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The opaque ruby/purple 2005 Clinet offers incredibly fragrant aromatics, an opaque ruby/purple color, and a wonderfully sweet nose of flowers, blackberries, licorice, truffle and caramel. Full-bodied, powerful and rich, it is not as nuanced or complex as the top four or five Pomerols, but close. This is a broad, meaty, masculine, super-rich and concentrated wine, with lavish plum, blackcurrants and blackberries. Drink it five years from now, and over the following 30 or more years.Robert Parker | 96 RPExhibits subtle, complex aromas of black olive, mushroom and crushed berry. Full-bodied, with a velvety tannin structure and a decadent, ripe fruit aftertaste. Slightly earthy, but with loads of delicious fruit. Best after 2013. 2,915 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSGood full ruby. Sexy aromas of black raspberry liqueur, violet, chocolate, mocha and smoky oak. Dense, fat and large-scaled, with a layered texture and compelling sweetness of dark berry fruit. Very smooth if currently a bit youthfully monolithic. Finishes with substantial mouthcoating tannins that arrive late, allowing the chewy chocolate and mocha flavors to expand and linger. This will age on its alcohol and tannins, not its rather low acidity. Elevage should bring greater detail.Vinous Media | 89-92 VMA ripe, rich, soft wine, oozing black jelly fruits and layered acidity. Almost ready to drink, it is a mouthful of delicious, dense fruits. This is a classic wine from Clinet, a property that always produces an opulent style of wine. Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The pale to medium lemon-gold colored 2005 d’Yquem opens with a provocative, mineral and earth-tinged nose of chalk dust, wet pebbles and dried wild mushrooms over a core of warm apricots, green mango, honeyed toast, ginger and pink grapefruit plus wafts of honeycomb, orange blossoms and saffron. The palate confirms the wine is still a little closed and shut down, offering achingly gorgeous glimpses at the tightly wound, intricate layers structured with a racy acid line and wonderfully creamy texture, finishing incredibly long and perfumed. This decadent flavor bomb still needs a good five to seven years in bottle before it is set to go off, but oh what a spectacle it will give then!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis has a deliciously pure feel, with juicy, inviting green plum, ginger, heather, creamed pineapple and Jonagold apple flavors all melded together and gliding through the lengthy finish, which echoes with lilting flowers and dried citrus notes. Best from 2015 through 2045. 12,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis isn’t sweet, but just so wonderfully rich. It’s the concentration of botrytis that makes the wine. The texture is velvet, but with a spicy bite to it. Apricot, honey and marzipan all contribute to a wine that will age over decades.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2005 Yquem is limpid golden in hue. The bouquet is gorgeous, finely-tuned and precise with clear honey, vanilla pod and saffron, less of the almond that I have noticed previously. The palate is built around its exquisite poise, the acidity keeping this Yquem on its tip-toes. As I have noted before, it appears to be gaining in concentration and viscosity with age, lovely fig and tangerine notes combining with a slight nuttiness on the finish. Tasted at 67 Pall Mall in London.Vinous Media | 96 VMWhat an incredible nose of flowers, honey, spices such as clove, and sandalwood. With time, decadent aromas of apple tart and crumble develop. Full and very round on the palate, this is medium sweet with a velvety texture. Flavors of honey, apple and pear tart appear on the long finish. This is so beautiful, hard not to drink now but will greatly improve with more time. 140 grams of RS.James Suckling | 95 JSThe summer heat that led to such outstanding wines from Bordeaux in 2005 was not ideal for Sauternes, as the onset of botrytis was fairly late and sporadic. Also the hot conditions kept acidity on the low side. Nonetheless d’Yquem made a finely balanced wine, with discreet apple and apricot aromas that are still reticent. It’s suave, textured and very concentrated, with elegant oak and no overbearing viscosity or heaviness. Very long, it will keep well, but may not be among the very greatest Yquems. Drinking Window 2019 - 2035Decanter | 94 DEC

A brilliant vintage and this is packed with gorgeously rich, concentrated black fruits. A beautiful wine that is starting to open towards tertiary aromatics and flavours, with the spiced rosemary, warm ash, graphite and black truffle notes coming to the fore. Everything is perfectly held in place, with the warmth of the vintage on display in confident, well balanced fruit. This is a wine you want to drink and share. Made with 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040Decanter | 98 DECThis is a subtle and racy wine. Balanced, with vibrant fruit and bright acidity and chocolate and spices. Full and racy. Very long. Austere. Fascinating. Very closed right now. Give it five or six years minimum now. Winemaker Renzo Cotarella says that Solaia is more reserved in character than the Antinori’s Guado al Tasso from Bolgheri, which is more flashy. Makes me smile.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2007 Solaia saturates the palate with a heady array of super-ripe black cherries, plums, cassis, mocha and sweet French oak. There is an exotic quality to the Solaia I find totally irresistible. Despite its considerable ripeness and opulence, the 2007 Solaia is never heavy, rather it impresses for its extraordinary finesse and balance. Minerals, graphite and crushed rocks frame a long, seductive finish. This is a wonderful Solaia loaded with vintage and vineyard character. The 2007 Solaia is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged in 100% new oak. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPSoft contours, silky tannins and textural volume are the hallmarks of the 2007 Solaia. A riper, denser version of the 2004 with the richness of the 1997, the 2007 will please readers with a long drinking window of pure pleasure. The style is intense and bold. Readers who prefer more subtlety will find that in other vintages, as the 2007 is a voluptuous, racy, turn-on with tons of immediacy but less in the way of detail or nuance.Vinous Media | 97 VMA racy wine that offers so much currant and blackberry character. Full and very silky. Goes on and on. Fascinating. Best after 2012. 6,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Fragrant, with notes of chalk and spring blossom on the nose, this fresh and focused version offers a finely detailed, lacy palate of white raspberry, peach skin, toast and candied ginger flavors. Long and creamy on the spice- and smoke-laced finish. Disgorged November 2016. Drink now through 2030. 99 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSHoney and roses with fresh almonds and an array of dried berries, amid deep, rich, toasted-nut, autolysis character. The palate has a bold array of rich, concentrated berry flavors in a fresh core, surrounded by a warming wrap of grilled hazelnuts. Roasted coffee to close. Terrific complexity. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSContaining some 6% red wine from Bollinger’s La Côte aux Enfants vineyard, the 2007 La Grande Année Rosé offers up a complex bouquet of dried orange peel, walnuts, confit lemon and crisp orchard fruit. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, chalky and structured, with bright acids and a more overtly phenolic chassis than its white counterpart, concluding with a long, delicately nutty finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe age shows in the onion-skin color of this wine. On the palate it reveals itself in the sort of toastiness for which this producer is famed. The fruit is ripe, still hinting at red berries while moving much more to spice, almonds and mature acidity. Drink this remarkable wine now.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Bollinger “Grande Année” Brut Rosé Millésime) The 205 Bollinger “Grande Année” Brut Rosé is an excellent wine and is drinking very well indeed, with a vibrancy on the nose and backend energy that is most impressive. The bouquet offers up a fine combination of tangerine, wild strawberries, wheat toast, chalky minerality and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and zesty, with a very suave attack, a lovely core, elegant mousse and a long, refined and bouncy finish of impressive complexity and delineation. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2018-2035)John Gilman | 93 JGThis gains its light pink color from six percent of still pinot noir wine from Bollinger’s Côte aux Enfants vineyard. It’s tight, austere and tannic, still youthfully inaccessible at more than ten years of age. The scents of red apple skin, hibiscus and sage complement the red fruit, adding spicy intensity that lasts on the breath. Built to cellar. Vintus, Pleasantville, NYWine & Spirits | 93 W&SMade entirely in barrels, the 2007 rosé includes 6% red wine from the Côtes aux Enfants. With notes of redcurrant, mint and spring flowers, the bouquet is lively, energetic and subtle. The palate is moderately dense, well-defined and fresh. It’s beautifully balanced and calls for a carpaccio of raw salmon.Decanter | 92 DEC(Bollinger Brut - La Grande Année Rosé Rosé) A restrained, cool and relatively high-toned nose features notes of raspberry, cherry, strawberry, yeast and a hint of quinine. There is an equal sense of restraint to the almost delicate middle weight flavors that possess good energy thanks to the firm but fine mousse that also suffuses the delicious, clean, dry and crisp finale. This is certainly a very pretty effort but it doesn’t have a lot to say in terms of complexity, at least not at present, and as such I would be inclined to allow this to slumber for another 3 to 5 years. (Drink starting 2022).Burghound | 90 BH

As is common with this wine, the 2007 Bionic Frog is showing even better now than on release and offers up a ripe, dense, and meaty profile that has more in common with the ‘08 than the structured and firm ’09. It has aromas of peppered beef, green peppercorns, lavender, bacon fat, and the expected minerality giving way to a full-bodied, layered, and perfectly put together palate that has a decadent, thick texture, superb balance, and a blockbuster finish. Hard to fault and this is a profound Syrah that will benefit from an additional 2-3 years of bottle age, and drink beautifully for 20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDOften considered the iconic Cayuse wine, this bears the cartoonish label with the leering frog, though it is a single-vineyard offering like the others. Initially showing some fat and sweetness, it is supple and textural, with the density that comes from a mix of flavors: pain grillé, smoke, umami, fungus, coffee grounds and dark fruits. A richly organic compendium of scents and flavors, with black tea tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThis is holding on beautifully with subtle meat, spice and tea aromas as well as ripe fruits. Full-bodied, layered and very flavorful with fantastic depth and length. Superb wine. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSLike the 2007 Cailloux Vineyard, the 2007 Syrah Bionic Frog is perfumed and complex, with gorgeous garrigue, dried flowers, olive tapenade and liquid rock aromas balanced nicely by a core of sweet red and black raspberry fruit. I’d like to see more mid-palate depth here, but this is pure silk on the palate and it shows the sexy, supple nature of the vintage beautifully. Possessing lots of polished tannin, beautifully pure fruit and no shortage of length, it’s a beautiful wine to enjoy anytime over the coming decade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis has tremendous presence, graceful but forceful, playing out its flavors of plum, currant, black pepper and licorice against a background that hints at warm granite, cinnamon bark and bay leaf. Complex and harmonious. Drink now through 2020. 476 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(14.9% alcohol; harvested on September 18): Full, deep red. Wild aromas of raspberry, black olive tapenade, leather, meat and brown sugar, plus a mushroom nuance. Rich, plush, hugely mouthfilling wine with extravagant flavors of black raspberry, pepper, salami, leather and porcini; this bottle is crying out for a hunk of (raw) meat. Boasts outstanding sweetness and a great spreading, horizontal finish featuring substantial dusty tannins. From a very warm year that was affected by some rain in the middle of the harvest, but Baron told me he picked these vines first (as is typically the case), before the precipitation.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2007 Cote Rotie La Landonne exhibits notes of black olives, graphite, smoked meats, new saddle leather and pepper. Meaty, rich and full-bodied, it is not as silky textured, voluptuous or flamboyant as its siblings. Forget it for 5-7 years and drink it over the following three decades.The following paragraph is taken from issue #193, but I believe it is so important to understand the Guigal philosophy that I am repeating it verbatim. “As I have written many times before, no one in the wine world is better at ‘raising’ a wine (or as the French call it elevage) than Marcel Guigal, who learned the skills from his father, Etienne. Because everyone tends to focus on vintage conditions and terroir, the importance of a wine’s elevage is often overlooked, but Guigal’s unusually long tank, foudre and small barrel aging regime for all his red wines as well as several of his whites results in an array of remarkable wines time and time again. Even the most challenging vintages, which often taste under-nourished, vegetal and thin in their first year or two of life, tend to take on concentration and character, turning out to be some of the finest wines in many of the most difficult Rhone vintages. Moreover, Guigal’s wines always taste better out of bottle than from barrel, which speaks to his honesty and integrity as well as to his brilliance in deciding how long to age a wine in wood or tank, as well as choosing the perfect moment to bottle it. None of this is as simple as it might sound, and that’s why Marcel Guigal gets my vote as the reigning genius in terms of the upbringing of his wines.” Crozes-Hermitage has become one of the Guigal “go-to” wines for value hunters and he has raised the level of this humble appellation dramatically with his recent efforts. Cote Rotie was what made Marcel Guigal and his father, Etienne, famous. The Guigals are the largest landholders in Cote Rotie and produce 35-40% of this hallowed appellation’s production. Five cuvees are produced in every vintage, the three single vineyard offerings, the Chateau d’Ampuis (a blend of top sites aged 38 months in 100% new French oak casks), and their largest production offering, the Brune et Blonde (which is aged in small barrels and usually co-fermented with 3-5% Viognier depending on the vintage). Along with Michel Chapoutier’s St.-Joseph Les Granits, Guigal’s St.-Joseph Vignes de l’Hospice is the top wine of the appellation. Guigal purchased this 8-acre parcel of steep hillside vines from Grippat. Aged 30 months in 100% new oak, this wine is extraordinary. Guigal claims the soil is reminiscent of Les Bessards Vineyard in Hermitage Over the last decade, Guigal has dramatically increased his vineyard holdings in Hermitage, purchasing the estates of Jean-Louis Grippat as well as the Hermitage holdings of De Vallouit. He now has parcels in such famed vineyards as Le Meal, Les Beaumes, Les Bessards and Dionnieres. Guigal’s basic red Hermitage (which has been made for over five decades) is generally aged for more than three years in small casks, of which about 45% are new. In exceptional vintages, Guigal will cull out a special cuvee called Ex-Voto, which is aged 42 months in 100% new French oak. One thousand cases are usually made from three separate vineyards (40% from Les Bessards, 40% from Les Greffieux and 20% from Les Murets.) Guigal owns the spectacular Chateau d’Ampuis on the banks of the Rhone River. His son, Philippe, lives here and this is where they produce their wood barrels from long-aged wood staves they purchase 3 to 5 years in advance. This wine, which comes from a blend of such extraordinary vineyards as La Garde, Le Clos, Grande-Plantee, Pommiere, Pavillon, Le Moulin and La Viria, is aged 38 months in 100% new French oak. Production is approximately 2,000 cases in a good year. The three single vineyard Cote Roties are among the world’s top fifty wines ever made. Their differences become apparent around age 8-10 and are dramatically different by age 15. The first vintage of La Landonne was 1978, La Turque was 1985 and La Mouline was 1966. La Mouline is always the sexiest and easiest to appreciate young as it is co-fermented with 11% Viognier. La Turque is co-fermented with 5-6% Viognier and La Landonne is 100% Syrah. La Mouline comes from the Cote Blonde, which has lighter soils (hence the name), and La Turque and La Landonne emerge from the Cote Brune. La Mouline is made from the oldest vines (60-65 years) and is vinified using pump over techniques. From relatively young vines (about 20 years of age), La Turque is vinified by punching down. La Landonne is vinified using the modern system of the cap being immersed. The results are three very different wines, although all of them spend 42 months in 100% new French oak, are barely racked, have minimal levels of SO2, and are bottled unfined and unfiltered.Robert Parker | 97+ RPThis is very backward, with smoldering tobacco and charcoal up front, holding the dense core of black currant, anise and hoisin sauce at bay for now. Sage, sweet tapenade and bittersweet cocoa all roll as the grip takes over on the back end. A gutsy wine, with a charcoal- and singed iron–filled finish. Best from 2013 through 2026. 1,000 cases made. — JMWine Spectator | 97 WSVivid purple. Heady aromas of candied red and dark fruits, incense, violet and smoky minerals. Cherry-cola and blackberry compote flavors show an intriguing blend of richness and vivacity, with bright mineral snap on the back half. Finishes sappy, sweet and extremely long, with resonating floral and spice notes. This wine blends the richness and power of the Turque with the vivacity of the Mouline and should age effortlessly.Vinous Media | 95 VM

While this vintage wasn’t a slam dunk for the Northern Rhône like it was in the Southern Rhône, the 2007 Côte Rôtie La Turque is straight-up brilliant juice and a candidate for the wine of the vintage. Upfront and ready to go, with rocking notes of smoked meats, black olives, truffle oil, blackberries, and blackcurrants, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, no hard edges, and a seamless, silky texture that needs to be tasted to be believed. It’s a gorgeous wine in every sense. Drink it over the coming 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2007 Cote Rotie La Turque’s inky/blue/purple color is followed by aromas of asphalt, charcoal, graphite, barbecue smoke, roasted meats/aged beef, blackberries, cassis and violets. With huge body, massive concentration, silky tannins, sweet glycerin and a layered, multidimensional mouthfeel, it can be drunk now or cellared for 25 years.The following paragraph is taken from issue #193, but I believe it is so important to understand the Guigal philosophy that I am repeating it verbatim. “As I have written many times before, no one in the wine world is better at ‘raising’ a wine (or as the French call it elevage) than Marcel Guigal, who learned the skills from his father, Etienne. Because everyone tends to focus on vintage conditions and terroir, the importance of a wine’s elevage is often overlooked, but Guigal’s unusually long tank, foudre and small barrel aging regime for all his red wines as well as several of his whites results in an array of remarkable wines time and time again. Even the most challenging vintages, which often taste under-nourished, vegetal and thin in their first year or two of life, tend to take on concentration and character, turning out to be some of the finest wines in many of the most difficult Rhone vintages. Moreover, Guigal’s wines always taste better out of bottle than from barrel, which speaks to his honesty and integrity as well as to his brilliance in deciding how long to age a wine in wood or tank, as well as choosing the perfect moment to bottle it. None of this is as simple as it might sound, and that’s why Marcel Guigal gets my vote as the reigning genius in terms of the upbringing of his wines.” Crozes-Hermitage has become one of the Guigal “go-to” wines for value hunters and he has raised the level of this humble appellation dramatically with his recent efforts. Cote Rotie was what made Marcel Guigal and his father, Etienne, famous. The Guigals are the largest landholders in Cote Rotie and produce 35-40% of this hallowed appellation’s production. Five cuvees are produced in every vintage, the three single vineyard offerings, the Chateau d’Ampuis (a blend of top sites aged 38 months in 100% new French oak casks), and their largest production offering, the Brune et Blonde (which is aged in small barrels and usually co-fermented with 3-5% Viognier depending on the vintage). Along with Michel Chapoutier’s St.-Joseph Les Granits, Guigal’s St.