Wines with Age

wines

One of the wines of the tasting, this has standout quality and is certainly impressive in terms of (relative) value, holding its own next to Figeac and Cheval Blanc. The 17 days over 38°C in August meant the limestone soils were key, as in 1989. It’s a beautiful wine, luscious, juicy and rich in black fruits, and still young. The Lurtons owned Clos Fourtet until 1998, when it went to the Cuveliers, so this was Pierre Lurton’s last vintage as director - and this means he had a hand in two wines in this line up, which must be pretty unusual! Harvest took place from 28 September to 4 October. Aged in 90% new oak.Decanter | 97 DECGorgeous violet, mineral, tobacco and berry character. Full-bodied, with extremely well-integrated tannins, a very silky mouthfeel and a long finish. Best after 2007. 5,250 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA strong effort from Clos Fourtet, the dark ruby/purple-colored 1998 offers pure blackberry and cherry aromas with subtle wood and licorice in the background. Medium-bodied, exceptionally pure, with low acidity as well as silky tannin, this sexy offering is ideal for drinking now and over the next 14-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

The 1995 offers up a tell-tale Merlot nose of smoky, roasted coffee, sweet chocolate, mocha, and berry scents. Amazingly deep and rich, this is among the finest wines I have ever tasted from the Cotes de Bourg. There is low acidity, good fat, glycerin, and extract, and a layered, chunky, fleshy finish. It should drink well for 7-8 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Some of the hard tannins this wine possessed early in life have sloughed off to reveal a wine that has a stunning nose of roasted herbs, caramel, smoke, barbecue notes along with fruitcake, blackberry, and black cherry jam, and a bit of white chocolate also entering the smorgasbord of scents. Full-bodied, with low acidity but still moderately high tannin, still a tightly knit, very concentrated wine that is surprisingly structured and backward for Le Pin. It is also a bit more massive than most vintages. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025. Last tasted, 5/02.Robert Parker | 94 RPTasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1995 Le Pin is a vintage that has never proven its pedigree. Now with two decades under its belt, the aromatics are strangely not that far from those of the 1995 Lafleur despite the absence of any Cabernet Franc. There is a pleasant mineralité here and impressive purity. The palate is fresh and vibrant, a mixture or red and black fruit with a subtle marine influence. Classy and sophisticated, this is unquestionably the finest bottle that I have encountered. Perhaps it was just a "late bloomer"? Anyway, I am happy to upgrade my score from previous encounters.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis is drinking beautifully. Lots of blackberry and dark chocolate aromas. Full, round and velvety. Love it. Wonderfully plummy, soft and long. Will improve.--Le Pin non-blind vertical. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

This starts off a little jammy with hints of raisin that develop into black currants. Full body with silky tannins and fresh acidity. It’s integrated yet ethereal.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 1983 Lafleur is the vintage that alerted me to the pedigree of this Pomerol growth back in 2004, so I have a sentimental attachment to it. A recent encounter served blind in Hong Kong confirms that the Lafleur ranks alongside the 1983 Cheval Blanc as the best Right Bank of the vintage. It is quite precocious and generous on the nose with sorbet-like red fruit tinged with peppermint and truffle oil. It has lost a little cohesion in recent years but offers more secondary scents of leather and sage. The palate has wondrous balance and poise: hints of iron infusing the supple red fruit with a complex and detailed finish. Well-stored bottles will continue giving immense pleasure. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux.Vinous Media | 96 VMFull mature, yet still in far better condition than most 1983 Pomerols, Lafleur’s 1983 has a medium ruby color with considerable pink at the edge. A very exotic, almost kinky nose of Asian spice, licorice, truffle, and jammy kirsch is followed by a medium to full-bodied, plum, fleshy wine with sweet tannin, and low acidity in a very evolved style. Certainly among the very good vintages of Lafleur over the last 20 years, this is the most evolved and drinkable. Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted, 8/02.Robert Parker | 92 RPPort-like. A monster. Extremely ripe, exaggerated style with loads of berry and earth character. Full-bodied and tannic. Still needs time; try after 1998.--The Bordeaux 50.Wine Spectator | 91 WSI used to adore the 1983 Château Lafleur, which is a wine that I owned quite a bit of at one time, but I drank my cache of the wine up in earlier days and I had not crossed paths with a bottle of this wine in more than a decade. Much like the 1982, the 1983 has gotten quite a bit more marked by notes of sur maturité on both the nose and palate as time has gone by, with the bouquet now defined by notes of prunes, fruitcake, chocolate, dried eucalyptus, cigarette ash and soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, powerful and very soil-driven in personality, with a firm core, still plenty of tannin and now a bit of uncovered alcohol starting to poke out on the long and chewy finish. This is not a great time to be drinking the 1983 Lafleur, which seems to have gone into a bit of a closed period, but the combination of overripe aromatics and flavors, as well as some backend heat, makes one seriously wonder about its long-term prospects. This wine has to be well over fourteen percent alcohol, and it has not aged with anywhere near the grace I would have imagined, given how superb it was in its relative youth. I have never seen wines in this style come back from the brink, but perhaps the ’83 Lafleur can prove the exception. (Drink between 2017 - 2040)John Gilman | 86-91+ JG

A very strong effort form Petit-Village, and made before a very noticeable decline in the quality of wines over the subsequent seven years, the fully mature 1990 has plenty of amber at the edge, a dark garnet color, a sweet nose of melted licorice, espresso, dried herbs, and black cherries and currants. The wine is fleshy, silky-textured, and very easy to drink and understand. Anticipated maturity: Now-2010. Last tasted, 3/01.Robert Parker | 90 RP

The 2000 Château l’Evangile is blockbuster stuff and just about as good as it gets. This Merlot-dominated beauty shows some maturity but is still powerful, concentrated, and layered, with killer notes of currants, chocolate, smoked earth and spice. It has sweet tannin, an opulent, sexy texture, no hard edges and a great finish, all making it an incredible drink today. Nevertheless, it will keep for another 15+ years in cool cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThis is an absolutely spectacular L’Evangile. It remains to be seen whether 2009 will eclipse this great effort. Largely a Merlot-dominated blend with some Cabernet Franc in it, the greatness of this terroir is exhibited in the complexity of the nose, which offers up hints of subtle chocolate, blueberry, blackberry, truffle, barbecue smoke, and graphite. Dense, rich, and full-bodied, with an opulence and succulence that are prodigious, the tannins are present but extremely sweet, and the wine multi-dimensional and just emerging as a compellingly complex, head-turning beauty. Drink it now and over the next 20-25 years. Kudos to L’Evangile.Robert Parker | 98 RPLots of iodine, oyster, blueberry and blackberry aromas with hints of black olives. Some basil, too. Full body, powerful and dense with velvety tannins and fantastic length and intensity. A rich wine yet shows focus and form. Beautiful now and still showing impressive youth. There is a warmth to it. Drink or hold for years to come.James Suckling | 96 JSSaturated ruby. Superripe aromas of black and red fruits and dark chocolate; almost but not quite pruney. Then pliant, sweet and lush, with explosive black raspberry fruit and lots of early personality. This is downright hedonistic and deceptively soft. Finishes very long and ripe, with extremely fine tannins.Vinous Media | 92-95 VM91% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc. Needs aerating and remains a touch closed, even after 17 years. Clearly displays the rich black fruit and sexy Pomerol swagger that you expect of such a big vintage, tempered by the delicacy of the winemaking at L’Evangile. This is a great wine, still young, with a long life ahead of it. Drinking Window 2018 - 2035Decanter | 94 DECA savory edge leads off, followed by well-mulled raspberry, blackberry and strawberry flavors, with dried anise and black licorice notes taking over on the finish. Touches of raisin and plum skin notes at the very end have this red flirting with a Port-like surmaturité, but this will have fans for sure. You can push it if you want, but I’d drink this sooner rather than later.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

No written review provided. | 92 W&SThe 1998 La Dominique replicates the fine performance it showed from magnum two weeks earlier. The bouquet offers blackberry, raspberry coulis, sage and truffle on the nose, a touch of mint developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, still fresh and cohesive with black fruit, tobacco, a touch of dark chocolate with a finish you might easily mistake for a Pomerol. There is just a note of dryness and linearity on the finish, at least in the bottle, but larger formats should still give lots of pleasure. Tasted at the vertical tasting at La Dominique.Vinous Media | 91 VMThe 1998 is a soft, fat, voluptuously-textured, opulent effort with a dense ruby/purple color, and gorgeous aromas of olives, black cherry jam, blackberries, chocolate, and espresso. This full-bodied wine is hedonistic, flashy, and nearly decadent in its display of luxurious fruit, high glycerin, and spice. Anticipated maturity: now-2015.Robert Parker | 90 RPSolid, with complex aromas of blackberry, violet and berry. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a black olive and cherry aftertaste. Very good indeed. Best after 2005. 4,580 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThe 1998 Chateau La Dominique is a very good wine and one that strikes me as still straddling the line between the modernist and traditionalist camp for this vintage. It is not as deeply red fruity or complex as the beautiful wines made here in the 1982 and 1986 vintages, but neither is it as overtly powerful as the 1989 or more recent vintages. The bouquet is deep and complex, wafting from the glass in a fine blend of black cherries, menthol, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, nutty new oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and quite suave on the attack, with a good core of ripe fruit, still some firm tannins and good length and grip on the complex and well-balanced finish. The perception of tannins on the backend here builds with air, so if one is inclined to drink the wine now, I would not leave it overly long in decanter prior to serving. It is a very good vintage for La Dominique. (Drink between 2022 - 2055)John Gilman | 90 JG

Mature, with dried date, cherry and plum notes, lined with lilting incense, aged fruitcake and well-integrated cedar and juniper hints. The core retains some nice stuffing, allowing this to linger a bit longer for those who like to push their wines. This was the first vintage aged on its fine lees, resulting in a finer mouthfeel than the firmer, drier 1993 and 1994.—Non-blind Pavie Macquin vertical (December 2014). Drink now through 2017. 4,883 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

A youthful, very fresh Pétrus, with lively black olive character and an expansive, powerful mouthfeel. Very ripe fruit flavors. This will continue to improve with age, but it's perfect to drink now.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 1953 Petrus constitutes one of the more underwhelming wines of an extraordinary vertical. It has quite a formidable reputation but it does not deliver. The bouquet is attractive with scents of fireside hearth and chestnut infusing the red fruit, yet it is not imbued with the panache or breeding of the 1949 Petrus served alongside. With aeration it develops a subtle algae-like aroma (actually a scent I am partial towards.) The palate is fresh and clear with a core of red berry fruit infused with cedar and bay leaf scents. It does not fan out towards the finish and feels as if it is running out of puff with age, something that I have found with many Bordeaux born this year. It just tapers towards the finish as if to say: That’s your lot Sonny Jim. It represents a good but not great Petrus compared to the superior 1949, 1950 or 1955. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at Hide restaurant in London.Vinous Media | 91 VMA Medoc-like nose offers subtle, restrained, menthol, blackcurrant, and caramel-scented aromas. Medium-bodied, with politely elegant, sweet flavors, and a rich, well-balanced finish, this is one of the most restrained and subtle Petrus offerings I have tasted. The wine is in excellent condition and should last for another decade.Robert M. Parker, Jr. | 90 RP

It has been several years since I last tasted the 1985 Vieux Chateau Certan. Back then I remarked that I would not cellar it too long, although this bottle suggests that there is some mileage left yet. Served blind, I remarked that it was a 1985 due to the fragrant perfume on the nose, still almost Burgundy-like, though the presence of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc lent it subtle earthiness. The palate is mellow, fully mature but very harmonious. Whilst it does not have the depth or the flamboyance of the top Pomerols from this vintage, there is a sensuality to this 31-year-old wine and there is beguiling purity on the finish. It is just a joy to drink. Tasted December 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NMThe 1985 Vieux Château Certan is perhaps nearing the end of its drinking plateau. The mellow, loam-scented nose is a little loose-knit, and perhaps it can be seen as a lesser version of the 1989. I want more intensity, but make do with gravel and dried blood aromas that develop with aeration. This is not a deep or powerful Pomerol, but it conveys a sense of warmth, with a hint of black truffle on the finish and melted tannins. The 1985 is perfect to drink now, I would not be inclined to keep it too much longer.Vinous Media | 90 VMSoft and graceful, featuring smoky plum and cassis aromas and flavors, fles hy texture, complexity and length, with a hint of chocolate on the finish.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

(Château Le Pin) Perhaps the greatest vintage ever of Le Pin, the 1989 has moved from its ostentatious and exotic youth into a more stately, but no less complex and compelling stage of developing maturity. The bouquet is deep and profound, with candied scents of mulberry, red currants, cocoa, tobacco, a bit of truffle, woodsmoke and vanillin oak exploding from the glass. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and laser-like in its focus, with great underlying structure, some ripe tannin, and great length and grip on the finish. This is clearly the most serious bottle of Le Pin that I have had the pleasure to taste. It is not yet at its apogee, but it is such a spectacular glass of wine today, that it would certainly be difficult to keep paws off. (Drink between 2005-2025)John Gilman | 97 JGA slightly firmer, more structured wine than the 1990, with similarly low acid but more noticeable tannin, the color remains a very healthy saturated ruby/purple. The nose needs more coaxing and offers up noted of coconut, roasted herbs, jus du viande, along with plenty of black currant and sweet cherry fruit with nicely integrated toasty oak. The wine has similarly high levels of glycerin to the 1990, but less accessibility, and more structure and possibly power. This is a remarkable wine, and certainly one of the great vintages for Le Pin. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2022. Last tasted, 12/01.Robert Parker | 96 RPTasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1989 Le Pin has always been a sensual wine, not as exotic as the 1982, perhaps a bit more "grown up". Here it has a luxuriant bouquet of black cherries, crème de cassis, terracotta tiles and clove. There is a patina of warmth still emanating from that warm summer. The palate is velvety smooth, voluptuous and decadent yet the acidity keeps everything in check. I noticed a wild mint note that I have not seen on previous bottles, building in the mouth towards a multi-faceted, caressing finish, like a loved one begging you not to leave. It is simply ridiculously pleasurable from start to finish.Vinous Media | 96 VMI like this better than the 1990. It shows loads of licorice and blackberry, with hints of cherry on the nose. Full and refined, with silky tannins and an elegant finish. Lovely. Still very young and bright. The acidity holds it in. Much better than I remember.--Le Pin non-blind vertical. Best after 2010.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Amazing! The limestone soils of Ausone appear to have been the perfect foil for resisting the extreme heat and drought of June, July and August, 2003. This black/purple-colored effort boasts a glorious nose of violets, truffles, lead pencil shavings, blueberry and blackberry liqueur. Full-bodied with staggering concentration, a voluptuous texture, low acidity and well-integrated, melted tannins, this deep, multidimensional, profound Bordeaux is beginning to drink exceptionally well. It should continue to do so for another two decades or more.Robert Parker | 100 RPLoads of blackberry, plum and strawberry. Intense fruit. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and layers of everything. Wonderful balance and refinement. Closed up already. Very serious wine. Best after 2012. 1,375 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSFull ruby. Black raspberry, mocha, minerals, graphite and nutty oak on the superripe nose. Extravagantly rich and sweet in the mouth without coming off as heavy. This boasts extraordinary fruit intensity and verve (it’s hard to imagine cabernet franc better than this), and finishes with great palate-staining persistence. But this powerfully tannic wine may already be starting to shut down in the bottle. Like the 2005, it will need a decade of aging at a minimum, and possibly a lot longer.Vinous Media | 95+ VM

Just a powerhouse of a wine that does everything right, the 2000 Château Pavie is drinking incredibly well today, offering huge blackcurrant and chocolatey darker berry fruits as well as loads of truffly earth, tobacco, and spice. Full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate, it stays flawlessly balanced, and while I suspect the acidity is quite low, it has an incredible sense of freshness and a weightless texture. Fully mature, yet in the early part of its drink window, it has another two decades or prime drinking ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDJust beginning to come around and strut its enormous potential, this wine at age 15 has been evolving like a glacier. The wine has an inky, opaque, plum/purple color and a stunningly rich nose of mulberries, bramble berries, blackberries, licorice and incense as well as touches of toast and graphite. Fabulously concentrated and full-bodied, with a multidimensional mouthfeel, this profound Pavie is in mid-adolescence. It should evolve and continue to drink well for at least another 30-40 years. This is clearly the first compelling effort made by the Perse family.Robert Parker | 100 RPBeautiful and on point now, with a cascade of gently steeped blackberry, boysenberry and raspberry fruit flavors that are showing some secondary notes, all followed by singed alder, dried anise, tobacco and black tea accents. Features a mineral lining on the finish, along with a long sanguine echo. Presents a mature edge, but this is racy and fresh, with hints of menthol and bay leaf.--Non-blind Pavie vertical (March 2017). Drink now through 2035. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSOne of the most thrilling surprises of the vintage, here a new approach to a more finely-wrought Pavie has collided with a vintage that has natural freshness and acidity. The result shows the potential of this terroir. Without a doubt the best Pavie that I have ever tasted, and one where I have not had to say, ’yes, but...’. Let’s not pretend that it’s night and day from the old regime, but nor should it be - Pavie needs to keep its signature black fruited glamour and intensity, as that is part of what delivered its new status, but to my mind this is a far better balance than in the past. The blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, the lowest amount of Merlot since Perse arrived. This still has reams of intense fruit, but the tannins are not immovable as they have been in some years, and pulses of minerality leap up on the finish to make your mouth water. Gorgeous. It is also fascinating to learn the technical details that have helped bring out the vintage character - besides the lower Merlot content, there were 10 days less maceration than last year and only 70% new oak. Drinking Window 2027-2050.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2000 Pavie was tasted on two occasions. The first was from bottle at the château, where I felt it was quite sauvage and displayed more brettanomyces than I remembered. It was a peculiar showing. Then I tasted a magnum back in the UK, and this chimed more with previous bottles. Blackberry and crème de cassis feature on the nose, which is precocious and modern in style, though the new oak that once dominated this Saint-Émilion is now subsumed. The palate is full-bodied and dense, yet it does possess an alluring, silky texture. A sweet, precocious finish lingers extremely long in the mouth.Vinous Media | 96 VMVery ripe and powerful with spice, meat and walnut character. Full-bodied, deep and layered. Flamboyant and decadent. Long and flavorful finish. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSUnder the regime of Gérard Perse, Pavie seems to have become more opulent, more extracted, and, dare I say it, more simplistic. The richness of the 2000 vintage lends itself to this technique. While it is a wonderful, immediately appealing wine, with its intense dark fruits, it seem to lack the complexity of other wines of similar status.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Subtle yet rich aromas of grilled meat, black olive and dark red fruits. Full-bodied, very soft and silky, with ultrarefined tannins. The finish lasts for minutes. The quality of the tannins is beautiful and the complexity of fruit, earth and spices is impressive. Drinking this is like listening to Mozart.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now. 3,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis wine has become increasingly herbaceous with the tannins pushing through the fruit and becoming more aggressive. The wine started off life impressively deep ruby/purple but is now showing some amber at the edge. It is a medium-bodied, rather elegant style of Petrus with a distinctive cedary, almost celery component intermixed with a hint of caramel and sweet mulberry and black cherry fruit. It has aged far less evenly than I would have thought and is probably best drunk over the next 8-10 years. Last tasted, 11/02.Robert Parker | 91 RPThe 1988 Petrus is a vintage that I have encountered in two occasions. It is a forerunner for the 1989 and 1990 and frankly, it cannot hold a torch to those twin titans. In retrospect, one can see it more as a small progression from the capable 1987. It has a youthful hue with less bricking on the rim than you would expect. The bouquet is well defined with autumn leaves and thyme aromas filtering through the red berry fruit, perhaps a little austere but attractive in its own modest way. The plate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins, conservative and clearly not a flamboyant Petrus, though balanced with a discrete sense of breeding towards the finish. There is no need to cellar bottles for longer although it should remain at this level for another decade. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at Hide restaurant in London.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 1998 Pavie is deep garnet-brick in color. So much fruit comes charging out of the gate here: profound crème de cassis, baked blackberries and blackberry preserves with notions of beef dripping, crushed rocks, unsmoked cigar, sandalwood and dried lavender. Big, rich and beautifully impactful, it is completely packed with taut, muscular black and blue fruit preserves, maintaining nice firm grainy tannins with layer after layer of exotic spices, meat and earth notions, finishing epically long and minerally. Should easily continue to cellar for 25+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe first vintage for Gérard Perse, the 1998 Pavie is drinking beautifully today and offers a layered, rich, yet seamless and elegant character. Blackcurrants, new leather, tobacco, chocolate, and dried flowers characteristics all emerge from this beauty and it has sweet tannins, a flamboyant, sexy texture, and no hard edges. It’s mature yet youthful and fresh, and unquestionably has another 15-20 years of life.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDNo written review provided. | 95 W&SLovely, and in a great spot now. The mulled currant, fig and boysenberry fruit is fully into its secondary phase, while the backdrop of singed cedar and alder notes plays a supporting role. Keeps a fresh tobacco accent through the finish, with a lingering graphite echo.--Non-blind Pavie vertical (March 2017). Drink now through 2025. 6,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 1998 Pavie was Gerard Perse’s second vintage after buying the property and it was actually matured in 200% new oak. Now at two decades, it continues to be attired with a fresh and very attractive bouquet, blackberry, mulberry, clove and bay leaf, just a touch of Italian delicatessen in the background. I like the definition here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation and a keen thread of acidity, quite classic in style with tobacco and a light seaweed influence towards the persistent finish. This is ageing supremely well and you can another 10 to 15 years of drinking pleasure here. Excellent. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis was always a little overwooded with dark berries, toasted oak and a smoky finish. Fresh aromas. Full and chewy. Very flavorful all the same. Little dry. Holding on. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSCurrent proprietor Gérard Perse had just purchased Château Pavie in 1998, so this was his first vintage at the estate. For his inaugural vintage, he brought in Alain Reynaud to make the wine at Pavie, before eventually shifting gears in the cellar and hiring Michel Rolland. I had been reasonably impressed with this wine the last time I drank it, where it was served blind and I guessed it to be a more modern Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon. This time around it was still solid, but had not developed any further complexity since that previous sighting several years ago and one has to wonder if this wine has anywhere to go during its time in bottle? The bouquet is deep, ripe and fairly powerfully-extracted in personality (but still extremely restrained in comparison to a wine such as the 2010 here), delivering scents of black cherries, dark berries, a bit of creosote, cigar wrapper, road tar and smoky new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very well-balanced for modern Pavie, with a good core, firm tannins and a long, ripe and focused finish. This is a pretty good wine, but it truly lacks any vestiges of developmental complexity on either the nose or palate. Following in the flight after Canon and Figeac, the 1998 Pavie makes a pretty convincing argument for the startling superiority of the old school over the modern in Saint Émilion. (Drink between 2030-2060)John Gilman | 91 JG

A red that I have always appreciated. Beautiful aromas of licorice, spice, flowers and dried fruits such as prunes. Full-bodied with soft and fine tannins and ripe fruit. The rich, dried fruit character was fabulous with minced Peking Duck in lettuce leaf.James Suckling | 96 JSA giant of a wine. The complex aromas and thickly textured flavors range from plum and raisin to coffee, minerals and mint. Not so elegant as a typical Cheval; more in the mold of the powerful ’47 and legendary ’21. Drink or hold.--Cheval-Blanc vertical.Wine Spectator | 96 WSA classic example of Cheval Blanc’s style, the 1983 continues to put on weight and develop favorably in the bottle. A saturated dark ruby color with some faint lightening at the edges exhibits less age than most right bank 1983s. The huge nose of mint, jammy black fruits, chocolate, and coffee is sensational, as well as surprisingly well-developed. The wine offers lusty, rich, unctuous fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, low acid, concentrated, rather hedonistic style. There are no hard edges to be found, but there is plenty of tannin in the lush finish. Gorgeous for drinking now, this is a great Cheval Blanc that should continue to drink well, and possibly improve for another 20 years. The 1983 is far superior to anything Cheval Blanc has subsequently produced. It remains somewhat undervalued for its quality. Last tasted 12/97.Robert Parker | 95 RP(Château Cheval Blanc) Along with Ausone, the ’83 Cheval Blanc has long been one of the greatest wines of this vintage and it is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. The wine has gone through periods of glorious drinking, followed by much more closed cycles over the years, but it seems now at age thirty to have finally reached the start of its plateau of maturity and I would be very surprised to see it shut down ever again in its lifetime. Today, the deep, pure and vibrant nose wafts from the glass in a youthfully complex blend of mulberries, menthol, black cherries, a touch of chocolate, tobacco leaf, lovely soil tones and a nice touch of toasty new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very elegant on the attack, with a superb core of fruit, great focus and complexity, and a very long, balanced and modestly tannic finish. The tannins today have fallen away to the point where this wine is very enjoyable to drink, and yet I still have the sense that the wine is relatively adolescent in its stage of development and more fireworks will still be unveiled if one can exercise a bit more patience. This is a great vintage of Cheval Blanc! (Drink between 2013-2050).John Gilman | 95 JG

Berry, cherry and chocolate on the nose, with hints of spices. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a spicy, cedary, dark chocolate aftertaste. Very silky and caressing. Grabs your attention. Muscular for Cheval. Overlooked by many Cheval fans.—’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Drink now. 12,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(40 h/h; 12.5% alcohol): Bright red. Very pure floral nose with enticing aromas of redcurrant, violet, minerals, licorice, lead pencil and coffee: very cabernet franc! Then linear, pure and juicy, with pristine flavors of red berries, dark plum, minerals and coffee. This midweight finishes clean and smoothly tannic, offering amazing balance and an impression of seamlessness on the long, very floral finish. As much as I like its pure aromas and flavors, I find this Cheval Blanc lacks a little density for an even higher score. This was an overall dry and cool year, with some rain present only in the first part of the year, which caused some mildew pressure. The dry conditions started at the end of July and never really let up; from July to September, there was less than two inches of rain. Flowering was late, taking place on June 10, and veraison on August 20. Harvested during the first ten days of October.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Pale to medium garnet-brick in color, the 1998 Pavie Macquin simply sings with incredibly pure, spritely notes of blueberry preserves, blackberry pie and black cherry compote, revealing loads of eucalyptus, mocha, dried lavender and Chinese five spice accents. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is has wonderfully seductive blue and black fruit layers, framed by velvety tannins and the perfect amount of freshness to create tantalizing tension, finishing with incredible length and depth. Effortlessly delicious and yet possessing plenty of subtext for intellectual stimulation, I just love where this compelling '98 is at right now!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 1998 Pavie-Macquin is by far the most important wine of the 1990s at Pavie-Macquin. All of the signatures of the estate are present. A wine of textural depth and resonance, the 1998 captures all of the intensity this site is capable of. Dark red cherry fruit, kirsch, smoke and spice build in a stunning, riveting wine that hits all the right notes. It was a near-perfect growing season, with hot days, cool nights and enough dryness to concentrate the fruit but not overly stress the vines.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGFully mature, yet with plenty of life ahead of it, the 1998 Château Pavie Macquin reveals a ruby/plum hue to go with straight-up textbook Saint-Emilion notes of red and black currants, white truffle, dried flowers, lead pencil, leather, and tobacco. These all carry to a deep, rich, concentrated wine that has a beautiful balance in its acidity, tannins, and fruit, a core of sweet fruit, plenty of mid-palate density, and outstanding length. While I don't think the tannin quality matches what this estate is producing today, this is a brilliant, mature 1998 that brings loads of character and charm. This wine comes from a cooler, limestone terroir located above Château Pavie, on the upper plateau, and is based on 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDJust hitting its stride now, this pulls together fleshy yet elegant cherry, plum and blackberry fruit, along with notes of black tea, sandalwood and incense. The chalky spine is fully integrated and very long. This shows a caressing feel on the finish before the wine reasserts itself at the very end, adding lovely contrast and mouthfeel. Derenoncourt feels this is the first true grand vin of Pavie Macquin, for that minerality and precision.--Non-blind Pavie Macquin vertical (December 2014). Drink now through 2020. 4,091 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

(a 53/47 blend of cabernet franc and merlot; 13% alcohol; yield of 45 h/h): Bright red. Pure aromas of strawberry, flowers, soy sauce, espresso and minerals. Then clean and straightforward on the palate, with nicely balanced flavors similar to the aromas. Finishes very long and smooth. A very good Cheval Blanc, bigger than the 1996 but perhaps a touch less delineated; choosing between the two amounts to a case of different strokes for different folks. This was a warm year: temperatures during the 1995 growing season were on average 1.5°C higher than the previously recorded annual averages, with a very hot July and August, and the harvest took place early, between September 15 and 28. In fact, only the 1989 and 1990 harvests began earlier.Vinous Media | 93+ VMMedium ruby-garnet edge. Intense aromas of plums, cherries and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and very tight, with supersilky tannins and a long finish. Solid core of fruit. Still holding back.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2009.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA pretty, attractive Cheval Blanc, the 1995 contains a higher percentage of Merlot in the final blend than usual (50% Merlot/50% Cabernet Franc). This wine has not developed as much fat or weight as its younger sibling, the 1996, but it appears to be an outstanding Cheval Blanc with an enthralling smoky, black currant, coffee, and exotic bouquet. Complex, rich, medium to full-bodied flavors are well-endowed and pure, with surprisingly firm tannin in the finish. Unlike the sweeter, riper 1996, the 1995 may be more structured and potentially longer-lived. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020.Robert Parker | 92 RP

Richest of the lineup in terms of decadent black cherry and damson plum that seduce straight from the first hit and expand upwards and outwards through the palate. Structured and precise and yet full of abandon, with crème de cassis, bitter chocolate, cinnamon and smoked caramel edging. Pillow-plumped tannins are what always come to mind when I taste Le Pin, and here they are again, so soft and caressing that they are impossible to resist. 435 cases produced, a near perfect embodiment of the singular character of this property, clearly showcasing why it is so treasured. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035.Decanter | 99 DECIntense, with fleshy layers of raspberry confiture and plum reduction that rumble throughout, but the structure is so velvety that this winds up stretching out almost languidly when it finally reaches the finish, ending with dried star anise, vanilla flower and a lilting note of singed juniper. Pretty gorgeous, but just a hair behind the ’10 in precision.--Non-blind Le Pin vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2030. 450 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA beautifully made, dark ruby/garnet/plum-colored wine, the 1998 Le Pin offers an exotic bouquet of coconut, kirsch liqueur, and jammy blackberries, all flamboyantly dosed with smoky new oak. It is dense, rich, and plush, with a good tannic framework. At one time, Le Pin was the most exotic wine from Bordeaux’s right bank, but there is now considerable competition from all the new St.-Emilion upstarts. While this remains an outstanding, often compelling Pomerol, many far less expensive, equally prodigious alternatives have emerged. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.Robert Parker | 93 RPTasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1998 Le Pin has always been a bit of a lush. The bouquet is sexy and very candied: crème de cassis, crushed violets, blueberries and incense. This is a seductive Pomerol that wants to skip small talk and go back to yours for coffee. The palate is sensual, velvety smooth, rounded and plush. It is like a slow-mo explosion of blue and black fruit, perhaps a little generous with the vanillary new oak although that is being subsumed as the wine ages. The 1998 Le Pin is the Mrs. Robinson of the vintage.Vinous Media | 93 VMNo written review provided. | 90 W&S