(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...

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.

It’s rare to taste gamay from Moulin-à-Vent and think of Volnay. And, as much as I would praise the beauty and grandeur of this wine, a pure extract of the earth, I wonder what that association with the Côte de Beaune is...

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...

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...

(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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

(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.

(91-93 points) Glowing bright purple. This has a superb nose with vivid lively raspberry fruit, fresh, after which I am expecting good acidity and getting it. Classic balance here, really intense fruit without a sensation...

(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...

(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...

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...

This chunky red is permeated with black cherry, blackberry, earth and spice flavors, backed by a robust core of tannins. It's balanced, ending with a burly impression and fine length. Best from 2022 through 2032. 240...

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...

The deep purple, inky-hued 2018 Château Gazin comes from the Pomerol plateau and is 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. A brilliant nose of blueberries, candied cherries, wildflowers, tobacco, chocolate, and spice gives way...

(91-94 points) The Georges Lignier plots are scattered throughout Clos de la Roche, mostly in Mochamps and Chabiots. Medium depth of purple. This is cooler, fresher wine, with noticeably more precision, with some wood...

Beautifully textured and rich in black-currant flavors and tannins, this is a generous wine. The fruits and the dusty tannins partner each other well giving structure, concentration, a sense of poise and final freshness...

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...

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...

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...

(92+ points) Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 La Rose Perriere hits the ground running with a gorgeous perfume of Black Forest cake, ripe, juicy plums, blackberry preserves and lilacs, plus suggestions of licorice...