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...

Inky depths to the colour, this is powerful, full of character. Grilled sandalwood oak notes are dominant on the attack, with the bitter almond and cracked black pepper on the finish not just welcome but essential to...

One of the best values in Bordeaux out there, the 2016 Arbalest comes from a mix of the Right and Left Banks and is 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Ripe, medium to...

The 2016 en Jouise is a touch more precise and mineral than the above, with equal depth at the core and fine nascent complexity in evidence on both the nose and palate. The superb bouquet offers up scents of sappy black...

As to the reds, the 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that saw an extended maceration, malo in barrel, and 18 months in just 35%...

Stunning black fruit with plenty of forest berries in there, the whole picture cool and very delicate, also on the concentrated and highly structured palate. The tannins are very fine-grained, but decisively austere and...

(JS 94-95 points) This is a juicy and flavorful young wine with dusty and polished tannins. Lots of wild fruit and dark-berry and volcanic/salt undertones. Flavorful finish.

Bright flowers and attractive red berries on offer here with a really succulent, velvety palate that offers rich red-plum flavors. Long and juicy resolve. A blend of 74 per cent merlot, 19 per cent cabernet franc and...

Very attractive, ripe dark berries with a meaty edge that delivers a very compelling wine from the outset. Quite plush and elegant tannins with a smooth, juicy and attractive finish that holds long and is saturated in...

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.

(90-92 points) A restrained but softly perfumed nose combines notes of red and dark cherry, spice, plum, sandalwood and a hint of violet. There is a bit more flesh to the equally racy, intense and stony flavors that...

Another beautiful showing for this wine, the 2016 Côtes du Roussillon Villages L'Edre (60% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 15% Carignan and the rest Mourvèdre) offers lots of classy cassis, black cherries, graphite, and peppery...

One of the finest wines to come from the Roussillon is unquestionably the 2016 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Trois Marie which is 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah brought up in foudre and barrels (20% being new). It’s a...

Glass-staining ruby. An expansive bouquet evokes blue fruit preserves, potpourri and olive paste, and a hint of smoky bacon builds in the glass. A vibrant mineral nuance adds energetic lift to sappy boysenberry...

Very ripe blueberries here, married to delicate, smoky-oak and baking-spice character. Concentrated and succulent with a wonderful, mineral freshness at the long, energetic finish. A very flexible food-wine. Drink or hold.

The 2016 Pommard Les Jarollières 1er Cru has a clean and pure bouquet with black cherries, raspberry coulis and light cassis scents. The oak here is evident but nicely proportioned against the fruit. The palate is...

The 2016 Champeaux had not yet been assembled in tank and was still in cask, but was due for a racking the week after my visit and was ready to an aeration. The nose was a touch reduced, but with some swirling, it...

A voluptuous wine, this is rich and fruity yet properly balanced by a magnificent structure. Pure, crisp and packed with a black currant flavor, this will be a remarkable wine as it develops. Still young, it needs many...

A warm wine rich in tannins and with succulent berry fruits, this is both powerful and elegant. Its density doesn't detract from the fruitiness that shines out of the wine and balances with the structured aging potential...

Tight and closed but clearly going to power out of the gate in five or six years. Shows depth and persistency, with precision and balance to the fruit flavours, feels like every base is covered, laced through with...

Showing a serious depth of color, the wine offers a wealth of dark fruits on the nose. From there you find spice box, leafy tobacco, cigar box, cherry pipe tobacco and sweet coffee bean aromas. On the palate, which is...

A very floral and gently leafy edge with lighter red fruit, leading to a very smoothly fleshy, red-fruited palate that’s sleek, even and elegant. Drink or hold.

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...

The core of this red is loaded with pure plum, blueberry and black currant fruit flavors. The polished structure is integrated, with alluring ganache, anise and sweet tobacco notes throughout, all in a polished and...

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...