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The 2017 Beychevelle is a luscious, extroverted beauty. An exotic mélange of super-ripe dark cherry, red plum, pomegranate, espresso, licorice and blood orange build as this potent, unctuous Saint-Julien opens up in the glass. The tannins need time to soften but should not be much of an issue in another few years’ time. I very much like the push and pull of ripeness and energy in the 2017. In a word: memorable. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThe 2017 Chateau Beychevelle is another beautiful wine from this estate, which is being run with incredible talent and passion by Romain Ducolomb, who was hired away from Chateau Clinet. The 2017 is based on 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc (a selection of just 52% of the production) and spent 18 months in 60% new French oak. Lively, elegant notes of green tobacco, lead pencil, flowers, mint, and blueberries all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a classic, elegant texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s up with the top wines in the vintage and will evolve for 2+ decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDProduced in a new cellar, this wine gives the estate a whole new dimension of quality. The integration of the tannins and the powerful fruits is exemplary, bringing out a stylish wine that finishes with blackberry fruits. Drink from 2024 Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEMedium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Beychevelle has a fragrant, floral nose with warm cassis, preserved plums and Morello cherries plus earth, herbs and cinnamon touches. Medium-bodied, it has lovely expression with firm, fine grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. The wine was aged for 18 months in French oak, 60% new and 40% second fill. The final blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Fifty-two percent of the production was dedicated to the grand vin, with 240,000 bottles produced.Robert Parker | 94+ RPDark and winey, with a solid core of plum, blackberry and cherry paste flavors, infused liberally with sweet tobacco and tar notes. Shows brambly energy through the finish, which displays ample grip for the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2036.Wine Spectator | 93 WSHawthorn and crushed earth on the nose, with touches of brambled hedgerow berries. I really like this, it has personality, and is showing well even at this early stage, still with the finesse and elegance of the appellation in this particular vintage coupled with concentration and focus to the fruit. One to feel confident with for the long haul. (Drink between 2023-2043)Decanter | 93 DECAromas of flowers, berries and light cedar with some milk-chocolate undertones. Medium body. Creamy tannins and a firm, caressing finish. Shows tension and focus. Better after 2022.James Suckling | 93 JS

This ripe, structured wine is dense with tannins as well as acidity and black fruits. The weight and concentration promise well for the future, offering a richly juicy wine that will be ready to drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEQuite ripe, with succulent plum, cassis and raspberry pâte de fruit flavors mixed together, lined with licorice and anise details, showing a well-integrated apple wood note on the finish, backed by a light scoring of tar. Exhibits lots of compact energy, so this should unwind nicely in the cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2035. 6,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSDeep in colour, with a rich sweet character to the fruit - it’s clear how carefully they have worked to maintain mid-palate roundness in a vintage where half of the fruit was lost to frost (affecting mainly the 2nd wine, with a 22hl/ha yield overall). It’s enjoyable and opens up in the glass. Not as concentrated as the 2018 or 2016 vintages at Malartic, but an awful lot going for it, with precision and poise, and it has settled in to itself over ageing. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040.Decanter | 93 DECThis has plenty of rich fruit, in the dark-cherry and cassis zone. The oak is nicely played into earthy accents, too. The tannins are smooth-grained and open out smoothly on the finish, delivering creamy, ripe berries. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSSixty percent of the crop made it into this grand vin this year. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, and it was aged in 45% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Malartic Lagraviere features baked blackberries, mulberries, pencil lead and spice cake with hints of chocolate box, menthol and cassis. The medium-bodied palate is plush, soft, juicy and expressive with a spicy finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RPThe 2017 Malartic Lagravière is a rich, sumptuous wine endowed with tremendous richness. Raspberry jam, mocha, new oak, licorice, mint, chocolate and sweet spice are all kicked up a few notches in this flamboyant, exotic Pessac-Léognan. This is an especially dense, heady style. I would give the 2017 a few years in bottle to see if the new oak integrates a bit more fully. Tasted three times.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGI was able to taste the 2017 Château Malartic-Lagravière two times and it showed consistently on both occasions. Sporting a deep, inky color as well as terrific notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, tobacco leaf, and bouquet garni, it’s medium-bodied, moderately concentrated, charming, and impeccably balanced. It’s going to drink nicely in its youth yet keep for a decade or more as well.Jeb Dunnuck | 89-91 JD

This shows a prominent tobacco leaf note out front, followed by dark currant and blackberry paste flavors, studded with singed alder, savory and charcoal accents. Features muscular grip through the finish, with the savory edge leading the way. A bit burly for St.-Emilion, but should mellow in the cellar. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2022 through 2038. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 4,583 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA soft, silky wine with plum and chocolate aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied, yet caressing and delicious. Extremely open and drinkable already, but better in 2022.James Suckling | 93 JSThis juicy wine offers attractive tannins and ripe berry flavors. It is balanced, with plenty of acidity and fruitiness. Drink the wine from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe 2017 Monbousquet has turned out beautifully. Rich, ample and generous on the palate, it possesses striking depth from start to finish. A rush of blackberry jam, lavender, spice, menthol and smoke builds into the voluptuous finish. Yields are down a whopping 50%, but the wine that was made is just gorgeous.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGThis vineyard was significantly hit by frost, but I was told there was no use of second-generation fruit. Composed of 60% Merlot, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Monbousquet gives up notes of crushed blackberries, black raspberries and kirsch with touches of black truffles, Marmite toast and tapenade. Medium-bodied, the palate has a firm structure of grainy tannins and just enough freshness to support the earthy, muscular fruit, finishing on a mineral note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPFrom half the normal yields, the 2017 Chateau Monbousquet is a more elegant, streamlined example of this cuvee that has complex notes of black currants, espresso roast, tobacco lead, and chocolate. Medium-bodied, with good acidity and plenty of elegance and purity, it’s a toned-down yet balanced, seamless Monbousquet to enjoy over the coming decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

Very perfumed and subtle with dried flowers and citrus, as well as blue fruit. Full-bodied with wonderfully diffused, integrated tannins that just run over the edges of the wine. It’s extremely polished and very, very long. Fresh and bright. Energetic finish. A thoughtful wine. A blend of 54% merlot, 42% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot. Drink after 2023.James Suckling | 98 JSA blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Palmer gives a very serious nose of pronounced blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and blackberry preserves with hints of cedar chest, pencil shavings, violets, dark chocolate and star anise plus exotic wafts of sandalwood and cassia. Medium-bodied, the palate features fantastically vibrant, crunchy black fruits with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced. It will need a good 5-7 years to really blossom with all those tightly wound nuances, but it should be a stunner!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPBeautifully powerful and precise with great depth and character to the fruit, despite the austerity that is more evident now than it was during En Primeur as the wine has begun bed down. These tannins are finely boned but they are plentiful, providing strength in numbers. Bottled end of August after 21 months of ageing. Clearly going to age well, this has concentration, intensity and seriousness where the Alter Ego is more gourmet. A precise and intellectual Palmer, a very fine example of the wine, with a sense of place and a purity to the fruit expression. Drinking Window 2024 - 2048.Decanter | 97 DECOne of the wines of the vintage on the Left Bank, the 2017 Palmer is fresh and vibrant, with tons of energy. Veins of supporting salinity and floral overtones lend grace to the Grand Vin in 2017. I imagine Palmer will only blossom with a few years in bottle. Time in the glass brings out pretty notes of dark fruit, mocha, spice, leather and licorice, but overall, the 2017 is quite reticent, especially given what readers have come to expect here. The blend is 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Technical Director Thomas Duroux told me his team harvested all the fruit in nine days as opposed to the more typical 2-3 weeks. The 2017s were done with no SO2 at crush. Duroux stopped the pump overs early and favored gentle extractions. Both wines are in the 13-13.2 range of finished alcohol.Antonio Galloni | 96+ AGThe grand vin 2017 Chateau Palmer checks in as 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot brought up in 60% new French oak. This deep purple-colored beauty gives up more cassis fruits as well as hints of chocolate, graphite, smoked herbs, and crushed violets. Beautifully concentrated, rich, and full-bodied, it has a wonderful sense of elegance and purity, laser-like precision, building tannins, and a great finish. Give bottles a solid 7-8 years and it's going to evolve for 25-30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDFruit and supple tannins mingle in this balanced, classic wine. Black-currant flavors are lifted by the energetic acidity and the freshness of the crisp texture. This wine will develop easily, giving pleasure all the way. Drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEDark and winey in feel, with ample blackberry, plum and black currant compote flavors leading the way, while licorice snap, singed apple wood, black tea and dark earth notes fill in throughout. The finish is focused, showing a nice buried iron accent. A powerful version of Margaux and a strong effort in the vintage. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Bright magenta. Aromas of ripe red berries, candied flowers and smoky minerals pick up a hint of allspice with air. Gently sweet and pliant in the mouth, offering lively black raspberry and cherry flavors and a deeper suggestion of licorice. Finishes sappy and smooth, displaying strong persistence, a lingering red fruit note and fine-grained tannins that sneak in late.Vinous Media | 91 VM(Saint-Amour “à la Folie”- Domaine Chardigny) The Saint-Amour “à la Folie” bottling from Domaine Chardigny is produced from fifty-five year-old vines. The 2017 version is deep in color and nicely sappy on the nose, offering up a fine bouquet of black cherries, dark berries, gamebird, dark soil tones, woodsmoke and a touch of fresh thyme in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and quite solid at the core, with a touch of backend tannin, fine focus and grip and a long, well-balanced finish. The depth of the 2017 vintage is very nicely displayed here and this wine will age quite well, though it is already very easy to drink. Good juice. (Drink between 2019-2030).John Gilman | 90 JG

Nicolas Audebert and his team have done it again. The 2017 Canon is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Rich and vertical in construction, the 2017 possesses off-the-charts richness and intensity in all of its dimensions. In the glass, the 2017 is sumptuous and layered, with superb detail and tons of sheer pedigree. In 20 years, readers will have a fabulous time tasting the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 together and debating their respective merits. Dark plum fruit, striking Franc aromatics and the clean, focused energy of Saint-Émilion’s limestone plateau make for a ravishing, exquisite wine of the highest level. In a word: breathtaking.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGShowing spectacularly, the 2017 Chateau Canon checks in as a final blend of 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc that’s from one of the most exceptional terroirs in the appellation. Hitting 14% alcohol (the pH is 3.66), it reveals a ruby/purple hue as well as gorgeously sweet raspberries and cassis-like fruit interwoven with notes of spring flowers, rose petal, white chocolate, and spice. While it doesn’t have the massive opulence of the 2015 and 2016, it’s more classically styled as well flawlessly balanced, with a terrific sense of minerality, ultra-fine tannins, and a brilliant finish. Give bottles 5-7 years in the cellar, and it will evolve gracefully for 30-40 years. Hats off to Nicolas Audebert as well as the team of Thomas Duclos for one of the wines of the vintage!Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Canon bursts from the glass with expressive notions of baked black cherries, kirsch, plum preserves and black raspberries plus hints of red roses, Ceylon tea, black olives and fertile loam. Medium-bodied, the palate is wonderfully elegant and refined, with a soft, finely grained texture and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. The blend is 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc and it was aged for 18 months in French oak, 50% new.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPCanon remains pretty austere at this stage with the Cabernet Franc dominating. It’s not as immediately seductive as some years, but you can feel the bedding down of the tannins, restraining the elegance and floral minerality but not hiding it completely. Sit with it in the glass and you start to feel a wine that rises above the vintage. This is one of the very few where you feel that in 10 years time it will clearly be better than it is today, most do not have that grace and confidence. I love the juicy finish here. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECExtremely perfumed with blackcurrants, flowers, gunmetal, gunpowder and blackberries. Full-bodied, tight and reserved. The tannins are so tightly knit and just run through the center. Needs at least three or four years to open. A blend of 77% merlot and 23% cabernet franc. Better after 2023.James Suckling | 95 JSDark and dense, this is a massive wine. Big tannins are paralleled by concentrated blackberry fruits to give a wine that is both juicy and impressively rich. Structure and power are likely to be tamed as the wine ages.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA subtle savory note leads the way, backed by ample cassis, plum and black cherry fruit aromas and flavors. Tobacco and dark earth details fill in on the finish, which shows solid cut and drive. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Making the most of owning a total of 1.5ha divided between the upper and lower parts of this premier cru, the Seysses always seem to make a particularly well-balanced Malconsorts. This is typically floral and appealing, with spicy notes coming from 85% whole-bunch fruit, along with textured berry flavours and supporting minerality. Drinking Window 2023 - 2030.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2017 Dujac Malconsorts is a superb wine, offering up glorious complexity, intensity of flavor and soil signature in a medium-full format that will be the epitome of elegance when it is fully mature. The bouquet jumps from the glass in a blaze of raspberries, red plums, smoked duck, a complex base of soil tones, roses, cocoa powder and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and vibrant, with a sappy core of red fruit, beautiful transparency, seamless tannins, tangy acids and a very long, complex and dancing finish. There is a weightlessness to the palate impression here that is utterly charming. (Drink between 2027-2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGBoth more concentrated and more introverted than the preceding Beaux Monts, Dujac's 2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts opens in the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, plums, orange rind, smoked duck and peonies. On the palate, it's full-bodied, supple and elegantly muscular, with fine depth at the core, powdery tannins and mouthwatering acids, concluding with a perfumed finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2017 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er Cru has a little more intensity on the nose compared to the Les Beaux Monts at the moment, while the fruit is a tad darker. The palate is compact on the entry, linear and strict, with blackberry, raspberry and touches of brine on the sturdy finish. This demonstrates the spine I look for in a Malconsorts. Give it three or four years once in bottle, because it punches at Grand Cru weight.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM(Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée "Les Malconsorts" 1er Cru Red) There is a seductive sweetness to the intensely floral-scented nose of various red berry fruit that are trimmed in a beautiful array of spice elements. The intense and well-detailed middle weight plus flavors culminate in firm, muscular and very serious finish that is dusty, austere and compact. This too will need to flesh out though it appears to have the necessary stuffing to do so if given time. (Drink starting 2032).Burghound | 91 BH

Extremely enticing aromas of blackberries, brambleberries, sweet tobacco, bark and mushrooms follow through to a medium to full body that grows on the palate and crescendoes to medium, round tannins, juicy fruit and a long, flavorful finish. Rolls along the palate. Excellent, persistent finish. Try after 2024, but already a joyous glass.James Suckling | 98 JSMedium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 L'Eglise Clinet begins a little closed and broody, soon unfurling to reveal powerful notes of baked black plums, chocolate-covered cherries and blueberry preserves with hints of chargrill, mocha and aniseed plus a touch of tar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is a powerhouse of crunchy, vibrant black fruit, framed by wonderfully ripe, rounded tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and savory. Bravo!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2017 L'Eglise-Clinet is dark, sensual and wonderfully rich. It opens with a silky, captivating bouquet laced with the essence of dried flowers, mocha, chocolate, spice and blackberry jam. While L'Eglise-Clinet is light on its feet for such a big, imposing wine, the 2017 is going to need a number of years to come into its own. Even in the early going, though, it is super-impressive. Revisiting it with a bit of air reveals a Pomerol of soaring intensity and explosive energy and vivid, striking beauty. I loved it.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGFor me, this is one of the successes of the vintage in Pomerol, although not fully escaping the roadblocks of 2017. There is a real sense of precision and elegance here, with floral, violet aromatics and a note of liquorice, and it deals its power in a measured way, one hand at a time - it's a wine to sit with and enjoy. There was no frost at this estate. The Merlot was picked between 12-22 September, and the Cabernet Franc on 22 September. The 70% new oak is a touch present on the close of play, but those tannins are pliable and enjoyable, promising to cradle the fruit for the long haul. Drinking Window 2027 - 2038.Decanter | 95 DECVery lush, with warmed fig, plum and blackberry preserve flavors rolling through, laced with ganache, alder and espresso notes. A tarry edge frames the finish, where the fruit drips slowly. For the hedonist crowd. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2017 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has a very precise and focused bouquet, almost the epitome of transparency and utterly encapsulating. There is real mineralité here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very tensile from the start with tart red cherries, Japanese yuzu and orange zest that fans out beautifully on the finish. This is a Charmes-Chambertin with a skip in its step.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMLight, pale and charming, this is always the most approachable and forward of the Rousseau grand cru bottlings, almost ready to drink from barrel. It’s sweet and appealing, with supple summer pudding flavours, a hint of cola and supple tannins. Drinking Window 2023 - 2027.Decanter | 94 DEC(Charmes-Chambertin- Domaine Armand Rousseau) The 2017 Charmes-Chambertin from Domaine Armand Rousseau is another great vintage for this bottling, which has hit some superb high water marks in recent times, with 2005, 2010, 2014 and now 2017 a significant step up from what this bottling was capable of back in the decades of the 1980s or 1990s. The 2017 offers up a deep and nicely black fruity bouquet of black cherries, black plums, dark soil tones, raw cocoa, grilled meats, woodsmoke and a touch of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite powerful in personality this year, with a sappy core of dark fruit, ripe, seamless tannins, excellent focus and grip and (Drink between 2029-2075).John Gilman | 94 JGRousseau’s 2017 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is showing nicely, wafting from the glass with inviting aromas of red berries, plums and peonies mingled with hints of cedar, raw cocoa and mandarin orange. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, it’s soft and charming, with melting tannins and an ample core of fruit. Generous and demonstrative, like many 2017s it has picked up a bit of richness and depth in bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Red) This too reflects just enough wood to mention as it serves as a relatively neutral backdrop for the restrained and pure essence of red pinot fruit, earth and discreet spice whiffs. The backward if supple medium-bodied flavors possess a beguiling sense of underlying tension that carries over to the detail but very firm, serious and youthfully austere finish that delivers sneaky good length. Of all the Rousseau wines, the Charmes has made the most progress over the last 5 years as it’s finally beginning to consistently achieve grand cru quality. (Drink starting 2032).Burghound | 91-93 BH

The 2017 Gigondas Le Lieu Dit is, as always, the most finesse oriented and elegant in the lineup. Coming from a sandy, cooler parcel just outside the domaine and all Grenache (70% destemmed) brought up in old demi-muids, it offers a more ruby color as well as a massive perfume of wild strawberries, kirsch liqueur, dried soil, and flowery incense. Full-bodied, incredibly pure, and perfectly balanced, it’s another straight-up thrilling wine from Brechet that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 10-15 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDSaturated crimson. Intense aromas of red berry liqueur, exotic spices and incense pick up a smoky mineral nuance as the wine stretches out. Sappy and energetic in the mouth, offering impressively concentrated raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors and a strong suggestion of candied lavender. Finishes seamless, alluringly sweet and extremely long, with resonating red fruit and floral notes and supple tannins that add shape and discreet grip.Vinous Media | 94-95 VMThis mixes red and black currant fruit with notes of sage, alder and tobacco, ending with a tug of chalky minerality. Features perfume, flesh and a little more grip than most in the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2032. 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2017 Gigondas le Lieu Dit incorporates 30% whole clusters yet shows no green, stemmy characters at this stage of its evolution. It’s loaded with purple raspberries, framed by incredibly silky tannins, lush and ripe without any warmth evident on the long finish. Tasted twice, showing more tannic grip and woody notes on one occasion.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Lots of blueberry, hot-stone, slate and walnut aromas. Terracotta, too. Iodine. Full-bodied, round and dense with layers of fine tannins. Lovely depth and intensity. Extremely long and focused. Needs three or four years of bottle age just to start. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 96 JSThis wine is dense, with concentrated spice plus rich white and kiwi fruits. Acidity is prominent, giving the wine impressive fruitiness and aging potential as suggested by the texture and wood flavors. Drink this beautifully ripe wine from 2022. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA gem that readers should snatch up is unquestionably the 2017 Domaine De Chevalier, which is based on 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in just 35% new French oak. This deeply colored effort offers classic blackberry and blackcurrant fruits as well as medium to full body, complex notes of tobacco, gravelly earth, and chocolate, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. This is a classy, flawlessly balanced 2017 that offers up pleasure even today, yet it will keep for 30+ years. Having just had the good fortune to drink a bottle of the 1920, now at 100 years after the vintage, the longevity of this cuvee should not be underestimated.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe 2017 Domaine de Chevalier is deep garnet-purple in color with a nose of baked plums, black cherry compote, fruitcake and violets plus wafts of fragrant earth and rosehip tea. Medium-bodied, the palate has loads of fruit with plush, rounded tannins and a lively finish. A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this vintage spent 18 months in French oak, 35% new.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPRipe and full in feel, with a swath of cassis, plum paste and fig preserve flavors that holds sway from start to finish, allowing roasted apple wood, licorice snap and black tea accents to chime in along the way. The fruit takes a solid encore on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2036.Wine Spectator | 94 WSRich, deep ruby in colour, and once again Chevalier proves that it has a better handle on difficult vintages than so many other chateaux. It remains austere at this point, even after two years ageing in barrel, and is clearly going to take time to come around, but there is plenty of cigar, slate and cassis character to sink your teeth into. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DEC

The 2017 Pape Clément is outrageously beautiful. Rich, deep and luscious on the palate, the 2017 possesses tremendous energy and richness from start to finish. Sweet red cherry, red plum, blood orange, spice and herb notes abound in an unctuous, racy wine of the highest level. The 2017 is deep, explosive and wonderfully persistent. It has been terrific on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGBeautiful spice, tobacco, wet earth and blackcurrants with some raspberries. Aromatic and complex. Full-bodied, refined and layered with wonderful length and power. Yet, there’s always class and pretty length here. Seamless. Drink after 2022.James Suckling | 96 JSVery rich, featuring warm cassis and plum puree flavors, laced with singed wood spice, melted licorice and black tea notes. Reveals a tarry hint, but this stays decidedly modern and polished in feel, with the fruit cruising through the finish with authority. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 95 WSDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Pape Clement is composed of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot, with a nose that is slightly closed at this youthful stage—broody and earthy with baked plums, boysenberries and mulberries aromas plus touches of iron ore, tobacco, tapenade and charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied and elegant with exquisitely ripe tannins, lovely energy and freshness and a long, mineral-laced finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThis solid, densely textured wine has fine tannins that match richness in the blackberry fruits. It is classically structured, suggesting an elegant, ripe and impressive future. Drink from 2023.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEChecking in as a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot that was brought up in 60% new French oak, the 2017 Chateau Pape Clement is going to check in behind the brilliant 2015 and 2016, but it’s nevertheless a brilliant wine from this estate worth having in the cellar. Great notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, gravelly earth, mocha, and hints of licorice all flow to a medium to full-bodied wine that has remarkable purity of fruit as well as polished tannins. It builds nicely with time in the glass and reminds me of a toned-down version of the 2016. This complex, elegant, flawlessly balanced Pessac can be drunk today with incredible pleasure or cellared for 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDAmong the deepest in colour, as is often the case with Pape Clement. The fruit feels well defined with blasts of blueberry and raspberry. It feels carefully worked, with toasted oak notes giving sweetness and finesse. An impressive wine and one of the successes of the appellation in this vintage, that has settled in to itself over ageing. Drinking Window 2023 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DEC

The deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Ausone is a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. It sashays out of the glass with gregarious scents of baked red and black plums, wild blueberries and boysenberries plus touches of violets, espresso, licorice and melted chocolate with wafts of iron ore and tilled soil. Medium-bodied, the palate is an exercise in poise, featuring beautifully ripe, silken tannins and bold freshness to support the fragrant multi-layers, finishing very long and very minerally.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2017 Ausone is incredibly precise and sculpted, but also tightly wound in the early going - not that that will be a problem for readers who own it and will cellar it. Wild flowers, mint, blood orange and crushed rocks are some of the nuances that open up in the glass, but the 2017 is not in any mood to show all of its cards. Vertical, rich and explosive with tons of inner energy, the 2017 is a truly regal wine, but it also needs a number of years to be at its very finest. Here, too, the Franc (55% of the blend) really shines. This is a stellar showing from the Vauthier family.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThis is totally stunning, demonstrating depth, texture, salinity and flesh. It manages to be both austere and generous at the same time, pushing and pulling. It's a totally different conversation to many others wines this year. There was no frost effect here, although some of their other estates were fully wiped out. Harvested 23-29 September from 7.25ha planted at densities ranging between 6,500-12,600 vines per hectare. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2027 - 2043.Decanter | 97 DECFrom a vintage compared to 2011 and 2014 by the estate, the 2017 Chateau Ausone is a classic blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot that’s from the pure limestone hillsides just outside the village of Saint-Emilion. This full-bodied, elegant, almost Burgundian beauty offers a terrific seamlessness as well as lots of ripe cassis and black cherry fruits, notes of truffle-laced earth, tobacco, and crushed stone, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. This is classic Ausone, with its complexity and elegance paired with plenty of richness and depth. It needs 5-7 years of bottle age and will evolve for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDWith its perfumed Cabernet Franc and supple Merlot, this wine is packed with fruit and tannins. It is rich although the fruitiness is most apparent, a juicy wine that hides its structure in the cushioning fruits.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WERich and succulent, with a wide spectrum of black and blue berry aromas. Lovely balance of fine tannins, restrained richness, lively acidity and just a hint of oak. Long finish that has a delicate touch. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.James Suckling | 94 JS

