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...

(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%...

(97-99 points) Cassis, currants, smoky tobacco, chocolate, and graphite all define the 2025 Château Cos D'Estournel, a powerful, ripe, concentrated beauty based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot...

(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...

Unique with spot-on extraction. Expect a mineral profile with savory plums, blue fruit and dark cherries. Not a beast but a nuanced, medium-bodied and evenly packed red with etched tannins that are not overpowering...

Expressing notes of cherries, graphite, shaving pencil, flowers and cassis, the 2018 Marsau is medium to full-bodied with a textural attack and juicy texture that is round and pleasant on the mid-palate. However, it...

The 2023 Morgon opens on the nose with a signature Lapierre vibrancy, revealing fragrant lavender, crushed petals and vanilla. Layers of ripe raspberries, licorice and blueberries emerge, accompanied by a subtle wave of...

The 2022 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard sees more whole clusters and less new oak than the other wines in the Pisoni range, a combination that affords it noticeably more clarity and balance. The nose opens with dehydrated...

Extremely Cabernet dominant, with savoury black fruit and a ton of Pauillac character. A fairly reserved, finely-boned Lafite, with menthol and tobacco leaf. Subdued right now but in it for the long haul. The vintage with...

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...

This is stylish, with perfumy black tea and smoldering charcoal aromas followed by lightly mulled plum, fig and blackberry fruit. An echo of juniper shows on the mineral-edged finish. Drink now through 2024. — JM

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...

The 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino pours a rich ruby hue yet remains transparent, with savory, layered aromas of red cherry, saddle leather, cedar, damp forest floor, and wild herbs. It is medium to full-bodied, with a ripe...

(96-98 points) Cassis, graphite, violets, iris, and a wonderful sense of minerality all define the 2025 Château Angélus, another ultra-classic Saint-Emilion from this address. It's a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and...

Vallana's 2018 Boca is an old-school, super-classic wine. Firm tannins wrap around a core of macerated dark cherry, cinnamon, licorice, dried herbs and menthol. The 2018 needs a good decant. Readers will find a sturdy...

The nose is defined by the warm sweetness of mocha, toasted sage, orange peel and sweet, ripe blackberry. On the palate, black cherries accentuate that blackberry note, before a wave of super tart citrus swells alongside...

(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...

(95-97+ points) Checking in as a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from 7.25 hectares of vines on a limestone hillside just outside the village of Saint-Emilion, the 2025 Château Ausone...

A beam of acidity cuts through this scintillating red, lending energy and driving its cherry, strawberry, mineral and spice flavors. Both ripe and supple, this firms up while playing out on the long and lively finish. All...

(95+ points) The 2023 Bellefont Belcier has turned out as beautifully as anticipated, unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark wild berries, spices, iris and violet. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and finely textured...

The 2023 Branaire-Ducru is a real success, revealing aromas of dark berries, plums, licorice and lead pencil, subtly accented by spice. Medium- to full-bodied, seamless and layered, it is built around a vibrant, finely...

(96-98 points) Cassis, graphite, liquid violets, and tobacco all define the 2025 Château Brane-Cantenac, a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 1% each Cabernet Franc, Carménère, and Petit Verdot that's being...

Warm vintage, among the warmest on record, but without heat spikes, this has a creamy quality to the tannins, combined with welcoming fragrant fennel, clove and Medoiterranean scrub aromatics that combine generosity with...

(95-97+ points) A big step up over the Marquis, the 2025 Château Calon Ségur is based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, and will spend 20 months in 100% new oak. The nose...

The first year with sufficient quality grapes, plus an improved global outlook, at least with the Chinese market, to allow the new owners to show what they had achieved over the previous four or five years. It is one of...

Toasted notes on the nose, remnants of oak and blackcurrant. Full and round. Plush, gently chewy fruit and powdery tannins give this a wider mouthfeel than some. Plenty of flavour and classic claret character, freshness...

(96-98 points) Ripe cherries, graphite, crushed flowers, and assorted blue fruits all define the 2025 Château Canon, another great wine from this team, which checks in at 76% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc and will spend...

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...

Rich and supple, evoking cherry, blackberry, graphite and tobacco aromas and flavors. The dense, dusty tannins emerge as this builds to the long, lively finish, where a light astringency lingers. A bit rustic. Best from...