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The 1990 Le Pavilion is as compelling as the 1989. It exhibits slightly less opulence, but more power and weight. Black colored, with an extraordinary perfume of licorice, sweet blackcurrants, smoke, and minerals, it coats the palate with layer upon layer of decadently rich, superconcentrated, nearly viscous Syrah flavors. There is amazing glycerin, a chewy, unctuous texture, and phenomenal length. The tannins, which are considerable when analyzed, are virtually obscured by the massive quantities of fruit. I hope I live to see the day when Chapoutier's 1990 Ermitage Le Pavilion, Chave's 1990 Hermitage, and Jaboulet's 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle are fully mature! What a trio of wines these three producers have produced from this historic appellation! My best guess for the aging potential of the Ermitage Le Pavilion is that it is more forward than both the Chave and Jaboulet Hermitages, but should you have the good fortune to find a bottle or two, do not open it for at least 7-10 years. It should last for 30-40 years. Last tasted 12/95.Robert Parker | 100 RP

One of the most singular Bordeaux I have ever tasted, it verges on being port-like, but it pulls back because of the extraordinary minerality and laser-like focus. The wine is massively concentrated, still black/purple-hued to the rim, and offers a nose of incense, blackberries, blueberry liqueur, acacia flowers, and forest floor. It reveals low acidity and high tannins, which are largely concealed by the sheer concentration and lavish glycerin the wine possesses. Aging at a glacial pace, it is approachable, but it will not hit its peak until 2020; it should last for twenty years thereafter. Release price: ($1200.00/case)Robert Parker | 100 RPLiquid cashmere. Stupendous St.-Emilion. Dark ruby color. Wonderful aromas of blackberries, preserved cherries, Indian spices and violets. Full-bodied, with fabulously polished tannins and a long, long finish.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2006. 3,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSParker made this wine a legend when he gave it 100 points on release. And I have had perfect bottles in my life of it. BTW, the 1989 is almost as good. This bottle that I had this week in Hong Kong was very, very closed and not giving the opulent character that I have encountered in this wine. It had been decanted three hours in advance and I still triple decanted it after tasting it because it was so shy on the palate. The 1990 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarosse seems to be going through a dumb period right now but it shows some fascinating dried fruit, mushroom and earth character. It’s full and chewy. I would leave it for a year or so and come back. A living, sort of bitchy wine at the moment.James Suckling | 96 JSDeep ruby to the rim. Extravagant aromas of black fruits, violets, and toffee. Voluptuous and sweet; this has outstanding concentration but with so much baby fat there’s little delineation on the palate. Finishes with a kick of alcohol and substantial ripe tannins. Very dense, but while a flight of other top right-bank wines were sending off fireworks in the glass, this chunky wine sat like a lump of coal.Vinous Media | 91 VM

This is one of my favorite wines ever. Full-bodied, with layers of silky fruit and masses of currant, mineral and berry character. Amazing. It’s a wine with perfect structure, perfect strength. It’s 1961 Latour in modern clothes. It’s hard not to drink it now. ’89/’90 Bordeaux non-blind horizontal. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 100 WSThen, the 1990 Latour arrives. Powerful and dense to the core, the 1990 possesses superb density for a wine of its age. Despite its considerable depth, the 1990 remains light on its feet for such a big wine. I imagine the 1990 Latour will drink well for another thirty years. What a wine.Vinous Media | 98 AG(Château Latour) The 1990 vintage from Château Latour is a superb example of this ripe and more forward year, with the torrid growing season having put its imprimatur on the wine a bit in its slightly more forward and plush style, without ever impinging upon the classic Latour house style. The bouquet is tremendously deep and expressive, offering up scents of cassis, blackberries, tobacco, gravelly soil tones, a hint of violets, cedar and a blossoming topnote of cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and simply packed at the core, with superb focus and grip, lovely complexity and a very long, ripely tannic and already fairly pliable finish. This wine has plenty of structure for the long haul, but it does not possess the classic sternness of vintages of Latour from the fifties or sixties, nor of wines made in the last decade or so. That said, it is probably the finest Left Bank wine of the 1990 vintage. (Drink between 2016-2060).John Gilman | 96 JGThis is one of the more perplexing Latours to evaluate. It has plenty of sweetness as well as a gorgeous, rich fruitiness, but it lacks the firmness one finds in more recent great vintages such as 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008. There is plenty of sweet, ripe currant fruitiness, abundant glycerin, and full body, but I’m still waiting for that extra nuance of complexity to emerge. It’s all there, but the wine still seems to be more monolithic than one would expect in a wine approaching 19 years of age. It is not the sure-fire winner I thought it was in its youth, but then again, I don’t have any reason to doubt that more complexity will emerge. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2035. Release price: ($1500.00/case)Robert Parker | 95+ RPStill a young wine, with firm tannins that are less finely expressed than the Lafite at the same age and instead provide a more muscular presence in the glass, as is entirely within the Latour signature. The dominant flavours are cedar, tobacco, black cherry and cigar box, with black pepper spice on the close of play. Plenty of changes going on at Latour in 1990, with the estate sold the year before from the Pearson Group to Allied Lyons. This was the first year of the third wine Pauillac de Latour, further refining the selection of the main bottling. Drinking Window 2021 - 2036.Decanter | 94 DEC

I’ve been lucky enough to drink probably a case of the 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle, and it’s always either rated pure perfection or just off that magical number. On this occasion, it tasted like a newly released wine and offered incredible purity and freshness in its crème de cassis, crushed rocks, spring flowers, chocolate, and smoke meat aromas and flavors. Deep, brilliantly concentrated, yet also elegant and seamless, it’s just now starting to show hints of secondary aromas and is going to be incredibly long-lived. One of the greatest Hermitages ever made, life is too short not to drink this once in your life!Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDJaboulet’s Hermitage La Chapelle 1961, 1978 and 1990 are considered to be among the greatest wines ever made in the Rhône Valley. The 1990 was sourced from Les Bessards, Le Méal and Les Rocoules, with the vines at the time between 40 and 60 years old. The grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed and macerated for three to four weeks, then matured in barrel for 15-18 months, 20% new wood. It’s still amazingly dark in colour, with an immediately intense, savoury expression on the nose reminiscent of beef stock. Dried roses and roasted beef bones come through on the medium- to full-bodied palate, but there’s also still fruit, not yet dried out at all. There’s a touch of mint on the finish and a prickle of furry tannins. This still has a good sense of density and drive - an extraordinary wine with a reputation that’s fully deserved. Drinking Window 2019 - 2050Decanter | 100 DECThe 1990 La Chapelle is the sexy and opulent. I had the 1990 at the Jaboulet tasting, and again out of a double magnum three months ago. On both occasions it was spectacular, clearly meriting a three-digit score. The modern day equivalent of the 1961, it deserves all the attention it has garnered.The color remains an opaque purple, with only a slight pink at the edge. Spectacular aromatics offer up aromas of incense, smoke, blackberry fruit, cassis, barbecue spice, coffee, and a touch of chocolate. As it sits in the glass, additional nuances of pepper and grilled steak emerge. There is extraordinary freshness for such a mammoth wine in addition to abundant tannin, an amazing 60-second finish, and a level of glycerin and thick, fleshy texture that have to be tasted to be believed.Despite its youthfulness, the 1990 La Chapelle is lovely to drink, although it will be even better with another 5-6 years of cellaring; it should age for 35-40+ years. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2050.Robert Parker | 100 RPGorgeous aromas of dark berry, dried meat, dried berry, game, wet earth and licorice. Floral. Full body with a wonderful texture of dried fruits, spices and berries. Very dense and muscular with wonderful balance and length. Dense and intense. Blockbuster style.James Suckling | 98 JSAs expected from this ideal vintage, this ’90 is sensational. Inky in color and solidly anchored in its [i]terroir[n], it springs to life with a symphony of flavors, from mineral to wet earth and blackberry. Marvelous balance among fruit, acidity and smooth tannins. Delicious now, but can hold.--La Chapelle vertical. Drink now through 2025. 9,400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSRhȏne lovers were out in full force on this night. Sadly, I only got to taste a handful of the wines being passed around. Still, these were four of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. The 1990 La Chapelle held its own in this grouping, and then some. The purity of the fruit and the wine’s finish were mind-bending.Antonio Galloni | 96 AG

The final blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc was harvested between September 14 and October 3. The spring was cold, yet summer was extremely hot and dry – one of the hottest vintages since 1949. The fact that virtually no rain fell in September served as a catalyst to get all the grapes ripe and in cellars. Some bottles of this wine have a definite brett population that gives off the notes of sweaty horses, but this one did not. The ones I have had from my cellar – where I have had it frequently – are quite pure and clean. I suspect that the brett population is in all of them, but unless the wine hits some heat along the transportation route or in storage, the wine will not show any brett. This one tasted at the chateau, as well as those I’ve had from my cellar, have been pristine and not showing the sweaty horse notes that can be in evidence in brett populations that have flourished in the bottle because of external temperatures. This wine has an incredibly complex nose of spring flowers, blackberry and cassis liqueur, scorched earth and barbecue spice. It is full-bodied, majestic and opulent, with low acidity and fabulous fruit. It is close to full maturity. The wine should continue to drink well for at least another 30 or more years, but it is showing secondary nuances in the perfume. The wine is absolutely magnificent, broad, savory and mouth-filling. This is one of the all-time modern legends from Bordeaux as well as Chateau Montrose.Robert Parker | 100 RP(Château Montrose) The 1990 Montrose is justly famous, but in my experience, it has only been a hair superior to the underrated 1989 here, and I have never understood the price differential in the market of the two wines. This most recent bottle of the 1990 was drunk out for the night in Napa Valley, where it showed very well indeed, offering up a deep and powerful bouquet of black cherries, sweet cassis, a touch of currant leaf, dark soil tones, cigar smoke and a fair bit of toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and shows off truly exceptional depth at the core, with ripe, moderate tannins, fine focus and grip and a long, well-balanced and complex finish. There is just a touch of brett on the backend here, but it is very modest and does not detract from the very serious pleasure that this wine is beginning to deliver. (Drink between 2016-2050).John Gilman | 95 JGFull ruby-red. Wild, exotic aromas of crystallized redcurrant, leather, tobacco and minerals; distinctly exotic, even overripe. Then lush, sweet and opulent, with an atypically velvety texture for Montrose. But extremely young and structured, finishing with powerful tannins and great grip and length. Almost California-like in style; in Bordeaux, they’d refer to the fruit expression of this wine as "original," which is not necessarily high praise. Drink 2008 through 2030.Vinous Media | 95 VMDark in color with decadent aromas of ripe fruit, earth and amazing mint and spearmint undertones, yet there’s also an underlying meaty funkiness. Full-bodied, with layers of very ripe fruit and velvety tannins. Massive and caressing. A big, powerful wine. Like velvet.--Non-blind Château Montrose vertical. Drink now. 18,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Hold on to your hat. This is the best Fonseca since 1977, and it’s probably even better than that classic vintage--more like the breathtaking 1948. Mind-blowing, with masses of color, aroma and fruit flavor. Smells like fermenting berries, boasting loads of crushed grape, violet and berry character. Big, full-bodied and very sweet, with tons of tannins and a sweet finish. Tannic and huge, it’s a long-term, great Port. Best after 2012. 8,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 100 WSTight knit – not giving much away on the nose, but silky fruit is underlying. Pure berry fruit palate initially with a super-fine tannic superstructure rising in the mouth, revealing its freshness and purity on a really beautifully defined finish. There is great architecture here. Drinking Window 2014 - 2050Decanter | 98 DECOne of the most spectacular 1994s, this opaque purple-colored wine is an exotic, flamboyant, ostentatious port. Extremely fragrant and pungent, with a flashy display of jammy cassis, pepper, licorice, and truffles, this port is an attention-grabber. Awesomely rich, and full-bodied, with superb length, richness, and overall balance, it possesses a huge mid-palate, layers of flavor, an unctuous texture, and a blockbuster finish. Everything is in place, with the brandy and tannin well-integrated, even concealed by the masses of fruit and glycerin. This wine will drink fabulously well at age ten, but keep for up to thirty years. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2035.Robert Parker | 97 RP

An elegant but muscular Lafite, really summing up the trajectory that this wine takes over decades in a good vintage. It started out in its early years with huge concentration, more in fact than in many vintages, but it is now showcasing the subtlety and infinite range of flavours and aromatics that makes Lafite such a singular wine. Expect layers of earth, cigar box, liquorice, cold ash, blackberry, cassis, pencil lead, mint leaf and crushed rock minerality. The first Lafite to be put in an anti-fraud engraved bottle. 38% of overall production in the first wine, quite low at the time although typical today. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.Decanter | 100 DECTasted three times since bottling, the 1996 Lafite-Rothschild is unquestionably this renowned estate’s greatest wine. As I indicated last year, only 38% of the crop was deemed grand enough to be put into the final blend, which is atypically high in Cabernet Sauvignon (83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot). This massive wine may be the biggest, largest-scaled Lafite I have ever tasted. It will require many years to come around, so I suspect all of us past the age of fifty might want to give serious consideration as to whether we should be laying away multiple cases of this wine. It is also the first Lafite-Rothschild to be put into a new engraved bottle (designed to prevent fraudulent imitations). The wine exhibits a thick-looking, ruby/purple color, and a knock-out nose of lead pencil, minerals, flowers, and black currant scents. Extremely powerful and full-bodied, with remarkable complexity for such a young wine, this huge Lafite is oozing with extract and richness, yet has managed to preserve its quintessentially elegant personality. This wine is even richer than it was prior to bottling. It should unquestionably last for 40-50 years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 1996 Lafite-Rothschild is consistent with the bottle shown at the Hong Kong vertical. It has an intense bouquet with blackberry, cedar and a pencil box of graphite. The adjective I use whilst writing this note is that the aromas are "cool". Perhaps given its provenance, this is one of the most backward bottles of 1996 that I have tasted. There are those fine but rigid tannins that lend this Lafite such beguiling symmetry, copious cedar and graphite with vein of brine and oyster shell. I love the precision of this wine and the sappiness on the finish. At the moment, maybe more impressive than enjoyable, so if you can, cellar it for another 5 to 8 years. Tasted at the Lafite-Rothschild 150th anniversary dinner at the estate.Vinous Media | 97+ VMThe beauty and balance of this are phenomenal. Seamless tannins and fruit. Full body yet so balanced and refined. Sweet tobacco and berries. Minerals and cedar. A beautiful wine. The depth is superb. Drink now.James Suckling | 97 JSGorgeous aromas of currant, berries and licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Still holding back. People talk about this as one of the greatest Lafites ever, but I don’t think so.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 1996 Chateau Margaux, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, must be a strong contender for wine of the vintage. It offers everything you desire from this First Growth. It is blessed with breathtaking delineation and freshness on the nose, understated at first and then blossoming with mineral-infused black fruit, hints of blueberry, crushed stone and violet. The palate is perfectly balanced with filigree tannin, perfect acidity, a wine where everything seems to be in its right place. Blackberry, crushed stone at the front of the mouth, just a touch of spice towards the finish that shows supreme control. This is a Margaux that seems to light up the senses. It was outstanding in its youth...something that has not changed one bit over the intervening two decades. This may well turn out to be the Left Bank pinnacle of the 1990s. Tasted July 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 100 RP-NMSoftly spoken, fine tannins, pencil lead and leather, with truffle, earth, campfire and spice. Long drawn out finish, achingly slow, crushed stone, tobacco and dried roses. As with the 2001, the generosity and beauty of the aromatics tells you that this is absolutely ready to drink - although in many ways it feels like it will last longer than the 2001, as the tannins are still holding everything in place. This got the audience award on the night, and no question it is a stunning wine that is still giving so much pleasure at 25 years old. The 1996 has really grown into itself - it was a late harvest at the time after a burst of rain at the end of September that they decided to wait through before picking, and were rewarded with beautifully ripe Cabernet that was high in dense tannins and a little surly at first, but that has turned into one of the greatest vintages of the 1990s (rivaled only by the 1990 itself in my opinion). 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend, 100% new oak. (Drink between 2021-2040)Decanter | 100 DECWhile the 1996 Château Margaux has been closed and difficult to read for the past decade, it showed beautifully on this occasion, with its hallmark elegance and purity paired with a dense, powerful profile. Still youthfully ruby-hued with notes of pure crème de cassis, unsmoked tobacco, incense, and chocolate, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building yet seamless tannins, and an awesome finish. This is pure class as well as a quintessential Margaux! To be on the safe side, give bottles another 4-5 years and it’s going to keep for 50-75 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDBright full ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of cassis and violet. Dense and tactile in the mouth; a huge, chewy wine with major extract but also considerable refinement. Almost painfully backward today, and a bit less perfumed than it was in the year or so after the bottling, but the huge tannins show no hardness. Another great expression of cabernet sauvignon from the ’96 vintage. Drink 2015 through 2040.Vinous Media | 96+ VMFully formed now, with a rush of steeped currant and black tea notes that are melded with a backdrop of anise, sandalwood, bergamot and charcoal. The long, suave finish lets the perfume linger, with a weighty feel. This seems to mark the start of the refinement of tannins; despite the power, this is all grace and elegance.--Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2031.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 1998 Cheval Blanc, a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-brick in color and absolutely explodes with scents of exotic spices, incense, dried roses, cigar box and licorice, with a core of crème de cassis and dried cherries plus touches of black tea and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with rich, plushly textured fruit and then POW—it hits the mid-palate with an explosion of Chinese five spice and floral perfume sparks, leading to an epically long finish. This cannot fail to impress and can easily cellar for another 30 years or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPAnother perfect wine is the 1998 Chateau Cheval Blanc, which is the usual blend of 55/45 Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Possessing an utterly captivating bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, forest floor, spice and dried flowers, it packs plenty of muscle and depth on the palate, yet is also expansive, elegant and seamless, with no hard edges. Just singing, with everything you could want; complexity, richness, elegance, depth, and length, drink this sensational beauty any time over the coming two decades. I’m sure it will keep longer, but why in the world would you wait.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe reference chateau of the vintage, this wine is showing its class here and then some. It was the first year with Bernard Arnault and Albert Frère as owners, with Pierre Lurton coming onboard from his former role at Clos Fourtet. 10% press wine was used, whereas today they use no press wine in the grand vin. It was aged in 100% new oak. The 36ha of vines yielded 32hl/ha, closer to their average than the relatively abundant 1989). The holdings have since expanded to 39ha with the addition of 3ha from Tour du Pin Figeac. 67% of production went in to the grand vin, the rest into Petit Cheval. This is seductive and rich but with a purity and precision. There’s more Merlot in the blend than is typical because the clay soils produced the best quality grapes, and you can see its impact in the textural density - the proximity to Pomerol comes through. Drinking Window 2019 - 2036Decanter | 100 DECAromas of blueberry, sweet tobacco, leather and pipe tobacco turning to raisins and Christmas cake. What a wine. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a very well-integrated palate. Dark color. A big and powerful wine still. Blockbuster. Massive. Just a baby.—’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2013. 8,330 cases made, 1,600 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 98 WSAromas of rose petal and hints of fresh herbs such currant leaf. Tobacco, too. Medium body, very fine tannins and a balanced fruit. Extremely refined and polished. A beautiful harmony. So lovely now.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 1998 Cheval Blanc has been a lauded wine ever since release. I have often, quite controversially felt that it never quite matched its startling performances in its first ten years, though it remains and excellent wine. Now at 20-years old it offers opulent, high-toned scents of maraschino cherry, iodine, crème de cassis, dried blood and a subtle, almost Provençal herb-like scent courtesy of the Cabernet Franc. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grip, showy compared to other vintages of Cheval Blanc with sappy red fruit and a fine structured that lends this 1998 focus. Perhaps this bottle did not quite deliver the intensity on the finish that I was expecting, "jogging" instead of "sprinting" over the finish line. That said, it is a very impressive wine, even if personally I would not put it amongst the very best wines that Pierre Lurton has overseen. Tasted at Cheval Blanc.Vinous Media | 95+ VMNo written review provided. | 95 W&S

Richly-scented like you wouldn’t believe, earthy truffle, undergrowth, black olive and rosemary fill the glass as your nose hovers over it, and don’t let up right through the palate, providing waves of first aroma then flavour. At 22 years old this provides apt evidence of why Petrus 1998 is a legend of 20th century wine. The vintage plays to all of Petrus’ strengths; a classic Merlot year that here combines velvety soft-edged tannins that caress and cushion the abundant black cherry, blackberry and bilberry fruit. Traces of campfire, mocha and liquorice are shot through every mouthful, and this is just so good. Jean-Claude Berrouet was at the helm at this point, expertly conducting the many strands of the wine. Harvest September 21, 22 and 23. A small yield meant just 2,400 cases compared to the usual 4,000. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2020 - 2032.Decanter | 100 DECThe 1998 Petrus goes from strength to strength as it ages. It’s a perfect wine and the wine of the vintage with Le Pin and Cheval Blanc. I was lucky enough to drink some over the weekend when a friend brought a bottle to dinner. It was stunning. It’s so deep and characterful yet refined and subtle. It showed aromas of wet earth, mushrooms and dark fruits. Dry black olives came out as well. Full body, firm tannins and bright acidity. Very fresh and just opening up now. Walnut and chocolate character. So youthful. Decant two or three hours before serving.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 1998 Petrus never fails to deliver. This is a fabulous example that confirms it is a true tour de force. It has a compelling bouquet with mineral-rich black and red fruit with unerring purity. In this bottle, I notice a hint of hickory not observed previously. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannins, perfect acidity and a sense of tension that counterbalances the sheer power and ambition of this, the best Bordeaux of the vintage bar none. I was not quite moved to give this a perfect three-figure score, but it flirts with perfection. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at Hide restaurant in London and at Epure restaurant in Hong Kong.Vinous Media | 99 VMGreen olives and blackberry jam, with hints of vanilla and Indian spices. Some dark chocolate too. Complex nose. Very full-bodied, with dense, dark fruits and a licorice undertone, yet the huge tannin structure is polished and almost seamless. A massive and powerful wine, yet balanced and refined. Fantastic. Just a beautiful baby still.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012.Wine Spectator | 99 WSThe 1998 Petrus is unquestionably a fabulous effort boasting a dense plum/purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of black fruits intermixed with caramel, mocha, and vanilla. Exceptionally pure, super-concentrated, and extremely full-bodied, with admirable underlying acidity as well as sweet tannin, it reveals a superb mid-palate in addition to the luxurious richness for which this great property is known. The finish lasts for 40-45 seconds. Patience will definitely be required. Production was 2,400 cases, about 1,600 cases less than normal. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2040Robert Parker | 98 RPNo written review provided. | 98 W&S

For my money (and I have some in the cellar), the 1998 Haut-Brion is the finest vintage from this estate between 1989 and 2000, surpassing the 1990. While it remains decidedly youthful at age 25, it is beginning to stir, unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berry fruit, cigar wrapper, loamy soil, pencil shavings and burning embers. Medium-bodied, deep and concentrated, it’s layered and elegant, with refined tannins, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. Exemplifying the ideal of intensity without weight, it enjoys a slight edge over La Mission Haut-Brion in this banner year for both properties.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPDark color, with decadent aromas of truffles, meat, ripe berries and tobacco. Turns to sweet, crushed berries. Full-bodied, with very polished tannins and a berry and mineral aftertaste. The serious tannin structure is still hiding behind the fruit of the wine. Tightly wound and beautiful. Solid as a rock. A classic wine.—’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2011. 12,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 1998 Haut Brion has long been a favourite vintage of mine and consumed with pleasure several times. Now at 20-years of age I feel it is one step ahead of the 1998 La Mission: there is great fruit intensity with almost precocious blackberry, raspberry coulis, pastilles, tobacco and hints of olive. It has exquisite delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with fuller in the mouth than the La Mission: deeper fruit (blackberry, mulberry and a touch of strawberry) intermingling with sage, cedar and a touch of hung game. It is not quite as precocious or as glossy on the finish as I remember previous bottles, but it is certainly turning into one of the finest wines of this vintage. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe Haut-Brion showed super decadent character with foie gras, plums and tobacco. It was full body, round and beautifully textured. It lasted for minutes after tasting.James Suckling | 96 JSNo written review provided. | 96 W&S(Château Haut Brion) The 1998 Haut Brion is tight and very shut down at the present time, but offers lovely potential for down the road. The bouquet offers up a primary and typically “weedy” young Haut Brion blend of dark berries, dark chocolate, tobacco leaf, a touch of nuttiness, a bit of the herbal funk of young cabernet in the Graves and a judicious framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep, racy and quite dumb, with fine mid-palate depth, lovely focus and excellent length on the ripely tannic and well-balanced finish. This wine is completely closed at the present time and will need at least a dozen years or more to begin to emerge from hibernation, but will be a lovely bottle for a long time once it begins to blossom. (Drink between 2020-2060)John Gilman | 93 JG

The debut vintage for their luxury old-vine cuvee, which is over 90% Grenache, but in theory made from all 13 authorized red wine varietals in Chateauneuf du Pape, the 1998 Cuvee da Capo is a monumental Chateauneuf du Pape. It was actually splendid to drink in its first 5-6 years of life, and then shut down very firmly, and is now just coming out of this dormant period. It is much more delineated than it was in its fat, grapy, almost overripe youthful state, and now shows extraordinary precision and definition. It is still a massive wine, opaque ruby/purple to the rim, with notes of camphor, meat juices, roasted herbs, licorice, pepper, and spice. Thick, unctuously textured, but with zesty acidity and sweet tannin, the wine is still very young, and not yet an adolescent. This is one 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape that will age for 30-40 years, and no doubt be prodigious with another decade of cellaring.Robert Parker | 100 RPThis monster has a brooding nose of freshly drawn espresso, cedar, brick dust and cocoa powder, with roasted pheasant, garrigue and tar notes. The massively structured finish is dense, chewy and still very tight, with a rusty iron note that hasn’t been fully absorbed yet.--1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Best from 2010 through 2030. 500 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 98 WSSaturated dark ruby. Nose like a fruit essence: blackberry and blueberry liqueur, licorice, pepper, Provencal herbs, and hints of more exotic fruits. A wine of extreme unctuousity, virtually too large for the mouth. Suggestion of marc, but with sappy fruits and great solid underlying structure. The tannins saturate the palate on the peppery finish. Very much in the style of Bonneau rarely made Cuvee Speciale. This wine took nearly two years to finish fermenting. Paul Feraud told me he feared that the alcohol would burn, that there would be too much residual sugar, and that the wine would show signs of premature oxidation. But in fact this headspinner (and I mean that in the purest, Linda Blair sense) boasts great surmaturite without quite descending into madness.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe first vintage for this cuvee, and more refined and silky than the Cuvée Laurence, but with a slightly riper profile, 1998 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Da Capo exhibits a fantastically complex bouquet of kirsch and overripe plum liqueur with meat juice, charred steak, licorice, and spice aromas showing more with air. Full-bodied on the palate, and not showing much baby fat, the wine possesses sweet fruit, a silky, streamlined texture, and a long finish where more of the wines underlying structure and length show. While a gorgeous showing, this lacked some mid-palate depth and richness, especially when compared to the Cuvée Laurence.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

The 1998 Petrus goes from strength to strength as it ages. It’s a perfect wine and the wine of the vintage with Le Pin and Cheval Blanc. I was lucky enough to drink some over the weekend when a friend brought a bottle to dinner. It was stunning. It’s so deep and characterful yet refined and subtle. It showed aromas of wet earth, mushrooms and dark fruits. Dry black olives came out as well. Full body, firm tannins and bright acidity. Very fresh and just opening up now. Walnut and chocolate character. So youthful. Decant two or three hours before serving.James Suckling | 100 JSRichly-scented like you wouldn’t believe, earthy truffle, undergrowth, black olive and rosemary fill the glass as your nose hovers over it, and don’t let up right through the palate, providing waves of first aroma then flavour. At 22 years old this provides apt evidence of why Petrus 1998 is a legend of 20th century wine. The vintage plays to all of Petrus’ strengths; a classic Merlot year that here combines velvety soft-edged tannins that caress and cushion the abundant black cherry, blackberry and bilberry fruit. Traces of campfire, mocha and liquorice are shot through every mouthful, and this is just so good. Jean-Claude Berrouet was at the helm at this point, expertly conducting the many strands of the wine. Harvest September 21, 22 and 23. A small yield meant just 2,400 cases compared to the usual 4,000. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2020 - 2032.Decanter | 100 DECThe 1998 Petrus never fails to deliver. This is a fabulous example that confirms it is a true tour de force. It has a compelling bouquet with mineral-rich black and red fruit with unerring purity. In this bottle, I notice a hint of hickory not observed previously. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannins, perfect acidity and a sense of tension that counterbalances the sheer power and ambition of this, the best Bordeaux of the vintage bar none. I was not quite moved to give this a perfect three-figure score, but it flirts with perfection. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at Hide restaurant in London and at Epure restaurant in Hong Kong.Vinous Media | 99 VMGreen olives and blackberry jam, with hints of vanilla and Indian spices. Some dark chocolate too. Complex nose. Very full-bodied, with dense, dark fruits and a licorice undertone, yet the huge tannin structure is polished and almost seamless. A massive and powerful wine, yet balanced and refined. Fantastic. Just a beautiful baby still.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012.Wine Spectator | 99 WSThe 1998 Petrus is unquestionably a fabulous effort boasting a dense plum/purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of black fruits intermixed with caramel, mocha, and vanilla. Exceptionally pure, super-concentrated, and extremely full-bodied, with admirable underlying acidity as well as sweet tannin, it reveals a superb mid-palate in addition to the luxurious richness for which this great property is known. The finish lasts for 40-45 seconds. Patience will definitely be required. Production was 2,400 cases, about 1,600 cases less than normal. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2040Robert Parker | 98 RPNo written review provided | 98 W&S

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission-Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe colour here is deep and dense – just beginning to soften towards brick red - without a huge colour change from the rim to the centre. The fruit character is rich and plummy, with autumnal damson and blackberry notes alongside supple tannins. There is clear aromatic intensity, and floral edges, that become more intense over time – a great indicator of something special going on. Dark fruit flavours and cigar leaf nuances complete what is a delicious wine, at the perfect moment to launch into the next phase of its life. Drinking Window 2019 - 2045Decanter | 98 DECThe 2000 La Mission Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have not tasted for several years. At age 21, it has retained its youthful nose of vivid black cherries, wild strawberry and iodine, and shows less of the black olive tapenade element that I noticed in its youth. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins that belie that backbone of this La Mission. Beautifully balanced and quite peppery, with fine salinity, it is less sauvage than many other millennial Bordeaux, leading to a succulent, sensual finish. This is only just beginning to show what it is capable of. 13.4% alcohol. Tasted at the château with Jean-Philippe Delmas.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis is tight and beautiful, with a firm tannin structure and a beautiful silky texture. Full and concentrated, with a destiny. In the glass it keeps evolving, notes of iodine, spices, cedar, and earth tempt the senses. This still needs some time to come together. Don’t touch it until 2015.James Suckling | 95 JSSometimes it seems as if La Mission is as good as Haut-Brion - that was certainly the case in 2001. But in 2000, La Mission fitted more comfortably into its usual good neighbor slot. That is not to suggest it is not a great wine - the score indicates that. At the moment, it is closed, solid and chunky, but all the right hints are there, and it will develop slowly and in a sustained way over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEMore range here, with fresh bay and warm tapenade notes leading the way for a well-packed core of macerated fig, black currant and blackberry fruit flavors. Plenty tarry on the back end, but with a velvety edge that hangs on nicely.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 7,205 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

A wine of exquisite aromatic depth and grace, the 2000 Cheval Blanc is fully captivating. All the elements fall into place in an effortless, gracious wine. It’s frankly hard to move past the 2000 Cheval, because at this point, I want nothing to compete with it.Vinous Media | 100 VMComing out of a relatively dormant state, this 2000 is a spectacular Cheval Blanc. Of recent vintages, I think only the 2009 can give it a run for its money. A blend of 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Franc, the wine has a sweet nose of menthol, melted licorice, boysenberry, blueberry, and cassis. A broad wine with compelling purity, a layered texture, and sweet tannin, with hints of coffee and earth in the background, this is by far the best Cheval Blanc since 1990 and before 2009. It is a legend in the making and can actually be drunk now, as the tannins have nearly melted away. This is a beauty with incredibly complex aromatics. Drink it over the next 25-30 years.Robert Parker | 99 RPClosed and backward over the past decade, the 2000 Chateau Cheval Blanc seems to have turned the corner and is drinking spectacularly well today, with the hallmark elegance and complexity of this estate front and center. Sweet red and black fruits, spice box, dried flowers, and forest floor notes all develop with time in the glass, and it has a balanced, resolved style on the palate that’s a joy to drink. The 2000 is blend of 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Franc, and while mature, it has another two decades or more of prime drinking ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDIn 2000, it seems the Cabernet Franc made Cheval Blanc. It has given a mysterious, wonderful perfume to the intense richness of the Merlot. It has less of the explosive power of Ausone, it is more subtle and elegant, reserving its explosion of richness for the end, when a welter of black fruits seems to go on for ever.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEDeep to very deep red. Sumptuous aromas of raspberries, blackberries, and menthol, full ripe and perfumed but restrained. The rich attack still shows powerful tannins, and youthful, firm acidity. It’s taut and spicy, subtle and complex, with tension on the finish, which is very long. Drinking Window 2015 - 2040Decanter | 95 DECNo written review provided. | 95 W&SA light menthol hint gives way to bay and tobacco leaf notes, which hold steady throughout, while the core of dark currant and fig fruit flavors takes on a warm, macerated, almost hedonistic feel. The finish has a tarry hint but is very polished and refined overall, with finely beaded acidity and a light iron accent. This is so caressing and languid, you almost lose sight of how long it is. Lovely.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2030.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA very nice nose of blackberries, dark chocolate, and flowers. Full bodied and smokey, with a meaty, mushroom, tobacco, and berry character. Wonderfully long, long finish to this muscular wine with fine tannins. This is still evolving but needs another five or six years. Find the wineJames Suckling | 94 JS

Absolutely fantastic. This is one of the most exciting young reds I have tasted in a long, long time. It shows intense aromas of berries, currants and minerals, with hints of mint. Full-bodied and packed with fruit and tannins, its long finish is refined and silky. A benchmark for the vintage. Las Cases has always wanted to make first-growth quality in a top-notch vintage, and it certainly did in 2000.Wine Spectator | 100 WSA classic Las Cases with masses of mineral, floral and blueberry character. Full and chewy, with so much power. It’s just opening now.James Suckling | 100 JSThis wine has put on weight and, as impressive as it was from cask, it is even more brilliant from bottle. Only 35% of the crop made it into the 2000 Leoville Las Cases, a blend of 76.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot, and 8.8% Cabernet Franc. The wine is truly profound, with an opaque purple color and a tight but promising nose of vanilla, sweet cherry liqueur, black currants, and licorice in a dense, full-bodied, almost painfully rich, intense style with no hard edges. This seamless classic builds in the mouth, with a finish that lasts over 60 seconds. Still primary, yet extraordinarily pure, this compelling wine, which continues to build flavor intensity and exhibit additional layers of texture, is a tour de force in winemaking and certainly one of the great Leoville Las Cases. In another sense, it symbolizes / pays homage to proprietor Michel Delon, who passed away in 2000. Michel has been succeeded by his son, Jean-Hubert, another perfectionist. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040.Robert Parker | 99 RPThe 2000 Leoville Las Cases is another brilliant wine and, like most 2000s, appears to just now be at the early stages of its drink window. Smoky black fruits, crushed rocks, lead pencil, and menthol notes all emerge from this brilliant, blockbuster beauty that still tastes like it’s just 5-6 years old. Beautifully concentrated, ripe, sexy, and seamless, it has the classic elegance and regal quality of this domaine front and center. It has another 3-4 decades of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDNow closing in on two decades, this is starting to soften and open, bringing exotic spices to the fore. The inky colour translates into tight black fruits with liquorice, cigar box, graphite and grilled gunsmoke. It’s still a little fierce in its tannic structure, and will need a few more years to be truly welcoming, but it’s clear that the grapes reached full phenolic ripeness. The invariably low pH at Leoville, often below 3.5 (as it is here), explains its iron grip. I last tasted this in October 2017 and it has barely budged an inch since then, but it gets significantly better after an hour in the glass (and being double decanted), giving you an idea of just how much life remains ahead. Harvest 28 September to 11 October. Drinking Window 2019 - 2050.Decanter | 98 DECThe 2000 Léoville Las Cases is a vintage that I have encountered a dozen or so times. Jean-Hubert Délon oversaw a magnificent wine in this year. The nose of graphite-infused black fruit is still vivacious and very complex, very Pauillac-like, and supremely well focused. Hints of licorice develop with aeration. The medium-bodied palate features sappy black fruit and perfectly judged acidity. Complex and delineated, with marine-tinged mulberry and black currant notes given a deft Oriental touch on the finish. Bottles are only just beginning to drink perfectly now and will last another 30 or more years.Vinous Media | 97 VMNo written review provided. | 95 W&S

A legendary wine, with reason. I have only tasted this once, at the home of a very kind friend, exactly as it should be drunk – over a dinner table, where it managed to stop the conversation. It is still young, just now starting to open up to reveal its dazzling array of black and blue fruits, black olives, truffles and well-defined tannins exerting an influence over the structure. The mineral slate side of Lafleur is now fully in its stride, tugging you back as you reach the end, keeping you hanging on for more. Drinking Window 2020 - 2050.Decanter | 100 DECAn utterly awesome wine, the only problem with the 2000 Lafleur is that I indicated its maturity window would be 2012-2040+. Based on two tastings of it, I would now argue 2020-2060+. Yes, it is that backward, but it has extraordinary potential. Dense ruby/purple to the rim, this fabulously concentrated wine has a sweet nose of kirsch liqueur intermixed with licorice and subtle floral notes as well as a hint of truffle in the background. It is stacked and packed on the attack, with a multi-dimensional mid-palate of unbelievable intensity of concentration and richness, yet at the same time all this power is allied to striking elegance, purity, and depth. This is great Bordeaux, a profound Lafleur, and in about ten years, much of its magic should begin to be unleashed. If you can find it, it is an extraordinary wine, and as expensive as it was a decade ago, it will look cheap compared to prices for more recent vintages.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 2000 Lafleur is a monumental Pomerol that I have been fortunate to taste almost a dozen times over the years. Now reaching adulthood, it has a deep colour with very little maturity showing on the rim. The bouquet is quite profound, if still a little broody and backward, adorned with captivating scents of blackberry, raspberry, crushed stone, and struck flint tincture that I have remarked on previously. The palate is medium-bodied with damn near perfect line of acidity, utterly harmonious and frankly this is difficult to fault. Filigree tannin, just a subtle touch of spice, layers of pixelated black fruit with astonishing clarity on the finish – it delivers the complete package. This Lafleur has long been a standout of the 2000 vintage and it continues to cruise at altitude as it enters adulthood. Tasted at the Christies’ Lafleur masterclass in London.Vinous Media | 100 VMA hand-crafted, exciting wine. Solid as rock. Bright aromas of violets, berries, cherries and lilacs. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and superbly refined, silky tannins. Long finish. This is a remake of the superb 1998. Much better than I found it in barrel. Best after 2013.Wine Spectator | 96 WS