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From the famous château estate of the Castéja family, the 2012 Batailley is a very strong effort. This is a big-time sleeper of the vintage. A dense purple wine with loads of crème de cassis, blueberry notes, background forest floor and cedar, this is a strong effort from Batailley and may well usher in a new era for this fifth-growth chateau that is capable of producing great wine. The tannins are sweet and the wine has an opulence and richness that is rare for a Médoc in 2012. Drink it over the next 25 years.Robert Parker | 92 RPThe 2012 Batailley has plenty of fruit on the nose: blackberry, raspberry, a touch of shoe leather and sage. The palate is medium-bodied with a slight bitterness on the entry, nicely balanced though, cedar and tobacco infusing the black fruit with a touch more fruit on the finish compared to Haut-Batailley. It just needs more time in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting. Drinking Window 2023 - 2038Vinous Media | 92 VM(Château Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) A fine claret with plenty of charm. Pure, focused fruit character on the nose and the perfume carries through to the palate before a harmonious finish. (Drink between 2022-2028)Decanter | 91 DECA full-bodied red with chewy and polished tannins, lots of ripe fruit and toasted oak, though this turns slightly lean on the finish. Needs two or three years to soften. Better in 2017.James Suckling | 90 JS

This red shows some cassis, blueberries and floral notes on the nose. Some tar, too. Medium to full body, juicy tannins and a fruity finish. Enticing wine. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS(Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Red) Open and inviting, this is an elegant, charming claret with a real touch of class. Not big, but accessible and a pleasure to drink. An interesting mix of grapes, including a little Cabernet Franc (2%) and 6% Petit Verdot, with majority Cabernet Sauvignon (56%) and 36% Merlot to add interest; and good volumes produced to keep a sensible price. (Drink between 2022-2025)Decanter | 91 DEC

The wine is very dry, layered tannins giving a major sense of structure. It will always have this dry, dense character, very firm, solid and powerful.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis has a very solid core of dark plum, crushed black currant and blackberry fruit, with lightly firm flesh and good drive through the finish, where alder and iron notes fill in. Shows excellent energy and depth, while harnessing the austere edge of the vintage. Best from 2018 through 2025.Wine Spectator | 92 WSAromas of blackcurrants, blueberries and lemons follow through to a full body, firm tannins and a fresh, clean finish. A little tight now but excellent. Precision to this. Back ended. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2012 Lynch-Bages comes across as a bit bombastic and ripe. Mocha, plums, dark cherry, blackberry, licorice, tar and new oak are all evident in this slightly four-square Lynch Bages. Today, the 2012 comes in as somewhat disjointed and not fully put together. It will be interesting to see what further time in bottle brings. The blend is 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Because of heat stress, yields were unusually low in 2012, and that may be the reason why the wine is a bit clumsy today. I would give the 2012 a few years to come together.Antonio Galloni | 91+ AGRich dense colour, big meaty wine with good florality as well as rich fruit, a big wine, very ripe for this vintage. Drinking Window 2017 - 2035Decanter | 91 DEC(Château Lynch-Bages) The 2012 Château Lynch-Bages is another excellent success for the vintage, with fine and structured personality and impressive complexity on both the nose and palate. The deep and classy nose offers up scents of cassis, dark berries, espresso, cigar ash, smoke and a blend of cedary and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely reserved, with a rock solid core, ripe, chewy tannins and excellent length and grip on the youthful and promising finish. Lovely juice. (Drink between 2020-2045).John Gilman | 91 JG

This is very polished and refined with blackcurrant, raspberry and citrus-peel undertones. Full body, extremely fine texture and a long, long finish.James Suckling | 92 JSPart of the empire of the Chateau Mouton Rothschild, this estate was once known as Mouton Baronne Philippe. This impressive, deep, opaque ruby/purple wine, with loads of charcoal, crème de cassis and a flowery-ness, this is rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, quite pure, and avoids any of the astringency or hollowness that some Médocs possess in this vintage. The wine is complete and finishes authoritatively. The tannins are there, but ripe, integrated and velvety. This is a very impressive d’Armailhac to drink over the next 20-25 years.Robert Parker | 91 RPFragrant, scented and full of charm, but lighter than its richer stablemate Château Clerc Milon, tasted at the same time. This was a good vintage from the Mouton Rothschild stable, and the team there read it well. Remains good value.Decanter | 91 DECFruity and rich, this wine is developing fast. It is full of black currant fruits, with an impressive background of solid, structured tannins. The wine is linear, fresh, showing how well this property is developing its quality. It’s a wine for medium-term aging, so drink from 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

What an expressive nose! Plump, fruit driven, juicy cherry, blackberry, ripe cassis and rose stem. The opposite of the 2011, this is round and suave, albeit with not quite as long a finish. A juicy, bright palate with high alcohol and full body, some oak derived coffee tones, with burgeoning touches of earth. The first vintage with 35% ageing in concrete amphorae. (Drink between 2021-2045)Decanter | 95 DECThis impeccably run, biodynamically farmed estate of Alfred Tesseron goes from strength to strength. The 2012 triumphs once again with its notes of dark plum, blackcurrant, licorice and almost a hint of truffle, its full-bodied, supple tannins, and beautiful, expensive mouthfeel. Complex and deep, this dense ruby/purple-colored wine may not be at the level of the 2009 or 2010, but it is a successful wine in this vintage, and a significant wine in 2012. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.Robert Parker | 93 RPA wine of real class, pedigree and distinction, the 2012 Pontet-Canet is absolutely gorgeous. The flavors are beautifully nuanced and delineated throughout. Bright floral notes add lift and sensuality. The 2012 is decidedly understated next to some other recent vintages, but the magic of this site simply won’t be denied. This is another sublime wine from proprietor Alfred Tesseron.Antonio Galloni | 93+ AGThis shows incredible decadence and opulence for the vintage with dried meat, black berry, blueberries and hints of mushroom. Full body, very polished silky tannins and a chewy finish. Lots of richness for the vintage. Persistent palate. This was aged 35% in cement eggs for 12 months. Better in 2018.James Suckling | 93 JSBroad and fleshy, with an alluring feel to the layers of steeped plum, blackberry coulis and raspberry reduction notes, all gliding over ample but polished tannins. Loam, tobacco and warm stone accents stay in the background for now but add steady base notes to the finish. Packs in solid fruit for the vintage, with a commensurate tug of earth. Best from 2017 through 2025.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis tastes jammy and very fruity, with tannins that are totally enveloped by the rich texture. Plummy and comfortable, it’s all about ripe berries and currants. Smoky flavors come from the wood aging, and contrast with the Port-like lusciousness of the wine.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEFresh and lively aromatically, with spring flowers, sappy herbs, licorice, currant bud and earth, the 2012 is medium to full-bodied, tight, closed and focused, with fine, grippy tannin and a rock-solid finish. It lacks a touch of density and exuberance, but is an elegant, lengthy 2012 that needs 3-4 years of cellaring and will keep through 2032.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD