The wine's richness is concentrated into dark black fruits and spicy wood polish. It is a dark wine, ripe with berry flavors and concentration, Drink from 2026. ROGER VOSS

An improved version of the 2016 (as well as the 2010), the 2020 Château Bélair-Monange is deep purple-hued with an utterly sensational perfume of crème de cassis, smoky tobacco, crushed stone, and sappy flowers, with an...

This pure Merlot, unusual for Saint-Émilion, is powerful and one with great elegance and style. It has structure and a spicy aroma that shows the wine's richness. On the slopes of Saint-Emilion, this 26-acre estate makes...

The black olives and dark fruit come through on the nose with violets and wet earth. Full and very chunky and powerful. Yet it’s lively and vivid with excellent energy. Fantastic. Pure merlot. Leave it until 2030.

The 2015 Talbot has an exuberant nose with black cherry, bilberry, wild mint and brown spice aromas. This has fine delineation and well-integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit mixed with game and...

This focused, light-to-medium bodied red offers a medley of steeped black cherry, tangy blackberry and apricot notes flanked with tea, cedar and anise elements. A vivid hint of rosewater defines the long finish. Drink now...

(96-98 points) Deep purple-hued, the 2025 Château Pontet-Canet showed beautifully both times I tasted it, with incredibly classic Pontet-Canet notes of cassis, violets, iris, and gravelly earth and graphite. Based on 56%...

(96-98 points) Checking in as 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot that's resting in 90% new French oak, the 2025 Château Lafite Rothschild sports a classic, deep ruby hue as well as a complex and...

Situated at the borders of the appellation Saint-Estèphe but within the appellation Médoc, the 2022 Larrivaux reveals a somber, dark bouquet of spices and dark berries mingled with elegant toasty notes. Medium to...

Composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Carmenere, the 2016 Brane-Cantenac is deep garnet-purple colored. It is a little broody, with notes of tar and rubber giving way to a core of creme...

Made from 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 d'Aiguilhe is medium to deep garnet-purple colored. It needs a little swirling to reveal notes of crushed black cherries, black raspberries, and violets, plus wafts of...

A nose of inviting chocolate powder and dark fruits - very specifically aromatic, after a few minutes the soft florals and medicinal herbs come into play. Super sleek, but not round to begin with, more direct and...

A very floral and gently leafy edge with lighter red fruit, leading to a very smoothly fleshy, red-fruited palate that’s sleek, even and elegant. Drink or hold.

Always a gem of a wine, the 2021 Château Tour Saint Christophe is no exception and has tons of charm and character. Ripe red and black fruits, tobacco, chalky minerality, and nicely integrated oak all define the...

The 2021 Léoville Poyferré is deep garnet‑purple in color. Alluring scents of lavender, orange peel, and mint tea pop from the glass, giving way to a core of red currant jelly and red cherry preserves, plus a hint of...

The 2022 Fleurie has a beautifully defined nose with wonderful mineralité like Foillard's other cuvées, surfeited with energy. There’s real purity and panache. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of mulberry on the...

Flowers, mint, smoke, cherries, and marine influences fill the perfume. The fruit is sweet, bright, fresh, and energetic, with an herbal, peppery character that rides on top of the black raspberries, cherries, and plums...

Aromas of wild herbs, walnuts, sweet tobacco and a gentle earthy note. Medium- to full-bodied with delineated dark fruit and integrated tannins. Elegant and precise, offering wonderful depth. Approachable now, but its...

The 1998 Clos L'Eglise is deep garnet in color with a touch of brick. It charges out of the gate with bold scents of redcurrant jelly, stewed plums, and dried mulberries with hints of cigar box, sauteed herbs, and smoked...

Elegant, sweet, juicy, and fresh, there is a purity to the sweet kirsch that defines the wine. The finish focuses on its mineral characteristics that accompany the raspberries, kirsch, and cherries. This is a knockout...

The 2019 Alcee is a blend of 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts with notes of wild blueberries, boysenberries, and rose oil, plus suggestions of cardamom and tilled soil...

Louis Barruol has turned out a successful 2021 Cote Rotie, evoking hints of espresso, smoked meat, black olives and tart berries. It's medium-bodied and silky-textured, with tea-like notes on the complex, elegant finish.- JC

The Domaine de Baron'arques demonstrates that Limoux, the region that gave birth to sparkling wine makes a fine Merlot-based wine as well. A velvety wine of plush red and blue, berry fruit aromas accented by clove and...

This is full-bodied yet carries a racy edge, with juicy acidity driving licorice and cherry dusted with spices. Chalky mineral notes bring an earthy depth and firmness to the succulent, salty finish, which shows a waft of...

(94-97 points) As to the Grand Vin, red, blue, and black fruits, intermixed with spring flowers, iris, graphite, and sappy tobacco, all define the 2025 Château Giscours, giving it a beautiful Cabernet-driven style. Based...

(97-99 points) Deep purple-hued, the 2025 Château Mouton Rothschild is based on 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot that's resting in 100% new barrels. A blockbuster nose of crème de cassis, smoky tobacco, chocolate, and...

(97-100 points) A Merlot-forward blend of 62% Merlot, 26.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11.8% Cabernet Franc aged in 60% new French oak, the 2025 Château Haut-Brion is slightly more dense and structured compared to its...

(97-100 points) A magical, utterly profound wine in the making, the 2025 Château Montrose is a classic blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc that will spend 18 months in 60% new French oak...

(97-99 points) Deep purple-hued, the 2025 Château Figeac is based on 38% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Cabernet Franc, harvested September 1-10 from yields of 24 hectoliters per hectare and raised in 100% new...

(92-95 points) Fresh fruity style of wine, high toned with peppery notes and fine and elegant, velvety fruit. This is not a blockbuster but a nice well composed Margaux, with a fine, long velvety aftertaste.