-Joseph Vignes de l’Hospice is the top wine of the appellation. Guigal purchased this 8-acre parcel of steep hillside vines from Grippat. Aged 30 months in 100% new oak, this wine is extraordinary. Guigal claims the soil is reminiscent of Les Bessards Vineyard in Hermitage Over the last decade, Guigal has dramatically increased his vineyard holdings in Hermitage, purchasing the estates of Jean-Louis Grippat as well as the Hermitage holdings of De Vallouit. He now has parcels in such famed vineyards as Le Meal, Les Beaumes, Les Bessards and Dionnieres. Guigal’s basic red Hermitage (which has been made for over five decades) is generally aged for more than three years in small casks, of which about 45% are new. In exceptional vintages, Guigal will cull out a special cuvee called Ex-Voto, which is aged 42 months in 100% new French oak. One thousand cases are usually made from three separate vineyards (40% from Les Bessards, 40% from Les Greffieux and 20% from Les Murets.) Guigal owns the spectacular Chateau d’Ampuis on the banks of the Rhone River. His son, Philippe, lives here and this is where they produce their wood barrels from long-aged wood staves they purchase 3 to 5 years in advance. This wine, which comes from a blend of such extraordinary vineyards as La Garde, Le Clos, Grande-Plantee, Pommiere, Pavillon, Le Moulin and La Viria, is aged 38 months in 100% new French oak. Production is approximately 2,000 cases in a good year. The three single vineyard Cote Roties are among the world’s top fifty wines ever made. Their differences become apparent around age 8-10 and are dramatically different by age 15. The first vintage of La Landonne was 1978, La Turque was 1985 and La Mouline was 1966. La Mouline is always the sexiest and easiest to appreciate young as it is co-fermented with 11% Viognier. La Turque is co-fermented with 5-6% Viognier and La Landonne is 100% Syrah. La Mouline comes from the Cote Blonde, which has lighter soils (hence the name), and La Turque and La Landonne emerge from the Cote Brune. La Mouline is made from the oldest vines (60-65 years) and is vinified using pump over techniques. From relatively young vines (about 20 years of age), La Turque is vinified by punching down. La Landonne is vinified using the modern system of the cap being immersed. The results are three very different wines, although all of them spend 42 months in 100% new French oak, are barely racked, have minimal levels of SO2, and are bottled unfined and unfiltered.Robert Parker | 97 RPVery distinctive, with ganache and espresso aromas and well-structured layers of blackberry, mulled plum, roasted spice, anise and charred apple wood. This has ample grip, but stays polished and integrated, allowing for an almost caressing mouthfeel despite its obvious density. One of the most concentrated wines in the vintage. Best from 2012 through 2025. 400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSOpaque ruby. Dark berries, cherry-cola, licorice and Indian spices on the pungent nose. Deeply pitched blackberry and floral and licorice pastille flavors brighten with air and show an intense spicy quality, along with a touch of mocha. Clings tenaciously on the finish, which strongly repeats the cherry and licorice notes. In a more brooding style than the Mouline and years away from maturity.Vinous Media | 93+ VM

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

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

This is a ripe red with raisin and spice aromas plus hints of mushroom and wet earth. Full body and very ripe fruit with spicy undertones. Chewy yet round, caressing tannins. This is very powerful for the vintage. Needs until 2016 to show its quality.James Suckling | 97 JSAlso tasted in a magnum, the 2008 Barolo Riserva Vecchie Viti dei Capalot e delle Brunate is an extraordinary wine that delivers warm tones of baked brick, moist earth, white truffle and autumnal leaf. The wine opens with an inky dark appearance and shows solid structure at the back. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2030.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RP(bottled in magnums): Good bright, deep red. Wonderfully delicate aromas of redcurrant, cherry, mocha, flowers and tobacco. Silky on entry, then suave and fine-grained in the middle, showing a remarkably primary character to its red fruit and spice flavors. This impeccably balanced, elegant Barolo finishes with noble tannins and great subtle, mounting persistence. A great vintage for this bottling.Vinous Media | 95 VMElegant and pretty, with ample flesh to the cherry, licorice and spice flavors. The refined tannins reveal themselves on the finish, which is long and spicy. Fine harmony. Best from 2015 through 2028. 400 cases made. — BSWine Spectator | 92 WS

Discreet wood sets off the ripe, dense and quite elegant black cherry aromas that are layered with notes of earth and floral nuances. This is also impressively complex with wonderfully rich, intense and well-structured big-bodied flavors that brim with an abundance of dry extract on the mouth coating, balanced, long and extremely serious finish. One difference between this and many youthful examples of the appellation is that there is almost no austerity present on the vibrant backend though that may change as the baby fat melts away. This too is absolutely terrific though note that plenty of patience will be required.Burghound | 95 BHGood full medium red. Ripe aromas of raspberry, plum, redcurrant, Oriental spices, milk chocolate and nutty oak. The powerful, voluminous palate boasts a lovely balance of raspberry fruit sweetness and saline minerality. Manages to be both muscular and gentle owing to its seamless texture and breadth. The suavely tannic, very long finish stimulates the salivary glands. I’d like to see all of these wines with a bit less obvious new oak, but maybe that’s quibbling.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Intense aromas of wet earth, leaves, sweet berries and cinnamon follow through to a full body, velvety and dense tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Opulent style. Just opening now, but this shows lots of stuffing, even if it does tighten down on the palate. Integrated and fine. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2010 Figeac has a deep hue. The nose is quite introverted at first, with dark berry fruit, incense, touches of fig and mulberry. The palate is beautifully balanced with a fine bead of acidity, gorgeous pure fruit, mulberry and dark plum, gentle considering the vintage. This 2010 has softened in the last couple of years, gaining depth towards the finish. Very persistent - this is just beginning to show what it is capable of. Tasted at the vertical in Berlin.Vinous Media | 98 VMDeep garnet colored, the 2010 Figeac bursts from the glass with gregarious scents of baked blueberries, black cherry compote and chocolate box with hints of camphor, pencil lead and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has beautifully ripe, velvety tannins and bold freshness supporting the generous fruit, finishing long and layered.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis is a Figeac that rhymes with freshness and fragrance, endowed as it is with compelling scents of flowers including iris, menthol, ripe black fruits, spices, and a touch of graphite. It embodies the singular style of the 2010 vintage that produced dense, fleshy yet fresh wines of strong personality, but Figeac also shines for the taut and precise architecture of its fine-grained tannic structure. This is a magnificent wine worthy of cellaring for at least twenty years. (Drink between 2022-2040)Decanter | 97 DECThis Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wine always stands out as a powerhouse of impressive tannins. In 2010, it is complex with a dense structure, tight mineral texture and dense wood. Underneath, the ripe black fruits bring the promise for the long-term future. Give this wine at least 10 years.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis is very tight, showing a prominent roasted apple wood and bittersweet cocoa frame more today, though the core of dense currant paste, blackberry pâte de fruit and plum sauce waits in reserve. Gorgeous singed spice, anise and toasted fig bread notes flitter through the finish, though this needs some time in the cellar to resolve itself fully. A very distinctive, structured expression of St.-Emilion. Best from 2016 through 2035. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Cocoa bean, bilberry, cassis, espresso, smoked earth, campfire, chunky tannins that put the emphasis on dark Petit Verdot spice. It’s a St Julien wine that has hints of Pauillac, where you feel the shoulders, the structure and the chewy tannins but there is a generosity and again this sparkle of cheer underpinning it all that Gloria does so well. Plenty of time ahead. 40% new oak, harvest September 29 to October 16. 46hl/h yield, from a year that saw both quality and quantity. Remi di Constanzo technical director.Jane Anson | 96 JASt-Julien lovers are going to be happy to see how Gloria has developed over the past decade. Cinnamon and black pepper, slivers of olive paste and crushed smoked rosemary. I love this wine; this was the time when it was starting to receive well deserved recognition after years of being in the background; and well done those who bought in En Primeur. Just coming in to its drinking window, but no rush. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042Decanter | 94 DECThe 2010 Gloria has a very attractive and quite intense bouquet with a surfeit of blackberry and wild strawberry scents, cedar and light seaweed coming through with aeration. The palate is very well balanced with supple but firm tannins framing the pure blackberry and bilberry fruit, laced with black pepper and clove. Very complex, very focused and very precise on the finish, this is an outstanding 2010 Saint-Julien. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2010 Gloria is an ass-kicking, fabulous value once again from this estate, which would probably be classified if the 1855 hierarchy of the wines of the Medoc were ever done again. Abundant notes of cedar wood, fruitcake, flowers, creme de cassis and kirsch are all present in this full-bodied, opulent, dense, dark ruby/purple wine. It is slightly more restrained than the flamboyant 2009, but equal in quality. This is a juicy, well-proportioned, sensationally concentrated, super-ripe Gloria to drink over the next decades. Of course, it is a sleeper of the vintage, given the reasonable price it normally sells for.Robert Parker | 93 RPA little coarse, with chewy tannins, but velvety in texture. Full body, with plenty of fruit and bright acidity. Intense and interesting.James Suckling | 90-91 JSJuicy and direct, with a relatively friendly feel to the plum, blackberry and blueberry fruit, all coated with a ganache note that hangs through the finish. Surprisingly accessible, and not quite as grippy as when tasted from barrel. Drink now through 2023.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThe wine shows considerable new-wood influence at this stage. However, this wood emphasis brings out polished fruit that is deliciously smooth and blackberry-like in profile. This is likely to develop relatively quickly.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

This is clearly the best second wine that Mouton has ever made. Truly superb with blackberries and currants on the nose. Full body, with super velvety tannins. The length is so wonderful and delicious. Dense yet super balanced. Hard not to drink now. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2010 Le Petit Mouton has a more open-knit bouquet than its peers, perhaps more red than black fruit, hints of sage and cedar emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, touches of graphite and cedar coming through, developing more depth and grip towards the finish. This is a beautifully balanced and very noble Pauillac that is bestowed with impressive persistence. That said, I would cellar this for several more years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMStill solidly built at 10 years old, this effortlessly overplays its status as a 2nd wine. It has walls and floors and all the construction metaphors that 2010 demands, and would benefit from another few years in bottle, even another decade is not going to do any harm. Chargrilled edge to the aromatics, firm, knitted down black fruits, fine but plentiful tannins, and a first of spice and herb notes. A serious Petit Mouton when you compare it to other excellent years like 2009, that are ready to deliver their pleasure from this point on. A fine companion to the first wine in this vintage. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040Decanter | 93 DECDeep garnet colored, the 2010 Le Petit Mouton gives up notes of sweaty leather, cherry cough syrup and baked blackcurrants with suggestions of damp soil, cedar chest and menthol. Full-bodied, the palate is decadently fruited with a firm, grainy frame and loads of freshness, finishing earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPSolid, with forward black currant, plum skin and crushed blackberry fruit lined with charcoal, showing a dusting of loam on the finish. Features some cedar-tinged grip, but remains more accessible than most of the 2010 Pauillacs. Drink now through 2022.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

A luscious red with dried berry, cherry and hints of cedar and tea. Full body, fine and velvety tannins and a long and flavorful finish. This is compacted and tight with great depth. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2012 Colore is on the market now. Production of 2013 and 2014 was skipped, and the next vintage we shall see (very soon) is 2015, which is also reviewed in this report. This vintage produced large berry sizes for Sangiovese—something Bibi Graetz is always happy to see because it is an indicator of elegance and finesse within the context of the house style. If you consider this wine, his observation makes perfect sense. This warm vintage is powerful and rich in its natural state, so any additional berry density might easily lead to overextraction and heaviness. However, the mouthfeel is objectively thinner and more compact in this vintage. Colore represents a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino in equal parts. The bouquet is redolent of wild berry, dried cherry and toasted spice. This vintage offers a very attractive mineral note as well. Fruit is selected from three of Bibi Graetz’s favorite vineyards with ancient vines: Lamole (in Chianti Classico), Vincigliata and Siena. Only 5,000 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPMuscular and concentrated, yet with a sense of elegance derived from vibrant acidity, this red displays black cherry, blackberry, leather, iron and tobacco flavors. Consistent from the start to the long finish. Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino. Best from 2020 through 2028. 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA tricky year with a very hot dry summer that resulted in low yields, but also marked by a wet September. The sour-cherry nose is fresh and lively. It’s medium-bodied but still quite concentrated, and while no blockbuster, it has density. It lacks some flesh and weight of fruit, resulting in a somewhat hollow mid-palate, but it’s attractive and already drinking well. Drinking Window 2021 - 2026.Decanter | 90 DEC

Bottled under a black label to celebrate Pavie’s addition to the Grand Cru Classé “A” classification, the 2012 Chateau Pavie is a brilliant wine, and readers with bottles in their cellars are in for a treat. From a bottle purchased in the US, this deep purple-hued beauty takes plenty of air (it showed best the day after opening) to show at its best yet offers incredible notes of blackcurrants, blackberries, scorched earth, graphite, leafy herbs, violets, and background oak. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it nevertheless has incredible elegance and purity, with loads of silky tannins, terrific freshness, and a blockbuster finish. I continue to believe 2012 was a great, great vintage for the Right Bank, and this just adds fuel to the fire. This beauty is approachable today yet will mostly likely merit a triple-digit rating in 5-7 years and will keep for 30-40 years, given its impeccable balance and depth of fruit.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDThe 2012 Pavie has been impressive on the two occasions I have tasted it so far. Exotic scents of graphite, smoke, new leather and dark fruit open up first. Deep, intense and rich, especially within the context of the year, the 2012 finds greater finesse and nuance with time in bottle. Pavie is a rare 2012 that is going to require time in bottle, as the tannins are imposing at this early stage. I imagine the 2012 will be divine in another few years. Even today, it is exceptionally well-balanced and harmonious in the modern-day flamboyant Pavie style. The 2012 is 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon that spend 28 months in barrel.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGWhat a gorgeous wine with violet and sandalwood character on the nose and palate. Medium to full body. Fine tannins. Love it now.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2012 Pavie celebrates its reclassification and upgrade to Class A St.-Emilion by sporting a new black label with gold print. Fortunately, every Pavie has benefitted since Perse began a complete makeover of this estate in 1998. From 47-year-old vines, the 2012 has an inky purple color, judicious toasty oak in the nose interwoven with copious blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, Christmas spices, as well as licorice and graphite. Full-bodied, rich and moderately tannic, it will require 5-7 years of bottle age but should drink well for 20-30 years. Kudos to Chantal and Gerard Perse for their extraordinary commitment to quality, which is so evident in this more challenging vintage than some of the great years like 2009 and 2010. Very low yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare were obtained from this 92-acre estate.Robert Parker | 95 RPThis is a powerful wine which exhibits a change in style towards elegance in recent years. The palate has delicious Merlot fruitiness along with black-currant acidity and a dense structure. Fine minerality at the end with juicy acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA beauty, with rich and supple plum and blackberry confiture notes that stream along over a dense but velvety structure. The licorice and toast aspect is more restrained here, and there are long, cool menthol, apple wood and earth accents through the finish.--Non-blind Pavie vertical (March 2017). Best from 2018 through 2030. 5,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSPowerful style as always. A touch less full throttle than the 2011. Reserved but intense nose. Dark fruit notes. Good acidity and freshness. Firm, long, persistent finish. Drinking Window 2022 - 2035.Decanter | 91 DEC

Gaja's 2013 Sperss is fabulous. Deep and powerful, yet also wonderfully translucent, the 2013 hits all the right notes. Graphite, game, smoke, licorice, plum, black cherry and dark spice are some of the signatures, but as is always the case with the best vintages, Sperss is a wine of vertical intensity and muscle. The 2013 won't be anywhere near ready to drink for a number of years. All the pedgiree and character of these Serralunga sites come through in an exceptionally beautiful and vivid Barolo from Gaja.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe gem of the 2013s is the 2013 Barolo Sperss which comes from limestone-dominated soils. The 2013 is deep, concentrated, and structured, with a fabulous sense of minerality in its black cherry, leafy herbs, damp earth, and licorice aromas and flavors. From a late, cool vintage, it has awesome purity of fruit, plenty of tannins, and a huge finish. It’s a brilliant wine any way you look at it. I’d happily drink this elixir today, but it deserves at least 3-4 years and will keep for 25+.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDAmazing aromas of cherries, oranges and light prunes with hints of wet earth and mushrooms. Very perfumed. It's medium-bodied, firm and direct. Great vino. Needs at least five years to come together but already a joy to taste.James Suckling | 96 JSThis wine shows the quintessential attributes of the Serralunga d'Alba appellation with dark fruit flavors and powerful intensity. The 2013 Barolo Sperss paints a very authentic picture of its unique territory with rich layers of black fruit, wet earth, black truffle, licorice and spice. The wine's tannic structure is firm and lasting. It shows broad shoulders and rich texture overall. This beautiful Barolo boasts a dark color and thick concentration with the aromatic elegance obtained in the 2013 vintage. This important wine is now part of the Barolo DOCG family.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPUnderbrush, toast, menthol, grilled herb and star anise aromas lead the way. Firmly structured but loaded with finesse, the taut palate delivers Morello cherry, raspberry, licorice and a toasted note while assertive, close-grained tannins provide the framework. It's still young and austere so give it time to fully develop. Drink 2023–2033.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WETextbook rose, tar and cherry aromas and flavors, with accents of oak spice, licorice and tobacco, are the hallmarks of this complex red. Powerful yet harmonious, showing fine structure and a lingering finish. Best from 2022 through 2040. 375 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Very pretty aromas with peach and crabapple character, as well as cotton candy and light nutmeg. Medium-to full-bodied with very fine bubbles that run the length of the wine and persist. Really fine and beautiful. Ultra-complex and refined. Drink now.James Suckling | 96 JSFresh and elegant, the pure salmon-colored 2013 Champagne Belle Epoque Rosé Brut has a lively and large bubbly appearance on opening and is very pretty with aromas of fresh redcurrants, orange zest, and fresh flowers. Made from 50% Pinot Noir (15% of that red wine from Ambonnay), 45% Chardonnay, and 5% Meunier, it has 8 grams per liter dosage. Medium-bodied, it’s elegant and long on the palate, with notes of sherbet and a light spice, while its pillowy mousse balances out its more linear drive. It has a fresh and refined pithy texture with chalk as well as a long, clean finish. Drink 2024-2044.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThis famed Champagne in its Belle Epoque flower label remains a very fine wine. This latest release is still in its vibrant fruit stage, showing no signs of aging. The hints of strawberries are balanced against the fine texture. The wine is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThis rich rosé Champagne is aromatic and minerally on the nose, with smoke and oyster shell notes that transition to accent the palate’s baked white peach, grilled plum, toasted brioche and lemon curd flavors. Bright, with well-honed acidity and a crisp, lacy texture. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Drink now through 2033.Wine Spectator | 93 WSWine is in the early stage of showing Vinous characteristics with fresh girottes, leaves and a touch of smoke. Focused and streamlined, buoyed by racy acidity. Perfect aperitif Champagne.Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2014 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots has a really quite lovely bouquet with bright red berry fruit, a touch of violet and a hint of wet gravel. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, quite saline in the mouth with a subtle marine influence, a touch of spice with a long, slightly earthy finish. It delivers on the promise that it demonstrated from barrel and will be drinking beautifully for 15-20 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPSuchots is another Vosne premier cru that is usually very black fruity out of the blocks, and interestingly, this is absolutely the case with this classic 2014 version from Charles van Canneyt. The bouquet soars from the glass in a very elegant blend of dark berries, black cherries, raw cocoa, a superb base of dark soil tones, gamebirds, cardamom, cedar and a bit of fresh herbs in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and again, very much defined by its beautiful minerality at the outset, with a sappy core of black fruit, fine-grained tannins and a long, tangy and impeccably balanced finish. I love the tension here between the fruit, soil and acids. (Drink between 2021 - 2055)John Gilman | 93 JGBright medium red. Sexy, inviting aromas of sweet raspberry, cocoa powder and soil. Plush, broad and seamless but with good medicinal reserve to its dark fruit, licorice, spice and earth flavors. Most impressive today on the very long, spicy, rising finish, where the ripe tannins saturate the entire mouth. Conveys an impression of density without weight, like the better examples of the vintage.Vinous Media | 92+ VMThis is closed to the point of being all but mute as the grudging nose is composed by a collection of plum, violet, earth and sandalwood aromas. There is good richness, volume and concentration to the velvety middle weight flavors that terminate in a suave and seductive finale where the supporting tannins appear to be slightly riper.Burghound | 92 BH

Glorious aromatics with currants, flowers, stones and light mushrooms. Medium to full body and fine tannins that are long and polished. Super linear, structured and long. Drink in 2019.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2014 Les Forts de Latour is a blend of 71.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28.6% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to reveal expanding scents of blackcurrant pastilles, baked plums and boysenberries with suggestions of wood smoke, fragrant earth, cast-iron pan and charcuterie plus a faint waft of black truffles. Medium-bodied, the earthy/savory palate has loads of lively black fruit with a refreshing line and firm, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2014 Forts de Latour has turned out beautifully. Pliant, supple and open-knit, the wine is super-expressive, even at this early stage. There is lovely depth to the dark red cherry, plum and leather nuances, all in the vivid, articulate style that is found in the best 2014s. Best of all, the 2014 Forts de Latour will drink well with minimal cellaring.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGThe second wine of the estate is the 2014 Les Forts De Latour and this beauty is better than most estate grand vin. Made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot, this straight up classic Pauillac is loaded with notions of red and black currants, lead pencil shavings, roasted coffee, graphite, and Asian spices. Deep, medium to full-bodied, impressively concentrated, and layered, it’s a seriously good wine that’s going to continue drinking beautifully for two to three decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDHighly enjoyable, has gorgeous elegance and freshness, and is showing better right now than the 2015 Pauillac de Latour. Extremely fresh, hedgerow and cassis bud backed up by richer seams of liquorice and blackberry. Not yet ready but you can see that with a stiff wind and a good carafe, you could get there in the next few years. Tight black spice uncurls to show carefully-delivered smoked cedar on the finish. Drinking Window 2022 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECPacked with the fruit of the vintage, this wine is bright and crisp. Its acidity and pure black-currant flavors are delicious, juicy, the tannins now sitting easily in the background. The wine, which comes from a specific parcel, is developing well and will be released after 2020. It should be drunk from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEOffers a core of pure cassis and blackberry fruit, with mouthwatering streaks of graphite and anise. Racy-edged, featuring ample grip buried through the finish. Reveals a violet echo for good measure. Textbook. Best from 2018 through 2030. 9,022 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Aromas of tar, black olive skin and blackberries follow through to a full body. Ultra-fine tannins and a long, linear finish with super intensity. Well-crafted in every sense. A fabulous Pomerol for the future. Try in 2022.James Suckling | 98 JSNewly-arrived Technical Director Marielle Cazaux turned out a jewel of a wine at La Conseillante in 2015, her debut vintage. A polished and super-sophisticated Pomerol, La Conseillante is all class. Precise, lifted aromatics make a strong first impression, but it is the wine’s overall feel and sense of harmony that truly dazzle. Over the last two years, the 2015 seems to have gained in freshness, precision and nuance. What a wine! The blend is 81% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc. Don’t’ miss it.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGComposed of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% one-year-old French oak, the medium garnet-purple colored 2015 La Conseillante opens with reticent, earthy notes of dusty soil, garrigue, forest floor and iron ore with a core of warm plums, cassis, cigar boxes, star anise and dark chocolate plus a hint of violets. Medium to full-bodied with decadent fruit and a gorgeous plushness to the texture, the palate features impeccable poise and compelling depth, finishing on a lingering mineral note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPReminding me of the 2009, the 2015 La Conseillante is more overt and sexy compared to the 2016, offering a huge nose of mulled black fruits, spring flowers, chocolate and gravely/clay-like earthiness. This is a full-bodied, complex, elegant and layered 2015 that has a singular character and the class to drink well for 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThis is reserved, with subtle Earl Grey tea, singed apple wood and warm fruitcake aromas opening slowly ahead of a core of dark boysenberry, raspberry and blackberry compote flavors. A lovely swath of velvety tannins carries the finish, with the fruit and spice aromas pulling together nicely. Some patience is needed here, but this is one of the elite of the AOC in this vintage. Best from 2023 through 2040. 3,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis is a perfumed wine, rich in tannins and with a good balance between the Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend. Ripe black fruits and velvet tannins give the wine elegance and charm. It is juicy and ripe, with a background of firm structure set against a crisp final texture. The wine will develop well; drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA warm, sunny vintage, giving crème de cassis flavours and a crème caramel edging. Still young, but packed with gourmet, creamy character. Very much on primary flavours right now, so more focused on plum and black cherry than black truffle, but not question that this will appear over the next few years. Traces of heat on the finish. 70% new oak. A yield of 39.5hl/ha. Drinking Window 2024 - 2042.Decanter | 94 DEC

