The 2014 Plince opens in the glass with a seductive medley of concentrated red and blue fruit. This yields to undertones of dry violets, cedar and sweet tobacco before concluding with mineral and dry earth notes...

Composed of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Plince is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and rolls effortlessly out of the glass with scents of blackberry pie, plum preserves and kirsch plus suggestions of...

A rich, lush, concentrated, forward, supple-styled wine that is open from the first sniff, and sip. The opulent wine is packed with espresso dark chocolate, and even darker, red pit fruits. The wine is deep and lush on...

The 2014 Clinet is rich and round but slightly more refined than the 2012, which is arguably its qualitative peer. Lots of black cherry fruit but with that beautiful elegant Pomerol charm. Plush and plump and will age...

A firmness and focus to this second wine with plum, chocolate and walnut character. Full to medium body, pretty tannins and a long and fresh finish. A beauty. Second wine from Nenin.

Complex and subtle aromas of black cherries, chocolate and violets with hints of nutmeg and hazelnuts that open to a medium to full body, with fine and polished tannins that integrate nicely then grow beautifully at the...

The blue fruits and flowers with some dark chocolate come through clearly. It’s medium-bodied with firm tannins that are integrated and long. Savory finish. Needs three or four years to soften. Drink after 2026.

A noteworthy development in the vineyard manifests here, as this includes 6% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend for the first time, along with 64% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. It also makes use of larger 500-litre barrels...

Deep garnet in color, the 2016 Le Bon Pasteur starts off with profound notions of plum pudding, baked blackberries, and black cherry compote, plus hints of star anise, dusty soil, and garrigue. Full-bodied, rich, and...

The years have been kind here. On the nose you find rises, chocolate, licorice, truffle, plums and black cherries. Silky, and sensuous on the palate, there is a wealth of ripe, slightly fiend fruits that linger. Drink...

The 2020 Les Pensées de Lafleur is a wine that I rated very highly at the blind Southwold tasting—but on this bottle, perhaps in juxtaposition with the 2019, there is a patina of over-ripeness on the nose. The palate...

(TWI 94-96 points) A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc), the 2023 Pensees de Lafleur has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs a swirl or two to spur it on to gallop out with powerful notes of juicy...

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Le Gay has a beautifully perfumed nose of lavender essence, chocolate-covered cherries and preserved plums, leading to a fragrant undercurrent of kirsch, licorice and fertile loam...

The 2019 Le Pin, 100% Merlot, is deep garnet-purple in color. It gallops out with energetic notes of crushed black and red cherries, wild blueberries, and forest floor, giving way to suggestions of cast-iron pan, menthol...

A frankly toasted style, with bittersweet cocoa notes draped over a core of black cherry and plum fruit. Reveals tobacco, licorice, roasted cedar and a tug of warm earth through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon...

(JD 93-95+ points) The 2023 Château Clinet is flat-out gorgeous, and it's certainly going to be up near the top end of the pyramid in the vintage. Based on Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a deep...

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Clos L'Eglise comes bounding out of the glass with bold notes of plum preserves, wild blueberries, and boysenberries, giving way to compelling sandalwood, licorice, and potpourri...

(JD 92-94 points) Red, blue, and black fruits, chocolate, roasted herbs, and violet notes all emerge from the 2023 Clos L'Eglise, a broad, medium to full-bodied, supple, seamless beauty based on 70% Merlot and 30%...

A blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 L'Esperance de Trotanoy is deep garnet-purple in color. It charges out of the gate with bold notions of baked plums, kirsch, and blueberry pie, plus suggestions of...

Lots of freshly cut violets on the nose with purple fruits and hints of chocolate. Medium- to full-bodied. Integrated tannins. Second wine of Trotanoy. Needs time to soften and open. Try after 2028.

This has a seductive feel, with velvety plum and raspberry compote notes stretching from start to finish while light floral, anise and apple wood accents chime in and out. Nice integration through the finish. Best from...

One of my favorite châteaux, the 2021 Château Hosanna is 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc from 4.5 hectares of blue clay soils in the heart of Pomerol. Harvest between September 24 and October 6, it has a vivid opaque...

The blend is 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, and the élevage was 70% in new oak, with 3% in Tava amphorae and the rest in second-fill barrels. A beautiful sense of purity on the nose, showing defined black cherry...

From a property on the Pomerol slopes, this is 100% Merlot. I like the concentrated but lifted purity on the nose here, combining lightly desiccated black summer fruits with dried rose petals, tobacco, dark chocolate and...

(JD 95-97 points) The Grand Vin 2023 Château L'Eglise Clinet checks in as 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that's resting in 82% new barrels. It brings another level of density as well as purity, with fabulous notes of...

(JD 95-97 points) The Grand Vin 2023 Château L'Eglise Clinet checks in as 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that's resting in 82% new barrels. It brings another level of density as well as purity, with fabulous notes of...

The 2019 L'Evangile is composed of 83.5% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 0.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has classic notes of plum preserves, crushed rocks, and tar with nuances of cedar chest...

The 2020 L'Évangile has a riper nose than the Clos l'Eglise: blackberry, wild strawberry and floral notes of rose petal and iris flower. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well balanced and fleshy, yet there...