One of the real highlights of the vintage, the 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion possesses off the charts aromatic intensity and tremendous depth. An exotic mélange of sweet tobacco, menthol, rose petal, licorice, dried herbs and sweet dark fruit builds in a wine endowed with extraordinary beauty. Energetic and vibrant to the core, Les Carmes Haut-Brion was magnificent on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. Don’t miss it.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGBrilliant wine that continues to impress three years on from the En Primeur tasting, with a creamy but restrained texture, precise black fruits with a spicy undertow. By this point Carmes had the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc on the Left Bank, and had really started to establish its own identity. It was also using a full 40% whole bunch winemaking, choosing only the ripest stems to include in the fermentation tanks, adding a twist of salinity on the finish and ensuring a dip of around 1% in potential alcohol levels at picking (this is a hot site close to the city centre). Owned by Patrice Pichet since 2011, with Guillaume Pouthier joining as director in 2012 - whose experience in the Rhône meant he was not afraid to use stems in winemaking, something traditionally shunned in Bordeaux. This wine shows the success of that approach, giving personality and poise. Needs another few years for the austerity to soften further. Drinking Window 2024 - 2042.Decanter | 96 DECOffering an Haut-Brion-like level of purity and precision, the 2017 Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion (41% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon) sports a vivid purple color as well as perfumed notes of blueberries, blackberries, unsmoked tobacco, crushed violets, and spring flowers. It’s not a blockbuster in the mold of the 2015 or 2016 (or 2018), but it has medium to full body, a beautiful elegance and purity, notable minerality, and an exceptional finish. It opens up with time in the glass, and I was able to follow a bottle for 3 days without it ever showing a hint of oxidation. Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 30 years or more. Guillaume Pouthier and consultant Stephane Derenoncourt have unquestionably raised the quality from this estate, and this 2017 ranks with the gems of Pessac as well as all of Bordeaux.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDAromas of graphite and spiced wood here. The fruit is nicely ripe, in the redder end of the berry spectrum. The palate has good depth and weight. Quite fine, fresh tannins carry plenty of red-plum flavor. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSComposed of 41% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was fermented using 40% whole clusters and aged for around 20 months in French oak barrels, 65% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple, it springs from the glass with fragrant notions of Black Forest cake, kirsch and black raspberries plus touches of cedar chest, red roses, black tea and dried mint. Medium bodied, the palate struts itself with great elegance and poise, featuring restrained, mineral-sparked red and black fruits with a firm, grainy texture and bold freshness, finishing long and perfumed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPA sanguine thread weaves around the core of steeped red and black currant fruit, with singed mesquite, iron and briar notes filling in along the way. The sanguine element leaves a mouthwatering echo at the end. A distinctive and alluring expression of the appellation. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2022 through 2036. 3,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

A wine of sublime elegance and finesse, the 2017 Cheval Blanc is endowed with tremendous energy, precision and cut. Red/purplish fruit, mint, sage, blood orange, star anise and exotic spice notes abound in a mid-weight, finely cut Cheval that dazzles with its energy. Technical Director Pierre-Olivier Clouet gave the 2017 26-27 days on skins. Because of severe frost damage, in 2017, the Grand Vin includes a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), from gravelly soils, which gives the wine very unusual flavor and structure profile. The 2017 Cheval Blanc has all the ingredients to be one of the wines of the vintage. It is class personified. Wow!Vinous Media | 97 VMThis is a special Cheval-Blanc with blackcurrants, blueberries and hints of fresh herbs, tobacco and cedar. Full-bodied, very powerful and muscular with lots of tannins. The higher percentage of cabernet sauvignon (15% instead of 5%) makes it structured. Give it time to come together. Better after 2022.James Suckling | 97 JSThe blend this year is 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc and 56% Merlot, possessing an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cheval Blanc needs a fair bit of coaxing to reveal notions of plum preserves, redcurrant jelly, kirsch and red roses plus emerging nuances of aniseed, Sichuan pepper, pencil lead and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers impressive intensity with layer upon layer of red and black flavors with sparks of minerals and floral notes plus a firm line of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support, finishing very long and very fragrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPSinged tobacco leaf and savory aromas lead the way, giving this red a distinctive profile, while dark currant, fig and blackberry paste flavors form the core. Shows a loamy backdrop and a hint of cast iron throughout, with the fruit and savory elements keeping pace. Ends with prominent tannic grip. For the cellar. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2042. 10,208 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSWhile the blend is shifted more towards Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in 2017, the Chateau Cheval Blanc is nevertheless a beautiful wine in every sense and shows the hallmark elegance and complexity of this estate perfectly. Deep ruby/purple, with notes of ripe dark fruits, violets, rose petals, and spice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ripe yet integrated tannins, terrific mid-palate concentration, and a great, great finish. Based on 66% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, give this incredibly floral, seamless 2017 5-7 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDWith an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage presents a structured character. It is a straight wine, in line with dark tannins and black-currant fruits lightened by the jammy Merlot berry flavors. Drink this wine from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Petrus comes galloping out of the glass with bold, expressive notions of Black Forest cake, blueberry preserves and Christmas pudding with nuances of molten chocolate, Chinese five spice, candied violets, licorice and kirsch plus wafts of roses and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and fantastically concentrated, the palate has compelling freshness and a solid base of wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins, finishing very long and opulent. The aromatics at this youthful stage are atypical for Petrus and quite stunning—this 2017 is a bombshell! Furthermore, it is a unique style for this estate and one avid collectors should seek out!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThis delivers a torrent of pure, unadulterated raspberry fruit that extends effortlessly through the finish, while hints of incense, mineral and rooibos tea glisten tantalizingly throughout. Shows terrific cut and precision, with eye-catching detail. Drink now through 2040.Wine Spectator | 98 WSI love the aromatics to this with crushed berries, violets and black olives. Hints of vanilla and some caramel. Decadent. Full-bodied and round with very creamy tannins that melt into the wine. It starts off slowly and and then kicks off a few seconds later. The tannins are extremely polished and refined. Hard not to drink now, but wait. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 98 JSJammy ripe fruit aromas lead to a wine that is powerfully structured and solid. With rich berry flavors and density, the wine is concentrated while also exuberant. The flavors are just developing, with great ripe fruits showing strongly. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEDeceptively alluring a few months after bottling, the 2017 Petrus is attractive and nuanced, and yet I get the impression it is going through a rather awkward stage. Floral and blood orange overtones add freshness and inner perfume to a Petrus that will age more on finesse than power. Olivier Berrouet opted for longer skin contact than normal, about 30 days, with pumpovers of one volume of wine per day at the beginning of fermentation. Malolactic fermentation took place in steel. The 2017 spent about 14 months in oak and then four months in tank prior to being bottled in July 2019.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGThe 2017 Chateau Petrus is, as always, 100% Merlot that’s from the top of the Pomerol plateau. The 2017 is an incredibly elegant, perfumed example from this estate that has terrific cassis, raspberry, and red currants fruits as well as lots of floral and violet hints, medium to full body, a beautiful spine of acidity, and building tannins. It’s not a blockbuster like the 2015 and 2016, yet it’s flawlessly balanced, with stunning purity of fruit and a great, great finish. Give bottles a solid 7-8 years, and it should keep for 20-25+.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

The clay soils of this premier cru come into their own in a hot year like 2017, producing a wine that’s fine, plush and aromatic. With 20% stems and 25% new wood adding well-judged layers of complexity, this finishes with freshness and savoury tannins. Drinking Window 2023 - 2027.Decanter | 94 DECThe supplest, most open-knit of Lignier’s premiers crus from Morey, the 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru La Riotte bursts with aromas of plummy fruit, red currants, subtle spices and rose hip. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, supple and expansive, with a layered mid-palate, fine but chalky tannins and a saline finish. This will win friends in its youth.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-93 RP(Morey St. Denis “la Riotte”- Domaine Hubert Lignier Père et Fils) The 2017 la Riotte from Laurent Lignier is an excellent wine in the making, offering up a very precise bouquet of cherries, dark soil tones, woodsmoke, gamebird, espresso and cedar. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very transparent, with a good core, lovely focus and grip, fine-grained tannins and a long, tangy and complex finish. The personality of la Riotte is always a combination of bright red fruit and dark soil tones and the 2017 from Domaine Lignier is a perfect example of this beautiful mosaic of fruit and soil. This was made with twenty percent whole clusters in this vintage. (Drink between 2022-2060).John Gilman | 92 JGThe 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis La Riotte is aged in one-third new oak and includes 20% whole bunches. It has an expressive bouquet with touches of mint that infuse the vibrant red fruit. The dense, fresh palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip on the entry and hints of sour cherry toward the edgy finish. Good potential here.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM(Domaine Hubert Lignier Père et Fils Morey St. Denis "La Riotte" 1er Cru Red) Soft wood surrounds aromas of red and dark currant, newly turned earth and plenty of attractive floral elements. The nicely rich and generously proportioned medium weight flavors possess a sleek texture along with good precision that contrasts somewhat with the firm, dusty and slightly short and ever-so-mildly dry finale. Note that my projected range implicitly assumes that the dryness will dissipate eventually. (Drink starting 2025).Burghound | 88-90 BH

(Chambertin- Domaine Trapet Père et Fils) Like the Latricières, the Trapets’ 2017 Chambertin was showing brilliantly at the time of my visit. This is a stunning example of this great terroir, offering up a pure and aristocratic aromatic constellation of red and black cherries, bitter chocolate, black plums, grilled meats, a very complex base of soil, mustard seed, a touch of anise and a fine base of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, structured and very, very complex, with a great core of fruit, stunning transparency, ripe, seamless tannins and great grip and focus on the very, very long, magical finish. One of the wines of the vintage! (Drink between 2030-2100)John Gilman | 97+ JGThe 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru wafts from the glass with a beautifully complex bouquet of sweet wild berries, cherries, grilled meats, raw cocoa and cedary new oak. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and reserved, with a layered, multidimensional core, tangy acids and velvety tannins, concluding with a long, pure finish. This is a lovely Chambertin in the making that displays excellent focus and tension for the vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru has an open, expressive, beautifully defined bouquet of brambly red fruit, rose petal and subtle sous-bois scents; a star anise/menthol scent emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, dense and sappy. The finish does not convey the terroir as well as others in this flight, though it meliorates in the glass and develops more intellect with aeration. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMA background application of wood surrounds the cool and airy aromas of dark cherry, plum, earth and a whisper of the sauvage. There is terrific intensity to the beautifully delineated mineral-driven flavors that possess a refined mouthfeel before culminating in a saline, focused and strikingly persistent finish. This is almost a hypothetical combination of the Chapelle and the Latricières with the richness and volume of the former allied with the minerality, finesse and power of the latter. Patience advised.Burghound | 93 BH

As always, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De Mon Aïeul is all Grenache (from La Serres, La Crau, and La Guigasse) that was not destemmed and was brought up all in used demi-muids. It’s an extraordinary wine, offering a mammoth bouquet of kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, ground pepper, white flowers, and spice. Full-bodied, concentrated, and opulent on the palate, with silky tannins, it’s not going to match the 2010 or 2016, but t’s a magical, elegant, layered wine that does everything right.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis is lush and inviting in feel, with waves of warmed raspberry reduction taking center stage, while plum paste and cherry skin notes add range. Underneath the fruit, notes of anise, red and black tea and gently mulled spice notes course along, all supported by perfectly embedded acidity. A gorgeous wine that’s hard to lay off now because of the fruit, but there’s absolutely no rush. Best from 2023 through 2040. 375 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSBrilliant ruby-red. An expansive, spice-accented bouquet evokes ripe red fruits, incense and potpourri, and a smoky mineral element adds urgency. Juicy, seamless and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors that firm up slowly and turn spicier on the back half. Shows serious heft, but there’s a distinctly graceful quality as well. Finishes sappy, gently tannic and extremely long, leaving a suave lavender pastille note behind.Vinous Media | 94-95 VMRich and almost painfully intense, from yields that were reduced by coulure to only about six hectoliters per hectare, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is steadfast in being all Grenache and all whole cluster. Licorice, chocolate and super ripe plums appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied and velvety, with a long, warm finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPAnother string release under this label, showing rich dark fruit and earthy notes with plenty of spice. Tarry notes as well. The palate has a very plush, ripe and rich feel with juicy, ripe dark berries and plums, really bathed in deep, long and smooth-honed tannins. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS

The older vines in de Vogüé’s extensive 7.2ha in Musigny date back to 1953 and make a wine that’s considerably weightier than the young-vine cuvée. This is very deep and intense in colour, exhibiting layers of dark bramble and black cherry flavours and a backbone of precise, chalky, mouthwatering acidity. A wine that needs time to digest its 35% new wood. Drinking Window 2026 - 2037Decanter | 96 DECThe 2017 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is showing very well indeed, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, rose petal, warm spices and orange rind, framed by creamy new wood. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and velvety, with the greatest depth and dimension of any wine in the cellar, displaying excellent energy and completeness, and distinguished above all by striking length on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2017 Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru is complex and well defined on the nose, where touches of iodine and wild heather infuse the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly grainy texture; notes of black truffle and fresh fig complement a fruit profile that welcomes more red fruit toward the finish. Hints of white pepper and sage linger on the aftertaste. This is certainly beginning to close up in bottle, so allow a decade if you can for this Musigny to show what it is capable of.Vinous Media | 95 VM(Musigny “Vieilles Vignes”- Domaine de Comte de Georges de Vogüé) The 2017 Musigny old vine bottling was quite hunkered down after its recent racking, but though it was not as expressive as the Bonnes-Mares on this particular day, it showed good underlying soil signature and seemed to only be in need of more time out from the racking for everything to snap back into proper place. The wine certainly has lovely fruit elements in its mix of sappy black cherries and plums, complex soil tones, woodsmoke, gamebird, violets and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with a good sappy core of black fruit, fine-grained tannins and lovely length and grip on the refined and quite soil-driven finish. This wine is not as precise as is customary (and which has to be a reflection of the post-racking period in which I tasted it), but there are really good elements here and if they all fall back into place properly, it will be a lovely wine. (Drink between 2030-2080)John Gilman | 93-95 JGAn openly exotic nose offers glimpses of black cherry liqueur, ginger, Asian-style tea, sandalwood and orange peel. The tighter and much more mineral-driven big-bodied flavors also possess evident muscle on the powerful and dense yet beautifully refined finish that goes on and on. This is also a bit less structured though with that said, this is going to need at least 15 years to reach its apogee. In a word, terrific.Burghound | 94 BH

The 2017 Beausejour Duffau is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps with notes of blackberry pie and plum preserves, followed by hints of dried herbs, tree bark, and black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers a firm structure of grainy tannins and plenty of freshness to support the muscular black fruits, finishing long and minerally.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIThe 2017 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is powerful and backward, with huge tannins wrapped around a core of black cherry, smoke, charcoal, licorice, blackberry jam and graphite. Exotic and rich in the glass, the 2017 needs time to soften, but it is immensely promising, not to mention utterly captivating. Tasted three times.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe star of the show from Nicolas Thienpont, the 2017 Chateau Beausejour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) checks in as a mix of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc that spent 16-18 months in 60% new French oak. It offers a wonderful bouquet of creme de cassis and black raspberry fruits intermixed with plenty of minerality, spice, chocolate, and leafy herb nuances. With medium to full body, a ripe, concentrated, yet elegant mouthfeel, and a stacked mid-palate, it needs 4-5 years to develop additional complexity but is a brilliant, brilliant 2017 that will have 25-30 years of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDThis has a very attractive, ripe black-fruit nose with toasted spices, violets and dark-stone notes. Iodine and cedar, too. The palate is powerful and has quite intense flavors of blackberries and blueberries with a super rich and ripe frame of tannin that carries long and expands the finish in impressive style. Very long. Try from 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSDark currant and blackberry compote notes give this a juicy, engaging feel, while dried anise, apple wood and bramble details fill in the background. Shows chewy grip, but maintains freshness and energy, revealing an encore of fruit and licorice snap on the finish. Be patient with this one. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2038. 1,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis is one of the best examples of this wine that I have tasted, reaching the same heights as some of the biggest names in this vintage, and barely a step down from 2016 - great stuff from these guys this year. It’s firm, bright, intense and deep, with salinity, grip and a lovely seam of freshness. It has a really excellent, juicy character and good persistency, with notes of liquorice and dark chocolate.Decanter | 95 DECThis is a smoky, structured wine that also has plenty of ripe black fruits. It is richly constructed: dense with enough solid tannins and a rich background to give the wine longevity. Drink from 2025. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) is slightly closed, revealing glimpses at bright, cheery black cherries, black berries and wild blueberries with very serious preserved plums, licorice and mocha in the background and a waft of fragrant soil. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm frame of ripe tannins and seamless freshness supporting the subdued, earthy layers, finishing long and minerally. It should be wonderfully long-lived but will need time to enjoy!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP

Crushed raspberries, flowers and fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, very refined and creamy with intensity but no aggression. The length is so enticing and pretty. You can drink it now, but better in 2022.James Suckling | 95 JSThe richness of this fine wine is balanced by delicious freshness and acidity. It has firm tannins, of course, while also having a lift of black currant fruitiness. The tannic core promises great aging; drink from 2025. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2017 Chapelle d’Ausone is just as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel. A wine of real power, depth and substance, the Chappelle impresses for its fruit concentration and structure. Deep red cherry and plum, fruit, dried flowers, mint, blood orange and sage open up in the glass, with layers of bright, saline-infused aromatics from the 40% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. In 2017, the Chapelle is truly stellar. I loved it.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe second wine here is always terrific as well. The 2017 Chapelle D’Ausone is a blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, mostly from the younger vines of the estate. It has a terrific core of darker fruits as well as complex forest floor, cedar, and violet-tinged aromatics. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied, rounded, elegant, even pretty 2017 that has light tannins and the balance to evolve for 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDBlended of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Chapelle d’Ausone sports a deep garnet-purple color. It needs a little coaxing to reveal provocative notes of plum preserves, Black Forest cake and blueberry compote plus suggestions of roses, cloves, pencil shavings and cherry pie. Medium-bodied, the palate is wonderfully zippy and elegantly fruited with a tantalizing frame of satiny tannins and a long, fragrant finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThis estate has managed to stay true to their signature, producing a gorgeous, round wine with dancing floral aromatics that accompany the autumnal fruit and wonderful lick of wet stone. The tight tannins emphasise the austere finish, but there’s great persistency. 100% new oak. Harvested 23 September to 2 October, yielding 35hl/ha.Decanter | 90 DEC

Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an alcohol of 13% and an IPT of 68. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cos d’Estournel needs a little coaxing to unfurl, revealing beautiful expressions of preserved plums, boysenberries, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries with hints of Indian spices, menthol, lilacs and mossy tree bark plus a compelling suggestion of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the tightly wound blue and black fruits layers, finishing long and fragrant. This wine will need a good 5-7 years in bottle before it begins to blossom and should go on for at least another 40 years. I expect this wine to be a blockbuster of a head-turner when I come back and taste it at 10 years of age!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPQuite the bottle here! Spices, such as nutmeg and cinnamon, as well as dried meat and plums with cedar and sandalwood. Full body. Deep and dense in the center palate and a long, long finish. Shows finesse and tightness. Very polished tannins. Long and ethereal. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 98 JSA bold, dramatic wine, the 2017 Cos d’Estournel is seriously impressive today. Time in barrel has done wonders for the 2017, a wine that has really gained depth in élevage. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, new leather, licorice, smoke and incense infuse the 2017 with tons of character, with the 60% new oak very well judged. In 2017, Cos has a level of textural resonance that eludes many Saint-Estèphes. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThis impressive wine is structured yet well balanced by an attractive fruitiness that parallels the tannins and the smokiness from wood aging. The density of the palate is countered by fresh acidity that shines through. Drink 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEBright and expressive, with an extroverted core of loganberry, plum and black cherry fruit racing to the fore, carried by a polished and sleek structure. Reveals a subtle mineral edge through the finish, with alluring black and red tea notes swirling around. The rare seductive St.-Estèphe. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2036. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe grand vin 2017 Chateau Cos D’Estournel checks in as 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 1% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot brought up in 60% new French oak. It’s a classic 2017 that shows the straight, very classic style of the vintage with its medium to full body, ripe, present tannins, and solid spine of acidity. Beautiful cassis, green tobacco, graphite, and cedar pencil notes all emerge from the glass, and as with the Pagodes, it’s still tight and reserved on the palate. Reminding me of the 1996 with its classic, balanced style, give bottles 5-7 years and enjoy over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDHad a few issues with brett on the first bottle of this, but tasted again (twice for reassurance) and this has an unmistakably rich ripeness to it. Successful polishing and rounding out of the tannins that works to override the austerity of the vintage far better than many. Cassis and spiced damson character abounds, and it opens up in the glass slowly but determinedly. 60% new oak. Plenty of ageing capacity on display. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045.Decanter | 94 DEC

This has ethereal transparency to it with a fresh, red-berry and cherry nose. Terra-cotta and dried-flower notes. Plums, too. Quite complex. The palate has a very detailed tannin texture with attractive cassis and blueberries that hold very long, fresh and pure. Fruity and fresh. Try from 2023.James Suckling | 96 JSComposed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Pontet-Canet gives up beautifully fragrant notes of rosehip tea, lilacs, cinnamon stick, cloves, dried leaves and underbrush with a core of kirsch, raspberry coulis, warm plums and red and black currants plus a waft of pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing, minerally and wonderfully elegant with a well-played texture of approachable, plush tannins and a long, fragrant finish. Beautiful. Aging took place in 50% new and 15% in second fill barrels and the remaining 35% in amphorae for 16 months, much of the material for which came from the soil at Pontet-Canet!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe perfume intensity of this wine is remarkable. Firm and velvet at the same time, the tannins are the prelude to the pure, opulent blackberry fruits and balanced acidity. The lines of the wine are clear and direct, a true promise for aging. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA gorgeous, alluring Pauillac, the 2017 Pontet-Canet is racy and exceptionally polished, with floral top notes that bring out the natural brightness of the red-toned fruit. Super-silky tannins add to the wine's immediacy and sheer allure. The 2017 was the first wine made with the new sorting table. About half the fruit was destemmed by hand. As always, visiting Pontet-Canet is like stepping back into another time, a time in which wines were made much more manually than they are today. Here that means manual punch downs and pump overs, with no electricity. Harvest ran from September 18 through October 4. The blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Aging was done 50% in new oak, 35% in amphora and 15% in one year-old oak. Tasted three times.Vinous Media | 95 VMVery tight, with notes of wet stone, plum pit and chalky minerality leading the way, backed by an ample core of steeped currant, blackberry and black cherry fruit waiting to unfurl. The finish smolders with cast iron details. Should round into form with cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 94 WSCompared to the flamboyant 2018 and the fantastic 2016, this comes in a lower gear, with less potential complexity. I like the ripe cassis, red and black berry aromatics with a lovely tannic finesse, but I wanted more palate density here. Medium finish. Aged 50% new oak , 35% amphora. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045.Decanter | 93 DECDeep ruby/purple-hued and based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2017 Chateau Pontet-Canet spent 16 months in a 50% new barrels, 35% in amphora, and the balance in once-used barrels. It's an exceedingly elegant Pontet-Canet that has textbook Pauillac notes of blackcurrants, unsmoked tobacco, lead pencil shavings, new leather, and flowery incense. It's not a blockbuster and reminds me slightly of the 2004, yet it has wonderful depth of fruit, ultra-fine tannins, and beautiful purity and elegance. It's already approachable, but it’s going to be even better with 5-6 years of bottle age and have 20-25 years of prime drinking.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JD