2012 Bordeaux Blend Wine

jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Always excellent for the vintage. What a nose with currants, blackberries, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stones and wet earth too. Full-bodied and refined yet muscular and trim. Fabulously polished tannins. Try drinking in 2020.

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: (92–94 points) Barrel sample. A solid effort, this is a wine with great fruit and firm structure to support it. Ripe and full in the mouth, it's a firm and complex wine with a delicious juicy aftertaste. ROGER VOSS

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points: The iconic 2012 Pape Clement is a candidate for near-perfection as well as one of the wines of the vintage. From proprietor Bernard Magrez, this is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1%...

jamessuckling.com, 98 points: Mind-bending aromas of red licorice, spices, bark and dark fruits. Yet reserved and balanced. The palate is phenomenal with compact fruit and polished tannins. It goes on for minutes. 62% merlot and 28% cabernet franc...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: Produced in the magnificent new cellars at Montrose, this big, tannic wine is powerful and concentrated. It has something of the classic severity of a wine from this estate, but that's mitigated by the ripe, generous...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: (93–95 points) Barrel sample. A complex and very successful wine, this shows rich tannins, dark fruits, a powerful texture of ripe blackberry fruits and spiced acidity. It will shine with some serious aging. ROGER VOSS

jamessuckling.com, 93 points: A juicy and rich red, offering chocolate and hazelnuts. Plum and berry undertones. Full-bodied with angular tannins that are firm and muscular. Needs a year or two to soften still.

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: (93–95 points) 93–95. Barrel sample. This firm, dry wine is solidly rich and full in the mouth. With fine acidity and black currant fruit that show through the tannins, it is a wine with considerable potential. ROGER VOSS

jamessuckling.com, 95 points: An extremely polished L'Evangile with light chocolate, stone and cedar that turns to green olive with hints of sweet tobacco. Full body, tight center palate with polished and very tight grained tannins. So much energy...

jamessuckling.com, 90 points: Aromas and flavors of tar, berries and dark chocolate. Full body, relatively firm tannins and a finish that fills the palate. Well done. Second wine of Lynch-Bages.

Decanter, 97 points: This will be by far the biggest release since Latour brought in the new system, as the 2012 has not been on the market before. It's a good one to start with as this is a vintage where the drinking window is starting to...

jebdunnuck.com, 96 points: The 2012 Haut Bailly is brilliant and does nothing to damper my belief that this vintage is underrated in the market. Offering up a classic bouquet of tobacco leaf, cigar wrapper, blackcurrants, lead pencil, and graphite...

jamessuckling.com, 98 points: Wild aromas of mint, spearmint, cool chalk and dark fruits. Full-bodied, tight, linear and incredibly long with a evening-stone, blueberry, cherry and mineral undertone. Crisp and extremely persistent. Iodine and oyster...

jamessuckling.com, 88 points: A fresh and simple red with dried berry, hazelnut and light chocolate character. Medium body. Pretty wine. Drink now.

View From The Cellar, 88 points: The 2012 Grand Village, from the Guinaudeau family of Château Lafleur fame, is really lovely this year and one of the great bargains to be found in the vintage. As readers may recall, this is in reality a Lalande de...

View From The Cellar, 91 points: (91+) When the rains were forecast to arrive on September 22nd, the team at Lafleur decided to pick all of the merlot vines destined for the grand vin on the single day of September 21st, but, there was not sufficient...

Decanter, 97 points: This will be by far the biggest release since Latour brought in the new system, as the 2012 has not been on the market before. It's a good one to start with as this is a vintage where the drinking window is starting to...

Decanter, 90 points: A great second wine for drinking now, this has lashings of damson fruit to back up the acidity. The tannins are not as intense as they would be in a great vintage but it's good quality, with polish and real appeal.

Wine Enthusiast, 93 points: The second release since the owners of Château Haut-Brion took over the property, this is very tannic and certainly extracted with its dark chocolate flavors. It’s textured, dominated by Merlot and richly lush under the...

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, 94 points: (NM92-94 points) Tasted en primeur at the chateau. The Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2012 is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot picked between 3rd and 16th October at 36hl/ha and matured in 75% new oak. The aromatics...

jebdunnuck.com, 96 points: Another classic wine from this fabulous estate is the 2012 La Conseillante, which I believe was the first wine made in their newly constructed winery. A blend of roughly 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc brought up in 70%...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: (92–94 points) Barrel sample. With marked acidity as well as black fruits, this is a wine with weight and richness. It has a dark core of firm tannins, although the aftertaste maintains the juiciness. ROGER VOSS

Decanter, 97 points: This will be by far the biggest release since Latour brought in the new system, as the 2012 has not been on the market before. It's a good one to start with as this is a vintage where the drinking window is starting to...