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Firm, lean and structured with rich, ripe concentrated cassis, currant and plum fruit that's polished and full-bodied, finishing with vanilla and plum. The tannins are in proportion, finishing firm and dry.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Elegant and refined, offering lots of lovely aromas and flavors of cherry, berry and roasted meat. Full in body and very silky in tannins. Try in 1997.--Canon vertical.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Seductively rich and supple with layers of elegant plum, cherry and currant flavors that are beautifully defined before the tannins kick in on the finish. The notes linger on and on. Best from 1998 through 2009. Wine Spectator | 97 WSDark ruby/purple with some pink at the rim, this wine has a super bouquet of sweet, toasty new oak, plums, black currants, licorice, and cedar. The wine is concentrated on the palate, rich and powerful, yet atypically soft and fleshy for a 1986. While this wine should age well for another two decades, it has matured faster than many of the 1986 Pauillacs. Anticipated maturity: Now-2010. Last tasted, 3/00.Robert M. Parker, Jr. | 90 RP

Complex aromas of dark chocolate, currant and cigar box. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a mouthpuckering finish. Still very concentrated and chewy. Finishes with loads of ripe fruits, tobacco and cedar. Big and juicy wine. Give it a couple of years still.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2010. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSOne of the big surprises is how delicious this wine has turned out. It is a beautiful, classic claret. Dark ruby-colored with purple hues, it reveals aromas of dried herbs, smoke, leather, grilled meats, and copious black cherry and currant fruit. Medium-bodied, powerful, rich, and surprisingly evolved, this vintage has hit its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for another 10-12 years.Robert Parker | 92 RPThe 1988 Lynch Bages is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc, plus 2% Petit Verdot that was picked at the beginning of October. It has a clean fresh bouquet with ample pure blackberry and raspberry notes, touches of graphite and tobacco, vibrant and very satisfying. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, crisp acidity, a little meatiness and cedar creeping in towards the finish and long and fresh from start to finish. This is a fine Lynch Bages from a period when Jean-Michel Cazes seemed to do no wrong. This would be one of my picks from the vintage given its market price. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 91 VM

There is so much tobacco and red fruit on the nose of this wine. Exotic and decadent. Full-bodied, with a sleek and racy tannin structure and fresh acidity. Refreshing and clean, yet mature and wild. Still one of the big surprises of the vintage.—’89/’99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Château Beychevelle) I had not drunk a bottle of the 1989 vintage of Beychevelle in almost a decade and was very happy to find it is starting to open up beautifully and now offering a complex aromatic constellation of cassis, desiccated cherries, a touch of meatiness, gravelly soil tones, cigar ash, just a hint of chipotle pepper and a nicely discreet base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and quite tangy for the vintage, with fine focus and grip, a lovely core, modest tannins and a long, balanced and blossoming finish. Given how well Beychevelle ages, it is still relatively early days for the 1989 here, but the wine is now easing into its plateau of peak maturity and really starting to drink with generosity and breed. (Drink between 2018-2055)John Gilman | 92 JG

Very ripe and intense, delivering a leather and jam undertone and aromas of raisiny grape. Full-bodied, with soft and round tannins that have a cashmere texture. Flavors are of dried fruits, but also forest floor, leaves and autumnal things in general. A little meaty, but sweet fruit comes through. Needs drinking.—'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 8,700 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 1989 Clerc-Milon is a vintage that I have not tasted for 15 years. It offers more fruit than the 1989 d’Armailhac, displaying notes of black currant, melted tar and graphite, and just a little herbaceousness creeping in with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded, dusky black fruit laced with Chinese tea, bay leaf and a touch of licorice. There is a richness emanating from the hot summer, and a slight lack of delineation toward the finish, but it also plenty of muscle and presence and an appealing hickory aftertaste. Tasted from an ex-cellar bottle at the château.Vinous Media | 91 VMThe 1989 Clerc-Milon is a wonderfully hedonistic wine. It is deep ruby, with an intense, roasted, smoky bouquet of plums and currants. This full-bodied wine is packed with fruit, is chewy and opulent as well as very soft and alcoholic. In spite of the precocious impression, the tannin levels are high, similar in fact to the 1986. For the first time in my experience, I actually prefer the Clerc-Milon to Mouton-Rothschild! A great value. Anticipated maturity: Now-2010. Last tasted, 4/91.Robert Parker | 90 RP

There can be no doubt that 1994 is generally a vintage to be forgotten for Bordeaux, particularly for the Left Bank. Incessant rain from mid-September caused huge problems in the vineyards and ultimately dilution in the wine. Though appellations such as Pomerol were spared the worst, I was surprised to find a wine from the Médoc so appealing from this year. It showed red spices such as cloves and dried mushrooms on the nose, leading to a medium body, firm tannins and a long finish. It was still pretty and fine, and you might describe it as real claret. I stumbled across it in London just before coming to Bordeaux, and later this afternoon I will be barrel tasting the 2014 release from Montrose. I’m sure it will be the better year ending in a four!James Suckling | 92 JSMontrose has been one of Bordeaux’s most consistently successful chateaux since 1989. An opaque purple color suggests a wine of considerable intensity. One of the most successful 1994s of the northern Medoc, the wine’s closed aromatics offer jammy black fruits, plums, spice, and earth. On the palate, there is impressive extract, purity, and copious amounts of sweet blackcurrant fruit nicely balanced by moderate yet ripe tannin. Medium-bodied, with excellent to outstanding concentration, this impressive Montrose should be close to full maturity with another 4-5 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020.Robert Parker | 91 RPBrooding, roasted nose is quite enticing; faint note of damp earth. Lush, sweet black fruit in the mouth; has a glyceral, mouthfilling texture. Lingering finish, with thoroughly ripe, even tannins. A lovely ’94.Vinous Media | 91 VM

(Château Gazin (Pomerol)) These days, Château Gazin makes a hybrid modern-styled wine and I find the style a bit heavy-handed, as some of the very pretty terroir of this underrated Pomerol cru is lost with the malolactic in barrel and other touches in the cellar to try and ramp up the volume. However, back in 1995, the wine was quite classically crafted and is really lovely, wafting from the glass in a pretty and emerging blend of plums, black cherries, coffee, woodsmoke, fresh herbs and a lovely base of gently autumnal soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and properly suave and velvety on the attack, with a good core, bright acids, modest tannins and very good length and grip on the focused finish. Good juice with years and years of life still ahead. (Drink between 2013-2040).John Gilman | 92 JGThis deep ruby/purple-colored wine has shut down following bottling, and while it hints at some of its exotic grilled herb and meat-like character, the reluctant nose reveals primarily new oak, smoke, spice, and background jammy fruit. On the palate, the wine is deep, medium to full-bodied, refined, and except for some noticeably hard tannin in the finish, relatively seamless. This expansively-flavored wine offers plenty of spice, new oak, fruit, and depth. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2018.This chateau has made an impressive rebound, which is good news as it is one of Pomerol’s largest estates, with the potential to produce 10,000 cases, although in most recent vintages nearly 40% of the harvest has been deemed insufficient to be bottled under the Gazin label.Robert Parker | 90 RPRuby-tinged red. Highly nuanced aromas of black fruits, tar, coffee, brown spices and nutty oak. Big, sweet and layered in the mouth, with harmonious acidity giving the wine a firm shape. Finishes very sweet and long, with tannins buried in ripe fruit.Vinous Media | 90 VMAromas of dark chocolate, light coffee and mineral. Medium- to full-bodied, with fine tannins and a caressing, silky textured finish. Very long and refined.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

A beautiful wine, with layers of ripe fruit, berry, cedar, vanilla and light spice. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. Very, very classy stuff.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 94 WSSomewhat closed and reticent after bottling, but still impressive, this 1995 possesses a dark ruby/purple color, as well as an oaky nose with classic scents of cassis, vanillin, cedar, and spice. Dense and medium to full-bodied, with softer tannin and more accessibility than the 1996, but not quite the packed and stacked effect on the palate, the 1995 is an outstanding textbook St.-Julien that will handsomely repay extended cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.Robert Parker | 91 RPVery good ruby-red. Currant, tobacco, game and roasted nuts on the expressive nose. Full, supple and sweetly oaky. Also wears its oak more gracefully. Very long on the finish, with ripe, tongue-coating tannins.Vinous Media | 91 VM

