and classy. Tasted Nov 2017.Jasper Morris | 93 JM

After initial tastings suggested there was too much tannin, the wine has undergone a welcome transformation. It has become powerful and ripe, deliciously sumptuous, allying the tannins with densely ripe, sweet black fruits. It keeps its sense of balance, but all this density gives aging potential.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WECrushed blackberry, with hints of rose and lightly stewed fruits. Full-bodied, with a beautiful core of fruit and velvety tannins. The finish is long and beautiful. This is beautifully crafted. Best after 2013.Wine Spectator | 91 WSWell constructed, with good expression and integration. Lacking some of the effortless class of the best years here, but there are lashings of firm black fruits and hints of patisserie from oak ageing. Displays good Margaux elegance, with just the right amount of 2006 austerity. Tannins are resolving themselves after a number of tough years, and still have a way to go. Drinking Window 2016 - 2030.Decanter | 91 DECTasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2006 Château Giscours is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot picked between September 21 and October 9. It has been several years since I last tasted this vintage and the aromatics have evolved well, now offering quite plush redcurrant, strawberry and ferrous scents that are nicely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, savory in the mouth with dried blood, rosemary and sage notes towards the finish. I like the depth here, the cohesion and length. It might not be the most flamboyant recent Giscours, however in the context of the vintage, this is certainly a commendable wine that is beginning to deliver on its promise. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NM

From Grivot’s oldest vines, his 2006 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Boudots completely outclasses its fellow Grivot Nuits-St.-Georges bottlings for depth of flavor, polish, and balance. Blackberry, game, peat, and a decadent lily-like floral perfume on the nose persist on a glyceral-rich and silkenly smooth, yet energetically interactive palate loaded with inner-mouth florality; dark mineral and carnal notes; and ripe berry fruit. This finishes with impressively tenacious yet somehow gentle grip. I certainly have the impression of inhabiting a gustatory space between Vosne and Nuits when I taste it. It should be worth following for the better part of a decade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPGood deep red. Reticent but complex nose hints at black cherry and smoke, with a violet florality emerging with aeration. Round, silky and suave in the mouth, with captivating lift to the dark fruit, floral and mineral flavors. This really stains the palate on the long, subtle finish. The wine’s fine-grained tannins coat the incisors, and a whiplash of minerality leaves the palate vibrating. Grivot notes that some of the vines here date back to 1929, and that the average age of vines is 75, or a bit older than those in the family’s Richebourg holding.Vinous Media | 92 VMHere the nose is very Vosne in character with seductively spicy red and black berry fruit aromas nuanced by hints of warm earth and an animale character that is picked up on the detailed yet muscular and wonderfully rich flavors supported by sophisticated and fine tannins on the youthfully austere finale. I really like the intensity here and this is a classic Boudots in that it’s serious but not taciturn.Burghound | 91 BHFresh and elegant, with bilberry, raspberry and currant notes permeating the dense texture. The tannins are well-integrated, and the aftertaste is bright and lively. Best from 2012 through 2020. 160 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Colour still tight and inky at 10 years old. Smooth, silky, very expressive; this is so powerful it almost lulls you into a false sense of security with the tannin integration on the first attack. Deceptively concentrated, this has persistency and freshness, plus layers of crushed black fruits, tar, cigar smoke and saffron. Right up there with the best wines of the tasting. Drinking Window 2017 - 2036Decanter | 97 DECWonderful sweet fruit, velvet in texture, with concentrated ripe fruits and red berries. This is a wine that rolls sumptuously around the mouth, the tannins certainly dense but full of the same sweetness as the fruit. The final flavor is perfumed and fresh. Deceptively attractive, it will profit from many years’ aging.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2006 La Mission Haut-Brion is showing very well at age 15, and even though it’s still five or six years away from the beginning of its plateau of maturity, it is already quite expressive, wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries and blackcurrants mingled with notions of smoke, cigar wrapper, black truffle and loamy soil. Full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, with a richly layered core of fruit framed by an abundance of ripe, powdery tannin, in a blind tasting I suspect many would confuse it with a 2005.Robert Parker | 95 RPAlmost jammy, with vanilla bean and coffee undertones. Full-bodied and very powerful, with big, juicy tannins and a long finish. Very big and generous for the vintage, showing exceptional quality. Best after 2015. 6,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSBright red-ruby. Redcurrant, cherry, iron, brown spices and licorice on the nose. Begins lush, full and generous if not overly sweet, then tightens up with air, showing its rather powerful underlying structure. This sharply delineated wine will need a good seven or eight years in bottle to reveal itself.Vinous Media | 92+ VMA vibrantly fruited, dark, herbal style of cabernet, the aristocratic pedigree of this wine’s terroir is immediately apparent in its length of flavor. But its depth is inaccessible for now, buried under a tough, earthy surface of root vegetable and smoky scents. The power of the fruit becomes more apparent with air, as it will after ten to 12 years in the cellar.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&S

As to the Grand Vin, the 2006 Latour showed beautifully. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance mostly Merlot, with a splash of Cabernet Franc, it offers a deep ruby/purple color to go with straight up classic Latour graphite, lead pencil and minerality all balanced by terrific cassis and blackcurrant fruit. With medium to full-bodied richness, present, yet silky tannin, impeccable balance and a great finish, it’s terrific today and I suspect on the early edge of a long drinking plateau.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDDense and rich Latour with layered and velvety tannins and gorgeous fruit. At the same time, there’s lots of wood. Coffee flavor, too. Full-bodied, layered and structured. Needs more time to soften the tannins. Try in 2021.James Suckling | 96 JSLatour has always had the reputation of producing great wines in the less great vintages. The 2006 is a case in point. It brings structure and ripeness into a form that is almost ethereal. That elegance doesn’t take away from the powerful fruit. The fruit in fact melds into the structure with ease. And, as a reminder this is a 2006, the density gives way to freshness on the finish.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2006 Latour performed even better from bottle than from barrel. Only 38% of the production (10,000 cases) made it into the grand vin, a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Franc. From barrel, I thought it was a modern day version of the 1996 or 1986, and certainly the 1996 comparison still holds. I thought it was somewhat austere from barrel, but that is no longer an issue. This is a beautifully rich Chateau Latour boasting a dense ruby/purple color, a sweet, smoky, charcoal, cassis, graphite, and forest floor-scented nose, full body, an attractive freshness, and sweet, noble tannins. This layered Latour is one of the vintage’s top dozen or so wines. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2030.Latour’s brilliant manager, Frederic Engerer, has purchased 15 hectares of old vine Grenache and Syrah in the Cotes du Rhone region, the Drome, at a cool-climate elevation. I can’t wait to see the first vintage from this Cotes du Rhone project.Robert Parker | 95 RPOffers a pure nose of currant and blackberry, with crushed fruit. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and very polished, refined tannins. Long and classy. Best after 2016.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Château Latour, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Soft and lush, this perhaps shows a hint of dilution from harvest rains. The texture is firm and dense without being forbidding. It is less angular than the 2007 vintage on the palate, but there is a similar length and weight here. The result has a ripe currant and plum fruit with a bit of leather, spice and just a suggestion of violets. The harvest began with the Merlot on 19th September and the Cabernets on 9th October. The final blend is over 91% Cabernet, and here Latour has used a splash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with Merlot making up the balance. (Drink between 2022-2042)Decanter | 95 DECIn describing the feel of this wine, Lacey Burke of Gotham Bar & Grill said it was "like a cat wrapping around your ankles." Such a sensation clearly separates the ’06 Latour from the ’05, which is anything but cuddly. This does have the gravity of classic wines from the deep pile of river stones that counts for soil in this vineyard-its harmonious intensity a direct result of the superior drainage of those stones (and the rigorous farming and selection of the fruit). The tannins hold their share of mystery, both luscious and muscular at once, the source of the wine’s minerality and strength. The fruit is black and compact, completely filling those tannins, with a hint of earthy root vegetable flavor that gives the sweeter aspects a savory cut. Diageo Château & Estate Wines, NYWine & Spirits | 95 W&SThe 2006 Latour is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It is a vintage that I have followed closely since first tasting the wine from barrel, both in sighted and blind conditions. The 2006 has long been one of the best offerings from the Left Bank and this bottle was consistent with previous notes. It retains a disarming sense of purity on the nose: blackberry, raspberry, cedar and pencil shaving scents that seem to burst from the glass with a sense of vim and vigor. There is an underlying ferrous note, signs of secondary scents emerging over the horizon. The palate immediately exerts an insistent grip in the mouth, maybe a touch more backward than I expected. But it still conveys a sense of energy and there is a sense of brightness that Latour does not necessarily always possess. Laden with black fruit, with aeration it leans more towards red and manifests impressive depth allied with a fine bead of acidity that imparts mouth-tingling tension. In banal terms, it is an unashamedly “drinkable” Latour rather than one predisposed to impress and though it does not offer the persistence of giants like the 2005 or 2010, its joie de vivre will be appreciated by those tempted to splash out on one of around 4,000 cases kept back from its original release.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2006 Messorio (Merlot) is off the charts. This extraordinary wine possesses a breathtaking combination of super-ripe fruit that has been achieved with remarkable freshness, vibrancy and clarity. There is superb transparency to the wine’s fruit, along with a sublime finish that lasts forever. Ideally a few years of cellaring are called for, but readers will have a hard time exercising such patience. This profound Messorio from proprietor Cinzia Merli and oenologist Luca D’Attoma left me speechless. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026.Like many estates in Bolgheri, Le Macchiole has some beautiful wines that are coming into the market shortly. I visited the estate at the tail end of the 2006 harvest and already the early buzz in the air was palpable.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPMessorio (a 100% expression of delicious Merlot) is a wine that has already reached elite cult status and for very good reason. The opulence, richness and overall pleasure factor are unbeatable and the wine is sophisticated, elegant and balanced at the same time. The long fade is characterized by vanilla, chocolate, espresso, cherry and blackberry.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2006 is simply a flat-out great Messorio. Today it is the wine's density and structure that are most evident, but with time in the glass the inner perfume, minerality and sheer pedigree begin to emerge. This is a vintage that combines elements of sumptuous ripeness and structure to a degree that is highly unusual for Bolgheri. As such, the 2006 Messorio is best left alone for perhaps as long as another decade. When the wine finally emerges it will be spectacular. Hints of new leather, licorice and crushed rocks linger on the refined, classy finish.Vinous Media | 97 VMFresh herb and black olive aromas evolve into dark fruits and flowers. This is full-bodied, with chewy, polished tannins and lots of new wood, but there's plenty of fruit underneath. Opulent and powerful, verging on blockbuster. An extreme style of Merlot. Best after 2014. 670 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSSo much olive on the nose, like olive oil. And then I find dark fruits. Flowers too. Full and velvety, wtih beautiful tannins. And a long long finish. It’s a wine that makes you think.James Suckling | 93 JSThis complex, heady red developed a cult following as a merlot with intensity and ageworthy structure. The 2006 is tightly built and floral, with chocolate richness in the finish that gets shut down by its charry, youthful tannins. This needs several years of bottle age to mellow and show its best.Wine & Spirits | 91 W&S

The 2006 Léoville Las Cases is muscular and uncompromising, unwinding to reveal aromas of dark berries, cassis, burning embers, espresso roast, exotic spices, loamy soil and toasty oak. Full-bodied, rich and extracted, it’s a deep, brooding wine with considerable depth and concentration, framed by an abundance of sweet, powdery tannin. It possesses considerable potential, but it continues to require patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPOffers a pure nose of crushed raspberry and violet, with aniseed. Full-bodied, with beautiful, well-integrated tannins and a long, polished texture to the finish. Very beautiful. Harmonious and structured. Best after 2015.Wine Spectator | 95 WSSince 1959 the estate has kept 50% of production back for a second release when the wine is ready to drink, and this vintage has not yet seen its mature release (they are currently on the 2004). You can see why - it’s an exceptional wine that still needs time in the cellar. The biggest difference that you see between grand vin and second wine is the size, shape and layers of the tannins. Here they are closed, barely getting going and yet unquestionably full of purpose, doing their job of defining and controlling the dark fruits. Coiled energy supports gorgeous crushed cassis and slate. This still has decades ahead of it. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of blackberries, black olives, raspberries, iodine and asphalt follow through to a medium to full body with a tight, layered palate and a juicy finish. Hints of iodine at the end. Some licorice, too. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSWhile the aromas are tight and firm, once it is in the mouth, this wine just explodes. The tannins are dark, almost impenetrable, dry and dense. These tannins are a layer over the fruit that just piles up with ripe blackberry juice, an edge of blueberry. The soft sweetness of this range of flavors continues on the finish, pitted against the tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEBright, full ruby. Brooding aromas of cassis, black cherry, minerals, bitter chocolate, shoe polish and violet; more Pauillac than Saint-Julien on the nose. Then rich, lush and powerful, with impressive fullness and volume. As full and sweet as this is, there’s no impression of excess weight and the back end shows a distinctly austere quality, even if the serious tannins are nicely buffered by the wine’s rich middle. Really stains the palate with flavor on the aftertaste. Wonderfully ripe cabernet sauvignon here; in fact, most of the cab franc in 2006 was declassified into the Clos du Marquis.Vinous Media | 94 VMNo written review provided. | 92 W&S

Beautiful, rich and incredibly softly textured, this is still very young. Also supremely measured and stately, with buttery tannins. The palate is just starting to show truffles and leather, but is still set against game, cassis and liquorice root. Great persistency and a real sense of lift on the finish. Drinking Window 2016 - 2038Decanter | 95 DECThe first vintage under new owner Martin Bouygues,who convinced Jean-Bernard Delmas to come out of retirement to produce this wine, the 2006 Montrose is an undeniable success. A blend of approximately two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, one-third Merlot, and a tiny dollop of Petit Verdot, the most dramatic difference between the 2006, and wines made by the previous administration is that Jean Delmas produces wines with sweeter, silkier tannins, although analytically, they are as high as those found in the great Montrose vintages of the past. The 2006 is extraordinarily elegant and finesse-styled, but it exhibits stunningly concentrated, sweet blackberry and cassis fruit with hints of flowers and minerals. Full-bodied with a savory, expansive mid-palate as well as sweet, noble tannins, this beauty will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 20-25+ years.Robert Parker | 94+ RPYes, this wine is tannic. To begin with it seems austere and mineral. But then the substrate of black berry juice asserts itself. The fruits are fresh rather than sweet, combining with leather, spice and a presence of new wood. Typical of Montrose, it is hard to appreciate this young, with those tannins needing to open out. But wait 10 years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WELocated on one of the deep gravel promontories of the Médoc, Montrose has long been known for impenetrable wines on release. In 2006, the Charmolüe family, who had owned the vineyard since 1896, sold it to Martin Bouygues, a French construction magnate, and his brother, Oli­vier. The new owners brought in Jean Delmas, recently retired from his brilliant tenure at Haut-Brion, to direct winemaking. This first release from the new team is a lovely, fragrant cabernet, its deep earthiness and dark mushroom tones the only clues that it’s a Montrose. The wine may be compressed in its structure, but it’s supple and elegant, with purity and precision to its layers of currant, fennel, blueberry and blackberry. Lively acidity drives the fruit, its freshness lengthening the flavors. Built for 20 or more years of development, this young Montrose makes its beauty apparent from the outset.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SThere’s currant, spice, chocolate and berry character on the nose. Deep, complex and full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. A solid wine. Chewy. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 93 WSMontrose is so typically Saint-Estephe in 2006, with dried spices such cardamom and cloves as well as delicate currants. Full-bodied, with firm tannins and a dense center palate. It needs another three or four years of bottle age to soften.James Suckling | 92 JS

