The 2022 from Alexander van Beek and the team at Giscours is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I find a real sense of fragrant harmony but also bright energy here...

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...

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...

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...

An assemblage of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre, both aged in demi-muids, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Collection Charles Giraud features a hint of brown sugar on the nose, then waves of blueberries, black cherries and...

The 2016 Brane-Cantenac has a wonderful bouquet. Pure blackberry, cedar and graphite scents blossom in the glass with exquisite delineation and harmony. The palate is medium-bodied with sculpted tannins and a sense of...

This vintage has a lean structure with firm tanins, ripe plums and truffle; the oak dominates from start to grippy finish. - SUZANNE MUSTACICH

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...

(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...

Deep rich plum in colour, spiced cumin, loganberry, blood orange, cranberry and white pepper, there is the austerity here which was true even during En Primeur, now elongating into finesse and consistency of delivery...

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...

The 2019 Malescot St. Exupery has a deep garnet-purple color. It is a little broody and subdued to start, opening out to notes of tar, fragrant earth, and crushed rocks, over a core of fresh blackcurrants and stewed...

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...

Beautiful stuff and one of the gems in the vintage, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Réservée shows ripe black cherries, scorched earth, sandalwood, and incredibly peppery garrigue and spice. It's medium to full-bodied...

Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 La Mission Haut-Brion needs a swirl or two to unlock notes of blackberry pie, creme de cassis, and espresso plus nuances of truffle, tapenade, and fragrant soil. The medium to...

Deep garnet in color, the 2012 Canon storms out of the glass with powerful notes of baked blackberries, prunes, and scorched earth leading to hints of sandalwood and tobacco with a waft of dried herbs. The medium to...

(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...

In 2022 Les Tourelles is a blend of 65% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc. Les Tourelles charms on the nose with scents of toasted fruits, cedar and crushed chalk, with a little touch of mint and...

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...

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...

A richly styled, opulent Châteauneuf that offers a streamlined cascade of ripe cherry, licorice root and toasted chestnut. Mineral energy keeps this powering long distance, with a smoldering foundation of iron. Starts off...

(JD 95-97 points) The flagship 2023 Château Lynch-Bages is based on 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, resting in 75% new French oak. One of the biggest, richest wines in...

The 2014 Clinet is rich and round but slightly more refined than the 2012, which is arguably its qualitative peer. Lots of black cherry fruit but with that beautiful elegant Pomerol charm. Plush and plump and will age...

(90-92 points) Note: 2017 will be the last vintage for this wine. his is aromatically similar to the Pommard villages but with a bit more layering. The delicious, plump and generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors...

The 2015 Cos Estournel remains broody on the nose, with blackberry and pencil shavings as I observed several years ago. Indeed, this does not appear to have moved on much in the interim. The palate is medium-bodied with...

95+ The 2018 Pichon Baron has a deep garnet-purple color. It starts off with savory notes of black olives, sauteed herbs, chargrill, and beef dripping, over a core of crème de cassis and stewed plums. Medium to...