I love the purity of the 2018 Château Grand-Puy Lacoste, a ripe, upfront, expressive beauty that has loads of currant and cassis notes as well as flowers, spicy wood, graphite, and hints of tobacco. Full-bodied, rich...

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...

Red-ruby with vivid reflections, still young, primary with fully ripe berry fruits, set off by crayon, graphite, pomegranate and liquorice, nowhere near its drinking window. Great quality, takes the foot off to the pedal...

(94-96+ points) The 2018 Château La Fleur De Boüard Le Plus is cut from the same cloth yet has another level of density and richness on the palate. Blackcurrants, cassis, smoked tobacco, graphite, and charcoal notes all...

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 combination of silky-soft texture and powerful intensity of flavour is completely seductive. Violet aromas and deep, black fruit flavours dominate now. Whole-bunch fermentation for about half the grapes and a high...

Malescot St. Exupery 2018 has a deep garnet purple color. It delivers open-knit scents of warm cassis, black cherry compote, and mulberries, with touches of dried herbs, pencil shavings, and damp soil. Medium to...

95+ The 2018 Pichon Baron has a deep garnet-purple color. It starts off with savory notes of black olives, sauteed herbs, chargrill, and beef dripping, over a core of crème de cassis and stewed plums. Medium to...

(94+ points) A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Lagrange is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of baked black cherries, stewed...

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...

Impressive linearity and salinity. For once, I notice the winemaking, with greater fruit purity such as juicy plum and ripe blackberry. Gone is the drying finish of noticeable oak tannin from earlier vintages. 'In 15...

Luscious berry fruits, layered through with truffles, black chocolate, damson, pomegranate, baking spice, incense. Great quality, persistent. Jerome Aigurre winemaker, Thomas Duclos consultant, vinified in stainless...

The 2018 Branaire-Ducru has a deep garnet-purple color. It delivers pronounced scents of crème de cassis, stewed plums, and fruitcake, with hints of allspice, tobacco, and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate...

This is richly textured, velvety with dark black cherry and damson fruit character, reflecting the higher alcohol typical of the vintage. Violet floral notes add balance, and this has lenght and sllky tannins, with...

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Les Rocheuses offers notes of baked blackberries, preserved plums and dried mulberries with touches of spice box, unsmoked cigars and potpourri. The full-bodied palate (15%...

While the 2018 vintage got plenty of buzz, following the less heralded 2017, I remain less enthusiastic when compared to the stellar 2016. The 2018 has a more roasted fruit profile, albeit with impressive (and seductive)...

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...

A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 d’Armailhac has a deep garnet color, with a touch of purple. It charges out of the gate with notes of crème de cassis...

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 top wine, the 2018 Château D'Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that spent 18 months in 50% new French oak. It offers a beautiful, singular bouquet of blackcurrants, new leather, smoked tobacco, scorched...

From the partner estate to Château Giscours, this wine is as elegant as you would expect. While it is structured, it also has ripe fruits, rich tannins and great potential. The dry and firm core of this wine will propel...

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...

(91+ points) A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot and aged in 50% new oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Fonbadet rolls effortless out of the glass with evocative scents of stewed black plums...

The 2018 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to unlock notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and crème de cassis, with touches of menthol, Indian spices and smoked meats...

An exuberant vintage all around, and this is in the zeitgeist of the year, if not the appellation. Trace of heat, and the extraction is pretty charged, which makes things abrupt on the finish but the tannins are chewy and...

A fruit bomb of a wine, the 2018 Les Forts De Latour is just about overflowing with sweet cassis and darker currant-like fruit, as well as complex notes of smoked tobacco, flowery incense, and spice. This plush...

Aromas and flavors of berries, dark chocolate, spice and thyme. It’s full-bodied, rather chewy and slightly austere. Yet, it’s so structured and beautiful. Hint of toasted oak at the end. Give this time to soften and come...