The 2016 Lafon-Rochet has a very engaging bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit laced with pencil shavings and loamy scents. In fact, the more you nose this wine, the more its complexity becomes apparent. The palate...

Less celebrated than 2009 and 2010, and you can feel the fruit is a little less intense through the mid-palate. Heaped with blackberry and morello cherries, the fruit is carefully placed though, well balanced and with...

(JL 95-97 points) Earthy, spicy, black raspberries, blackberries, flowers, and black currants create the nose and the core of its medium/full-bodied palate. Soft, silky, fresh and polished, there is a nice sweetness and...

Opulent, rich, full-bodied, showy and intense, this feels just great as layers of perfectly ripe, sensuous black and red fruits glide over your palate. There is no heat, jamminess or overripe characteristics. What you do...

Plenty of exotic spices, saffran, clove, black pepper, turmeric, cassis, with sandalwood, gunsmoke and cedar smoke. Both character and bite, with plenty of impact. 50% of overall production, this is a successful Cos...

A very refined red with berries, chocolate and walnuts. Full body and a round, juicy texture. Spicy and salty. Delicious already. Needs two or three years to come together. Second wine of Château Montrose.

(JL 94-96 points) Deep in color, especially for the vintage, you find tobacco leaf, black cherry, pencil shavings, cedar, spice, and dark fruits appearing in the perfume with no effort at all. There is a richness in the...

A sinuous line of tannins runs through this structured wine. It lifts the dark plum and berry fruits and give shape to the spicy, firm wine. As the estate builds in strength, the style of this perfumed, stylish wine will...

(JD 94-97 points) The Grand Vin 2021 Château Calon Ségur is one heck of a winner in the vintage and is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. Hitting 12.9% alcohol, its deep...

The 2009 Pagodes De Cos is a blockbuster that I wish I had more of in the cellar. A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot (there’s a small amount of Petit Verdot) brought up in roughly 50% new French...

(93–95 points) Barrel Sample. The second wine of classed growth Calon Ségur, this is becoming impressive in its own right. This vintage shows the structured side of Saint-Estèphe while also showing generous black fruits...

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...

(94-96 points) Readers looking for an off-the-charts value should snatch up the 2020 Château Capbern, which emerges from the same team as Calon Ségur. Offering a vivid bouquet of cassis, leafy tobacco, violets, damp...

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...

(98+ points) Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an...

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.

(98+ points) Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an...

Tasted at Chateau Phelan-Segur. The Phelan-Segur 2005 still has that lovely, very pure red-berried fruit on the nose with beautifully integrated creamy oak that still allows the terroir to express itself. The palate is...

This second wine of Château Montrose is ripe and structured. In 2012, it formed 29% of total production at Montrose. It opens with severe tannins that transform into ripe blackberry as the wine opens out. Solidly...

Under the ownership of the Gardinier family, this chateau now rivals some of the classed growths, and deserves its crus bourgeois exceptionnel classification. It is certainly full of new wood flavors, but these are not...

Very pretty aromas of blackberries spices and milk chocolate. Medium- to full-bodied with a solid core of fruit and a silky mouthfeel. Still tight but refined and long. Just as I remember.--Non-blind Château Montrose...

(96-98 points) If you are not familiar with everything going on with Calon Segur these days, you need to taste this wine. Deeply colored, without hesitation the wine shoots from the glass with Asian spice, boysenberry...

(97-99 points) Deep garnet in hue, the wine shoots from glass with tobacco leaf, currants, spice box, cigar wrapper, blackberry and cassis. Elegant, fresh and vibrant, the wine is silky, long and precise. There is a cool...

(97-99 points) Deep garnet in hue, the wine shoots from glass with tobacco leaf, currants, spice box, cigar wrapper, blackberry and cassis. Elegant, fresh and vibrant, the wine is silky, long and precise. There is a cool...

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...

Generous nose filled with sweet blackcurrant fruit. This is dense and impactful, chewy with fine but grippy tannins making their presence known straight away. I love the texture though, it's mouth coating in the best way...

(VN 90-92 points) The 2020 La Dame de Montrose has a dense bouquet of blackberry, bilberry, black olive and a light brine-like aroma. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins, a slightly chalky texture and fine...

This wine comes from an estate that is performing with distinction. It is rich, the tannins cushioned by ripe blackberry fruits and good acidity. Showing both structure and fruitiness, the wine will develop well...