I love the purity of the 2018 Château Grand-Puy Lacoste, a ripe, upfront, expressive beauty that has loads of currant and cassis notes as well as flowers, spicy wood, graphite, and hints of tobacco. Full-bodied, rich...

Red-ruby with vivid reflections, still young, primary with fully ripe berry fruits, set off by crayon, graphite, pomegranate and liquorice, nowhere near its drinking window. Great quality, takes the foot off to the pedal...

Impressive linearity and salinity. For once, I notice the winemaking, with greater fruit purity such as juicy plum and ripe blackberry. Gone is the drying finish of noticeable oak tannin from earlier vintages. 'In 15...

This is richly textured, velvety with dark black cherry and damson fruit character, reflecting the higher alcohol typical of the vintage. Violet floral notes add balance, and this has lenght and sllky tannins, with...

Quinault L’Enclos 2018 has a deep garnet purple color. It rolls out with flamboyant notes of blackberry pie and chocolate-covered cherries, plus wafts of roses, underbrush, and charcuterie. Medium to full-bodied, the...

Malescot St. Exupery 2018 has a deep garnet purple color. It delivers open-knit scents of warm cassis, black cherry compote, and mulberries, with touches of dried herbs, pencil shavings, and damp soil. Medium to...

The 2018 Canon La Gaffeliere has a deep garnet purple color. It needs a little coaxing to reveal notes of kirsch, black raspberries, and cedar, with hints of pencil lead and lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is...

(94+ points) A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Lagrange is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of baked black cherries, stewed...

Aromas and flavors of berries, dark chocolate, spice and thyme. It’s full-bodied, rather chewy and slightly austere. Yet, it’s so structured and beautiful. Hint of toasted oak at the end. Give this time to soften and come...

A blend of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 L'Esperance de Trotanoy is deep garnet-purple in color. It charges out of the gate with bold notions of baked plums, kirsch, and blueberry pie, plus suggestions of...

The combination of silky-soft texture and powerful intensity of flavour is completely seductive. Violet aromas and deep, black fruit flavours dominate now. Whole-bunch fermentation for about half the grapes and a high...

The Bonnies' work in the vineyard and the vines' maturity is paying off in more complexity, precision and silkier tannins, with elevated, layered aromas and flavours. The bouquet is herbs and lavender, the juicy, open and...

While the 2018 vintage got plenty of buzz, following the less heralded 2017, I remain less enthusiastic when compared to the stellar 2016. The 2018 has a more roasted fruit profile, albeit with impressive (and seductive)...

The top wine, the 2018 Château D'Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that spent 18 months in 50% new French oak. It offers a beautiful, singular bouquet of blackcurrants, new leather, smoked tobacco, scorched...

The 2018 La Rose Perrière has come together beautifully since I last tasted it. Rich, deep and sumptuous, the 2018 possesses terrific depth and density from start to finish. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, spice...

The 2018 Branaire-Ducru has a deep garnet-purple color. It delivers pronounced scents of crème de cassis, stewed plums, and fruitcake, with hints of allspice, tobacco, and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate...

Beautiful black cherry and blueberry fruits as well as spice, cedary pencil, violets, and chocolaty earth emerge from the 2018 Château Vieux Maillet. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rounded, elegant texture, beautiful...

Suave and alluring toast and melted licorice notes draped over a core of warmed plum, raspberry and blackberry confiture flavors make this a real headturner. Very polished and focused in feel, thanks to a buried graphite...

A fruit bomb of a wine, the 2018 Les Forts De Latour is just about overflowing with sweet cassis and darker currant-like fruit, as well as complex notes of smoked tobacco, flowery incense, and spice. This plush...

Luscious aromatics of ripe figs, blackberry puree, red liqourice, the tannins are supple and even a little melted at five years old, although there are plenty of them, and they are still fully in control. The floral waves...

(93+ points) Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Virginie de Valandraud comes barreling out of the glass with powerful scents of stewed black plums, Black Forest cake and blueberry preserves, plus hints of cedar chest...

The 2018 Grand Mayne has a deep garnet-purple color. It delivers notes of cedar chest and new leather, over a core of ripe, juicy plums, blackberry preserves, and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm...

Rich autumnal fruits, architectural with plenty of tannic muscle, still closed at this stage with clear ageing potential. As it opens, the polished, confident and well balanced house signature of Fleur Cardinale comes to...

A field blend of 41% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Klein BX Blend is straight-up brilliant stuff, offering a killer bouquet of ripe darker cherry and currant fruits as well as dried...

Expressing notes of cherries, graphite, shaving pencil, flowers and cassis, the 2018 Marsau is medium to full-bodied with a textural attack and juicy texture that is round and pleasant on the mid-palate. However, it...

(94-96+ points) The 2018 Château La Fleur De Boüard Le Plus is cut from the same cloth yet has another level of density and richness on the palate. Blackcurrants, cassis, smoked tobacco, graphite, and charcoal notes all...

Luscious berry fruits, layered through with truffles, black chocolate, damson, pomegranate, baking spice, incense. Great quality, persistent. Jerome Aigurre winemaker, Thomas Duclos consultant, vinified in stainless...

A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 d’Armailhac has a deep garnet color, with a touch of purple. It charges out of the gate with notes of crème de cassis...

A wine that will take time to balance out, this has dense, dark and dry tannins at this stage. These underline the richness of the black fruits and acidity, giving a wine that will need to age to lose its firm edge. Drink...