Type of Wines

wines

A red with lots of currant, blackberry, fresh-herb and tobacco character. Hint of mushroom, too. It’s full and layered with polished, chewy tannins and a bright and fresh finish. Very long and focused. Give it time to come together. Very classic character here. Best after 2026.James Suckling | 95 JSCabernet Sauvignon, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Red) Green pepper and herbaceous notes on the nose with minty eucalyptus alongside ripe cherry and blackcurrant aromas - so classic. A lovely mouthfeel here, smooth, well defined and preise. Quite direct, serious and darkly fruited - such a concentrated core - but with smooth tannins, a soft sweetness and freshness that lifts the overall frame. Balanced with succulence. Makes a lasting impact and impression. A great value pick. (Drink between 2025-2045)Decanter | 94 DECThis grand classed growth has produced a richly structured wine that is balanced by ripe black fruits. It shows spice from the touch of Petit Verdot in the blend, as well as fine acidity and freshness that give it poise and a vibrant finish.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEOpening in the glass with notions of rich berry fruit, licorice, cedar, violets and loamy soil, the 2019 Cantemerle is medium to full-bodied, with a fleshy core of fruit, lively acids and powdery tannins that gently assert themselves on the finish. This shut down a little after bottling (some 11 months ago at the time of writing), but it is beginning to bounce back to reveal a wine of real charm and character.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Cantemerle is a very pretty and understated wine. Sweet red cherry, plum, blood orange, spice, tobacco, leather and dried herbs all grace this expressive Haut-Médoc. The 2019 is super classy from start to finish, but there is a bit less depth and overall substance than there was at the outset.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGAn incredibly consistent estate that always delivers a quality wine, the 2019 Château Cantemerle checks in as 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Classic Médoc notes of red and black currants, cedar pencil, sappy herbs, and tobacco give way to a medium-bodied 2019 with terrific balance, ripe, polished tannins, good acidity, and outstanding length. This terrific wine will benefit from just short-term cellaring and keep for 15+ in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDVery direct in feel, offering plum and cherry puree notes gilded with violet and anise hints. Shows a graphite accent on the finish, which adds depth as the fruit blossoms around it. Solid. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2030. 33,000 cases made. Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Famed for its white wine, this estate has produced another impressive vintage. It has great poise between lusciousness and a tight mineral texture, giving balance and longevity. Nutmeg flavors come from the wood aging. It should cellar well.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WESmells like cassis liqueur on the nose. This is full and bold but with excellent, mouthwatering acidity - lots of energy here. A lifted style but still with that core of deep, dense chewy fruit. Really a winning combination of all the elements with the oak giving structure, weight and texture. Sculpted fruit and well handled acidity. Still has some spiky edges to the fruit, hints of cedar and clove giving a piquance but this is lovely stuff. (Drink between 2024-2044)Decanter | 94 DECPerfumed and elegant, the 2019 de Fieuzal wafts from the glass with aromas of blackberries, licorice, coniferous forest floor and incense. Medium to full-bodied, lively and charming, with a pretty core of fruit, powdery tannin and a saline finish, it’s a seamless, vibrant Pessac that—like its white counterpart—reflects the progress this 80-hectare Pessac-Léognan estate is making. It’s a sleeper of the vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPBlackcurrants, smoked earth, cedarwood, and foresty, herbal notes all emerge from the 2019 Château De Fieuzal, a medium-bodied, elegant, balanced 2019. It opens up nicely with time in the glass, has a classic, focused, structured style, good (though maybe not great) concentration, and outstanding length. It’s a beautiful, elegant, classic wine from this estate that will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15+. It’s well worth seeking out.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDAromas of blackberries, blueberries, plums, cloves and iodine. Medium-bodied with sinewy tannins. Layered and velvety with supple and fruity character. Juicy finish. Drink from 2024.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2019 de Fieuzal, tasted from two sample bottles, has a clean and pure bouquet with perfumed, quite floral scents that infuse the blackberry and bilberry. The oak is nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, saline in the mouth and spicier than some of its fellow Pessac-Léognans. Moderate depth, a distinct marine influence emerges towards the finish that lingers nicely. Could it have been better with more flair? Maybe, but it’s a fine de Fieuzal.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

A solid Haut-Medoc with currant and walnut character and some dried mushroom. It’s full-bodied with medium, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Well done. Drink after 2024.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2019 La Tour Carnet has turned out beautifully. Dark, pliant and super-expressive, the 2019 possesses tremendous richness as well as character. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, leather, spice, licorice, iron and dried herbs infuse the 2019 with gorgeous layers of dimension. La Tour Carnet is a consistently outstanding bottle, as it is again in 2019.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGOffering up aromas of rich cassis and blackberry fruit mingled with burning embers, loamy soil and cigar wrapper, the 2019 La Tour Carnet is medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with a broad attack that segues into an ample core of fruit that’s framed by ripe, powdery tannins and lively acids. This is a seamless, rather giving Médoc that has turned out very well.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Château La Tour Carnet is terrific, with a pure, medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated style as well as impressive cassis, tobacco, spicy wood, and graphite aromas and flavors. The purity here is spot on, and it has ripe, polished tannins, outstanding balance, and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDRipe and expressive on the nose, such a lovely purity here. Good drive and initial impact of the fruit on the palate then the spice kicks in and the fruit flavour drops a little. I love the perfumed cherry at the beginning before it settles and goes a bit sombre at this point. The minerality comes through giving quite a taught and clean feeling on the palate with freshness lifting the finish. Definitely a less extracted more refined style. Attractive. Drinking Window 2023 - 2034.Decanter | 92 DECThis has a good burst of dark plum and blackberry preserve flavors, along with a solid dose of roasted vanilla and tobacco. Ends with a graphite hint for support. Well done. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030. 68,500 cases made, 3,500 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 91 WS

This is extremely linear and refined with a super-fine line of tannins running through the center of the wine. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and sophisticated, with a long, long finish. Plenty of blackcurrant, dark chocolate, walnut and cedar in the aftertaste. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSThis classed growth estate is entering an era of consistency. This vintage has the balance between fruit and wood that was missing in the past. It has vivid black fruits that are cut with acidity and tannins, all set to propel the wine to a long-term future.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2019 Lascombes is a huge wine packed with black cherry, chocolate, new leather, spice and licorice. Creamy, rich and expansive, Lascombes is endowed with notable power and sheer breadth. As always, Lascombes is a heady Margaux that pushes the edges, but I find all the elements very well-balanced.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGRipe, heady bramble fruit, plum and fig aromas. Excellent intensity of succulent juice and ripe fruit, there’s definitely a coffee/roasted element on the palate alongside liquorice and slate, all combining to give a real spicy but cleaning palate. The core of concentrated blackcurrant and black cherry fruit definitely takes the background while the other elements show their stuff. Tannins are pronounced but round and softly chewy, they frame the fruit well and give a menthol slightly spicy ending. Really good quality and enjoyment here. A powerful wine showing restraint and refinement. One for long ageing. Tasted twice. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2033.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2019 Château Lascombes showed well, with outstanding notes of cassis fruits as well as cedarwood and tobacco, and it displays more dark, earthy nuances with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has terrific balance, building tannins, and the vintage’s pure, fresh, and focused style front and center. Hide bottles for 4-6 years and enjoy them over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93+ JDOffering up a rich bouquet of blackberries, cassis, burning embers and sweet spices, the 2019 Lascombes is full-bodied, lavish and textural, with a voluminous core of fruit, lively acids and plenty of ripe, powdery tannin that asserts itself on the youthfully firm finish. This is a powerful, muscular style of Margaux that remains nicely balanced in its register.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPRichly fruity and very forward, with plum sauce, Black Forest cake and black currant pâte de fruit notes flanked by violet and alder accents through the finish. This will have fans for sure; drink in the near term. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

As to the Grand Vin 2019 Château Pape Clement, it reveals a dense purple hue to go with stunning aromatics of crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencils shavings, scorched earth, and tobacco. Beautifully balanced, with flawless tannins, this full-bodied Pessac has that rare mix of elegance and power, a great mid-palate, and again, perfect balance. It’s one of the gems of the vintage and has some accessibility today given its purity and balance, yet deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will cruise for 20-25 years or more in cold cellars. The blend is equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, brought up in two-thirds new French oak.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2019 Pape Clément is just as impressive as it was en primeur. It shows all of the textural richness that is so typical of Bernard Magrez’s wines, but with an extra kick of freshness that provides energy as well as a sense of proportion. A wine of stature, the 2019 is so classy. Succulent black cherry, plum, mocha, new leather and licorice are all beautifully delineated. But more than anything else, I find the wine’s energy really impressive. This is a fabulous vintage for Pape Clément. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGCrushed-stone and berry aromas with some blackberry and black-tea character. Just a touch of smokiness. Sweet fruit, too. This is so refined, subtle, and beautiful for Pape with full body, ultra-fine tannins and a succulent finish. The center-palate is dense and complete. Goes on for minutes. So subtle and refined, focused and classy. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 97 JSDensity in all aspects here, quite a rich, broad and bold style but with precision, clarity and definition. It’s big shouldered with plenty of heft and ripe fruit but well presented with great acidity that keeps the freshness from start to finish and this has a nice cooling minty aspect towards the finish. Tannins are firm, and still very present, needing to soften a little over time but this definitely has the weight, structure and fruit purity to have a long life ahead. (Drink between 2027-2042)Decanter | 95 DECCreated by the 14th-century Pope, Clement V, this estate is now owned by Bernard Magrez. This latest release shows the quality of the property, a wine that is set for long aging. Ripe black fruits are matched by the wine’s structure and density. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2019 Pape Clément has turned out well in bottle, delivering a rich bouquet of cherries, blackcurrants, plum liqueur and blackberries mingled with notions of burning embers, licorice and a nicely integrated framing of new oak. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it’s a layered, fleshy wine, with a deep core of ripe but lively fruit, plenty of powdery tannin and a long, expansive, discreetly heady finish. This is a powerful, dramatic Pessac with a transatlantic accent and will drink well with only a few years’ bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPQuite rich, with an exotic hint to the boysenberry, plum and mulberry fruit flavors, which are carried by a velvety structure. Features a very stylish backdrop of apple wood, anise and fruitcake notes that adds more bling. This doesn’t have the drive for serious cellaring, but it’s still pretty gorgeous. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2023 through 2035. 16,650 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Very attractive chocolate, red-chili and cedar aromas and flavors. Lavender, too. Medium body with firm, polished tannins and a caressing finish. Pretty texture to this. It will be ready sooner than some. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 93 JSA fleshy, dramatic rendition of this Moulis benchmark, the 2019 Poujeaux unwinds in the glass with a deep bouquet of blackberries and plums mingled with subtle hints of cigar wrapper, loamy soil and violets. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, it’s deep and seamless, with succulent acids, powdery tannins and a long, expansive finish. This has turned out brilliantly and numbers among the real sleepers of the vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Poujeaux exudes terrific energy and tension from start to finish. Dried cherry, tobacco, mint, chocolate, dried flowers, mint, cedar and tobacco are all beautifully delineated. The aromatics are quite expressive today. There’s a ton to enjoy here. Give the 2019 a few years in bottle first, though. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGBright nose, strawberries, red cherries and touches of dark chocolate with soft perfume aromas. Nice plump fruit here with a milky chalky edge to the tannins that are quite mouth coating right now. It has good drive and underlying acidity giving lift and you can feel the powerful and well-handled fruit underneath. Black cherries, fig and some pune and dark chocolate notes. A deeper, headier style that will be great in a few years. Drinking Window 2025 - 2036.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2019 Château Poujeaux showed beautifully, with classic Médoc notes of red and black currants, sweet tobacco, spice, and some floral and cedar nuances. With medium-bodied richness, supple tannins, and a great mid-palate, this thoroughly satisfying, impeccably made 2019 will keep for 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDDelivers black currant and cherry flavors laced with warm stone, tobacco and savory notes. Offers good range and character, ending with a tug of earth. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2028. 23,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

I loved the 2019 Domaine De Chevalier Blanc, which has the crisp, racy, yet concentrated style of the estate that few others can achieve. Gorgeous white peach, mandarin orange, honeyed minerality, and a kiss of toast all define the bouquet, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, integrated acidity, plenty of concentration, and a great finish that picks up some obvious minerality. This stunning juice needs 3-4 years of bottle age and will evolve for 2-3 decades if stored correctly. It’s probably the white of the vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe latest release of this legendary white wine comes from a mere 17 acres of the 165-acre vineyard. Wood aged and rich in ripe Sauvignon Blanc, the wine bursts with energy and white fruits, touched by spice and with a long aging ahead of it. Drink this wine from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEDomaine de Chevalier’s 2019 Blanc is performing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with notes of citrus pith, white currants, crisp orchard fruit, spring flowers, lemongrass and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it’s concentrated and structured, with terrific depth at the core, racy acids and a long, sapid finish. This is a white Bordeaux where the vulgarity of Sauvignon is sublimated rather than emphasized, and the result is a compelling wine of considerable complexity and aging potential.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPVery pretty with lovely apple, cream, lavender, pineapple and light honey. Full-bodied, yet creamy and refined, with great length and polish. Fresh acidity, but the finish is polished and pretty. Subtle. 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% semillon. Drink in 2024.James Suckling | 96 JSA round and inviting nose full of creamy lemon, green apple and white peach aromas - smells pure. Gorgeous clarity on the palate, this is a serious wine with power and concentration. The palate is definitely marked by the wood in terms of texture and spice but there is also a crystalline aspect to the fruit which is appealingly presented. Juicy green apple, lime zest and orange touches. Still extremely youthful but so promising. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2036.Decanter | 94 DECPlump and with good underlying juiciness, this lets white peach, lemon peel and fleur de sel notes move through at a steady pace, featuring flashes of acacia and brioche on the finish. Understated and nicely done for the vintage. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2028. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2019 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is a rich, powerful wine. Lemon confit, dried flowers, marzipan, sage and mint all open. In 2019, the Blanc has a distinct orchard fruit and savory character. Ultimately, it feels a bit heavy and lacking in freshness. That said, the Blanc has a track record for developing beautifully for decades, so let’s see what happens. I must say I expected more energy and delineation.Antonio Galloni | 92 AG

A pretty nose of blueberries, cherries, dried leaves, truffles and baking spices. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Velvety, with rich cherry notes and a fleshy, polished and flavorful finish. Drink from 2024.James Suckling | 93 JS92–94. Barrel Sample. While this wine is powerful and structured, it still manages to tick the boxes of stylish Margaux. The ripe black currant jelly fruits are balanced by the wine’s impressive acidity and structure. This is a fine wine for long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WENow owned by the team at Labegorce and Marquis d’Alesme, and it’s an enjoyable vintage with evident juice and grip running through the palate. Always a good value Margaux, which opens to show creamy blackberry texture and traces of violet florality. (Drink between 2023-2038)Decanter | 91 DECThe 2019 La Tour de Mons is a very pretty, floral Margaux to drink now and over the next few years. Crushed flowers, spice, cedar, tobacco and blood orange all grace this understated, classy Margaux.Antonio Galloni | 90 AGThe 2019 Château La Tour De Mons is solid, with medium-bodied aromas and flavors of savory red fruits, leather, dried herbs, and chalky minerality. Balanced, with building tannins and outstanding length, it’s going to drink well for 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

So much sweet tobacco, stone, brambleberry and currant on the nose. The palate is full and compact with very polished tannins, yet they are solid and sturdy and run the length and width of the wine. Energetic acidity. Very structured and powerful, yet agile and impressive. Historic feel. From biodynamically grown grapes. This needs at least six years of bottle age to soften. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2019 Palmer is a truly special wine, but it is also going to need a number of years to be at its finest. Dense and plush, with explosive energy, the 2019 possesses tremendous richness in its dark fruit. As always, the blend features a high percentage of Merlot (43%) which works so well in complementing the savoriness of the Cabernet. Thomas Duroux and his team fashioned another absolutely compelling Palmer in 2019.Antonio Galloni | 98 AGThe 2019 Château Palmer is even richer, with a stacked, full-bodied, concentrated profile as well as beautiful notes of ripe black cherries, blackcurrants, lead pencil, tobacco leaf, and chocolate. I love its mid-palate, it has building, ripe, yet substantial tannins, tons of fat and glycerin, and a gorgeous finish. I don’t think it will ultimately match the 2009, 2016, or 2018, but it’s nevertheless a brilliant wine as well as one of the stars of the show from Margaux. It will benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age (it already offers pleasure) and have 30-40 years of overall longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA serious and darkly fruited wine with notes of milk chocolate, violets and black cherries supported by fine-grained and velvety tannins that really coat the mouth, carefully constructed with acidity underneath that gives brightness and lift. The emphasis here is really the concentration and density of flavours with layers of black chocolate, black cherries, cocoa powder and cooling minerality but each with purity and definition. Excellently framed and well packaged with energy and verve. So many elements going on: a great Palmer. (Drink between 2029-2050)Decanter | 97 DECThe 2019 Palmer is a rich, dramatic wine that soars from the glass with aromas of cherries, blackberries and berry fruit liqueur mingled with notions of violets, rose petals and sweet spices. Full-bodied, layered and seamless, it’s powerful and immensely concentrated, with an enveloping core of lively fruit that largely conceals the wine’s ripe, powdery structuring tannins. Concluding with a long, penetrating finish, it’s a brilliant rendition of the contemporary Palmer style from Thomas Duroux and his team.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPShows the powerful fruit of the vintage, with waves of dark plum, warmed cassis and cherry compote flavors driving through, inlaid with a graphite edge and backed by an iron note on the finish. Features good underlying energy and everything is knit tightly, without the toothy grain typical of the vintage. Very solid. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2038. Wine Spectator | 94 WS

This is a very classically structured Bordeaux with blackcurrant, walnut, cedar and hints of toasted oak. It’s reserved now, but shows very serious, polished tannins. Persistent and powerful with fantastic length. Very precise. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2019 Phélan Ségur has a very impressive nose of ample blackberry and boysenberry fruit, plus touches of graphite, sous-bois and light minty aromas. The palate is medium-bodied, harmonious and poised, with substantial tannins and very good weight. There is a sense of completeness to this Saint-Estèphe that urges you back for another sip. The best Phélan-Ségur in a long time.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2019 Château Phelan Segur from Véronique Dausse is another brilliant Saint-Estèphe in the vintage, and this estate plays in the top handful of Saint-Estèphes out there. Offering lots of darker currants, spiced plums, Iron, tobacco, and damp earth on the nose, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a concentrated, tannic, yet balanced mouthfeel, and a great finish. It needs to be forgotten for a good 5-7 years and will be a brilliant wine over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDIs this the most over-performing estate in the Médoc? Director Véronique Dausse would surely riposte that it’s simply performing at the level to which its well-situated vineyards and detail-oriented team entitle it; but in any case, the 2019 Phélan Ségur is a brilliant wine. Offering up aromas of cassis, sweet wild berries, rose petals, violets, licorice and spices, it’s medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with tangy acids, powdery tannins and a long, penetrating finish. This is another 2019 that en primeur purchasers can feel very pleased with.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RPSolid, featuring a good punch of dark blackberry and black currant preserve flavors, with bay leaf, charcoal and warm paving stone notes that keep it very grounded through the finish. Shows ample structure for the cellar, too. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WSSerious and seductive on the nose, full of ripe black fruits and faint florality. A sophisticated style, clearly powerful and concentrated with a core of succulent blackcurrant and black cherry fruit but delivered with poise and refinement. Round, generous and juicy with lashings of slate, liquorice and menthol freshness with tannins that are both abundant and well integrated, cushioning the fruit and driving it through to a long finish. Excellent clarity and confidence here. A top buy. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2034Decanter | 94 DECNow cured of its tendency to use too much wood, this estate is producing some finely structured wines. This vintage continues in that tradition, a wine that is packed with serious, concentrated fruits that are highlighted by bright acidity. There is great potential for aging here.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

The flagship 2019 Château Léoville Poyferré is based on 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot. It’s one of the bigger, richer wines in the vintage and has a gorgeous, thrilling, full-bodied style as well as notes of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, violets, and chocolate. While many estates seem to be playing it safe and focusing on so-called elegance and balance, I love that Poyferré continues to make a ripe, sexy, beautifully textured wine that always offers more opulence and sexiness than most in the vintage. Ranking with the crème de la crème of the vintage, this gorgeous Poyferré can be enjoyed any time over the coming 40-50 years. Bravo!Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2019 Léoville-Poyferré is creamy, racy and voluptuous to the core. Bright red cherry/plum fruit, blood orange, mint, spice and menthol fill out the layers with effortless grace. In some tastings, the 2019 has come across as quite powerful, while in other moments it shows greater finesse. Either way, the 2019 is positively stunning. I very much admire its energy and persistence. Tasted three times.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGSo aromatic with real complexity of notes on the nose, perfume and black fruits. Quite tannic on the palate, broad-shouldered with a core of liquorice-edged black fruit, dark chocolate and slate giving it quite a serious, gourmet and savoury feel right now. Lovely poise though, with mouthwatering freshness. Feels well made with energy and elegance. A standout wine with plenty on offer. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2045Decanter | 97 DECThe 2019 Léoville Poyferré is showing very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of crème de cassis and wild berries mingled with notions of licorice, loamy soil, cigar wrapper and smoke. Full-bodied, velvety and polished, it’s broad and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit, ripe tannins and succulent acids, concluding with a long, precise finish. Invariably the most sumptuous of the three Léovilles, featuring some 35% Merlot, the 2019 is a terrific effort that will offer a wide drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThrows off gorgeous warmed plum, blueberry reduction and açaí berry compote aromas and flavors, laced with ganache and sweet tobacco from start to finish. Delivers ample structure in the guise of a cold cast iron note buried underneath the showy fruit, with a flash of violet for treble in the background. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSBlackcurrant, wet-earth with fresh black-mushroom aromas. Some chocolate, too. Full-bodied with layers of beautiful, ripe fruit and creamy tannins. It’s chewy and focused. Impressive balance. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JS

The 2019 Léoville Las Cases is a brilliant young wine that will delight Bordeaux purists. Unwinding in the glass with scents of cassis, dark berries, cigar wrapper and pencil shavings, it’s full-bodied, layered and tightly wound, with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and an abundance of rich, powdery tannins. Concentrated and serious, much like its immediate neighbor Château Latour, it is likely to emerge as one of the vintage’s longest lived—and greatest—wines.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPRemarkably sleek and pure, considering the generally burly and obvious tannic profile of the vintage. Delivers a pure and unadulterated beam of cassis and plum reduction flavors inlaid seamlessly with a glistening iron girder that seems to have no end point through the finish, where violet, anise and black tea notes shimmer. Reserved overall, with a beautiful austerity, this is an example of how great terroir always shines through—even in extreme years. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2030 through 2050.Wine Spectator | 98 WSWet stone, smoke and floral aspects to the aromatic profile - seriously inviting. Density and power here, but cooling and all in balance, full of blackcurrant and black cherries with obvious minerality. It gives such plushness in terms of roundness and grip of tannins, but also layers of perfumed fruit, ripe fruit and cooling slate and liquorice elements. A distinguished wine with a seamless tannic structure and excellent length. Lots of life here and also a real, almost sweet acidity that gives life and lift. Lots going on now but designed for long and steady ageing. Drinking Window: 2029 - 2050Decanter | 98 DECCurrants and blackberries with crushed stones, bark and some conifer and pine cone. Perfumed. Discreet. Medium-to full-bodied with an integrated tannin structure that’s full of fine tannins that are weightless and seamless, building on the palate and coming out at the end. Needs five or six years to open. Texture of heavy silk. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 11% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 98 JSThis is an immense wine. Made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, it shows great structure, richness and aging potential. The tannins are ripe, showing the gentlest of extraction and are what is going to drive this wine for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEMore backward, deep, and layered, the Grand Vin 2019 Château Léoville Las Cases is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that saw 90% new French oak. Just awesome aromatics of pure crème de cassis, graphite, tobacco leaf, burning embers, and gravelly earth all soar from the glass. This is followed by a quintessential Léoville Las Cases that’s medium to full-bodied, pure, concentrated, and regal on the palate, with beautiful tannins. The purity of fruit is spot on, it’s flawlessly balanced, and it’s going to age for decades. While it offers pleasure today, I’d wager it will take 10-15 years to hit maturity and will be a 50+ year wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 97+ JDJust as it was from barrel, the 2019 Léoville Las-Cases is a wine of pure and total sophistication. There is not the size of some recent vintages, but instead that heft is replaced by cool refinement. The expression of fruit leans into the redder end of the spectrum as opposed to the typically darker Las-Cases profile. Hints of cedar, tobacco, mint and blood orange linger. I can’t wait to see how it ages.Antonio Galloni | 96+ AG

Famed for its white wine, this estate has produced another impressive vintage. It has great poise between lusciousness and a tight mineral texture, giving balance and longevity. Nutmeg flavors come from the wood aging. It should cellar well.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEPineapple and mango on the nose, delicious and expressive exotic fruit aromas. Good impact on the palate, a nice mix of lemon and creamy patisserie elements. Good balance and harmony, not a showstopper or trying to deliver too much but this has such a great weight and drive on the palate with crisp apple, honeyed lemon and touches of orange too. Energy and acidity. Yummy. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2044Decanter | 94 DECSliced apples, lemons, crushed stones and jasmine on the nose. It’s medium-bodied, crisp and focused. Very pretty and elegant with a mineral, sleek and structured palate. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2019 Chateau De Fieuzal Blanc is a solid effort, offering lots of white peach, honeyed orange, and floral notes in a rounded, medium-bodied, fleshy, and impressively textured style. This concentrated, balanced, rich yet still fresh white is going to keep for 7-8 years or so, possibly longer.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDA terrific effort, the 2019 de Fieuzal Blanc offers up inviting aromas of nectarine, confit citrus fruit, white flowers and subtle hints of pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, with an enveloping core of fruit, lively acids and a saline finish, it’s a charming, beautifully balanced wine that punches well above its weight.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Fieuzal Blanc is perfumed and light on its feet. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, mint and light tropical accents give this understated, tasty white plenty of appeal.Antonio Galloni | 88-90 AG

Based on 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, the Grand Vin 2020 Château Beychevelle is a stunner that does everything right, offering a monster bouquet of black and blue fruits as well as candied violets, incense, flowers, and toasty oak. A ripe, full-bodied, incredibly sexy wine in every sense, it has a great mid-palate, ripe, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s one of the more up-front, exotic wines in the vintage and should be accessible with just short-term cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDThe wine’s structure and serious tannins are, happily, balanced by the rich generosity of the fruit flavors. Together, the two elements of this very fine wine will allow it to develop with weight and concentration.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEDeep purple-black colored, the 2020 Beychevelle offers up vibrant notes of black raspberries, fresh black cherries and cassis, plus hints of wild sage, chocolate mint, rose hip tea and fallen leaves, with an exotic hint of Indian spices. The medium to full-bodied palate offers layers of crunchy black fruits with a firm, grainy texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and perfumed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPThe 2020 Beychevelle opens with the most exotic bouquet imaginable. Wild flowers of all sorts, spice, lavender and inky dark fruit all saturate the palate. As always, Beychevelle is an overt, flamboyant wine, but all of the elements are so well out together. The 2020 is sexy, alluring and impossible to resist. Time in the glass brings out redder tonalities of fruit along with sweet floral notes that add striking inner perfume. Even as a barrel sample, I am so tempted to just drink it.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMSmoke, grilled almond on the nose, even a touch of rubber from an edge of reduction. This has depth to black chocolate and bilberry fruit, it is well balanced and seductive. Enjoyable, it’s pretty broad shouldered but it sits well within the successful run of vintages at Beychevelle. A yield of 47hl/ha. 18 months ageing. 55% first wine. Drinking Window 2029 - 2044.Decanter | 94 DECSweet-berry and tobacco character with blackberries and violets. It’s full-bodied with firm, polished tannins and a fresh finish. Very fine at the end.James Suckling | 94-95 JS

A return to form in my eyes for Calon Ségur after the atypical 2018, rippling with elegance, balance and savoury blue fruits of Cabernet, with rose and peony flowers. Concentrated, chiselled and juicy, this has clear personality and equals the great, classically balanced vintages of Calon like 2016. A yield of 33hl/ha, 3.85pH, 100% new oak. Vincent Millet is now overall director as well as technical director, since the departure of Laurent Dufau in 2020. Drinking Window 2029 - 2048.Decanter | 98 DECThe powerful tannins of this wine cannot mask the beautiful fruits and acidity. Rather the tannins enhance them, giving structure to the wine’s fine blackberry fruitiness that leaves a refreshing character at the end. With this structure the wine will take its time and will need to age for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2020 Calon-Ségur is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It is aging in 100% new French oak barrels for an anticipated 18 to 20 months. The alcohol is 13.8%. Displaying a deep purple-black color, it straight away springs up with bright scents of freshly picked black raspberries, kirsch and blackberries, needing considerable swirling to reveal a vast array of nuances—rose oil, cardamom, iron ore, graphite, lavender and aniseed. The medium-bodied palate has a solid structure of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the tightly wound red and black fruit layers, accented by lots of mineral and floral sparks, finishing with impressive length and depth. Beautiful, beautiful wine!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97+ RPThe flagship 2020 Château Calon Ségur is also brilliant and certainly brings up the intensity, depth, and richness, although it’s nowhere near the exotic, almost over-the-top style of the 2018. Gorgeous crème de cassis, tobacco, roasted coffee beans, lead pencil, and sappy herbs all define this beauty, which is full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and has incredible purity of fruit. It might have some up-front appeal as well, yet smart money will hide bottles for at least 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDTobacco and tea aromas with currants and wet earth. Full-bodied and chewy with blackcurrant flavor. Tannins build on the finish with lots of structure and intensity. Quite muscular.James Suckling | 95-96 JSThe 2020 Calon Ségur is a dark, brooding wine that is going to need a number of years to become approachable. Black fruit, gravel, smoke, chocolate, leather and licorice give the 2020 its distinctly virile feel. In two separate tastings, the 2020 has come across as quite potent and forbidding. This sample is more convincing than a sample I tasted this past spring, but I still don’t see Calon-Segur as having reached the level that has become customary over the last few vintages.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Fantastic depth of fruit with layers of firm, chewy tannins that are medium-grained and long in the mouth. Full and dynamic. One of the best ever.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThis grand estate that recently changed hands has produced a seriously promising wine. Bold black fruits and dark tannins are just beginning a fine interplay, reinforced by the wine’s acidity. Expect a good future for the wine. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2020 Cantenac Brown is an outrageously beautiful wine. Ample, vertical and soaring in its intensity, the 2020 is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Punchy red berry fruit, lavender, spice, mint and rose petal abound. What I like most about the 2020 is the way it balances fruit intensity with vibrancy and energy. Cantenac Brown is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage.Vinous Media | 94-97 VMSilky with touches of caramel, chocolate, blueberry, raspberries and boysenberries - all those autumnal fruits that have texture and acidity to them, with the signature gloss of Cantenac Brown. Clear peony, violet notes also. A linen texture that slows the passage of the wine through the mouth. Retasted at UGC and this is again good quality, the austerity on the tannins is marked right now, but there is plenty of life ahead here. New owner Tristan le Lous as of 2019, and this wine also includes the new 9.5ha vines of vines from Château Charmant and la Galiane (bought in July 2020). The fermentation was conducted at temperatures 4-5 °C lower than average to preserve fruit. 60% new oak. Harvest 10 to 30 September. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044.Decanter | 93 DECI loved the 2020 Château Cantenac Brown, a pure, medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured Margaux that shines in the vintage. Offering up lots of classy cassis fruits as well as spicy oak, violets, and flowers, it has plenty of mid-palate depth, outstanding balance, and a great finish. There’s no trace of the often firm chewy tannins found in this appellation in 2020, and it’s unquestionably a beautiful wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 92-94 JDDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Cantenac Brown slides effortlessly out of the glass with pronounced notes of licorice, tar, tapenade and fertile loam over a core of warm cassis and plum preserves, with a waft of charcuterie. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing, bursting with crunchy black fruit and herbal sparks with a well-managed, grainy texture, finishing long and earthy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93+ RP

Pure crème de cassis, tobacco, black cherries, lead pencil, and a wonderful sense of minerality emerge from the 2020 Clos Du Marquis, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a pure, elegant texture, plenty of ripe tannins, and the vibrant, focused, lengthy style of the vintage front and center. It’s going to need 4-6 years of bottle age, possibly more, but the balance, purity, and precision are all brilliant. The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, raised in 40% new French oak. The technical information checks in with the alcohol at 13.57%, pH of 3.76, and an IPT of 84. This will be a long-lived Saint-Julien!Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDA tighter, more linear red with blackcurrant, olive and floral character. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a firm, racy finish. Tight. Sweet tobacco. 61% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet franc and 33% merlot.James Suckling | 94-95 JSFragrant black currants give a classic wine that shines with the Cabernet Sauvignon. Its density comes from concentration, offering the potential of density without weight. The wine will age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2020 Clos du Marquis is composed of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, weighing in with an alcohol of 13.57%, a pH of 3.76 and an IPT (tannins index) of 84. The Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from the 26th to 29th of September, the Merlot from the 11th to the 16th of September and the Cabernet Franc from the 18th to the 29th of September. Deep purple-black in color, it bursts from the glass with flamboyant notes of crushed blackberries, ripe, juicy plums and blackcurrant pastilles, with suggestions of licorice, red roses and espresso. The medium-bodied palate is completely coated with perfumed black fruits, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Simply gorgeous.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThis has the most gorgeous savoury fruit edge, a brilliant Marquis with a sappy chalky quality, concentrated and intense but still keeps the St-Julien balance. 40% new oak. Drinking Window 2024 - 2036.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2020 Clos du Marquis is plush, sensual and inviting, with soft contours that make it a real pleasure to taste today. Inky red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal, mint and cedar all take shape as this sexy Saint-Julien shows off its allure. All the elements are so nicely balanced. In 2020, only 25 of the 46 hectares of the property were used for the Grand Vin.Vinous Media | 91-93+ VM

Extremely floral and fruity with currants and blackberries. It’s full-bodied and very layered with delicious, dense character. Full-bodied with dusty, layered tannins. Rich, but not heavy. Long and chewy on the finish. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot and 1% malbec.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThis is a sinewy, powerful and forward-moving wine with a sense of momentum. Moreish, with the elegance and plump damson fruits that Issan delivers so well, but more muscular than some years with the impact of both Petit Verdot and Malbec that are in the blend for the first time in this vintage. These add layers of spice and the overall architecture is clear. Peony and violet notes add a kick upwards on the finish, this has a delicacy even though it is intense. Less Cabernet in the blend in 2020 than in 2019, as is often the case in the Médoc due to low yields. This new blend in Issan will be seen going forward after the addition of plots from the purchase of Château Pontac-Lynch. Drinking Window 2028 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DECThe walled vineyard of Issan has produced a beautifully elegant wine. It has structure while bringing out bright berry fruits and already integrated acidity. The wine has all the elements for long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2020 D’Issan is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, aging in French oak barriques, 50% new. It has an alcohol of 13.29%, a pH of 3.71 and an IPT (tannin index) of 73. Displaying an opaque purple-black color, it has vibrant notes of Bing cherries, boysenberries, ripe redcurrants and juicy black plums, plus hints of pencil shavings, wild thyme, lavender and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate has impressive energy with crunchy red and black fruits and compelling tension, framed by fine-grained tannins, finishing long and mineral laced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2020 d’Issan is the first vintage that incorporates Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec to complement the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the blend. Pretty floral and savory accents complement a core of ripe red/purplish berry fruit. Medium in body and vibrant, with superb persistence, Issan is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. The purity of the flavors is striking. Harvest took place over three weeks between September 17 through October 2, which is only about a week earlier than normal, so not that displaced relative to what was the norm in much of Bordeaux. Tasted three times.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMMore backward, dense, and concentrated, the Grand Vin 2020 Château D’Issan offers darker currant and cassis notes as well as gorgeous floral, sandalwood, graphite, and chocolate nuances. Medium to full-bodied, voluptuous, and layered on the palate, with sweet yet building tannins, this is a gorgeous Margaux that brings ample depth and richness while still showing the classic elegance of the appellation. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec, raised in 50% new oak, and it’s a selection of only 45% of the total production. It’s going to have some up-front appeal and a broad, lengthy drink window over the following 2-3 decades. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95+ JD

(Château Duhart-Milon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Restrained and sombre at first, but carefully constructed, with a rippling muscular texture, full of firm tannins with bright acidities underneath. Like the precision and the slightly austere cool blue fruits, pencil lead and liquorice root. Elegant, precise, feels very Pauillac in its density combined with fine tannins that have life and lift on the finish. Harvest September 9 to 29. First vintage in the new cellar. (Drink between 2028-2042)Decanter | 95 DECThis is so refined with beautiful currant, berry and some subtle chocolate and coffee. It’s full and very subtle with fine tannins that have a long finish. Such purity and finesse with structure. Fresh and savory. 72% cabernet sauvignon and 28% merlot.James Suckling | 95-96 JSLots of tobacco, damp earth, chocolate, and lead pencil notes define the 2020 Château Duhart-Milon. Medium to full-bodied, it has a beautifully balanced mouthfeel, loads of blue and black fruits, and ripe yet certainly present tannins. Its relatively plush, rounded style is not too dissimilar from the 2016, but it offers ample structure as well. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot, and it hit 13% natural alcohol. This is another classic, concentrated, impressive wine from this team.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDFine tannins are in suspension from this beautifully structured wine. Its rich fruit is balanced by the freshness of the vintage, the wine has the depth of flavor without too great a concentration. It is fruity certainly, but so structured that it will age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Duhart-Milon comes skipping out of the glass with vibrant notes of crushed black cherries, black raspberries and plum preserves, plus an exotic spice undercurrent of cumin seed, star anise and cardamom, with an earthy touch of black truffles. The medium-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating, juicy black fruits with a plush texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and spicy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | (91-93)+ RPThe 2020 Duhart-Milon is soft, pliant and wonderfully seductive. Strong Cabernet aromatics open first, lending quite a bit of savory nuance. Bright red/purplish berry fruit, spice, cedar and earthy notes show the vibrant side of this Pauillac’s personality. The 2020 deftly balances ripeness with energy. It’s a terrific example of the year. Yields were 36.5 hectoliters per hectare, more or less in line with the recent past. The 2020 is the first vintage made in the new cellar.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

Richly structured, powered by dark tannins and rich blackberry fruits, this estate has produced a very fine wine this vintage. The structure is considerable while keeping fruitiness and fine acidity in focus. The wine will certainly age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2020 Lafon-Rochet is fabulous. The aromatics along are dazzling. Gracious and yet effusive, with tons of nuance, the 2020 dazzles from start to finish. Inky dark fruit, new leather, spice, lavender and menthol fill the room with soaring intensity. Silky, elegant and so pure, Lafon-Rochet is shaping up to be one of the real under the radar gems of 2020. It’s a terrific effort from Basile Tesseron. Don’t miss it.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMI loved the 2020 Château Lafon-Rochet, a rich, powerful, concentrated Saint-Estèphe that stays beautifully balanced and elegant. Lots of pure cassis and darker currant fruits as well as tobacco, chocolate, and damp herb notes define the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with plenty of mid-palate depth, building tannins, and a great finish. It’s going to take 7-8 years to hit the early stages of maturity, but it’s a brilliant wine. The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with an alcohol of 13.5 and a pH of 3.68. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | (93-95)+ JD(Château Lafon-Rochet, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, Red) Attractive, well-paced fruits, plenty of clarity to the flavours, together with a feeling of linearity to the tannins. Austerity through the mid-palate constrains the brambled cassis fruit, but things build back up again and this is a measured, successful wine that will age well. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. First year with Eric Boissenot accompanying Jean-Claude Berrouet as consultants. (Drink between 2027-2042)Decanter | 93 DECBlackberry and spice with firm, chewy tannins that show polish and focus. It’s medium-to full-bodied with excellent energy. Blackberry and blackcurrant character on the finish with a touch of cedar and spice.James Suckling | 93-94 JS

Exotic fruit aromas of blackberry, blueberry, peach and orange peel. It’s full-bodied with a vertical flow of layered, chewy tannins that are integrated and intense. Extremely polished and focused. Crushed stone to the fruit in the aftertaste. Some bark and forest flowers, too. Great potential.James Suckling | 97-98 JSOn another level, the flagship 2020 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one heck of a dense, backward, concentrated wine that’s going to require bottle age. Coming in with the same technical analysis (acidity and alcohol) as the 2018, this full-bodied beauty offers a thrilling nose of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, charcoal, and gravelly earth. Full-bodied on the palate, with a terrific mid-palate and wonderful purity, it holds things close to its vest yet has flawless balance, impeccable purity, and just a great, lengthy finish. Nevertheless, this is one big bruiser of a wine that’s going to demand bottle age. Do your best to hide bottles for 7-8 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following three to four decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JD(Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, Red) Clear violet edging to the colour, vibrant and enticing. This is elegant and full of personality, with high floral aromatics, a ton of dark fruits, and a blueberry dominance that gives a classic Carmes Haut Brion feel. Slightly austere, slightly bitter, both in the best possible expression of those terms, where it is mouthwatering and moreish. A juicy salinity ensures this is a wine that doesn’t overpower, its flavours are revealed slowly and carefully, tugging backwards, with a texture that heads towards linen rather than silk - meaning that you don’t glide through, you carefully step through well-placed tannins and fruits. There is clear delicacy here, and with 55% whole bunch fermentation - the highest level that they have done to date. 3.62pH (they harvested this at almost 1% ABV higher), fermented with their own natural yeasts. Highest percentage of the two Cabernets on recent record (before 2010 Carmes was regularly at 50% Merlot). Strong candidate for the score moving upwards when in bottle. (Drink between 2028-2048)Decanter | 96 DECDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion issues forth a beguiling array of savory scents—black olives, charcuterie, bouquet garni and Sichuan pepper—over a core of bright redcurrant jelly, black cherries and cassis scents, plus fragrant hints of rose petals and preserved mandarin peel. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing and elegantly styled yet with a rock-solid backbone of firm, finely grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and perfumed. This is a stunning expression of the vintage that should be long lived and age with fantastic grace.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | (95-97)+ RPThe 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is dazzling, but it is also a wine of reserve and understatement. I image it will be some years, at the very least, be fore the 2020 is ready to show all it has to offer. Today, it is not particularly expressive. The aromatics, which are usually so penetrating are quite shy, although the significant presence of Cabernet Franc that distinguishes this wine comes through in its energy and sense of drive. I can’t wait to taste the 2020 from bottle, and won’t be at all surprised if it turns out even better than this note suggests.Vinous Media | (95-97)+ VM

Blackcurrants, orange peel, flowers and tar with hints of graphite. Full-bodied with a creamy texture of exquisitely polished tannins. It goes on and on. Intense flavors at the end, too, with lead pencil and lots of blackberry. Very classic and precise.James Suckling | 98-99 JSBold black fruits and dense, textured tannins are very much in the style of the estate. What is new in this vintage is the extra precision that lifts the wine, bringing together the beautiful black currant flavors of ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with a refined texture of sophisticated tannins. This is an impressive wine, sure to age over many years. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe lowest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend on recent record but the signature of Lynch Bages is very much in play here - tons of liquorice, grippy and charismatic cassis and blueberry fruit with a velvety texture layered with blackcurrant pastilles and rich dark chocolate. This is easily one of the best Pauillacs that I have tasted in the vintage, totally gorgeous. The 33hl/ha yield meant I was worried that it would be too concentrated, but it pulls it off, although you’ve got to assume that they will need to be careful over ageing. Lower alcohol than both 2018 and 2019, a more classical balance in fact. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.73pH, 75% new oak, 18 months in barrel.

(Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) A brilliant Margaux; one that takes a sigh and then releases the huge floral, eucalyptus and crushed mint whoosh that comes in waves though the palate. You get the concentration of the vintage in an entirely positive light, with a suave softness to the tannins that makes it stand head and shoulders above many others. Plenty in common with the 1996 vintage - the knitted down tannins, the completeness, the juicy blackcurrant purity and acidity on the finish, and the certainty of long ageing. Real clarity of flavour. Alcohol level is lower than both the 2018 and 2019, but tannins and anthocyanins are at the same level as in 2018. 36% of overall harvest, and 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. A yield of 36hl/ha. 98-100. (Drink between 2028-2044)Decanter | 99 DECSo floral and perfumed with blackcurrants, blackberries and some asphalt. Full-bodied with super, fine tannins. Extremely refined with great length and intensity. The wonderful combination of refinement and power is already evident. Superb finish. Another great Margaux.James Suckling | 99-100 JSThe 2020 Château Margaux is composed of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, accounting for 36% of the harvest. The alcohol weighs in at 13.5%, the IPT is 80 and the pH is 3.67.Displaying an opaque purple-black color, it needs a lot of air, time and patience to coax out the youthfully reticent nose of blueberry preserves, blackcurrant pastilles and Black Forest cake, followed by suggestions of lavender, clove oil, iron ore and menthol with wafts of star anise and candied violets. The medium to full-bodied palate is wonderfully opulent, featuring tightly wound yet beautifully pure layers of black fruits and earthy nuances within a solid structure of firm yet velvety tannins and exhilarating freshness, finishing with very long-lingering earth and mineral notes. Another stunning expression of the vintage by Philippe Bascaules and his team—bravo!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97-99 RPA stunning, riveting wine, the 2020 Margaux is classic as classic gets. Racy, elegant and super-refined, the 2020 possesses magnificent balance. Inky red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, spice and bright mineral notes build as this super-expressive Margaux builds over time in the glass. The 2020 is not an obvious wine, but then again Château Margaux rarely is. I love the energy and vibrancy here. Margaux is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage in 2020. It’s a tremendous effort from the team led by Estate Manager Philippe Bascaules.Vinous Media | 97-99 VMThe 2020 Château Margaux is a more concentrated, dense wine that has the vintage’s massive dry extract paired with more moderate alcohol levels and building tannins. Blackcurrants, sandalwood, tobacco leaf, and graphite give way to a full-bodied, rich, powerful Château Margaux that’s flawlessly balanced, has a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish. It’s one for the ages, though, and don’t expect much up-front appeal. It almost reminds me of the 1996, yet with slightly more density. It’s a quintessential beauty that will be just about immortal.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDRipe and creamy, this white wine from the Margaux vineyards is full of apple, grapefruit and tangy orange fruit. It also has a good structure with its touch of toast and spice. The wine is clean, clear, very pure and with great balance. Drink from 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

(Château Montrose, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, Red) A serious wall of blueberry and blackberry compote, and a ton of savoury Cabernet sinew and freshness. This is a great Montrose, inky, broad-shouldered and structured. It needs time to aerate and open in the glass, then you see the precision, the heft, the chiselling of the fruits with a ton of graphite, cigar box and campfire smoke - huge persistency. This will need a long time and will reward patience. One of the few where a 1986, 2016 and 2010 comparison makes sense. A yield around 30hl/ha. 1% Petit Verdot, 3.86pH, IPT 80. 45% of the overall production. (Drink between 2029-2050)Decanter | 98 DECJust starting to open, it shows beautiful spices and dark fruit on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied with ultra-fine, integrated tannins and an extremely complex, refined finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSWhile the wine is firm and with powerful tannins it has delicious fruitiness that is more forward than in many vintages of the wine. The fine black currant flavors are underlined by acidity while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives a fine, firm structure to this very direct wine.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

This wine’s floral perfume is matched by generous tannins that surprise by their strength. The fruit flavors offer a mix of black and red berries. They are finely structured and concentrated, balanced by tightly woven acidity. Made from organic and biodynamic grapes.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEVivid colours, and the aromatics grab hold straight away. This is intense and concentrated, elegant, balanced and classical, all about the texture which is velvety and seductive with softly-grained tannins. Moves oh so slowly through the palate with dozens of layers to get hold of. The overall feel is precise, slow and seductive, with appellation and estate signature at every turn. Sappy, hawthorn freshness, rosemary, redcurrant, tobacco, cigar box and dark chocolate shavings on the finish. 3.77pH, 78IPT, 55% of overall production, with 13% press wine. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2020 Palmer, which was matured in 65% new oak, possesses one of the most perfumed bouquets of the vintage with entrancing, seductive scents of black cherries, wild strawberry, iodine and crushed violets, all beautifully delineated (as per usual). The palate is medium-bodied with fine but quite firm tannins, lending this Palmer more backbone than presupposed. Blackberry, graphite and touches of liquorice develop with aeration that build towards an assertive, pencil box-tinged finish that nods towards Pauillac. This is a Palmer destined for long-term ageing, so readers should have a cool damp cellar handy. It is a serious Palmer, very different from the previous two vintages, not a mix of the two, but content in just being itself. 14.1% alcohol.Vinous Media | 96-98 VM