The dense purple-colored 2006 boasts an extraordinary perfume of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, burning embers, and a sensation that can only be described as like walking through a damp forest on a hot, humid day. Full-bodied, extraordinarily textured, and multidimensional with an amazingly long finish of nearly 60 seconds, this blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot from a 75-acre vineyard is a compelling wine that is one of the stars of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.I can’t say enough about the extraordinary work proprietor Bernard Magrez, assisted by the internationally renowned Michel Rolland, is doing at Pape-Clement. From this outstanding terroir, he comes close to rivaling what both Haut-Brion and La Mission-Haut-Brion are accomplishing a few miles away. Following the prodigious 2005 Pape-Clement, it would be hard to believe the next vintage could nearly match its predecessor. However, that is what has happened at this estate with both white and red, by the way.Robert Parker | 95 RPFull ruby-red. Superripe, highly complex aromas of plum, cocoa powder, tobacco and warm stones. Big, plush and chewy, with compelling sweetness and generosity of texture to the flavors of plum, minerals, tobacco and woodsmoke. Has the sheer stuffing to support the serious, building but noble tannins. Finishes with superb palate-staining persistence. This may well shut down in bottle, and should age well for the next two decades, but it’s a knockout right now.Vinous Media | 93 VMDark in color. Blackberry, coffee and milk chocolate aromas follow through to a full body, with lots of chewy tannins, ripe fruit and polished wood. This needs time to come together, but it’s very powerful. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 91 WS90—92 Barrel sample. Very toasty, spicy aromas, with some dry firm tannins, this is a wine that is solidly structured, balanced, with the tannins well integrated with the ripe black plum fruit flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEDeep purple colour is still violet and barely budging. A hefty attack, this is short on Pessac typicity but big on house style. Made with ageing in mind, the tannins are in full grip mode, while dark fruits lengthen and widen the experience. This will have definite fans – it pushes through the austerity of the vintage – but it’s not my wine. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2016 - 2030.Decanter | 90 DEC

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard, located in the Red Mountain AVA, is 100% varietal. Dark ruby/purple in color, it delivers an enticing nose of pain grille, pencil lead, earth notes, spice box, violets, and assorted black fruits. On the palate it is dense, ripe, full-bodied, and structured. Still a bit tightly wound, it will reveal its full potential with another 5-7 years of cellaring. It will provide much pleasure from 2015 to 2026 at the least.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPDeep ruby-red. Sweet blackberry, cassis, licorice pastille and violet on the nose, plus a whiff of mocha. Very fresh flavors of crushed blackberry, bitter chocolate and menthol boast excellent definition and lift, with exotic floral and spice notes adding nuance. The most complete vintage yet for this bottling, finishing with suave, building tannins and complex notes of cocoa powder, dried flowers and incense. Not at all overly sweet. Especially remarkable in light of the fact that these vines were planted in 2001 and 2002.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2006 Sassicaia may very well go down as one of the all-time great recent vintages for this Tuscan thoroughbred. The year started off very warm but by August evening temperatures had moderated, leaving the fruit with a stunning combination of ripeness, perfume, acidity and tannin. The wine is simply glorious, that’s all there is to it. Layers of dark fruit meld into smoke, leather, violets, menthol, earthiness and tar as this profound wine opens up in the glass. The creamy, silky finish lasts an eternity, as waves of fruit caress the tannins with breathtaking elegance. Everything is in the right place in this magical Sassicaia. This is one for the ages. In a word: Awesome.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe Tenuta San Guido 2006 Bolgheri Sassicaia is a timeless classic. This might just be the vintage to photograph in an encyclopedia entry for Sassicaia. This is especially true at this exact moment in its long and promising drinking window. The wine shows less volume compared to some of the more opulent vintages, but it absolutely excels in terms of length and finish. It offers amazing drive and momentum that are fueled by the extremely fine nature of the wine’s texture and the seamless unity of its flavors. It treads in light and delicate footsteps that will carry it far into the future. As they say in Italian: "Piano piano si va lontano" (slowly slowly you go far).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP(Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bolgheri, Sassicaia, Tuscany, Italy, Red) The 2006 Sassicaia still has a dark garnet colour while nose has an impression of smoke and crushed dried flowers and some subtle, charred toast notes of oak. On the palate there is a lovely, soft, velvety texture together with dark, bramble fruit flavours. The fruit feels cooler in nature with leafy blackberry notes and again a thrilling spine of acidity. For Priscilla Incisa Della Rocchetta and the Tenuta San Guido team the 2006 was ’a rather fresher vintage … an elegant wine with good structure, the classic Sassicaia style with notes of juniper, myrtle, and Mediterranean forest, characteristic of this wine and the terroir where it is produced.’ (Drink between 2022-2033)Decanter | 96 DECSweet tobacco and berry with hints of currants. Full, soft and silky. Lots of fruit and a long finish. It’s subtle, dense and sophisticated. Please give this another five years to really show what it has.James Suckling | 95 JSDisplays sweet tobacco, plum and berry aromas, with a jammy undertone, turning to licorice on the palate. Full-bodied and balanced, with silky tannins, a lovely texture and plenty of fruit. Outstanding Sassicaia, with structure and finesse. 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 percent Cabernet Franc. Best after 2013. 20,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThis landmark wine (85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc) shows herbal notes of chopped mint, wild berry, licorice, bramble and forest floor. Tasted young, Sassicaia never has the same impact it will 10 or 15 years from now when all those luscious aromas become more penetrating and warm. Built to age, the wine boasts drying tannins, good acidity and firm structure.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WENo written review provided. | 92 W&S

From ungrafted vines and one of the truly exceptional wines from Tarlant, the 2006 Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Vigne d’Antan Brut Nature is expressive in its bouquet of honeysuckle, toasted brioche, lemon curd, and white peach. Full-bodied, it fills the palate with wonderful depth and purity, offering ripe fruit and fantastic freshness. A complete wine, it has a refined mousse with refreshing acidity and wonderful salinity on the finish. This exceptional wine is my favorite from Tarlant once again, and it will be a treat to revisit over the coming decades. Drink 2023-2043. Disgorged June 2022.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA dense and almost chewy Champagne with a richness and length with cooked apple and hints of strawberry character. Lots of pie crust and savory cookie undertones. Some mineral and iron, too. From a single vineyard of chardonnay, ungrafted vines. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JS

A golden yellow hue, the 2006 Champagne Blanc De Meuniers La Vigne D’Or is ample and lush with aromas of toasted almond croissant, fresh nectarine, and white strawberry. Full-bodied, with a rounded mousse, it is fleshy and ripe through the palate and doesn’t feel as if it’s lacking for dosage. It has a pillowy mousse and a bit of pithy bitter orange citrus on the long finish. Juicy and ample, it’s very attractive now and will drink well over the coming ten or more years. Disgorged June 2022.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDAttractive nose of brioche, roasted chestnuts, baked pears, cloves, gingerbread and salted caramel. It’s medium-bodied, bright and flavorful, with zesty and spicy elements throughout. Soft bubbles. Soft and caressing finish. Pinot meunier. Disgorged June 2022. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2006 Brut Nature La Vigne d’Or is 100% Meunier from the Pierre de Bellevue lieu-dit in Oeuilly that spent 15 years on the lees. A Champagne of textural breadth and energy, the 2006 is so expressive. Dried pear, sage, mint, ginger and crushed flowers gain in volume and precision as this sits in the glass. There is so much to like here. Disgorged: June 5, 2023.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Mascarello’s 2007 Barolo shows just how compelling this vintage can be, even now. Sensual, layered and totally voluptuous in the glass, the 2007 shows the more flamboyant side of Barolo. I find the wine’s voluptuous, engaging personality impossible to resist. Sure, 2007 is not a classic vintage, but when a wine is this good, I say: Who cares?Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 2007 Barolo has grown tremendously over the last few months. Some bottles have been more closed than others, but what is certain is that the wine is putting on weight. The 2007 appears to have a long drinking window ahead. It is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2037.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPMascarello presents an outstanding 2007 base Barolo (with fruit sourced from the Barolo and La Morra zones) that is packed extra tight with generosity, concentration and rich chocolate, cherry and leather aromas. The long finish is soft and velvety, but the tannins and acidity guarantee a long future ahead.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

Deep garnet colored with just a hint of brick, the 2007 Proprietary Red Paradise Hills Vineyard opens with compelling notes of baked plums, blackberry tart and fruitcake with an undercurrent of dried Provence herbs, menthol, beef drippings, unsmoked cigars and cedar chest. The concentrated, full-bodied palate is laden with minted black fruits and meaty/savory flavors, framed with a firm, grainy texture and wonderful freshness, finishing very long.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP(14.9% alcohol): Full medium ruby. Some slightly porty high tones to the aromas and flavors of black plum, espresso, licorice, violet and tar. Wonderfully suave, sweet wine with terrific depth of texture and harmonious balancing acidity. With its balance, energy and intensity, this wonderfully long, juicy wine is approachable and complex already, but will still improve and gain in nuance for many more years in the bottle. The ripe tannins saturate the molars.Vinous Media | 94+ VMA fragrant nose of deep dark fruits, cigar box, roasted coffee, vanilla bean, and hints of flowers. Full bodied and velvety with dark luscious fruits. Very round with a very soft palate and a velvety texture. Very yummy and delicious right now but will get even better after 2014. 14+23+23+32. Find the wineJames Suckling | 92 JS

Good full red. Flamboyant, soil-inflected nose offers raspberry, minerals and iodine, with exotic suggestions of white flowers and apricot. Then lush, silky and utterly seamless, combining an exotic perfume with great inner-mouth energy. The wonderfully subtle, kaleidoscopic finish throws off scents of raspberry, minerals, flowers and minerals and goes on and on.Vinous Media | 95 VMStill very young, this is showing the proper staying power of a powerful wine. The structure is complex and dense, the plum and cranberry fruits are wrapped in tannins and hints of wood. The wine powers through the palate, promising long-term aging. A great success for the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WERose petal, fennel, licorice, raspberry and dark cherry, and decadent gaminess in the nose of Bouchard’s 2007 Chambertin Clos de Beze lead into a correspondingly complex palate that combines a silken texture with bright, penetrating fruit of a sort rare in 2007. Persistently alluring rose and peony perfume lends persistent allure as this finishes with delightful and profound interaction of fruit, mineral, floral, and animal elements. It should be worth following for at least 12-15 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPAs it usually does, this offers another level of aromatic complexity with a highly spiced nose trimmed in a subtle touch of wood that does not interfere with the overall transparency of either the nose or the palate as this is pure, classy and refined. Moreover, the tannins are also more refined, which is unusual, and this completely stains the palate on the hugely long finish. A balanced, stylish and beguiling Bèze that is built to age, and improve, for up to two decades.Burghound | 93-95 BH

A very opulent, yet fresh nose. Perfumed with fresh mushrooms, currants, and blackberries. Full bodied with an amazing density of fruit, and ripe velvety tannins. So big and compacted, with a superb structure. Very 2006 in style but with much more intensity. The fruit amazing and intense. Leave this for another five or six years. 900 cases. Pull the cork after 2016. 15+25+24+34. Find the wineJames Suckling | 98 JSPotentially a candidate for perfection, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is the finest Bryant Family wine since the aforementioned 1997. Striking aromas and flavors of blackberries, blueberries, flowers, smoke, truffles, and sweet berries lead to a wine with profound concentration, a silky, layered mouthfeel, perfect integration of tannin and wood, and remarkable depth, intensity, and balance. The finish lasts nearly a minute. This stunning Cabernet should age nicely for 20-30 years.Robert Parker | 98 RPAt points rustic and rough-hewn, but also enormously complex and layered, with dense, elegant herb, olive, cedar, blackberry and wild berry fruit that is full-blown and tightly focused, rich and layered, gaining velocity on the finish while retaining a sense of wildness. Best from 2012 through 2024. 850 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS(14.9%): Healthy ruby-red. Wild plum, dark berries, musky espresso, mocha and graphite on the varietally expressive nose. Shows wonderful mineral verve but this utterly seamless wine still conveys a musky suggestion of reduction. It's also more red than black fruit in style and shows its site more than the vintage character. Really lovely inner-mouth aromatic perfume here. Finishes with fine-grained tannins and lovely slowly building lift. This wine blew away many of the portier, clunkier examples in my 2007 group tastings but it may need earlier drinking than some vintages of Bryant. The silky, seamless finish features a light touch and terrific spice and mocha lift.Vinous Media | 95 VM