This 2005 is really coming into its own, with soft, welcoming rose bud, chalk, bilberry, cocoa bean and tobacco. The tannins remain well structured, and you can see the muscles that kept this pretty closed for the first...

A classy, balanced and sumptuous du Tertre, a ton of appellation and vintage signature. Lace-like tannins, overperforms the estate at the time, showing just how much quality and value is out there for this vintage...

This smells and tastes like the essence of Moulin-a-Vent, with stunning red fruit aromas plus delicate spicy and earthy notes. Wonderful freshness and precision for this very hot and dry vintage on the medium- to...

The 2018 Prieure-Lichine has a deep garnet purple color. It opens with notes of stewed plums and crème de cassis, laced with cedar and Indian spices, leading to notes of sassafras and chargrill. Medium to full-bodied, the...

The 2020 L'Hêtre has a more restrained and nuanced bouquet that unfolds in the glass, with more mineralité and terroir expression than the preceding d'Aiguilhe. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins and...

The 2020 Beychevelle has an open-knit, very well-defined bouquet with pure black cherries, bilberry, veins of blueberry and crushed violet. There's just a touch of new oak still waiting to be assimilated. The palate is...

An alluring red, with fresh boysenberry and black pepper-dusted plum flavors underscored by smoked bacon, charred cedar and mocha. Pure and polished, this is well-built and seductive. Drink now through 2030. - J.M.

The second wine of Château Pichon-Longueville is soft, perfumed and delicious. It's a wine with plenty of juicy fruit, though at this stage the wood is too dominant. The finish shows a hint of spice. ROGER VOSS

Located in Les Rugiens-Bas, this is a very fine example of Pommard which carries the weight and power expected of the AC but combines this with purity and a high degree of elegance. Dark and brooding in the glass, this is...

(93-95 points) The 2022 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru is the maiden vintage, the only cuvée Mortet does not farm himself, though he assured that he buys top quality grapes from the grower who owns a large part of the...

(92-94 points) When Mortet launched his own label, this cuvée took the back seat when compared with the Charmes-Chambertin; but his work in the vineyards is paying off, as evidenced by the 2022 Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand...

(JD 92-94 points) The 2023 Château Bellefont-Belcier is beautiful, with a more focused, elegant, mineral-laced style. Black raspberries, chalky minerality, and spring flowers are just some of its nuances, and it's...

(JD 93-95 points) Located just across from Château Beychevelle, the 2023 Château Branaire-Ducru reveals a dense ruby/purple hue as well as absolute classic notes of red and blue fruits, spring flowers, sappy, and...

The 2023 Brane-Cantenac was born the year that Lucien Lurton, who oversaw 34 vintages, passed away. There is a touch of reduction on the nose that soon dissipates, revealing quite detailed blackberry, bay leaf and crushed...

(JD 95-98 points) The 2023 Château Calon Ségur is absolutely brilliant and clearly in the top handful of wines in the vintage. Based on 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, it has...

This is a blend of 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, matured in barrels using just 40% new oak, and in vats, for 15 months. Some smoky oak in the aromatic profile here, with a fruit profile that...

The 2012 Latour…wine of the vintage? It has to be a serious contender. In this blind taste-off between the five First Growths, its quality shines through. With exceptional delineation on the nose, it just oozes class with...

This is 32% of the crop here, and dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon at 64% of the blend. with 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. No change in the élevage here, Philippe Bascaules having initially considered...

(96+ points) A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, the 2019 Saint-Pierre is deep garnet-purple in color. It gallops out with notes of warm cassis, plum preserves, and candied violets, leading to suggestions...

(JD 96-98 points) The Grand Vin 2023 Château Cheval Blanc is based on 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon and, as always, is resting in 100% new French oak. It's deep ruby/plum-hued and offers a...

An elegant expression of Cornas, with real complexity. High-toned cherry and olive tapenade are laced with sweet bay leaf, lavender and earth. Well-managed tannins support the supple core of red fruit. Shows a refined...

There are two new demi-muids of the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum, pure Grenache grown on red clay soils, the only Grenache in the cellar that goes into wood for aging. Cedar and menthol notes accent black...

(JD 95-97 points) The Grand Vin 2023 Château Cos D'Estournel checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and a splash of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, resting in 50% new French oak. This beauty brings everything...

(92-94 points) Including slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, the 2023 Château D'Armailhac is based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, aging in 50% new oak. It's...

Fullish colour. Medium-full weight on the nose. High-toned, very classy, very well-balanced nose. Very lovely fruit. Fullish body. Pure and intense. Not the biggest of wines, but with a vigour and a depth of flavour which...

(97+ points) The 2020 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a refined bouquet, beautifully poised with brambly red fruit, hints of sous-bois and incense. This is utterly seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy...