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Mature, with dried date, cherry and plum notes, lined with lilting incense, aged fruitcake and well-integrated cedar and juniper hints. The core retains some nice stuffing, allowing this to linger a bit longer for those who like to push their wines. This was the first vintage aged on its fine lees, resulting in a finer mouthfeel than the firmer, drier 1993 and 1994.—Non-blind Pavie Macquin vertical (December 2014). Drink now through 2017. 4,883 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 1995 offers up a tell-tale Merlot nose of smoky, roasted coffee, sweet chocolate, mocha, and berry scents. Amazingly deep and rich, this is among the finest wines I have ever tasted from the Cotes de Bourg. There is low acidity, good fat, glycerin, and extract, and a layered, chunky, fleshy finish. It should drink well for 7-8 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Wild aromas of crushed fruit, forest flower and wild mushrooms. Full-bodied, with incredibly velvety tannins that go on and on. Lovely and exciting fruit. Gorgeous, seductive wine. Hard to resist now. Better than I remember.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2007.Wine Spectator | 94 WSProprietor Christian Moueix’s 1996s have turned out well in the bottle. The 1996 Petrus is a big, monolithic, foursquare wine with an impressively opaque purple color, and sweet berry fruit intermixed with earth, pain grille, and coffee scents. Full-bodied and muscular, with high levels of tannin, and a backward style, this wine (less than 50% of the production was bottled as Petrus) will require patience. It is a mammoth example. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035Robert Parker | 92 RP

This is a backward, muscular, highly-extracted wine with a boatload of tannin, thus the question mark. The saturated plum/purple color is followed by an aggressively oaky nose with scents of roasted coffee, blackberries, and prunes. It is somewhat of a freak for a 1996 Pomerol given its richness, intensity, and overripe style. Medium-bodied and powerful, but extremely closed, and in need of 5-7 years of cellaring, it will be interesting to follow this wine’s evolution to determine if the tannin fully integrates itself into the wine’s concentrated style. If not, it will have a slight rusticity to its tannin and structure. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020. I sense this wine will be much more controversial than I had anticipated.Robert Parker | 91 RP

I do not understand the critics of Alain Vautier, who now has sole control of Ausone and is taking the estate’s quality to a higher level. Moreover, the wine is consistent, with great depth and richness on the mid-palate, without sacrificing Ausone’s 40-50+ years of longevity. As I suspected, the 1996 is beginning to shut down. I left it in the glass for nearly 30 minutes and was impressed with the nuances that developed. The color is a dense ruby/black/purple. Reluctant aromas of blueberries, blackberries, minerals, flowers, truffles, and subtle new oak eventually emerge. Elegant on the attack, with sweet ripeness, and a delicate, concentrated richness, the hallmark of this wine is subtlety rather than flamboyance. A sweet mid-palate sets it apart from many of the uninspiring Ausones of the eighties and seventies. The wine is stylish, and presently understated, with tremendous aging potential. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2040.Robert Parker | 93 RPThe 1996 Ausone is a vintage that I have tasted on four or five occasions. This was similar to previous examples with a very floral and outgoing bouquet, those wilted violet petals infusing the boysenberry and blueberry fruit, quite glossy in style, one of the most modern of that decade. It certainly has more intensity than earlier vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet and ripe tannin, impressive acidity and weight although it does not revel in the complexity of other vintages, perhaps because the growing season did not favour the Right Bank. There is a touch of headiness on the finish that is a little otiose but otherwise this is a thoroughly enjoyable Ausone. Tasted at the Ausone vertical in London.Vinous Media | 92 VMComplex aromas of blackberry, coffee, cedar and lightly grilled meat. Full-bodied and very structured, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Slightly hollow center palate.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Château Eglise Clinet Pomerol 1996: It's agreed among most Bordeaux wine lovers that Right Bank, more specifically Pomerol, made good quality but not great reds in 1996. The 1995 was much better for Merlot and Cabernet Franc. So this 1996 Eglise Clinet came as a big surprise when I tasted it. The red shows wonderful complexity and beauty now. It's full body yet refined with black olive and berry character. It's so balanced and fine now. Very pretty. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JSOne of the few profound Pomerols in 1996, l'Eglise-Clinet turned out an uncommonly rich, concentrated wine that is performing well from bottle, even though it is displaying a more tightly-knit structure than it did from cask. The dark ruby/purple color is followed by notes of charcoal, jammy cassis, raspberries, and a touch of sur-maturite. Spicy oak emerges as the wine sits in the glass. It is fat, concentrated, and medium to full-bodied, with a layered, multidimensional, highly nuanced personality. This muscular Pomerol will require 3-5 years of bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020.Robert Parker | 93 RPThe 1996 l’Eglise-Clinet has always had an open and Burgundy-like bouquet, pure but like many Pomerol crus in this vintage, not particularly complex. The palate is well balanced with slightly grainy tannin. This is a more masculine and introverted wine compared to the 1995, a little too serious perhaps and needing more flesh toward the linear finish. Not bad at all although it just lacks the fireworks. Tasted over a private dinner in Bordeaux.Vinous Media | 90 VM

I have never tasted such an impressive Clos Fourtet. I had it on three different occasions, and it was consistently brilliant. The stunning black/purple color is accompanied by aromas of sweet blueberry/blackcurrant fruit interwoven with wet steel/mineral-like scents, and subtle oak. Hugely concentrated, yet only medium-bodied, this dense, thick, gorgeously pure, well-balanced wine is the finest Clos Fourtet made in the last 3-4 decades. Although there is plenty of tannin, it is sweet as well as beautifully integrated, so I suspect this wine will evolve more rapidly than many wines of this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.Robert Parker | 90-92 RP

A fine wine, this dark purple-colored effort reveals black raspberry, blackberry, mineral, and floral aromas in its complex, multidimensional bouquet. In the mouth, it is medium-bodied, with sweet, ripe fruit, firm tannin, good acidity, and a long, well-endowed, moderately tannic finish. Moreover, it will be a long-lived wine. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.Robert Parker | 91 RPExcellent ruby-red. Dark berries, licorice and minerals on the nose. Tightly wrapped and firmly minerally in the mouth, with a note of shoe polish. Extremely primary for the vintage. Plenty of richness here. Finishes with toothdusting tannins and excellent length.Vinous Media | 90+ VMPure fruit on the nose, with violet, berry and raspberry aromas. Medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, polished finish. Super well done for the vintage. Drink now through 2005.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Good dark red-ruby. Port-like aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, damp earth and shoe polish. Ripe, lush and large-scaled on the palate; sweet black fruit flavors really fill the mouth. The tannin level is rather high, but there also strong, bright finishing fruit and notes of smoke and earth.Vinous Media | 88-91 VM

This is a forgotten Pétrus. Good dark color, with lovely plum and light raspberry aromas. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a fresh, fruity finish. A beauty. Fresh and long. Slightly better than when I tasted it a few years back.--Pétrus non-blind vertical. Best after 2005.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe backward 1997 (2,300 cases produced) needs 3-4 years of cellaring. The dense plum/ruby/purple color is accompanied by a closed bouquet of mocha, dried tomato skin, and black fruits. In the mouth, it is one of the most muscular 1997s, exhibiting outstanding concentration, length, intensity, and depth, copious tannin, and a fine mouth-feel. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025.Robert Parker | 91 RPDeep red-ruby. Cherry, redcurrant, raspberry, toffee, minerals and iron filings on the nose. Opulent and deep, with a silky, mouthfilling texture and lovely caramel sweetness. Boasts outstanding length for the vintage. Suave and harmonious.Vinous Media | 91-92 VM

Good deep ruby. Complex, sauvage aromas of black raspberry, smoked meat and leather. Soft, sweet and expressive; shows a considerably stronger animal aspect than either Canon La Gaffeliere or Mondotte, Stephan von Neipperg other St. Emilion wines. Quite suave and fresh for the year. Finishes long and ripely tannic. Half of this wine was fermented in wood cuves, which von Neipperg feels has resulted in a more successful integration of the tannins.Vinous Media | 89-90 VM

A super-silky red with notes of stone, limestone, cedar and plum. Full-bodied but so polished. The length and complexity are amazing. Just opening now.James Suckling | 99 JSSaturated deep ruby, much darker and brighter than the other vintages tasted. Sappy, fresh aromas of boysenberry, cassis, minerals, bitter chocolate and espresso, with complicating notes of underbrush and earth. Extremely pure and penetrating, with fruit of steel and a powerful mineral underpinning. Finishes with strong, firm tannins and great persistence. Essence of Ausone, without the funkiness shown by so many past vintages of this wine. Offers exciting potential. Drink 2008 to 2030.Vinous Media | 95+ VMDark ruby color. Aromas of lavender, violet, mint and crushed berries. Full-bodied, with polished, chewy tannins and lots of mint, blackberry and wet earth flavors. Goes on and on. Tight and powerful. Needs a long time to open still.—’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSReaders should not hesitate to check out Ausone’s new second wine, Chapelle d’Ausone. It reveals Ausone’s minerality, finesse, and quality presented in a lower-keyed, more open-knit style.A dense opaque purple color offers up restrained, but pure aromas of liquid minerals, blackberries, black raspberries, and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, with high tannin but a long, super-pure, symmetrical mouth-feel, this dazzling, extremely complex Ausone requires 6-10 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2050.Robert Parker | 94 RPNo written review provided. | 94 W&S

Richest of the lineup in terms of decadent black cherry and damson plum that seduce straight from the first hit and expand upwards and outwards through the palate. Structured and precise and yet full of abandon, with crème de cassis, bitter chocolate, cinnamon and smoked caramel edging. Pillow-plumped tannins are what always come to mind when I taste Le Pin, and here they are again, so soft and caressing that they are impossible to resist. 435 cases produced, a near perfect embodiment of the singular character of this property, clearly showcasing why it is so treasured. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035.Decanter | 99 DECIntense, with fleshy layers of raspberry confiture and plum reduction that rumble throughout, but the structure is so velvety that this winds up stretching out almost languidly when it finally reaches the finish, ending with dried star anise, vanilla flower and a lilting note of singed juniper. Pretty gorgeous, but just a hair behind the ’10 in precision.--Non-blind Le Pin vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2030. 450 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA beautifully made, dark ruby/garnet/plum-colored wine, the 1998 Le Pin offers an exotic bouquet of coconut, kirsch liqueur, and jammy blackberries, all flamboyantly dosed with smoky new oak. It is dense, rich, and plush, with a good tannic framework. At one time, Le Pin was the most exotic wine from Bordeaux’s right bank, but there is now considerable competition from all the new St.-Emilion upstarts. While this remains an outstanding, often compelling Pomerol, many far less expensive, equally prodigious alternatives have emerged. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.Robert Parker | 93 RPTasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1998 Le Pin has always been a bit of a lush. The bouquet is sexy and very candied: crème de cassis, crushed violets, blueberries and incense. This is a seductive Pomerol that wants to skip small talk and go back to yours for coffee. The palate is sensual, velvety smooth, rounded and plush. It is like a slow-mo explosion of blue and black fruit, perhaps a little generous with the vanillary new oak although that is being subsumed as the wine ages. The 1998 Le Pin is the Mrs. Robinson of the vintage.Vinous Media | 93 VMNo written review provided. | 90 W&S

Beautiful aromas of chocolate, berries and vanilla, with hints of raspberry. Full-bodied, with lovely, sweet fruit and layers of velvety tannins. Goes on and on. Give this time, but beautifully balanced.—’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012. 830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSAnother quasi-garage wine made from 10.6 acres of vines planted with 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc, this wine enjoys malolactic fermentation in barrel, aging on its lees, and while unfined, does receive a light filtration.A superb effort, the dark ruby/purple-colored 1998 offers gorgeous aromas of flowers, blackberries, cherries, smoke, licorice, and spice box. It is deep, succulent, medium to full-bodied, with decent acidity, superb purity, and a creamy texture. Tannin is present, but it is well-integrated and balanced by the wine’s depth. Anticipated maturity: now-2014.Robert Parker | 90 RPMedium ruby. Plum, raspberry and graphite on the nose. Very silky and plummy, with excellent depth of flavor but very good rather than outstanding complexity. Suggestions of surmaturite give this a slight heaviness. "Very ripe but a bit simple and lacking something," notes Prissette, adding that the ’99 conveys a stronger impression of the site.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Unbelievable nose of black truffle, meat and blackberry. Breathtaking. Full-bodied and very tight, with superpolished tannins and a finish that goes on for minutes. Really is exceptional. Still a baby; give it years. I am blown away. Keeps coming with truffles. Every time I taste it, it gets better.Wine Spectator | 98 WSAn amazing tour de force in winemaking, this massive, opaque black/purple-colored offering boasts an extraordinarily pure nose of black fruits intermixed with cedar, vanillin, fudge, and espresso. It is unctuously-textured, with exhilarating levels of blackberry/cassis fruit and extract, as well as multiple dimensions that unfold on the palate. The 50-second finish reveals moderately high tannin. Despite its similarity to dry vintage port, it is not a wine to drink early. It is a colossal wine! Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. The ultimate garage wine, La Mondotte is ultra-concentrated, frightfully expensive, yet worth every cent.Robert Parker | 96 RPFull medium ruby. Blackberry, plum syrup, licorice and a whiff of truffle on the nose. Bright, deep flavors of black fruits and game. A very powerful, muscular style of St. Emilion, with a stronger impression of acidity than the ’99. Distinctly tough on the back end, which features chewy, slightly drying tannins that will require patience. This was bottled in June of 2000, a bit earlier than the previous two vintages of this super-cuvee.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

