This flagship Moueix wine is 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, and it suggests wonderful density and purity combined on the nose, with blackcurrant, juniper, garden mint and tobacco. The palate is fresh and elegantly...

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Poesia rolls out with ready-to-go notes of fresh blackberries, red currant jelly, and juicy black plums with hints of rose oil, dried lavender, and tar. The medium to...

Rich and heady in the glass, the 2016 Patris Querre is a gorgeous, sumptuous Saint-Émilion. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, chocolate, tobacco and spice are pushed forward. Powerful and super-ripe, the 2016 has a lot...

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Croix Cardinale gives up bold notes of baked black cherries, red and black plums, garrigue and tilled soil with a hint of mossy bark. The palate is medium to full-bodied...

Rich autumnal fruits, architectural with plenty of tannic muscle, still closed at this stage with clear ageing potential. As it opens, the polished, confident and well balanced house signature of Fleur Cardinale comes to...

A lush wave of boysenberry, blackberry and black cherry reduction notes unfurls slowly over a refined spine of chalk, while sweet tobacco, violet, iris, licorice and apple wood notes fill in liberally. Everything stays in...

Deep garnet in color, the 2016 La Gaffeliere has a nose of stewed red plums, black cherries, and kirsch, followed by hints of aniseed, mossy tree bark, and truffles. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and refined...

A deliciously inviting nose, with dark and perfumed fruits, blackcurrant, blackberry and damson, with smoky crushed chalk, rose petal and toast, as well as a touch of honeyed oak. The palate builds on this start with a...

(JD 95-97+ points) The Grand Vin 2023 Château Pavie is based on 51% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 72% new oak. It's a more inward, serious effort that has a layered...

(95+ points) The 2023 Angelus is structured and fine with the telltale freshness of the vintage mixed with red berries and a precise fruity expression. It has an impressive fruity core and lots of cassis and red berries...

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...

(92+ points) The flagship cuvée from Denis Barraud, the 2020 Lynsolence comes from a tiny 2.5-hectare vineyard of gravelly soils over clay and limestone located on the lower plains of Saint-Emilion. As always, it’s all...

The 2014 Faugeres still has bundles of red plum and juniper berry on the nose, if anything even more generous than when I tasted it a few months ago. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, superb structure and well...

The 2019 Bellefont-Belcier is composed of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with cedar and clove oil scents over a core of plum pudding, blackberry preserves...

I always love this wine, and the 2019 Château Faugères is no exception. A big, pleasure-bent beauty, it's loaded with darker, chocolaty fruit as well as leafy herbs and some classic Saint-Emilion chalkiness and rocky...

The 2019 Larcis Ducasse, a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of redcurrant jelly, blackberry preserves, and black raspberries leap from the glass, followed by hints of...

This has a perfumed, pretty nose of dried violets, cloves, blackberries, chocolate cherries and tobacco leaves. Full-bodied with firm, fine and powdery tannins. Mouth-coating and expansive, with sweet spice to close...

The 2018 Grand Mayne has a deep garnet-purple color. It delivers notes of cedar chest and new leather, over a core of ripe, juicy plums, blackberry preserves, and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm...

The 2018 Canon La Gaffeliere has a deep garnet purple color. It needs a little coaxing to reveal notes of kirsch, black raspberries, and cedar, with hints of pencil lead and lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is...

The 2018 La Rose Perrière has come together beautifully since I last tasted it. Rich, deep and sumptuous, the 2018 possesses terrific depth and density from start to finish. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, spice...

This was not tasted during the Connoisseur Week, but is a request from a subscriber, so I am adding in at the same time from opening a bottle that I have at home. It's an exceptional wine, still a little austere at this...

Another excellent to outstanding effort from the Nony family, the 2011 Grand-Mayne offers up beautifully sweet raspberry and blueberry fruit intermixed with crushed rock-like notes as well as a jammy character (unusual in...

The nose offers appealing sour cherry. Direct, rich and intense, with excellent texture and structure. Intense ripeness and refined fruitiness. Fine tannins and nice length. Chewy but balanced. (Drink between 2024-2036)

Smoky sweet spice with juicy, ripe red berries on the nose. The core of liquorice and star anise is supported by plump, fleshy vibrant loganberry and raspberry fruit. Fresh, chewy fig on the finish. Youthful and classy...

The 2014 Grand Mayne is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. Fragrant notes of sandalwood and Chinese five spice leap from the glass, with underlying hints of fruitcake and plum pudding. The medium-bodied palate is...

The 2005 Grand Mayne has a broody bouquet, quite closed compared to the 2004 with black rather than red fruit, laced with chimney soot and tobacco scents. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, bold structure...

The 2019 Clos Romanile turned out beautifully. It offers up a seductive mix of ripe, heady fruit driven by beams of energy that confer vibrancy. The 2019 needs a bit of time in the glass to open, but it is...

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 2014 Poesia feels more Merlot-driven on the nose compared to the 2013. There is more red fruit here with crushed strawberry, bing cherry, blueberry and violet aromas. This coalesces in the glass, becoming more and...