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Classic Pauillac aromas of rich, thick currant and black cherry with distinct cedary flavors that are very concentrated and wrapped in firm tannins. Beautifully focused and built for the long haul. Can stand until at least 1997 or maybe 1998.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 1986 Mouton Baronne Philippe was the previous name for Château d'Armailhac, adopting its present title in 1989. It has a very fresh and lively bouquet, more vital and precise than the 1986 Clerc-Milon. This is a real surprise: lifted blackberry laced with tar and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins not unlike the 1986 Mouton-Rothschild. Of course, there is not nearly the same level of complexity, but you could regard it as a younger sibling, which is no surprise as the terroir is at the end of the Mouton-Rothschild terroir. If you ever see a bottle of this at auction or on a restaurant list, grab it. Tasted September 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NM

A wine that combines big solid, but fresh fruit, with big flavors of new wood. It is solid, black and powerful.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEShows beautiful aromas of crushed berries and currant, with hints of mineral. Full-bodied, with lovely currant, licorice and mint. Long and caressing. Very refined and balanced. Another winner from Pontet-Canet. Best after 2011. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSTasted at the Pontet-Canet vertical in London, it seems clear that the 2004 Château Pontet-Canet is predestined to always fall under the shadow of the 2005. Don't overlook this gem. The bouquet delivers pure blackberry, pencil lead and tobacco notes that are more generous than the 2005 at the moment—open for business, you might say. There is an element of dried herbs here, a hint of black tar. The palate is medium-bodied and quite sturdy in the mouth, the tannins perhaps "abrasive" when juxtaposed against the 2005, however they are couched in unexpectedly intense earthy black fruit that frame a tannic finish. If you hanker for a sumptuous Pontet-Canet, then opt for 2003 or 2009, but if your predilection is for a more "classic" Pauillac, then 2004 Pontet-Canet fits the bill. Undoubtedly a great wine from Alfred Tesseron for the vintage, I would start, broaching bottles now but keep a stash back for 4-5 years' time when those tannins have softened. Tasted February 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMGood ruby-red. Currant, black raspberry, cocoa powder and graphite on the nose. Silky on entry, then impressively sweet in the middle palate, with classic Pauillac flavors of currant, chocolate and graphite dominating. This boasts the sharp focus of the vintage's best examples but can't quite match the 2006 for consistent ripeness and mid-palate depth. Tannins are quite firm and in need of six or seven years of patience.Vinous Media | 91+ VMSweet generous blackberry nose, vibrant and charming, with integrated oak. This is ripe and rounded, not hugely concentrated but the tannins give structure and density. This has moderate acidity, and is approaching its peak, showing very attractive fruit. Drinking Window 2015 - 2022Decanter | 91 DECStill vibrant ruby colored, the 2004 Pontet Canet offers a very classic, balanced, medium to full-bodied style as well as textbook notes of blackcurrants, cedar wood, dried tobacco, and a hint of graphite. Still firm and focused, yet nicely concentrated, with ripe tannin, it’s in the early stages of its drinking plateau and should easily keep for another two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDFirm and fresh with currant bush and sweet tobacco character that turns to cigar box. Medium-to-full body with a racy edge to it. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS

Great, spicy new wood flavors are balanced by the intense, solid fruits and deep, almost brooding tannins. This is a big wine, but it still preserves a good sense of proportion.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEShows blackberry and fresh mushroom on the nose. Medium-bodied, with soft tannins and an aftertaste of chocolate and delicate fruit. Best after 2012. 36,730 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2008 Croix de Beaucaillou has an intense blackberry and briary scented bouquet with fine mineralité and delineation. This just soars from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well judged acidity, plenty of cedar infused black fruit with a touch of tobacco towards the persistent finish. This is a well crafted and quite delicious 2008 Saint Julien that should give a decade’s more drinking pleasure. What panache for a deuxième vin. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VMVery elegant, sweet currants and red cherries intermixed with spice and flower notes all emerge from a glass of the 2008 La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou. Medium-bodied, silky, and seamless on the palate, it's a classy, balanced, and nuanced 2008 that's drinking beautifully today.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD(La Croix de Beaucaillou) The 2008 La Croix de Beaucaillou is an excellent example of the vintage, as it delivers the seamless harmony, great depth and superb signature of soil that makes this vintage so exciting. The first rate bouquet offers up a complex blend of cassis, dark berries, tobacco leaf, gravel, espresso and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and destined to blossom into a very complex wine, with a fine core of fruit, firm, well-integrated tannins, good acids and excellent length and grip on the bouncy finish. A fine, fine result. (Drink between 2018-2045)John Gilman | 91 JGAn outstanding wine and a great sleeper of the vintage, this second wine exhibits a denser purple color along with a sweet kiss of creme de cassis, licorice, incense and graphite. Fruity and medium to full-bodied , with an impressive texture and supple tannins, this wine should drink well for 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Perfumed, with raspberries and flowers and hints of lemon. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a chewy finish. Austere now, but stylish. Best after 2018.James Suckling | 93 JSServed blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Ferriere '09 is a little disjointed on the nose at the moment and lifted floral notes and an agreeable sense of space and airiness. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy, iodine tinged entry. It is sweet and rounded in the mouth, although it does not show great weight, but the finish is long and graceful, underpinned by fine tannins. Lovely. Tasted January 2013.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP-NMA solid effort, with attractive, balanced black currant fruits and ripe acidity. The wine layers fruit and integrated tannins. It feels chunky and dense, finishing dryWine Enthusiast | 90 WESmoky and silky, with enticing black tea, mulled spice and fleshy plum and black currant fruit that melds nicely together through the tobacco-filled finish. Drink now through 2019. 6,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Dark-berry and currant aromas with hints of spice. Medium body, firm and chewy tannins and a fresh and clean finish. Shows focus and seriousness for the appellation, as is usual from this producer. Better after 2022.James Suckling | 94 JSInky black in colour, with a beautiful graphite and black fruit nose. This is undoubtedly a great Sociando this year, with precise yet juicy graphite and black fruits on the palate, from a fairly even blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Cabernet Franc too. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040Decanter | 92 DECThe 2016 Chateau Sociando-Mallet is a beautiful, complete wine that shows the classic style of this vintage beautifully. Deep ruby/purple-colored, with terrific notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, dried earth, and lead pencil shavings, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, and a great finish. It has plenty of tannins, yet they're polished and nicely integrated into the wine. This brilliant Haut-Medoc is approachable today yet will be even better with 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThe 2016 Sociando Mallet has an attractive bouquet of cranberry, wild strawberry, cedar and light loamy aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, though it is well balanced with a fresh, quite mineral-driven finish that has grace and charm. This is a splendid Sociando-Mallet that I suspect will meliorate with cellaring. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe 2016 Sociando-Mallet has a refulgent purple/black color. It has a very intense and rich, you might say "ambitious" bouquet with layers of small black cherries, blueberry and a touch of sloes, less tertiary than previous vintages and certainly more opulent. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin that almost disguise the firm structure underneath. I admire the completeness of this Sociando-Mallet, the neatly embroidered new oak and the freshness on the finish. The 2015 Sociando-Mallet did not fire on all cylinders last year, but this 2016 is totally convincing. It comes highly recommended as one of the best wines produced at this estate in the northern Médoc. This is an outstanding wine from Mon. Gartreau.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92-94 RP-NM