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...

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) 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...

The 2022 Giscours has a very classy, sophisticated bouquet with mineral-laden black fruit, wilted violet and crushed stone, precise with seamlessly integrated oak. The palate is silky smooth, beautifully balanced...

(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...

The 2023 Château Malescot St.-Exupéry remains charming and approachable, revealing aromas of cassis, violet, dark berries and pepper, seamlessly integrated with oak. Medium- to full-bodied, rich and dense, it is built...

(92-94 points) A serious, fruit-forward wine, the 2025 Château Malescot Saint Exupéry is showing a lot of oak at the moment, yet it still brings beautiful purity of fruit. Ripe red and black fruits, spicy oak, graphite...

All boats rise in a vintage like 2005, and the notoriously sleepy second Rauzan-Gassies turned out to be one of the surprises at our tasting. It starts with a dark scent of tobacco and then cassis pours out of the middle...

The 2009 Rauzan-Gassies has a refined bouquet with blackberry, cedar and light graphite notes, maybe a little closed down though, it opens nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, and fine...

Incense, cedar, blackcurrants, vanilla, rose and exotic sweet spices. Focused and forward, but compact and tight. Crushed-silk tannins give good support but do cover the lighter-fruit aspects and the acidity, making this...

(96-98 points) Cassis, assorted red and black fruits, spicy wood, tobacco, and graphite all emerge from the 2025 Château Rauzan-Ségla, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1.5% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Cabernet...

A warm vintage during harvest, and this is showing a rich plum colour, with a satin texture that speaks to alcohols that are higher than usual in this part of the Médoc peninsula. Great quality though, and the Petit...