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 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

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...

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...

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...

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...

Glass-staining ruby. Hugely perfumed, mineral-accented black and blue fruit preserves, floral oil, olive paste, pipe tobacco and exotic spice aromas show superb clarity and pick up a hint of smokiness with air. Juicy and...

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...

(90-92 points) Here the wood is more apparent with a hint of menthol though neither are so much to impinge on the attractiveness of the ripe black cherry, smoked game and overtly floral-scented nose. The rich, generous...

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...

92+ The 2023 Morgon Cuvée Château-Gaillard, crafted from partially destemmed fruit, presents a full-bodied profile with notes of black cherry, prune, licorice and pine. The wine’s power is evident, with layered...

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...

(95-98+ points) Deep and intense wine with blackberries, currants and cassis-like jam. Very fresh and intense with jammy, fresh, juicy, vibrant fruit with lots of energy. The taste is equally fresh with some tannins at...

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

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.

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.

A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Beychevelle has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs plenty of swirling to coax out notes of ripe blackcurrants, Bing...

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...

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...

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...

An assemblage of 45% Grenache, 45% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah, the 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes follows the domaine's formula of maturing the Grenache in concrete tanks, while the Mourvèdre and Syrah go into...

The 2022 Morgon Cuvée Corcelette has a crisp and delineated bouquet brimming with energy. Lively red fruit seems to leap from the glass. The palate is beautifully built, svelte tannins matched with a silver bead of...

The grand vin from the Decosters is a blend of 76% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, matured mostly in new French oak barrels, with some use of older oak, foudre s and amphorae. A rather restrained...

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...