The 2022 from Alexander van Beek and the team at Giscours is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I find a real sense of fragrant harmony but also bright energy here...

Almost opaque in color, the wine kicks off with smoky blackberries, wet earth, underbrush, licorice, black cherry, and currants. Full-bodied, rich, and intense, the wine is incredibly concentrated. Think of placing a...

The 2020 Le Pauillac de Chateau Latour is a blend of 53% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with vivacious notes of stewed blackberries, raspberry...

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...

Composed of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Plince is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and rolls effortlessly out of the glass with scents of blackberry pie, plum preserves and kirsch plus suggestions of...

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2019 d’Armailhac has a deep garnet color, with a touch of purple. It gallops out with open-knit, flamboyant scents of black...

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Pape Clement has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It tumbles out of the glass with notions of plum preserves and Morello cherries, giving way to hints of...

The 2020 Marquis de Terme has a much more classical, sophisticated bouquet compared to the Marquis d'Alesme. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and delineated with plush black fruit and a healthy dash of white pepper...

(92 + points) La Lagune 2019 is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of warm cassis, blackberry preserves, and fruitcake waft from the glass, leading to hints of cloves, dried herbs, and pencil lead. The medium-bodied...

Smoky sweet spice with juicy, ripe red berries on the nose. The core of liquorice and star anise is supported by plump, fleshy vibrant loganberry and raspberry fruit. Fresh, chewy fig on the finish. Youthful and classy...

The blend is 71% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, at the upper end of the usual range of percentages for the Merlot, and the élevage was in one-third new oak for twelve months, the...

Medium to deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 Fonplegade waltzes out with showy notes of kirsch, blackberry preserves, and rosebud tea with hints of leather sofa and star anise. The medium-bodied palate is plush 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...

(JD 96-100 points) One of the finest wines in the vintage, the 2023 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is based on 52.7% Merlot, 29.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's one hell of a gorgeous wine offering...

(JD 93-95 points) A killer bottle of wine in the making, the 2023 Château Tour Saint Christophe checks in as a normal blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc that's resting in just 25% new French oak, with the balance...

A rich, lush, concentrated, forward, supple-styled wine that is open from the first sniff, and sip. The opulent wine is packed with espresso dark chocolate, and even darker, red pit fruits. The wine is deep and lush on...

The grand vin here is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, and the élevage was in 75% new oak for 16 to 18 months. This possesses a gorgeous nose, one which seems to evoke the rich and dark fruit of the vintage as well...

Sleek and polished, with alluring notes of blackberry puree and warmed cassis that glide through, while fine-grained tannins, a buried chalky spine and a gilding of sweet tobacco add range and length. Shows a...

The 2014 Branaire-Ducru has a "quieter" bouquet than its peers, a little muted at first, though well-defined with mainly black tertiary fruit laced with tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. It's a...

The nose offers appealing sour cherry. Direct, rich and intense, with excellent texture and structure. Intense ripeness and refined fruitiness. Fine tannins and nice length. Chewy but balanced. (Drink between 2024-2036)

The 2014 Clinet is rich and round but slightly more refined than the 2012, which is arguably its qualitative peer. Lots of black cherry fruit but with that beautiful elegant Pomerol charm. Plush and plump and will age...

Deep rich plum in colour, spiced cumin, loganberry, blood orange, cranberry and white pepper, there is the austerity here which was true even during En Primeur, now elongating into finesse and consistency of delivery...

A vintage famed for its ripe fruits and firm tannic hold, and one that leans into the style of Lascombes, showing exuberant spice. Black pepper, turmeric, smoked cumin, blueberry, blackberry, cassis puree, young in...

After 12 months in wood, the wine has a fine spicy edge. That balances the rich black fruits with their floral character. This is a ripe wine that has plenty of potential. Drink from 2026. ROGER VOSS

The 2015 La Lagune has never really shown as well as it might. However, this bottle, poured blind, suggests that this has suddenly "awoken". It has a well-defined, estuarine-tinged bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow...

(94+ points) A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Lagrange is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of baked black cherries, stewed...

(94+ points) Aromas of rich cherries, cassis, burning embers, violets and dark chocolate introduce the 2020 Pape Clément, a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy wine that's ripe, layered and generously extracted but...