(JD 97-99 points) Ranking with the top wines of the vintage, the dense purple-hued 2020 Château Pape Clement offers a sensational bouquet of pure crème de cassis interwoven with notes of liquid violets and classy oak...

91+ Tasted single blind at Southwold. This is a little simplistic on the nose with a touch of the old blackcurrant wine gums but fresh and lively. The palate has some dryness: austere and backward with compressed dusty...

Perhaps seeing a 100 Pt score is not a surprise here, but the devil is in detail as every vintage carries a unique signature, and this is the point of tasting and comparing. I am jealous of the younger generation of...

The 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a total stunner. For the first time I can remember, Les Carmes Haut-Brion marries all of its elements so well that nothing stands out. In the past, the high percentage of Franc and/or the...

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...

Coming from 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up in 60% new French oak, the 2018 Château Pape Clement from Bernard Magrez is a gorgeous wine that's performing even better from bottle...

Solid tannins mark this still very young wine. At the same time, the fruit is rich and well proportioned. Black currants dominate the fruity spectrum, giving the wine richness as well as great potential. Drink from 2025...

Despite its weight, this is a well-crafted wine. It combines richness with sophisticated tannins, dense black fruits and considerable potential. Ripe berry flavors give depth. Drink this wine from 2026. - Roger Voss

The wine is powered both by its tannins and by its great fruit. Dark and dense both in the structure and the black-plum flavors, it is very fine wine– juicy and ripe. This is a serious wine with a great future. Drink from...

A superb vintage all over Bordeaux, and absolutely one that you should be searching out with the Crus Classés de Graves. You can wait for this to soften for sure, because the tannins are pretty racy right now, squaring up...

Spices, such as cloves and white pepper, with violets and dark fruit follow through to a full body with firm, chewy tannins and a polished yet intense finish. Open tannins. An ash-like undertone to it. Try after 2027.

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.

Tight tannins mask the ripe fruit in a wine that is set for long-term aging, so there is a dry core that dominates at the moment. But not for long: the bold black fruits are insistent and are going to be delicious. This...

Lots of blueberry, hot-stone, slate and walnut aromas. Terracotta, too. Iodine. Full-bodied, round and dense with layers of fine tannins. Lovely depth and intensity. Extremely long and focused. Needs three or four years...

Intense blackberry and blueberry aromas as well as mushroom undertones. Violets, too. Sweet tobacco. Full-bodied and layered with polished tannins. Very long and beautiful. Give it two or three years to show what it has...

93–95. Barrel Sample. The second wine of Château Haut-Bailly shows a fine balance between firm tannins and generous, ripe and dense black fruits. With 60% Merlot in the blend, this rich wine has a plump character that...

The firm tannins in this wine are dense and concentrated, ripe rather than dry. The fruit and juicy acidity give the wine richness and crispness at the same time. It has a great future. Drink from 2025.

Everyone at the tasting where this wine was presented was rocked (or should I say shocked) by the greatness of this wine. It needs no defense. I rated it 96 seven years ago, and it comes from a beautiful vineyard in...

The succulence of this wine is impressively palpable. It adds black currant fruits to spice, while keeping solid tannins in the background. This fine combination means it will certainly age well. Drink from 2026. Roger Voss

(94-96). Barrel sample. Showing a judicious blend of new wood and ripe fruit, this is a wine that has a creamed-apple texture. It's full of bright grapefruit, sweet apple and green plum flavors.

(VN 96-98 points) Technical Director Olivier Pouthier crafted one of the wines of the vintage at Les Carmes Haut-Brion. The 2021 possesses mind-blowing intensity and stunning persistence. Bright red-fleshed fruit, blood...

This wine is a little austere, while showing good aging potential. It has spice, acidity and the weight of fruit as it develops. With its juicy berry flavors still submerged by the firm tannins, it will take its time...

The wall of perfectly ripe, dark, smoky, earthy deep red fruits wrapped in tobacco wrappers is perfectly matched with the massive wall of tannin. The level of tannins is strong, but they are ripe, refined and held in...

Pure perfection and one of truly legendary wines out there, the 2010 is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc that hit a whopping 14.6% natural alcohol, with a healthy pH of 3.7. This deep...

Gorgeous nose of warm stones and dark fruits. Full body with a solid core of fruit and chewy tannins, and a long and intense finish. Best ever. Best after 2016.

Wonderful, fragrant blackberry and cherry nose with a delicate touch of oak. Concentrated and elegant with a beautiful balance of finely etched dry tannins and very bright acidity. Long, crisp and minerally finish with a...

The Bonnie family's estate has produced a richly structured wine, full of the ripe tannins indicative of the vintage. To balance the structure, powerful flavors of black currant and dark berries give ripeness. It is a...

(94-96) The wine is as dark in fruit as it is in color. This is a nap on Pratesi sheets – a silky, sensuous and richly textured rendezvous. Vibrancy on the palate, creamy tannins and layers of fruit-enhanced strata propel...

(JD 97-99 points) Ranking with the top wines of the vintage, the dense purple-hued 2020 Château Pape Clement offers a sensational bouquet of pure crème de cassis interwoven with notes of liquid violets and classy oak...

(96-97 points) Very plush and tannic with full body and lots of structure and intensity. Top second wine. Very solid and quite muscular with fine tannins and texture.