(92-95 points) I tasted from two barrels seemingly destined for the 2018 Saint Joseph les Pierres. One was full-bodied, plush and long, with notes of mocha and black cherries, while the other showed explosive red fruit...

Absolute perfection in dry white wine, the 2018 Hermitage Ex Voto Blanc comes from two parcels on Hermitage (Les Murets and L'Ermite) and, I believe, spent 30 months or more in new French oak. This heavenly effort offers...

Blackcurrant, pine cone, walnut, crushed gravel and dried flowers on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Sleek and refined. Try from 2023.

A lifted hint of oak toast is faint on the fresh nose of this wine. On the palate, the dense fruit strikes first and takes center stage. This wine brims with ripe, crunchy red-cherry notes, framed and help by firm...

A seductive Margaux with an intense nose of black fruit and red plums. Some herb and wood notes, too. It’s full-bodied with pretty, pure-berry flavors with some crushed stones and cement. The texture is silky and...

Complex nose, blending notes of elderberries, black cherries, spices, cedar,and violets. It’s full-bodied and structured with elegant tannins and a fleshy texture. Flavorful, savory finish. Try after 2024.

This estate is in a cool, limestone terroir on the eastern side of Saint- Emilion, and it's been firing on all cylinders over the past decade, in no small part due to the talented director, David Suire. The 2018 Château...

Aromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, iodine, clove and graphite. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Tightly wound and mineral at the moment, with dusty gravel and graphite notes, yet with focus and...

A great success in any vintage, but a marvel in a difficult year, this superb wine offers a deep, dark, red hue. The perfume, with its blend of flowers, licorice, garrigue, spices, cherries and plums is gorgeous. Richly...

The 2018 Echo De Lynch-Bages checks in as a mix of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that was brought up all in once-used French oak. It has a grand vin tech-sheet with 13.9% alcohol, 3.57...

Rotem and Mounir Saouma’s aim with Omnia is to build complexity from the diversity of their nine parcels spread out over all five of Châteauneuf’s villages. The diversity continues in the cellar, where Mounir puts the...

(91-94 points) 30 year old vines from first class massale selection. Dominique tells me that there are very many small stones here despite it being theoretically a clay rich site. Glorious purple. Svelte luxury strawberry...

The 2018 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru does not quite have the amplitude of Magnien's Clos Saint-Denis, but it displays more vivacious red fruit, clarifying with aeration and eventually develops quite an ethereal quality...

The second wine of Château Montrose is a major star in its own right. With dense tannins and concentrated black fruits, it has power and richness. The wine's potential, impressive for a second wine, is very evident in the...

Loads of meaty black cherries, currants, truffle, chocolate, and tobacco emerge from the 2018 Château Beauregard. Full-bodied, it has a round, elegant texture, classic Pomerol finesse, silky tannins, and a great finish...

(91-93 points) Planted at the same time as Craipillot, Au Closeau offers a brighter deeper richer purple. This is luxurious but not clumsy, with a little spicy touch, from 50% whole bunch. Works very well here, with a...

Aromas of currants, walnuts and blackberries follow through to a full-bodied palate with fine, chewy tannins and a linear finish. Shows polish and beautiful length. Lovely second wine. Try after 2025.

I'm not alone in considering this one of the all-time great Moutons - it was awarded World's Greatest Wine is a competition last year that saw numerous rounds of blind tasting. It's worth your while to find out why - this...

A pretty and restrained nose grudgingly displays notes of poached plum, black raspberry, earth and subtle spice nuances. The supple, round and easy-going middle weight flavors exhibit a touch of rusticity on the...

Ripe melon and pear aromas and flavors are singed by vanilla and toasty oak in this white, which is balanced and fluid overall, with adequate acidity to balance its rich character. Drink now. – BS

(96-99) I’ll taste the 2018 Le Pin from barrel again in April for en primeur, but I was thrilled with this early look, and it appears to be a step up over the 2017. Boasting a vivid purple color and magical notes of...

(93-97 points) Really intense glowing fresh purple. This is super sumptuous from very old vines, swamps the back of the palate with its ripe dark raspberry character, even a little bit of spice. Much less structural...

A rock star Margaux that should be snatched up by readers, the 2018 Château Marquis D'Alesme reveals a dense purple hue as well as ripe, sexy notes of blackcurrants, spicy oak, tobacco leaf, earth, and cedar. Deep...

Fragrant, fluid and seductive for the silky texture, with cherry, floral, sandalwood and oak spice aromas and flavors. Well-structured yet deftly balanced, this feels effortless and graceful overall. Reveals licorice and...

Aromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, iodine, clove and graphite. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Tightly wound and mineral at the moment, with dusty gravel and graphite notes, yet with focus and...

(94-97 points) Gorgeous deep fresh yellow, picked on 28th August, 13.85% already, it was time to do it! Very high-class nose, full of complex options. Benjamin didn’t like the new wood component so quickly took it out...

A mentholated top note is present on the notably spicy aromas of poached plum, black raspberry and warm earth. Once again, the palate impression of the medium weight flavors is supple and pliant yet there is good...