Pungent aromas of ripe fruit and white truffles, turning to blueberry. Full and very ripe, with velvety tannins and a long, lightly raisiny finish. Open it and see.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now. 9,580 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA wine of beautiful purity, symmetry, and grace, this complex, dark purple-colored 1998 reveals abundant quantities of black fruits infused with notions of new oak and graphite, medium to full body, sweet tannin, admirable elegance, and beautiful richness. Anticipated maturity: now-2015Robert Parker | 90 RP

One of the wines of the tasting, this has standout quality and is certainly impressive in terms of (relative) value, holding its own next to Figeac and Cheval Blanc. The 17 days over 38°C in August meant the limestone soils were key, as in 1989. It’s a beautiful wine, luscious, juicy and rich in black fruits, and still young. The Lurtons owned Clos Fourtet until 1998, when it went to the Cuveliers, so this was Pierre Lurton’s last vintage as director - and this means he had a hand in two wines in this line up, which must be pretty unusual! Harvest took place from 28 September to 4 October. Aged in 90% new oak.Decanter | 97 DECGorgeous violet, mineral, tobacco and berry character. Full-bodied, with extremely well-integrated tannins, a very silky mouthfeel and a long finish. Best after 2007. 5,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA strong effort from Clos Fourtet, the dark ruby/purple-colored 1998 offers pure blackberry and cherry aromas with subtle wood and licorice in the background. Medium-bodied, exceptionally pure, with low acidity as well as silky tannin, this sexy offering is ideal for drinking now and over the next 14-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

An earthy red with dried meat and ripe fruit. Full body and smoky character with mushroom and smoked-tea undertones. Chewy finish still. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSThis wine has a very youthful color and seems to be close to full maturity, without the density of the 1998, or its successor, the perfect 2000. It has abundant foresty notes, plenty of spice box, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, some background toasty oak, medium to full body and sweet tannin. A very delicious wine, it offers a complex and fragrant style. It should be drunk over the next 12-15 yearsRobert Parker | 92 RPThe 1999 Pavie shows very similarly to another ex-château bottle encountered a few months earlier. It has an attractive bouquet that has mellowed in recent years, notes of bacon fat and mint infusing the red and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, red fruit, a touch of hung game and a tarry finish that does not convey the same level of freshness and delineation as the 1998 and 2000 do nowadays. A seductive Pavie, though less turbocharged than subsequent vintages. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the estate.Vinous Media | 92 VMA relatively forgotten year sandwiched between the great ’98 (for the Right Bank) and ’00, this is gentle, with mulled plum and red currant fruit supported with light cedar and alder notes. Mature, with dried tobacco and a flash of earth through the finish. Not in the league of the other wines in this flight, but, notably, it doesn’t feel as if this wine was overdone; rather, it’s an accurate expression of the vintage.--Non-blind Pavie vertical (March 2017). Drink now through 2020. 1,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Christian Moueix gave the celebratory name Hosanna to Château Certan Guiraud after he purchased it in 1999. He has now made his mark on the property, combining elegance and power. The style of the property seems to hone in on structure and tannins, but the fruit, dense and black, is also there. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis sexy, lush, complex, perfumed Pomerol exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color as well as a knock-out nose of black fruits intermixed with menthol, saddle leather, licorice, and minerals. It is fleshy, silky, and voluptuous in its elegant, feminine style. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2016.Robert Parker | 90 RP