A legendary wine in the making from the Delon Family is the 2015 Leoville Las Cases and there are very few wines more impressive in the vintage. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Merlot, this full-bodied, tight, super-concentrated, focused 2015 boasts an awesome bouquet of crème de cassis, graphite, charcoal, lead pencil, and minerality. Deep, layered, with perfect ripeness and building tannin, hide bottle for 6-7 years and enjoy this prodigious effort over the following 3-4 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThis wine that comes mainly from a magnificent walled vineyard within sight of the Gironde estuary is structured and dense. Its tannins and firm character show its enormous aging potential. Powerful black fruits come from the 85% Cabernet Sauvignon in this rich, juicy wine. Drink from 2027. Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEThe 2015 Léoville Las Cases is simply captivating. Sumptuous, racy and explosive in the glass, the 2015 is endowed with tremendous energy from start to finish. An exotic melange of crème de cassis, graphite, menthol and licorice bursts onto the palate as the 2015 shows off its alluring personality. Spectacularly rich, dense and full-throttle, with huge tannins that are nearly buried underneath the fruit, the 2015 is an unusual Las Cases. It is also breathtakingly beautiful. Readers who can find it should not miss it.Antonio Galloni | 98 AGBlackcurrant, blueberry and currant aromas with hints of black licorice and hot stones. Full-bodied with dense and integrated tannins and a long, long finish. It is all there and all about proportional harmony. Excellent focus and beauty. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 98 JSFilled with blackberry, black currant, fig and boysenberry preserve flavors, this starts off showy, but a back end of brambly grip, warm tar, and pastis-soaked apple wood emerges slowly before taking an authoritative lead on the finish. All the while, a cool charcoal note weaves in and around everything. Best from 2025 through 2045. 16,667 cases made. — JMWine Spectator | 97 WSAt 94% (85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc) this is the highest-ever Cab content in this grand vin. Very dense at first but full of power and elegance, with lots of energy. Beautifully made, and seems more Pauillac than St-Julien. This will be a very great wine. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050.Decanter | 96 DECRicher and more demonstrative than the 2016, the 2015 Léoville Las Cases dodders up generous aromas of sweet berries, pencil shavings and loamy soil, framed by a deft application of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, broad and expansive, with a fleshy core of fruit, succulent acids and a giving, gourmand profile, like many 2015s from the Northern Médoc, it’s already quite structurally open today, and it will likely attain its peak before both the 2014 and 2016 vintages that bookend it. For many consumers, that may be an advantage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

Even better and my favorite of the trio (although this is splitting hairs since all three are sensational wines), the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon offers the more flamboyant, sexy style of the vintage and has a huge nose of crème de cassis, scorched earth, graphite, and crushed flowers. It’s a singular, exotic wine that has full-bodied richness and depth yet never seems heavy or cumbersome, possessing incredible purity of fruit and perfect balance. The 2015 is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot. I’d be thrilled if I had bottles in the cellar and it should deliver the goods for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2015 Ovid is a rich and racy wine. Here, too, the style is noticeably more refined and polished than in the past. Dark red cherry, plum, lavender, rose petal and mint give the wine much of its tonic energy. Fresh, perfumed and lively, the 2015 is showing beautifully, even at this early stage. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s textural richness and body nicely. Ovid is rarely this expressive in the early going.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGA blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Proprietary Red Wine comes charging out of the gate with gregarious crushed black cherries, chocolate mint and crème de cassis scents plus suggestions of red roses, Christmas cake, sandalwood, cloves and unsmoked cigars with a waft of shaved pencils. Full-bodied, concentrated and boldly fruited, with wonderfully decadent in the mouth, the plushly textured palate gives bags of spicy black fruits and a minty kick to the epically long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA beauty, with waves of red and black currant puree rolling through steadily, while tar, licorice snap, apple wood and briar notes swirl around. Authoritative grip lies underneath, allowing the fruit to keep playing out on the very long finish. A large wine that should be long-lived. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2040. 392 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Very complex nose with a wide spectrum of candied citrus, dried peach and mirabelle tart aromas. Bold and rich, particularly on the mid-palate, but with a great deal of subtlety and delicacy for the vintage. This is already delicious, but at the finish you really taste how this has been made for the long term. Great drive and persistence right at the end. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2015 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill shows off the savory side of the vintage to great effect. Hints of dried pear, sage, mint, dried flowers, lemon oil and chamomile open gradually in this mid-weight, lithe edition of Pol Roger’s tête de cuvée. The 2015 unfolds nicely with time in the glass, but I wouldn’t think of opening a bottle anytime soon. Readers will find a nervy Winston Churchill marked by notable freshness and vigor more than size. This is a fine effort in a vintage that has proven to be far trickier than most observers originally envisioned. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged September 2022.Vinous Media | 95 VMA tightly meshed Champagne, with an up-front, broad feel that’s quickly reined in and well-defined by racy acidity. Creamy on the palate, with the fine mousse carrying flavors of crème de cassis, lemon-infused pastry cream, smoked almond and oyster shell. Long, harmonious finish. Drink now through 2038. 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA strong effort in a less-acclaimed vintage, Pol Roger’s newly released 2015 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill opens in the glass with aromas of confit citrus, ripe orchard fruits and dried white flowers mingled with hints of honeycomb, freshly baked bread and anise. Medium to full-bodied, vinous and concentrated, with bright acids, chalky structuring extract and a pinpoint mousse, this inherently rather rich, gastronomic Champagne is quite tightly wound out of the gates and will reward a bit of bottle age. Stylistically, it is somewhat reminiscent of a modern-day version of the 1985.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP