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...

obacco leaf, flowers, currants, spice, smoke and a hint of mint unleaded the perfume. Medium/bodied, fresh, bright, crisp, and just a touch dusty on the end, the finish delivered its energetic red berries with a...

Starting to show just a hint of lightening in the color, the wine is medium bodied, fresh, soft and offers its red fruit and licorice with ease. Classic in style, with a reserved character, you can drink this now, or age...

Fresh, chewy, savory-styled Pomerol with chocolate, herbs, and peppery spices that ride along with all the layers of ripe, round, dark plums and black cherries and a touch of salt in the chewy finish. This is a bit on the...

2008 Figeac is a sweet and creamy encounter with lots of red berries, raspberries and a candy-like sweetness to it. It is a very charming wine that is just lacking a little stamina and backbone to be really great...

Earthy tannins that are a little austere, this is classic Pauillac but is softened and beginning to show hints of tertiary, soy, olive and sweet strawberry notes. If you are going to drink now, give it a good 2 or 3 hours...

Earthy, truffle, smoke, licorice and tobacco accompany the red fruits. On the palate, the wine continues with its earth theme. There is concentration, but the tannins are strict creating some austerity in the wine. More...

Earthy, truffle, smoke, licorice and tobacco accompany the red fruits. On the palate, the wine continues with its earth theme. There is concentration, but the tannins are strict creating some austerity in the wine. More...

One of only three estates (and two owners, as the Bartons had owned both this and Langoa Barton for three decades by 1855) to be part of the same family now as at the time of the ranking, this is an essential estate to...

The second wine of Château Pichon-Longueville is soft, perfumed and delicious. It's a wine with plenty of juicy fruit, though at this stage the wood is too dominant. The finish shows a hint of spice. ROGER VOSS

The 2008 Pavie is deep garnet with a touch of brick. It is a tad shy to begin, needing a bit of shaking to wake up an impressive perfume of black cherry compote, plum preserves, and wild blueberries followed by hints of...

The 2008 Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte is still going strong and is a classic wine from this reference point estate in the Graves region. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit...