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This wine continues to get better and better and is certainly one of the great successes in what is a profound vintage for Bordeaux. While the wine still tastes young, it is already complex, with so much sweet tannin and lavish fruit that it is impossible to resist, even though it probably will not hit its plateau of maturity for another 5-6 years. A stunning nose of licorice, earth, cedar, Provencal herbs, black currants, asphalt, and cherries soars from the glass. Full-bodied, opulent, with fabulous concentration, a seamless texture, and remarkable stuffing and power, this low-acid, thick, almost viscous wine can be drunk now or cellared for at least another two decades. For trivia buffs, this was the wine President Chirac served former President Clinton when he hosted Clinton in Paris at the famous Parisian bistro L’Ami Louis in June, 1999. I know, because several days later President Chirac gave me the Legion of Honor. In his speech, he acknowledged the fact that President Clinton only wanted to “drink a wine rated highly by Robert Parker.” Anticipated maturity: Now-2020. Last tasted, 9/02.Robert Parker | 96 RPAn estate known for its long ageing, and here it has softened at 31 years old, but still offering silky tannins and autumnal fruits with cedar smoked oak, marzipan, dried leather and gentle truffled spice. A thoroughly enjoyable Gruaud Larose showcasing old-school St-Julien balance. Clear crushed mint leaf on the finish, utterly moreish. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend; 33% new oak. (Drink between 2021-2035)Decanter | 94 DECBright medium red with a reddish-amber rim. Pungent notes of cinnamon, quinine and rosemary complicate red cherry on the enticing, aromatic nose. Juicy and fresh on the palate, showing good density to the red fruit, peppery plum and herb flavors. Offers very good texture and chewy but noble tannins, with precise mineral-tinged fruit flavors lingering nicely on the peppery, flinty finish. A real step up in concentration from the 1989, and unlike that vintage this will still improve with further bottle age, though it’s drinking well now. Very well done.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The saturated, medium-to-dark ruby-colored 1997 Clos de la Roche has intensely spicy, candle wax, and blackberry aromas. This full-bodied and broad wine is opulently-textured and filled with sweet plummy red fruits, jammy candied cherries, as well as hints of hoisin sauce. Its extensive finish reveals loads of well-ripened, supple tannins. Anticipated maturity: now-2010.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPAt twenty years of age, the 1997 Clos de la Roche is fabulous, although the magnum format surely helps. Deep, ample and broad on the palate, the 1997 shows the volume that Clos de la Roche can show with time in bottle. Smoke, tobacco, licorice and a host of dark-fleshed fruits give the wine its brooding, virile personality. The 1997 is shockingly inward for a wine of its age. Laurent Lignier adds that rackings were complicated in 1997. Perhaps that comes through in the wine’s brooding personality. Even so, the 1997 can only be described as a success, especially within the context of a year that was marked by up and down weather and uneven ripening. Hints of orange peel, dried rose petals and mint add an exotic flair. Readers who enjoy mature Burgundies will flip out over the 1997.Vinous Media | 94 VMExtraordinary quality for the vintage. Rich, ripe and ultrasmooth, with clean aromas of pure red berry and blackberry backed by oak-infused vanilla, spice and smoke. Dark and full-bodied, with a long finish that unfolds deliciously as the flavors linger. Drink now through 2007.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA very ripe but not roasted nose of spicy red pinot fruit trimmed in subtle earth and underbrush notes leads to elegant and moderately powerful flavors that deliver much better than average delineation than is typically found in this vintage. This is not an espeically big or dense wine yet there is a lovely inner force and though the flavors have not quite arrived at their peak, neither are they too far off. I would hold for another 2 to 3 years and drink this over the ensuing 5 to 8.Burghound | 91 BH

Aromas of blackberry and lightly toasted oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with chewy tannins and a rich, fruity aftertaste of plum, berry and vanilla. All there. Solid wine. Best after 2011. 14,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSBright red-ruby. Pure aromas of raspberry, violet and minerals. Suave and supple but classically dry, with an enticing floral character throughout. Very stylish, smooth wine, with tannins nicely buffered by berry fruit.Vinous Media | 88-91 VMBig, round, and juicy, with lots of plummy and chocolate character. Full and round, very yummy. Why wait?James Suckling | 90 JSAlso a stunning wine, the 2003 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux is a sleeper of the vintage. Much fresher and less evolved than I would expect a second wine to be from this vintage, it is a Margaux-like effort with a flowery character, good precision and freshness, red and black currant notes, and an attractive, medium-bodied, surprisingly concentrated mouthfeel. It is clearly one of the finest second wines made in this vintage. It can be consumed over the next 5-8 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe second wine of Château Margaux is certainly as good as many crus bourgeois. This vintage is ripe and elegant. For fruit that is so ripe what is fascinating is the way the wine finishes with acidity and a great lift. Delicious in three to five years.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Owned by Jean-Pierre Moueix (and run by Christian Moueix), this 19-acre property is on the highest part of the Pomerol plateau. This is a powerful wine, dense with black fruits, dusty dry tannins, tempered with fresh acidity. A serious, ageworthy wine.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA beautiful woman brings you a short espresso in a rose garden... Wake up and smell the Trotanoy. The fragrance is unquestionably beautiful, as are the deep layers of dark cherry and cherry-pit flavor, the fruit commingled with florals and earthiness so it is all inseparable from the tannin. The wine feels precise even as it broadens and spreads out into a vast finish, a supple caress to leave you in a dream.Wine and Spirits | 94 W&SAromas of crushed fruit and flowers, with hints of vanilla. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit, ultrafine tannins and light toasty oak. Best after 2012. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSDeep medium red. Impressively primary aromas of cherry, mocha and sappy minerality. Juicy, spicy and firmly built if a bit youthfully medicinal, with a strong backbone supporting the flavors of red berries, spices and iron. A seriously structured, firmly tannic 2004 that will need at least four or five years of patience. Not particularly showy today, but opened out nicely with aeration, suggesting that time will bring a higher rating.Vinous Media | 90 VM

This is opulent, but with restraint. The fruit is rich, black and delicious. Touches of spice and wood are present, lending complexity to the ripe fruits and balanced tannins. Impressive.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2005 Branaire-Ducru is a gorgeous, super-expressive wine that captures all of the natural radiance of the year. Black cherry, leather, spice, cedar, tobacco and scorched earth envelop the palate, framed by silky tannins that give this supple Saint-Julien so much charm. The 2005 is a very easy wine to drink and enjoy today, but it’s got the stuffing to develop beautifully for years to come.Vinous Media | 94 VMFloral nuances combined with lots of mulberry, raspberry and sweet blackcurrant fruit are followed by a medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure, textured, complex wine with soft tannin. It should drink well relatively early on (2-3 years) and last 15 or more.Robert Parker | 93 RPShowing well, the Branaire-Ducru was dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) with 28% Merlot and a bit of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Despite picking fairly early (20 September), the wine was silky and subtle and showed very well-managed tannins. Pronounced blackcurrant fruit with accents of cedar and smoke were apparent from the start and lingered enticingly on the finish. (Drink between 2021-2040)Decanter | 92 DECVery floral, showing blueberry, licorice and mineral on the nose. Full and very silky, with beautifully polished tannins. Long and caressing. This is always very well done and good value for the quality. Best after 2010. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

(Domaine Pousse d'Or Volnay "Caillerets - Clos des Soixante Ouvrées" 1er 1er Cru Red) The ripest nose to this point exhibits liqueur-like notes of plum, blue berry and violets that complement well the equally ripe, opulent and mineral-inflected flavors that are also quite full-bodied, all wrapped in a detailed, vibrant and hugely long finish. The underlying material here is superb and this should easily improve for the next 12 to 15 years and last for an equivalent period thereafter. (Drink starting 2021)Burghound | 94 BHGood full, bright red. Reticent but pure aromas of redcurrant, truffle and licorice; subdued but not at all roasted. Silky on entry, then dry and rich in the middle, with excellent depth and verve to the flavors of black and red fruits and spices. Very nicely judged extraction here has given the wine superb balance for 2009. The tannins seem a bit tougher today than the 2010 version, and this wine conveys an impression of lowish pH, suggesting that it will be long-lived. Cellarmaster Christophe Bouillot noted that a young parcel of ten-year-old vines provided acidity, while another one, where the vines are at least 60 years old, contributed inner-mouth energy, length and nobility of tannins.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2009 Volnay Clos des Soixante Ouvrees is one of the more delicate wines in the lineup. Here the fruit shows a redder tonality, while the structural components work more on linearity rather than depth. This is another thrilling wine from Pousse d-Or. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2049.This is a stunning set of wines from Patrick Landager. The vintage yielded a set of super-sized, big wines that may shock some readers for their sheer intensity. These are among some of the most backward 2009s I tasted and will require considerable patience. The estate now farms a total of 19 hectares, which includes the vineyards Landager acquired when he bought Domaine Moine-Hudelot a few years back. In 2009 Landager started harvesting on September 22, when most people were already finished picking. Cuvaison started with 5-6 days of cold maceration and lasted a total of three weeks with one punchdown in the morning and a second in the afternoon. The wines spent 12-15 months in oak (roughly 30% new) on their fine lees with no rackings until they were prepared for bottling, which took place with no fining or filtration. (Note: the Chambolle saw 50% new oak). All of the 2009s were bottled in early February 2010.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPA delicious, soft wine, packed with ripe, almost sweet red fruits. More complexity comes from the integrated wood and acidity, although approachability is the dominant character.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 10-year barrier is just about perfect for such a great second wine in an exceptional vintage, and I highly recommend that you start opening and enjoying it soon. It’s silky smooth and juicy, with saline touches, exotic spices and edges of black truffle - and yet it’s super-elegant. I keep waiting for this to drop off through the palate but it keeps holding on, opening up to reveal a floral edge that adds an extra layer of complexity and balance, with mouthwatering flavours and textures. A brilliant yet softer reflection of the grand vin in this vintage. Drinking Window 2019 - 2034Decanter | 94 DECThis has fruit, with delicious black berry frutis, It cjharms with elegance and ripeness, at the same time as giving a core of tannin. Definitely on the fruity side.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEAromas of blackberry and blueberries, with Chinese spices, follow through to a full body, with firm tannins and a mineral, floral and chewy finish. Beautiful already, but needs at least three or four years to soften and open.James Suckling | 93 JS(La Croix de Beaucaillou) Since 2005 the Croix de Beaucaillou has been made each year from a specific section of the estate’s vineyards up on the plateau, and is truly a second wine at the estate, rather than a second label for the younger vines from Ducru-Beaucaillou. The nose on the 2009 is excellent, as it delivers a fine mélange of black cherries, cassis, tobacco leaf, gravelly soil tones and a nice framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, long and delivers a fine core of ripe fruit, with firm, beautifully integrated tannins and excellent focus and grip on the long and classy finish. A fine, fine wine. (Drink between 2020-2045)John Gilman | 89-91 JGThe grand vin is the result of an increasingly strict selection process, with approximately 50% of the production going into the final wine and the balance used in the Croix de Beaucaillou. The 2009 may be the finest example of this cuvee I have yet tasted. Up-front, precocious and generous, it possesses a dense purple color, a big, broad, unctuous texture and abundant notes of creme de cassis and black cherry fruit intertwined with hints of wood smoke, vanillin and earth. This nearly viscous-styled wine can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for 15+.Robert Parker | 91 RPShows nice range, with crushed plum, blackberry and steeped fig notes lined with singed mesquite and backed by black tea and licorice snap accents. Should be approachable soon. Best from 2014 through 2024.Wine Spectator | 91 WS(a blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon and 25% merlot; pH 3.69; 60% new oak) Very deep purple. Fresh cabernet sauvignon-dominated nose shows floral, cassis and graphite aromas. Also vibrant on entry, with ripe, soft black fruit and mineral flavors that resonate through the smooth finish. This very well-made wine shows much more complexity, depth and freshness than usual; while there’s a hint of slightly drying tannins, this looks to be the best Croix ever. Owner Bruno Borie told me that beginning in 2005 this became a wine of terroir too: rather than including grapes from Ducru’s youngest or less favorably situated vines (fruit that now goes into private labels), the Croix is made only with the grapes of certain specific parcels.Vinous Media | 87-90 VM

Bright, dark red. Very ripe, musky aromas of red berries, cherry, spices, mocha and underbrush. Sappy and supple, with harmonious acidity giving shape to the seamless red fruit flavors. Quite suave and rich but not at all thick or heavy. Finishes with very fine tannins and superb length and lift. Owner Patrick Landanger told me that he has pulled out 40% of the old virused vines in this vineyard since the 2009 harvest, as they were yielding very little crop.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Domaine Pousse d'Or Volnay "Clos de la Bousse d'Or" 1er 1er Cru Red) This is slightly more complex if not more elegant with a more floral-infused nose that includes rose petal and violets on the plum and black cherry infused nose. There is excellent concentration to the detailed, intense and delicious flavors that possess that beguiling sense of underlying tension that carries over to the mouth coating and suave yet firm and enduring finish. (Drink starting 2020)Burghound | 92 BH

(Domaine Georges Roumier Morey St. Denis "Clos de la Bussière" 1er 1er Cru Red) I have never been a huge fan of this wine as I often find it to be somewhat coarse, and while always very good, I am rarely moved by it. However, in 2010, as was the case in 2009, this is much better than it usually is with a relatively perfumed nose that includes notes of earth along with the natural sauvage character of the vineyard. In fact there is even a certain elegance to the attractively layered airy and cool red berry liqueur aromas. There is good richness and fine volume to the moderately robust and muscular flavors that culminate in a balanced and linear finish that evidences mild austerity. I quite like this as the tannins are finer than usual and there is a real sense of harmony and completeness. (Drink starting 2020).Burghound | 92 BHStarts out tight, with currant, kirsch, spice and earth flavors. Rounds out with a few hours of aeration, offering black cherry and tobacco notes. Balanced, displaying a firm finish for now. Best from 2016 through 2028. 170 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(Morey St. Denis “Clos de la Bussière”- Domaine Georges Roumier) The 2010 Clos de la Bussière still had a bit of gas left on the palate from its late malo, but underneath was a very promising bottle in the making. It is my impression that this cuvée has been getting consistently more elegant out of the blocks in the last several years and the style of the 2010 vintage certainly is going to amplify that impression. The refined nose offers up scents of red and black cherries, espresso, gamebirds, fine base of minerality, mustard seed and woodsmoke in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully transparent (this is particularly noticeable with the 2010, as this is not a quality I would normally associate with young Clos de la Bussière), with sappy core of fruit, ripe tannins and excellent length and grip on the classy finish. I may be underrating this wine a touch, as it is really one of the crankier wines in the cellar at the present time- albeit, with fine potential. (Drink between 2017-2045).John Gilman | 91 JGGood bright, deep red. Briary dark berries, black cherry, menthol and a smoky nuance on the nose. Rich and quite ripe, with deep dark berry and smoke flavors perked up by mint and minerals. At once dense and agreeable for this cuvee.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2012 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru comes from Claudes’ 0.25-hectare parcel of vines. It has a strong marine influence on the nose that is well defined and expressive, carrying and absorbing the new oak with ease. The palate is medium-bodied with a satin-like texture, very well judged acidity and the new oak beautifully interwoven into the intense sorbet-fresh fruit on the harmonious finish. This is one of the finest wines from this vineyard.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPA spicy and beautifully layered nose of fresh and markedly ripe red berry fruit liqueur, earth and spice nuances is trimmed in just enough wood to notice. The rich, round and broad-shouldered flavors possess good depth and a highly seductive mouth feel before terminating in an utterly delicious and strikingly complex finish that delivers outstanding length. I like the balance and this beauty should effortlessly improve during the next 15 years or so.Burghound | 94 BHBright, deep red. The nose shows a liqueur-like quality to the aromas of cherry, raspberry and mocha. Big, broad and sweet, delivering excellent dimension and depth and considerable power. The rich red fruit, coffee and cocoa powder flavors carry well on the sweet, very long finish, which is nicely shaped by the wine’s tanic spine. This is less taut than it appeared to be from barrel a year ago, but it needs time to burn off some of its baby fat.Vinous Media | 93+ VM