Enticing inky depths to the colour, slate tannins that are fully in control, adding precision and power to the cassis fruits. As it opens, the austerity recedes and sweet blackberry and loganberry fruit appear, along with...

Plum colour, with spiced damson and raspberry leaf aromatics. A good few years from being truly open and ready to drink, this is nevertheless superbly enjoyable, even if closed in. Unrolls to show waves of cocoa bean...

A prototypical Médoc wine with very good depth and beautiful harmony. I love the long, moderately dry and savory finish that pulls your hand instinctively back to the glass. A blend of 50 per cent cabernet sauvignon and...

Packed with young tannins, this wine shows the structure of the vintage as well as its fresh and perfumed fruit. The combination will develop to produce a restrained and elegant wine. Drink from 2025.

After falling into decline in the 1950s, Château Brown was revived after it was bought by businessman Bernard Barthe in 1994, to be taken over again 20 years later by the Mau family. Now led by fifth-generation...

A very impressive wine for a chateau that’s not so well known. Deep and rich with a ton of elderberry and bitter-chocolate aromas, but still dry and very straight, thanks to the beautiful, fine-grained and lively acidity...

I am spellbound by the aromas of crushed blackberries, licorice, black tea and violets. It’s full-bodied yet so intense and linear. Powerful tannins with superb polish and focus give an amazing texture. Complex and...

This is a compact cylinder of ripe and fresh fruit with currant, fresh-herb and dry-earth character on the palate. So solid. Full-bodied yet refined and checked in every way. Well-defined, formed and perfect. Just a hint...

Blackberry, blueberry and floral aromas follow through to a full body, tight and chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Drink in 2023. A château to watch in the future.

The 2016 La Closerie de Fourtet is a lovely second wine from Clos Fourtet. Pliant, supple and inviting, the 2016 offers quite a bit of near and medium term appeal. Sweet dark cherry, chocolate, spice and leather mesh...

Dense and rich second wine of Nenin with dark berries, chocolate and hazelnuts. Full body, round and chewy tannins, yet polished and finished. Needs two or three years to soften, at least. Try after 2023.

The blackcurrants and blueberries with violets on the nose are fascinating. Full-bodied and very tightly wound with gorgeous tannins and a linear and bright finish. Needs two to four years to come together. Try after 2023.

What a brilliant vintage this is - just so complete. Honestly at this level, where prices don't change that dramatically between vintages, you should go for the 2016 if you have the option. It's on a different level in...

A red with very deep and intense fruit character, yet rich tannins to back it all up. Full-bodied, layered and powerful. The second wine of Cos d’Estournel is serious again in 2016. Try from 2025.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Marquis d'Alesme Becker leaps from the glass with gregarious notions of plum preserves, crème de cassis and Black Forest cake with hints of potpourri, star anise, menthol and tapenade...

This may not be the most concentrated wine from the appellation, but it’s a very appealing introduction to modern-style St.-Emilion. Plenty of mixed berries and a hint of vanilla on the medium-full body. Then the chalky...