Type of Wines

wines

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is clearly one of the successes in the vintage. With a deep purple hue as well as gorgeous aromatics of ripe blackcurrants, darker chocolate, roasted herbs, and graphite, it hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied texture, a round, layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s a classic, ripe, textured, stunningly balanced 2022 that will drink beautifully over two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDJust bottled, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is an attractive wine. Crushed flowers, red cherry, red plum, lavender and spice open nicely. The 2022 shows the mid-weight structure of the year, with fine balance and an understated personality that is typical of this vintage. Readers will find an enjoyable wine but one that clearly lacks the dimension and dynamic energy of the very finest vintages.Vinous Media | 93 VMOffers a dark plum and warmed cassis core coated with melted black licorice, all backed by burnished alder and walnut husk accents. A spectre of scorched earth lurks on the finish, but with the fruit to handle it. An admirable effort. Drink now through 2036. 550 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

From blue marls with a high share of calcium and magnesium and aged in doppelstücks (2,400 liters), the 2022 Ried Zieregg Kår GSTK is spectacularly deep, intense and ripe on the saline and enormously mineral as well as lemony (and yeasty) nose. Full-bodied, enormously saline and mineral on the palate, this is an intense and bitter, all in all still abstract but tensioned and saline or mineral Ziregg with huge complexity and aging potential. Tasted as a sample in April 2025.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThis shows wildly dark, spicy and smoky aromas of tobacco, ash, black currants, ginseng, kaffir lime leaves and citrus brightness. It’s medium- to full-bodied with deep, salty and spicy intensity. Very long, tense and savory. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS

The 2022 from Chasse-Spleen is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. An elegantly framed aromatic profile here, smoky, dark, delicately peppery, with a rather elegantly defined and crystalline core of fruit encased within, the combination nothing short of enticing. The palate follows up with a highly polished and coherent composition, with elegantly polished substance, plenty of fresh energy, with a firm and grippy backbone of tannin providing some grip, but it is the upper layers of currant, liquorice and damson fruits which remain dominant. The tannins give great support though, firm but appropriate, and they linger long into the finish. An impressive Chasse-Spleen, combining floral and perfumed individuality with density and structure;it will need a long time to come around. Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is 13.4%.The Wine Independent | 95 TWIAn excellent Chasse-Spleen that shows fine sweet spices and creamy yet vibrant plums and cassis. Lovely precision, with minerals and berries on the palate. Bright and refined, with dense, chalky tannins and a lengthy finish. Drink from 2027.James Suckling | 94 JSJuicy and fleshy, this has a soft bouncy core of ripe blackcurrant fruit with menthol, spiced herb and clove accents. Tannins are grippy in just the right places and this has a wide and open mouthfeel. It’s on the plush side in terms of texture but maintains a cool and fresh core. Enjoyable. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThe 2022 Chasse-Spleen presents a promising, quite burly bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and hints of marmalade unfolding in the glass. The palate is fresh on the entry with grippy tannins. It feels a little stricter than it did in barrel, showing more austerity on the finish, but I appreciate the tension and ample length. Give this time to prove itself.Vinous Media | 92+ VMThe 2022 Chasse-Spleen offers up aromas of sweet plums, berries and licorice, framed by a deft touch of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, with lively acids and powdery tannins, it’s taut and youthfully structured, exhibiting a touch less immediate charm than I anticipated en primeur.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RPRipe currants, spicy oak, graphite, and leather notes all define the 2022 Château Chasse-Spleen, another Moulis that has beautiful richness and depth. It’s medium-bodied, nicely balanced, has fine tannins, and outstanding length. This outstanding Moulis is based on 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in 40% new barrels. It should have 20 years of overall longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

The wide spectrum of citrus, crisp pear and stone fruit aromas announces a remarkable achievement for an entry-level wine. Excellent depth on the racy, medium-bodied palate where the chalky minerality beautifully counterpoints the cool fruit. Crisp, long finish with so much vitality. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2022 Riesling is from countless vineyards between Scherwiller in the north and the Vallé Noble in the south and mainly based on marl limestone soils. The nose is clear, fresh and intensely aromatic and even displays some Muscat and herbal/stony aromas, which makes it more than just Riesling. On the palate, this is a dry but round and textured, quite rich, intense and powerful yet certainly elegant, savory and stimulating Riesling with food-friendly grip, salts and tension on the crisp finish. 12.8% alcohol. Screw-cap closure. Tasted at the domaine in April 2024.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPTrimbach’s basic Riesling shows the producer’s long experience and know-how with the grape variety. After being handpicked, the grapes were vinified in stainless steel and bottled quickly under screwcap. The wine then aged for a year in bottle before release. It’s a classic expression, youthful and fresh but with a hit of petrol on the nose as the wine starts to mature and evolve. Aromatic with juicy and tangy lime zestiness, bone dry and very moreish. Very well priced too.Decanter Magazine | 91 DECThe 2022 Riesling is blended from the estate and bought fruit from across Alsace with a sizeable portion of Grand Cru vineyards, plus the fruit from young estate vines and Grands Cru fruit that was brought in, mostly from limestone soils, but with some sandstone and volcanic elements. A lovely crackle of flint blends with a touch of chamomile and radiant dried lemon notes, making for an aromatic nose. The palate is juicy, bouncing with energy, with a slight astringency as of citrus peel and pith that bundles this exuberance. The 2022 shows gorgeous tension, lovely dryness and oh so much energy. (Bone-Dry)Vinous Media | 90 VM

Bottled in late July. Pale lemon colour. A pure and fresh bouquet, mostly white fruit. Particularly stony this year behind a raft of white apple fruit, plenty of energy, starting to soften at the back. Middleweight plus, quite attractive. Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

TOP VALUE Jessiaume is using the 2ha of domaine vines it recently recovered from a sharecropping contract to produce this lovely wine with aromatic raspberry fruit and a floral edge. Supple and approachable, with a pleasant sweetness to the fruit, structure and freshness. A noticeable step up from the other village-level bottlings. Organic.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThis red Santenay has a crisp acidity, but there’s excellent concentration and finely nuanced red-fruit aromas that easily balance this. Cool and elegant on the medium-bodied palate, where the fine-grained tannins, fruit and freshness neatly interlock. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2022 Santenay La Cassière has a pleasant bouquet with wild strawberry and raspberry fruit and some judicious and prudent use of new oak (20%). The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit, more harmonious, and unlike the Vieilles Vignes, the finish has more substance. Drink over 4-6 years.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMFrom a plot below La Maladière, recovered by the domaine in 2021. An attractive lighter purple colour. This is an elegant style of Santenay. Quite nuanced, pleasing light red fruits, enough acidity and good length. Very far from rustic! Tasted Oct 2023.Jasper Morris | 87-90 JM

This bright, savory white has aromas of pineapple, salted olives, lemon rind, wild herbs and salted crackers. So fresh, minerally and saline, with a medium body and wonderful meadow-herb freshness. Electric. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2022 Ried Grassnitzberg Riff 1STK Sauvignon Blanc is enormously aromatic on the nose, with passion fruit, papaya and ripe, lush peach aromas. Full-bodied, intense and fresh on the palate, with remarkable finesse and purity and highly stimulating salinity with tonic lemon notes, this is a beautifully distinctive Sauvignon Blanc from east/southeast-facing terraces climbing from 330 to 399 meters above sea level (inclination: 33% to 40%). The wine is remarkably light, finessed and elegant and thoroughly Styrian in its coolish and even herbal character. 13% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at 1,450 meters above sea level in Lech/Arlberg in August 2025.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

A lovely, rich and supple Bourgogne Blanc, with aromas of ripe apple, nectarine and white blossoms. The texture is silky and delicate, yet there is impressive extract that will make for perfect drinking over the next several years. The grapes come from 5ha spread over eight parcels. Paul Delorme was delighted with the results, particularly the moderate alcohol and crisp acidity. A marvellous introduction to the domaine.Decanter Magazine | 93 DEC

Aromas of lemons, pie crust and a salty, minerally edge. Austere yet voluminous, incisive and saline, it shows a medium- to full-bodied structure, with an attractive interplay of freshness and nervy texture that drives the finish. This comes from a vineyard planted on decomposed gneiss soil in Sanxenxo. This wine should evolve beautifully with time in the bottle. Already drinkable. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSThe nose of the 2022 Leirana O Pradiño is very expressive and complex, different, with notes of quince, smoke and citrus, and the palate is marked by the soils, beautifully textured, tasty and long, with great balance, a little more volume and a harmonious finish. It comes from a single vineyard in the village of Sanxenxo. The wine matured for 12 months in a 600-liter barrel. 750 bottles were produced. It was bottled in August 2023.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPThe 2022 Albariño Leirana O Pradiño, from Salnés, Rías Baixas, is planted on gneiss soils with ample sun exposure. Golden in color, it reveals resin and ripe stone fruit aromas. Compact on the palate, it shows intense freshness, a creamy mid-palate and a lingering saline finish. Refined and distinctive.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The Beaux Monts from Hudelot-Noëllat is another level of richness and depth in 2022, with a pronounced mulberry and fig fruit aroma touched with earth, smoke and spice. The wine is dense and tannic, impressively muscular for this appellation. One can only imagine the secret is the old vines and judicious punching down; Van Canneyt farms 0.3 hectares at the top of the slope; otherwise, it is a cool terroir. The grapes were partially destemmed and firmly punched down before ageing in cask (25% new).Decanter Magazine | 95 DECRuby purple in colour, with an intensity on the nose well ahead of its predecessors. The Beaumonts goes into the mouth discreetly, then blossoms, offering summer pudding fruits with vivacious acidity, an excellent balance here. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMAromas of plums, red berries, orange zest, exotic spices and potpourri preface the 2022 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts, a medium to full-bodied, deep and layered wine with a concentrated core of fruit that’s framed by sweet, powdery tannins. It’s pure and complete.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2022 Vosne-Romanée Les Beaumonts 1er Cru has red and black fruit, plus a touch of shucked oyster shell and Japanese nori. Impressive delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a pretty and relatively delicate Les Beaumonts. It is sapid and quite linear, maybe needing a little more grip on the finish. Give it 3-4 years once in bottle. Again, I think this will gain weight during its élevage.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA more deeply pitched and spicier, if perhaps slightly less elegant, nose is comprised by notes of exotic tea, sandalwood and an interesting hint of star anise. Here too the medium-bodied flavors possess a really lovely and sophisticated texture yet no lack of power on the intensely mineral-driven, dusty and youthfully austere finale. Excellent quality in an equally age-worthy package.Burghound | 91-94 BH

This exquisite wine has intense red and black fruit aromas with a floral edge and an almost salty savoury intensity. The texture is silky but tightly wound. It is commonly thought that the upper part of Suchots is superior, but this version gives that idea the lie. Here, the 100-year-old vines in the domaine’s 0.45-hectare parcel make the wine special, along with Van Caneyt’s very able winemaking. This wine should open well in three to five years and will undoubtedly last another 40 (at least) beyond that.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECThe 2022 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots is one of the highlights of the range this year. Wafting from the glass with aromas of plums, cassis, orange zest and exotic spices and framed by a deft application of new oak, it’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated and multidimensional, with terrific depth, velvety tannins and a long, broad finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2022 Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru has an overtly floral bouquet with rose petals and violets complementing the red fruit. It’s vivacious as it was in barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy, succulent tannins and iodine touches. The finish needs a little more complexity and nerve. Tasted at the Stannary Wines dinner in London with Charles van Canneyt.Vinous Media | 92 VMOnce again the nose is wonderfully fresh and even spicier with its aromas of poached plum and liqueur-like dark pinot fruit that is also tinged with exotic tea wisps. There is noticeably better density to the caressing and seductively textured yet decided powerful flavors that brim with dry extract before concluding in a moderately austere and hugely long finale. This too is quite compact and very much built to repay extended keeping.Burghound | 92-94 BHA distinguished crimson purple. The oak is a little more apparent, and the fruit a riper, fleshier raspberry. Oak continues to take a hand but the fruit stays with it. Lower acidity in the Suchots, at least by taste. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

Fresh bright purple. What a radiant nose, all the heady joy of Vosne, such stylish bright ripe cherry fruit with some mixed red berries behind. Seamless texture and very long. Sheer class. Tasted Dec 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMContaining 20% whole bunches, the 2022 Vosne-Romanée Village has a tightly wound and "correct" bouquet. It lets the Morey-Saint-Denis Village take the limelight at the moment, red and black fruit combined, a little more sous-bois than expected. The palate is medium-bodied with a core of lively, peppery red berry fruit, blood orange and a pinch of white pepper on the finish. A step up from the 2021, this will give a decade’s drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMAn overtly spicy nose is comprised by darker fruit that includes plum and black cherry along with violet and sandalwood hints. There is a really lovely texture to the caressing but punchy middleweight flavors that deliver equally good length on the youthfully austere and even more refined finale. This too is exceptionally good for its level.Burghound | 89-92 BH

Bize owns 2.1 hectares here, including a half-hectare of Chardonnay. The red has an explosive blackberry and wild strawberry fruit aroma with hints of fresh and dried flowers, earth, and cigar leaf. The texture is tannic and firm but less tightly-wound than the 2020s. Fermentation is done as whole clusters; the wine is aged in cask, with just 5 – 10% new. When finished, this delicious wine should be approachable earlier than some vintages have been.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Vergelesses 1er Cru has a complex and perhaps cerebral nose: dark berry fruit, black pepper, green tea and light scents of damp moss/forest floor. This unfurls beautifully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins framing gorgeous dark berry fruit, a little peppery in style, quintessentially Savigny with a very persistent finish. Everything you want from a Savigny Premier Cru (and more).Vinous Media | 93-95 VMHalf in a foudre, half in a barrel. Pale colour with a faint green streak. The reduction is keeping the wine tense, while the fruit on the palate is immediately engaging. Ripe limes, fresh apple, a certain sensuality behind, and an excellent long finish. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMCool, fresh and bright aromas of red currant, cherry, warm earth and a hint of spice are trimmed in a plethora of floral elements. The rich, velvety and solidly voluminous flavors possess the best concentration in the range while displaying focused power on the firm, serious, moderately austere and very much built to age finale. This is a buy and forget it wine for at least 7 to 8 years.Burghound | 90-93 BH

A total of one hectare is planted in Fournaux. The vines from the top of the slope in stony soils are blended with those from the deeper clay at the base. All the grapes are fermented as whole clusters and are ageing in mainly used casks to create this wine with a bright mulberry and pomegranate fruit aroma underpinned by saline minerality and a hint of savoury game. The texture is firm with grippy tannins and good length.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe 2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Fournaux 1er Cru is more closed on the nose compared to the Grands Liards, yet it is still well-defined with black plum and bilberry fruit, intermingling with sous-bois and a touch of crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It’s an elegant Savigny, not powerful, but armed with reassuring persistence on the white pepper-tinged finish. Lovely.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMAn even fresh purple. At first there is not much nose but a little fresh raspberry fruit begins to emerge. The Fournaux 2022 delivers a rounded raspberry and strawberry fruit across the palate with sterner tannins at the finish, and still a good acid balance. Tasted Nov 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-92 JMMore somber, even brooding, aromas of various dark berries, warm earth and a touch of the sauvage enjoy a floral top note. There is notably better punch, though not better density, to the powerful and serious medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate with firm tannins on the built-to-age finale.Burghound | 89-91 BH

The 2022 Château Clinet showed beautifully, with an almost Médoc-like style in its darker cassis, graphite, cedar pencil, and tobacco aromas and flavors. Full-bodied on the palate, it has ripe, velvety tannins, a round, layered mouthfeel, and remarkable purity. Pomerol was one of the erratic appellations in 2022, but this beauty does everything right and brings a beautiful mix of richness and elegance. It should round into form with just short-term bottle age and evolve for two decades. The blend is the usual 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDStreamlined and sleek, silky smooth but also gorgeously textured, clean and clear with grip and interest. Less fleshy and chewy than some, more charming and elegant with tannins that have a weight in the mouth. There is clear power and concentration underneath the juicy acidity with a straight backbone and direct energy from start to finish. Appealing layers of salinity, blackcurrant fruit, creamy vanilla, cool cola touches and crushed stones on the finish. Feels well made and sophisticated. 3.74pH. A yield of 34hl/ha. Earliest harvest ever starting on 6 September for Merlot and 20 and 21 September for Cabernet Sauvignon.Decanter | 96 DECA blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that represents the earliest harvest in this estate’s history (beginning on September 6), the 2022 Clinet is a success, offering up aromas of cherries and dark berries mingled with hints of spices and a discreet patina of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, it’s impressively vibrant, with a rich core of fruit framed by powdery tannins from judicious extraction. This has more in common with the more refined 2018 and 2019 vintages at this address than with the powerhouse 2020, and that is no mean feat in an even more extreme vintage. Bravo to Ronan Laborde and his team.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPThe 2022 Clinet is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon picked from 6-21 September at around 34hL/ha. There were apparently many bunches, but the berries were small. Aged in 80% new oak and 20% 2nd fill barrels, the 2022 offers black fruit on the nose with traces of Japanese nori probably emanating from the Cabernet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well-judged acidity and a fine backbone that gently grips the mouth. This is a linear Pomerol with impressive delineation on the almost pastille-like finish. I appreciate this Clinet’s persistence and discrete spiciness on the aftertaste. Excellent. But it is a vintage that requires time in bottle.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMA very fine and polished red with silky tannins, medium body and a savory finish. Hints of hazelnut to the currant and berry fruit.James Suckling | 94-95 JSThe 2022 Clinet is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, aging in 80% new oak. It was harvested from harvest from the 6th to the 21st of September and yields were 34 hl/ha. Deep garnet-purple in color, it storms out of the glass with powerful notes of plum preserves, crème de cassis, and boysenberries, leading with suggestions of sandalwood, mossy tree bark, sassafras, and mocha with a waft of tar. The full-bodied palate is rich and densely laden with black fruit preserves, supported by firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and opulent. This is a wonderfully decadent wine that will be very long-lived but will require some patience.The Wine Independent | 94-96+ TWI

Stunning aromas of blackcurrants, dark mushrooms and black cherries with forest-floor notes. Full body that fills your mouth with fine, caressing tannins and dark, flavorful fruit. The tannins are very intense and structural, spreading across the palate in layers and giving intensity and energy. Plenty of energy and verve here. This has gravity, too.James Suckling | 98 JSThe deeply colored and glass-staining 2022 Château Giscours is packed with cassis, black cherries, violets, and graphite-like aromatics. Medium to full-bodied, it’s concentrated and intense, with beautifully ripe tannins, a pure, graceful mouthfeel, and a long, structured finish. There’s serious depth here, and while it already shows remarkable balance, I suspect it will shut down for a period before emerging as a classic Margaux a decade or so after the vintage. This beauty is going to be long-lived, and you can expect at least 30-40 years of prime drinking.Jeb Dunnuck | 97+ JDA seriously impressive and beguiling Giscous in 2022 and one of the most elegant. A remarkable wine with gorgeous clarity and purity and just the most gentle seduction, even more so because it really doesn’t feel as if it’s trying too hard yet still delivering depth and complexity. Fresh and lifted, fragrant and so juicy but with textured tannins that give both the weight, structure and density to the quite bright, tangy, vibrant fruit. Nicely composed, feels quite powerful yet restrained and finessed offering lots of immediate drinking appeal but with a serious backbone that suggests long ageing too. Elegant, fineseed, subtle confidence with such cool minerality that gives freshness all the way through. It’s not the most dense, or fleshy, but so refined. A compelling wine. Possible upscore in bottle. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.70pH. A yield of 27hl/ha, the lowest ever. No Sirene de Giscours this year. 100% grand vin. Ageing 17 months, 50% new oak. 10-15% press wine. Tasted twice.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Giscours was picked between 1 and 29 September, one of the earliest ever, with no SO2 added until blending and using bio-protection (yeasts) to protect the must. It has a delightful and sensual bouquet with lifted, violet and peony-scented blueberry and black cherry fruit. This is very well-defined and perhaps the purest I have encountered from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with a disarming silky texture, harmonious and focused. It’s mineral-driven with a poised and pixelated finish. Certainly, this represents one of the best wines from this Margaux estate in recent years, echoing their golden period of the 60s and early 70s. Tasted twice with consistent notes.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMWarmed cassis and plum notes form the core, while lilting lilac, violet and iris accents stream throughout. Offers a flash of black tea on the finish, along with a beguiling, cashmere-like mouthfeel. Judicious toast lets it all play out beautifully. A pitch-perfect example of the vintage profile. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 95 WSWith the 2022 Giscours, this estate takes another step up, delivering a deep and characterful wine redolent of cherries, dark berries, violets, peony and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, broad shouldered and layered, it’s deep and elegantly muscular, with impressive concentration, abundant but refined tannins and a structural authority reminiscent of the great Giscours vintages of the 1970s. Why is it so good? There are many reasons, but one is the high proportion of old vines—almost 60% of the blend deriving from vines that are over 50 years old—in a vintage that favored vines with deep, well-established root systems. Another is the increasing precision of harvesting at this address: Giscours’s old vines are frequently co-planted with younger replacements that have filled any gaps in the ranks over the years; so, blocks are now picked in two or three passages instead of all at once, with the younger vines picked first.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPA blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Giscours has a pH of 3.7 and 13.6% alcohol. It has a deep garnet-purple color and bursts with notes of baked black plums, warm cassis, and blackberry preserves, giving way to subtle suggestions of sassafras, roses, and Sichuan pepper. The delicately played medium-bodied palate is soft-spoken and refreshing, featured very fine, silt-like tannins and seamless freshness to frame the subtle red and black berry layers, finishing on a mineral note. If you love blockbusters, look elsewhere, this is all about grace. Note that no second wine (La Sirène de Giscours) was made in 2022 and the yield for Giscours was just 27 hl/ha.The Wine Independent | 94-96 TWI

Another excellently consistent wine from Gruaud in 2022 that gives terroir typicality with crystalline purity and such overall charm. Smooth and supple, silky but firm, generous but serious. Gorgeous acidity keeps the palate lifted and fresh while the concentrated fruit and quite present tannins give the structure and frame. I love the detail and purity, powerful and strong but refined. Direct with energy and juicy, vibrant acidity. Mineral, graphite and liquorice aspects grip the palate and linger on the finish with soft spices. Has a very moreish quality with approachability but the racy core and intense backbone suggests long ageing potential. 3.8pH. 3.45g/l total acidity. 40% production. 13% press wine (only Cabernet Sauvignon).Decanter | 97 DECThe 2022 Gruaud Larose was picked from 7 to 24 September and includes a little more pressed wine this year: 13.5% exclusively from Cabernet Sauvignon due to the quality. This latest vintage matured for a planned 18 months in 95% new oak. Significantly, this is the first year under organic certification (notice two storks on the label signifying this. Maybe they are carrying a little Gruaud baby?) At 13.64% alcohol, this is less than many other properties for those seeking slower intoxication. It has an impressive bouquet with pure blackberry and raspberry fruit, black truffle and sous-bois scents. I am impressed by its delineation and focus; frankly, these are the nicest aromatics I’ve encountered for a while at this address. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins. I cannot remember a Gruaud at this nascent stage that exhibits this level of energy and tension deriving from the Cabernet Sauvignon extracted at the beginning of vinification. There’s much more precision here. Mineral-driven toward the finish, this easily surpasses vintages made at the estate over the last decade and more. Perhaps like the legendary Gruauds of old (1982, 1961, 1928, even 1870)? Gruaud reborn.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThe progress at this estate continues with the terrific 2022 Gruaud Larose, a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc that unfurls in the glass with deep aromas of minty blackberries, violets and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it’s elegantly muscular, with a broad attack that segues into a concentrated mid-palate framed by supple, powdery tannins. Richer and more brooding than its 2020 and 2019 counterparts, it confirms Gruaud’s return to the Saint-Julien élite. Around one-third of the production made it into the grand vin this year, the château’s first with organic certification.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPA blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Gruaud Larose is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs some coaxing to bring out scents of wild blueberries, blackcurrant jelly, and black raspberries, with touches of garrigue, dried mint, underbrush, and dusty soil. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with bright, youthful black fruits and evocative mineral sparks, framed by grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing earthy. 40% of the year’s production went into the first wine.The Wine Independent | 94-96 TWI

A real success of the vintage that manages to deliver a bold, structured, concentrated and powerful wine with real terroir signature. You get the impression it’s from a warm vintage, but I love the fact you have texture, volume and weight but keeping the finesse. Fragranced black fruit and purple floral notes with soft medicinal herbal touches on the nose. Sleek and supple, tannins make the impression with juicy blackcurrants, black cherries and strawberries. Excellent tannin definition, they’re filling, massy and round, almost plush but accented by acidity and freshness. Strong signature, you know you’re in gravel with Cabernet. Juicy, clean, pure, but with bite and intensity. I love the dark savoury notes too, the cough syrup, liquorice, clove, tobacco and cigar box elements, complex and captivating. 4% press. 3.65pH 30% whole bunch Petit Verdot in the blend. Potential upsore in bottle. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak barrels;Decanter | 97 DECThe polish, texture, complexity and patina are very impressive and fascinating. So spicy and interesting with so much going on. Medium body with wonderfully integrated tannins that are cut and nicely chiselled already. Lemon and violet. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.James Suckling | 97-98 JSMoving to the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. This ripe, powerful, concentrated wine reminds me of the 2010 with its structure, concentrated mid-palate, and just sheer density and regal, full-bodied style on the palate. Despite its size, it stays balanced, has a beautiful perfume of sweet black fruits, graphite, scorched earth, and spring flowers, building tannins, and a great, great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThe 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte was cropped at 29hL/ha between 5 and 30 September, undergoing half the extraction, aged in 60% new oak for a planned 18 months. It is fragrant and very pure on the nose: beautiful blackberry, raspberry and liquorice. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, very elegant and focused, fine-boned with an exceptionally pure and caressing tobacco-tinged finish. This is going to grow to be a wonderful, delicious Smith Haut Lafitte. 14.5% alcohol.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThe 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, with a yield of 29 hl/ha and aging in 60% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of shaking to wake up notes of blackcurrant jelly, redcurrant preserves, boysenberries, and pencil lead, followed by suggestions of lilacs, Sichuan pepper, and cedar chest. The full-bodied palate is built like a skyscraper, delivering mouth-coating black fruits with red berry sparks supported by rock-solid, firm tannins, finishing very long and with a refreshing mineral lift. pH 3.70.The Wine Independent | 95-97+ TWIThe 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte opens in the glass with attractive aromas of cassis, spices, tobacco, graphite and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that is deep and layered, with good depth and powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the finish. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot will require some patience, given its somewhat extracted style.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-95 RP

Pale colour. The bouquet shows a bit of white fruit but is quiet. Quite intense on the palate, more tightly wound, almost a tannic touch. Patrick says not atypical here, along with their hard pressing. Interesting complexity with length. Drink from 2027-2033. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JMA rich style, this white offers yellow plum, melon and fresh herb flavors, with an underlying mineral note. Shows fine balance and length, ending with a tangy, mouthwatering feel. Drink now through 2028. 300 cases made, 47 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2022 Chablis Fôrets 1er Cru has a more backward bouquet with touches of greengage and white flowers, later a hint of wild mint. The palate is well-balanced with a sapid entry and fine depth and acidity. It is quite strict towards the finish with a saline aftertaste. Good potential, but this will need time.Vinous Media | 90+ VMProminent smoky reduction notes dominate the nose today. More interesting are the sleek and relatively refined middleweight flavors that possess an equally lovely texture if not the same depth on the otherwise similarly long finale. Note that this should drink well on the younger side if desired.Burghound | 90 BH

An even more floral and cooler nose grudgingly reflects notes of mineral reduction, iodine and oyster shell. The ultra-sleek, vibrant and beautifully textured medium weight flavors retain excellent delineation while exhibiting outstanding length on the bone-dry, youthfully austere and sneaky long finale. Like several wines in the range, more depth would be advantageous but this is already exceptionally pretty.Burghound | 93 BHPale in colour. The bouquet is discreet at first, almost austere, but then develops some honeysuckle. Excellent tension, sun on the stones, ripe yellow fruit, very good acidity. Totally authentic Montée de Tonnerre. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

The 2022 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru has a lovely nose that is a mixture of white and yellow flowers, wet stone and hints of chalk. The palate is very well-balanced with a slightly tangy entry, fresh and saline, with plenty of substance on the finish. There is a real panache here.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis comes from the entry to the valley where there is very little topsoil. Patrick explains the relative austerity of this wine by the proximity of the mother rock. Very pure Chablis approach here, all in white fruit, with good grip behind. Plenty to work with here, needs time. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JMThe 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is a pretty, perfumed wine, bursting with aromas of peach, orange zest and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and charming, with a bright but generous core of fruit, it will make for appealing drinking out of the gates.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPHere too smoky reduction is all that can be discerned on the nose. By contrast, and as one would reasonably expect, there is a finer texture to the lightly stony if less powerful flavors that also offer reasonable length of limited depth.Burghound | 90 BH

Aromas of pear, honeycomb and dried white flowers introduce Piuze’s 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming wine that’s seamless and enveloping, offering considerable early appeal.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2022 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru Les Minots has a lovely bouquet with orange blossom, Golden Delicious and light saffron aromas. The palate is well-balanced with a slightly honeyed opening, a little more exotic in style, yet it retains the essence of Chablis. There’s a very slight reduction that plays to its advantage on the finish. Highly recommended.Vinous Media | 92 VMMinots or Mélinots is the hottest part at the end of the valley. Mid lemon yellow. There is a clear pure ripe apple fruit, a slight marine note alongside, fresh and vigorous. A wealth of white fruit through the middle, with plenty of energy behind, and a very long finish. Drink from 2026-2032. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92 JMMinots is another spelling for the climat Mélinots which was originally known as Les Minos; it is generally considered to be the warmest of all of the climats within Vaillons yet curiously the wines always seem to retain good acidityBurghound | 91 BHGreen plum, Honeydew melon, peach and vanilla flavors pick up a hint of the sea in this round, open, balanced white, which ends with a moderately long finish. Drink now through 2028. 330 cases made, 83 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Elegant and ripe yet cool aromas include those of a blend of white orchard fruit, spice, citrus confit and a hint of seaweed character. The utterly delicious bigger-bodied flavors brim with sappy dry extract that adds a sense of power to the sappy and palate coating finish that offers notably better depth and persistence. The Butteaux is quite good but the Vaulorent is at another level.Burghound | 93 BHMid lemon yellow. The nose shows evidence of the yellow fruit style of the right bank. Indeed, a very classy bouquet, while the fruit builds in volume on the palate, offering generosity without sucrosity, very digestible, excellent length of aftertaste and fine typicity. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 93 JMThe 2022 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has a clean and precise bouquet with touches of nutmeg, desiccated orange peel, and chalky notes. The palate is very well-balanced with a sapid entry, quite powerful, with impressive density on the finish. Bit of a powerhouse, but a delicious powerhouse.Vinous Media | 92 VMAromas of pear, freshly baked bread, iodine and hazelnuts preface the 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent, a medium to full-bodied, ample and layered wine that’s richer and more unctuous than normal, reflecting the warmth of the vintage. If it tightens up with some time in bottle, it will make my score look conservative.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPGreen plum, Honeydew melon, peach and vanilla flavors pick up a hint of the sea in this round, open, balanced white, which ends with a moderately long finish. Drink now through 2028. 330 cases made, 83 cases imported.Wines Spectator | 90 WS