This was bottled in September 2024, so at the time of tasting has only been in bottle three months. The blend is 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot, with 70% whole-cluster vinification, and the...

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...

Richly velvet with ripe tannins, this is a very accessible wine. Its ripe blackberry fruits are generous, full of spice and a texture that is rounded and brings concentration. The juicy character of the vintage comes...

The Bonnies' work in the vineyard and the vines' maturity is paying off in more complexity, precision and silkier tannins, with elevated, layered aromas and flavours. The bouquet is herbs and lavender, the juicy, open and...

The 2019 Malartic Lagraviere is deep garnet-purple in color. It is quite closed to begin, delivering notes of cedar and tar, before opening out to an array of black cherries, mulberries, cassis, and fragrant earth scents...

The 2023 Domaine de Chevalier has turned out beautifully in bottle, offering aromas of sweet cherries, dark wild berries, licorice, mulberries and peony. Medium- to full-bodied, it is rich yet supple, layered and...

A dash of cocoa, smoke, flowers, tobacco and sweet red fruits create the perfume. On the medium-bodied palate, the wine is soft, vibrant, supple, and spicy with loads of salty, sweet, black cherries and peppery currants...

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 de Fieuzal rocks up with bold, confident Black Forest cake and crème de cassis scents followed by nuances of cigar box, new leather and Chinese five spice plus a waft of potpourri...

The 2014 Château de Fieuzal has a high-toned nose with a little more VA than its peers. It's lush and gains harmony with time in the glass, dried black cherries mixed with raisin and fig. The palate is medium-bodied with...

A wine that will take time to balance out, this has dense, dark and dry tannins at this stage. These underline the richness of the black fruits and acidity, giving a wine that will need to age to lose its firm edge. Drink...

The 2019 de Fieuzal has a deep garnet-purple color. It bursts with ripe notes of prunes, fruitcake, and Chinese five spice, plus touches of dried lavender and black olives. The medium-bodied palate coats the mouth with...

(95+ points) The 2023 de Fieuzal reflects the estate’s ongoing refinement in matters of ripeness, élevage and extraction, revealing a complex and vibrant bouquet of cassis, mulberries, peony and rose petals, subtly...

High Cabernet Sauvignon and the oak upped to around 60% new, higher than usual but well integrated at 17 years on. This is showing well right now, fully in the drinking window and extremely moreish, gentle fine tannins...

Supple tannins, fleshy blackberry and cassis fruits, lives up to the high expectations surrounding this wine and yet maintains the quiet confidence and reserve that is a signature of Haut-Bailly. A magical bottle that is...

The 2015 Haut Bailly was first tasted at the Farr Vintners tasting, although I felt that this bottle did not show as well. Another at the Vinous Icons event in New York is more representative. Vibrant red berry fruit...

Subtle, welcoming, layered, balanced, this is just so Haut Bailly in its cocoa bean, cassis, smoked capsicum, saffron, cigar and slate feel, with mouthwatering oyster shell signoff. Ready for sharing, but will age for...

Love the depth of the palate, this is delicious with a scrape of tannins that are ripe and powerful without straying over the line into heavy. Love the balance of this 2019, sculputed cassis and bilberry fruits...

Excellent job in a challenging vintage. There is an elegace, subtlety and finesse that shows the confidence in the winemaker team at this estate, leaning into the cool blue fruits and gunsmoke flint of the vintage. Plenty...

From healthy yields and a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc aged 16 months in 50% new French oak, the 2023 Château Haut-Bailly is an ultra-classy Haut-Bailly with...

Quite a surprise in a difficult vintage a strict selection and the superb terroir of Haut Brion triumphed over a very challenging year that produced many hard relatively herbaceous wines. The color is a surprisingly...

The 2004 Haut-Brion has a superb bouquet with very well-defined blackberry, cedar, cigar humidor and dried blood scents that blossom in the glass - quintessential Haut-Brion. The palate is medium-bodied with an almost...

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2012 Haut-Brion leaps with vibrant blackcurrant cordial, preserved plums, tar, and licorice scents, followed by touches of graphite, dried roses, and cardamom plus a hint of crushed...

The 2020 Haut-Brion has a well-defined, quite cerebral nose—a mélange of red and black fruit, black olive, subtle estuarine scents. The oak is very well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent, almost...

The 2021 Haut-Brion is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, the nose slowly awakens to reveal notes of cassis, kirsch, and juicy plums, followed by suggestions of dark chocolate, clove oil, iron...

The 1999 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is less voluptuous and expansive than the Haut-Brion, but it brings a touch more finesse as well as precision. Fully mature and drinking at point, it has classic Pessac ripe red and...

La Mission Haut-Brion 2018 has a deep garnet-purple color. It slowly unfurls to offer notes of blackcurrant cordial, plum preserves, and Morello cherries, leading to hints of menthol, cedar, pencil lead, and roses, plus a...

The 2020 Larrivet Haut-Brion bursts with aromas of red berries, vine smoke, orange rind and petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, lively and complete palate built around powdery tannins and vibrant fruit flavors...

Peony and violet floral notes, raspberry and redcurrant fruits, tannins a little austere right now but this has great structure and depth to the flavours. Of the recent vintages, I recommend the 2014 for the next few...

This is led by Merlot, at just over 62% of the blend, and it was aged in 20% new oak. Tasted against La Chapelle this has more immediate impact on the nose, with darker and more defined fruits, and more perfumed chalk...

The 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion has an opulent bouquet of black cherries, blueberries and violets, with just a patina of new oak to be fully subsumed. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, ripe tannins. Very well...