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

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

The 1996 Clos du Marquis is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon (lower than recent vintages), 33% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot (that usually goes into Leoville-Las Cases). Much like the 1996 Potensac that I tasted alongside at the château, the nose is youthful and backward with blackberry, freshly tilled soil, cedar and tobacco scents that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth entry, plenty of crisp and pure black fruit laced with cedar, harmonious and long. This is a great Saint Julien at 20 years of age, firing on all cylinders and, to be honest, surpassing some of the Grand Vins in this vintage. Probably still available at a decent price, this comes thoroughly recommended. Tasted July 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMBeautiful aromas of currant, lightly toasted oak and perfume. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a tight finish. Still holding back.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 91 WSDeep ruby-red. Plum and roasted nuts on the nose. Large-scaled, vinous and deep; thick fruit is given clarity by sound acidity. Very long and subtle on the finish, with serious but harmonious tannins. An outstanding second label, as good as most classified growths from St. Julien.Vinous Media | 90 VM

(Château Lagrange) The 1996 Lagrange is a deep, pure and beautifully made vintage for this property. The bouquet is complex and classy, as it offers up a lovely mélange of pure black cherries, a touch of plum pudding, tobacco, fresh herb tones, a lovely base of soil and a touch of toasty oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, long and rock solid at the core, with a suave personality, ripe, well-integrated tannins, sound acids and fine grip on the long, palate-staining finish. This will be a terrific Lagrange in due course. (Drink between 2015-2050).John Gilman | 93+ JGThe 1996 Lagrange has long been my favourite vintage from the 1990s. It was picked from 26 September to 11 October. This is a level up in quality over the previous vintage with far more delineation and complexity: blackberry, wild hedgerow, sandalwood and light dried blood aromas. The palate is fully matured with firm tannin, but sufficient fruit to back it up. This is well balanced with plenty of freshness, tart cherries, allspice and light Moroccan spice notes on the harmonious and persistent finish. Excellent. Tasted at the Lagrange vertical at the estate.Vinous Media | 92 VMWonderful aromas of blackberry, light spices and currant follow through to a full-bodied palate, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Still tannic and tight.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008. 24,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis impeccably run, Japanese-owned property has fashioned a superb 1996. Opaque purple-colored, with a backward yet promising nose of classically pure cassis intermixed with pain grille and spice, this medium to full-bodied, powerful yet stylish wine possesses superb purity, a nicely-layered feel in the mouth, and plenty of structure. It will not be an early-drinking St.-Julien, but one to lay away and enjoy over the next 2-3 decades. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2022.Robert Parker | 90 RP

The second bottle, from an estate I know like the back of my hand, was the 1996 Pontet Canet. One or two people had suggested that this might be past its best; after all, it predates the innovations and application of biodynamics overseen by Alfred Tesseron by several years. On the contrary, it has aged beautifully. Cedar, scorched earth and mint blossomed on a nose that is firmly into its secondary phase, yet laden with more fruit than expected considering both its age and the austere style of Left Bank 1996s. The palate might be nearing the end of its drinking plateau, so don’t hold back if you own a few bottles. But I admired its balance and density, its structure and classicism, and the typical Pauillac traits of cedar and a touch of mint toward the finish. I savored it down to the last drop.Vinous Media | 93 VMI was shocked by how backward the 1996 Pontet-Canet was on the three occasions I tasted it in January. This wine possesses superb potential, but it appears a decade's worth of patience will be necessary. The color is a saturated dark purple. With coaxing, the wine offers aromas of black currant jam intertwined with minerals, sweet oak, and spice. A full-bodied wine, it possesses layered, concentrated, sweet fruit, with an elevated level of ripe tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035.Robert Parker | 92 RPAromas of black licorice, currant and toasted oak. Full-bodied, with silky, refined tannins and a medium finish. Holding back still.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 1998 Pontet Canet was made at a time when the property practiced green harvesting that began in 1994 but is not done today. “The changes were in the mind at this stage,” commented Jean-Michel Comme wryly. Initially it felt a little muddled on the nose but it gains focus with time. Eventually it offers straightforward blackberry, briary and cedar scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, plenty of cedar and mint-laced black fruit with a pleasant, quite lively and lightly spiced finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a commendable 1998 from the château before they really began to embrace biodynamics. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Delivers lots of blackberry, mineral and mint on the nose. Full-bodied, with plenty of fruit and racy, polished tannins on the finish. This can go on for many years. But why wait?—’89/’99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 21,500 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

A charming, lush, round, generous Lynch Bages, the 1999 offers plenty of sweet black currant fruit, damp earth, licorice, cedarwood and spicy herb-like characteristics. Medium-bodied, savory and broad in the mouth with no hard edges, this fully mature effort is a somewhat underrated vintage for this estate. Enjoy it over the next decade.Robert Parker | 90 RP

No written review provided. | 92 W&SThe stunning1999 Pape Clement is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Merlot. The wine is performing better from bottle than it did from cask. There is a fabulous bouquet of smoke, blueberries, raspberry cassis, and liquid minerals. This is a medium to full-bodied, layered, concentrated wine with no hard edges. As it sat in the glass, additional aromas of cedar wood, graphite, and cigar smoke emerged. This is a classic, sexy, knock-out Pessac-Leognan with a surprisingly dense, rich style for a 1999. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.Robert Parker | 91 RP

This is more robust in colour than the (half bottle of) 1998, and still has good tannic hold. A dip appears in the mid palate though and it's not got the depth of expression that you will find in some of the best 2000 Pomerols right now. But, this is sappy with liquorice, rich black cherry, tobacco and gentle slow roasted spices, enjoyable and accomplished. Drinking Window 2020 - 2028Decanter | 90 DEC

If any wine could be described as beautiful, then Beychevelle is beautiful. Its flavors of liquorice and blackcurrant are smooth and opulent, well proportioned. The texture is rich, ripe and generous.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEDeep ruby/purple in color, with a sweet nose of black currants, earth, licorice, and mineral, the 2000 is relatively powerful and dense for the normally restrained and elegant Beychevelle. Medium to full-bodied, dense, and chewy, it is showing even better out of bottle than it was from cask. While it appears to be the finest example made at Beychevelle since the 1989 and 1982, patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.Robert Parker | 91 RPLovely warmed plum and black currant confiture flavors are starting to settle into a secondary phase as sweet tobacco, lightly singed alder and a perfumy incense note weave around. Nice focused, fine-grained finish. Textbook.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 2,200 cases made. Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2000 Beychevelle has a delightful bouquet of blackberry, briar and light saline scents; a whiff of the old Gironde estuary develops in the glass. A touch of brettanomyces, maybe? The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, and quite open and harmonious, although this not a deep or powerful Saint-Julien. Less austere than it once was, and simply a fine millennial that is drinking perfectly now.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Everyone at the tasting where this wine was presented was rocked (or should I say shocked) by the greatness of this wine. It needs no defense. I rated it 96 seven years ago, and it comes from a beautiful vineyard in Pessac-Leognan near Haut-Bergey. Made by Helene Garcin and her winemaking team at the time, Michel Rolland and Jean-Luc Thunevin (now replaced by Dr. Alain Raynaud), 650 cases of this wine were produced. It has a deep, opaque bluish/purple color and a gorgeously sweet nose of incense, asphalt, blueberry liqueur, coffee, bacon fat, and a hint of meat juices. Full-bodied and dense, with silky tannins but enormous richness, length, and texture, this is a stunner to drink now or to age for another two decades.Robert Parker | 97 RPGood full medium ruby. Expressive aromas of black cherry, raspberry, coffee, tobacco and smoky oak. Sweet, juicy and firm, with ripe acids contributing to an impression of structure. Today this shows more spine than the 2001. Bright, sexy wine, with a finishing flavor of woodsmoke. Prior to 2000, the fruit used in Branon went into Haut-Bergey. This vintage enjoyed the attentions of both Michel Rolland and Jean-Luc Thunevin.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis has nice vibrancy, with a core of red and black currant fruit notes streaking along, carried by tarry but fresh structure and backed by a long, warm cast-iron finish. Still youthful too.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Just starting to open now, with currant, tea leaf and berry character, along with a mineral undertone. Full body with firm tannins and a long finish. Another couple of years more of bottle age would be good, but why wait?James Suckling | 92 JSA beautiful wine and one of my favorites from this estate, this blend of nearly two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Merlot is aging impressively. Dense ruby/purple in color, with creme de cassis, charcoal, and sweet leathery and chocolatey notes intermixed with the classic Pauillac cedar and spice box, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fleshy, with sweet tannin and a long finish. It seems to have inched into its window of full drinking maturity, and will stay there for 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 92 RPThe 2000 Clerc Milon has a rustic, ferrous bouquet of sous-bois, cedar and tobacco scents and slightly faded fruit; touches of eucalyptus emerge with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple opening and pliant tannins, though there is a touch of coarseness toward the finish. Modest in weight, this is an open-knit, old-school Pauillac that is just beginning to show a little dryness toward the tobacco-dominated finish. Drink this over the next 6–8 years.Vinous Media | 90 VMThis shows a lightly rugged edge, with espresso and humus notes along the edges of the dark currant and blackberry fruit core. The finish keeps the rustic profile, with a charcoal shading, but there's ample fruit for balance. Solid, but for fans of the style.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2018. 11,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Wonderful aromatics of walnut, leather, soft truffles, touches of cloves, this is a perfect wine for the winter months. The high acidity maintains freshness and backbone but there is a definite tertiary feel at this point with autumnal raspberry and blackberry fruits. It's gentle and welcoming with the elegant edge that Issan does so well. Feels like an old friend and practically begs you to stop what you are doing and open a book. A yield of 36hl/ha. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2020 - 2034.Decanter | 94 DECFully mature, the 2000 D’Issan is a quintessentially elegant, yet concentrated, aristocratic Margaux that defines the appellation. The wine has a dark ruby/purple color just beginning to lighten at the edge. Notes of charcoal, acacia flowers, black raspberries, and blue fruits are followed by a medium to full-bodied wine that builds incrementally on the palate. With its outstanding purity, richness, elegance and length, this is a beauty that has reached its window of maturity, where it should stay for another 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 93 RPChâteau d’Issan produced a very good wine in the 2000 vintage, but it is still several years away from starting to blossom and drink with generosity. The deep and still quite primary nose delivers scents of cassis, tar, herb tones, cigar smoke, coffee bean and a bit of toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and potentially complex, with a rock solid core, firm tannins, very good focus and a long, youthfully muscular and chewy finish. Like a great many examples of the 2000 vintage in Bordeaux, this wine is completely hunkered down at the present time and is a bit sullen, but it should prove to be very good with sufficient bottle age. Just how much charm it will eventually deliver is still an open question, but that is a question that really should be asked of the vintage in general! Drink between 2020-2060.John Gilman | 92 JGNo written reviews provided | 92 W&S

Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 2000 tasting in London. An open-knit, more leathery nose than its peers, touches of mulberry, dried orange peel, graphite and even a tang of marmalade. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, masculine and dense, real backbone again here, a wine in for the long-haul. Blackberry, allspice, hoi sin and a touch of white pepper towards the long but bashful finish. This needs another 5-6 years but it is finally realizing the promise it showed in barrel Drink 2015-2030. Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP-NM(31.5 g/l dry extract; 13.4% alcohol): Deep ruby to the rim; much darker than both the 2001 and the 2003. Notes of milk chocolate, underbrush and cedar complicate the ripe red cherry and dark plum aromas. Enters sweet, dense and tactile, displaying ripe dark fruit, tobacco, porcini and mineral flavors of noteworthy precision and cut thanks to harmonious acidity. Finishes sweet, spicy, smooth and very long; once again, du Tertre comes across as remarkably fresh and focused in a hot vintage.Vinous Media | 92 VMLoads of tobacco and prune character. Rich and decadent. Full body with velvety tannins and a juicy, delicious finish. Just opening now. Improving with age.James Suckling | 91 JS