Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Poesia rolls out with ready-to-go notes of fresh blackberries, red currant jelly, and juicy black plums with hints of rose oil, dried lavender, and tar. The medium to...

Beautiful fragrance on the nose, blackcurrant and floral reflections with violets. Smells expressive and round. Smooth on the palate, filling but calm and controlled. Suave and sophisticated, plump with lovely high...

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Lafon-Rochet is deep garnet-purple in color. It is quite closed to begin, revealing glimpses at blackcurrant jelly, fresh blackberries, and...

The 2020 Le Pauillac de Chateau Latour is a blend of 53% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with vivacious notes of stewed blackberries, raspberry...

A deliciously inviting nose, with dark and perfumed fruits, blackcurrant, blackberry and damson, with smoky crushed chalk, rose petal and toast, as well as a touch of honeyed oak. The palate builds on this start with a...

A brooding, dark version, with a floral perfume followed by a concentrated stream of black licorice, currant and mulberry notes edged in graphite. Alder smoke hovers throughout the rich, round palate, with softened...

Another St Estèphe which was blighted by hail in the vintage, reducing yields by 30%. dark and smoky nose, with sweet black cherry, coffee bean and toast draped over black cherry. There follows a sweetly poised palate of...

(95+ points) The 2020 Cos d'Estournel has a more understated bouquet than its peers, demanding more coaxing from the glass to reveal its gravel-tinged black fruit—quintessential Saint-Estèphe, really. The palate is...

This flagship Moueix wine is 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, and it suggests wonderful density and purity combined on the nose, with blackcurrant, juniper, garden mint and tobacco. The palate is fresh and elegantly...

I always love this wine, and the 2019 Château Faugères is no exception. A big, pleasure-bent beauty, it's loaded with darker, chocolaty fruit as well as leafy herbs and some classic Saint-Emilion chalkiness and rocky...

The 2023 Moulin-à-Vent Très Vieille Vigne Les Caves has an open, delineated bouquet with cassis, blackcurrant and a subtle marine scent emerging with time. The palate is harmonious, silky smooth and a little edgier than...

Spicy, peppery, black raspberries, flowers, smoky herbs, and kirsch notes are all over the aromatics. The palate is even better with its layers of sweet, ripe, dark red fruits, spices, herbs, elegant, supple-textures, and...

Szechuan peppercorns on the nose, something quite spiced, maybe woody, with fragrant blackcurrants too. Sleek and streamlined, tangy and vibrant but with some tension that shuts down some of the fruity enjoyment. I like...

(97 + points) Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2019 has a deep garnet-purple color. It has a lifted nose of kirsch and redcurrant jelly, with hints of rose oil, Indian spices, and tobacco leaf. The medium-bodied palate is intense...

The 2015 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a conservative, complex yet reserved nose with tobacco- and graphite-tinged black fruit aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It is a little drier than some peers though...

The 2014 Plince opens in the glass with a seductive medley of concentrated red and blue fruit. This yields to undertones of dry violets, cedar and sweet tobacco before concluding with mineral and dry earth notes...

(94+ points) Aromas of rich cherries, cassis, burning embers, violets and dark chocolate introduce the 2020 Pape Clément, a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy wine that's ripe, layered and generously extracted but...

In this vintage Siran is a blend of 53% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, and the label carries an artwork depicting Queen Elizabeth II by Damien Elwes. A very classically styled nose...

This is 96% Merlot and just 4% Cabernet Franc, the Moueix family never having leaned into Cabernet Franc in the way much of the right bank has. Absolutely classic Trotanoy on the nose of the 2022 vintage, all dark gravel...

Deep garnet in color, the 2016 La Gaffeliere has a nose of stewed red plums, black cherries, and kirsch, followed by hints of aniseed, mossy tree bark, and truffles. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and refined...

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35.5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Rauzan-Segla has a deep garnet-purple color. It storms out of the glass with powerful notes of crème de cassis, juicy...

The 2015 Palmer has an opulent, high-toned bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and cassis fruit. This is typical Palmer in many ways, though you could well argue that it's not as nuanced as the Rauzan-Ségla. The palate is...

The 2022 Beau-Séjour Bécot has turned out brilliantly in bottle. Wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of sweet wild berries mingled with rose petals, orange zest, violets, gentian and espresso roast, it's...

The 2017 Le Pauillac De Château Latour is round and forward, with charming notes of ripe currants, dried tobacco, and sandalwood in its medium-bodied, elegant profile. This is a pretty, already accessible, delicious...

This was bottled in September 2024, so at the time of tasting has only been in bottle three months. The blend is 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot, with 70% whole-cluster vinification, and the...

A lush wave of boysenberry, blackberry and black cherry reduction notes unfurls slowly over a refined spine of chalk, while sweet tobacco, violet, iris, licorice and apple wood notes fill in liberally. Everything stays in...

Suave and generous, the 2023 Moulin-à-Vent Reine de Nuit, vinified with whole clusters, offers complex notes of licorice, candied black cherry, chocolate, coffee and eucalyptus. Full-bodied, the wine's layered silky fruit...

Broad and rich, this red delivers black cherry, blackberry, earth and iron flavors, all framed by sweet spices. Supple and fluid, with a lively feel on the finish. Shows fine harmony and length. Best from 2027 through...

Warmed black cherry compote and melted licorice notes meld nicely with the singed bay and alder hints throughout. A savory, peppery edge emerges on the finish, lending some rusticity. Well-built for cellaring. Best from...