If you like great Cuban Cigars, the nose here has your name on it. From there, add forest floor, leaf, red fruits, spice, flowers and a waft of smoke. Full-bodied, powerful, graceful and concentrated, this is a perfect...

A major success of the vintage. The wine exhibits extreme richness of the fruit with all its sweet blackberry flavors. It also has underlying firm structure density and solid tannins. Bring in the acidity at the end and...

A spicy and fat, rich wine, atypical of Bordeaux. There is grip and depth of flavour here, with blackcurrant coulis character and some lovely menthol edging. A balanced wine.

Rich yet firmly structured this is a very classic St.-Julien that's generous and polished with so much energy driving the long plush finish. Delicious now, but should hold for many years. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

Deep garnet-colored with a touch of brick, the 2009 Gruaud Larose comes galloping out with ready-to-go scents of stewed black plums, blackcurrant jelly, and rose oil followed by suggestions of sandalwood, cast-iron pan...

(91-93 points)Barrel sample. Rich and smooth, with tannins that are ripe, some spice and also intense acidity. The blackcurrant character is dominant. ROGER VOSS