(97-100 points) A Merlot-forward blend of 62% Merlot, 26.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11.8% Cabernet Franc aged in 60% new French oak, the 2025 Château Haut-Brion is slightly more dense and structured compared to its...

(96-98 points) Deeper-hued than the C des Carmes cuvée, with a gorgeous perfume of red, blue, and black fruits intermixed with graphite, leafy herbs, iris, and subtle floral, minty, and almost peppery nuances, the 2025...

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 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion has an opulent bouquet of black cherries, blueberries and violets, with just a patina of new oak to be fully subsumed. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, ripe tannins. Very well...

(95-98 points) A Merlot-heavy blend of 58.3% Merlot, 38.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc that's being raised in 60% new French oak, the 2025 Château La Mission Haut-Brion sports a dense ruby/purple hue...

(97-99 points) One of my favorite wines in the vintage, the 2025 Château Smith Haut Lafitte is based on 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, raised in 50% new oak, 45% old...

The 2011 La Mission Haut-Brion is well defined and very focused on the nose: blackberry, briary and graphite, quite mineral-driven with an impressive sense of energy. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, good...

(93-95 points) Currants, smoky tobacco, dried flowers, graphite, and leather all emerge from the 2025 Domaine De Chevalier, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot from yields of 34 hectoliters...

(95-97 points) Dark ruby in color, cigar box, flowers, smoke, tobacco, blackberries, cocoa, and burning leaves create the aromatic profile. The palate is lushly textured, with layers of juicy, creamy fruits, dark...

obacco leaf, flowers, currants, spice, smoke and a hint of mint unleaded the perfume. Medium/bodied, fresh, bright, crisp, and just a touch dusty on the end, the finish delivered its energetic red berries with a...

The red 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It bursts with bold notes of crushed blackberries, black cherry preserves, and warm cassis, plus hints of Indian spices, mossy tree bark, and...

This is drinking in a good place today. The nose, with its espresso, smoke, licorice, truffle and dark red berry scents has a lot to offer. Medium/full bodied and round in texture, the wine ends with black cherries, thyme...

Slightly higher in Cabernet Franc than usual, the 2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion opens with a nuanced bouquet of cassis, cassis leaf, licorice, dark berries, wisteria and blueberry. Medium- to full-bodied, fleshy yet...

Malartic-Lagraviere 2018 has a deep garnet purple color. It prances out with open-knit notes of blackcurrant cordial, blackberry preserves, and potpourri, with touches of unsmoked cigars and bay leaves. Medium to...

Richly velvet with ripe tannins, this is a very accessible wine. Its ripe blackberry fruits are generous, full of spice and a texture that is rounded and brings concentration. The juicy character of the vintage comes...

This gorgeous, fully mature, complex Pape Clement exhibits notes of smoky tobacco, earth, loamy soil, forest floor, black cherries, plums and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, fresh and lively, the acids have fallen away and...

Excellent job in a challenging vintage. There is an elegace, subtlety and finesse that shows the confidence in the winemaker team at this estate, leaning into the cool blue fruits and gunsmoke flint of the vintage. Plenty...

The 2019 de Fieuzal has a deep garnet-purple color. It bursts with ripe notes of prunes, fruitcake, and Chinese five spice, plus touches of dried lavender and black olives. The medium-bodied palate coats the mouth with...

The 2018 de Fieuzal is deep garnet purple in color. It charges out with notes of prunes, raisin cake, and Indian spices, plus hints of unsmoked cigars, dusty soil, and fallen leaves. Big, rich, and full-bodied, it has a...

The 1999 Château La Mission Haut-Brion is less voluptuous and expansive than the Haut-Brion, but it brings a touch more finesse as well as precision. Fully mature and drinking at point, it has classic Pessac ripe red and...

The colour remains young, a medium intensity plum red with vivid reflections. Tannins are a touch austere on the opening beats, but the payoff of higher acidity levels is a satisfyingly savoury character to the cool blue...

The 2014 Château de Fieuzal has a high-toned nose with a little more VA than its peers. It's lush and gains harmony with time in the glass, dried black cherries mixed with raisin and fig. The palate is medium-bodied with...

(95+ points) The 2023 de Fieuzal reflects the estate’s ongoing refinement in matters of ripeness, élevage and extraction, revealing a complex and vibrant bouquet of cassis, mulberries, peony and rose petals, subtly...

From healthy yields and a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc aged 16 months in 50% new French oak, the 2023 Château Haut-Bailly is an ultra-classy Haut-Bailly with...

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Pape Clement has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It tumbles out of the glass with notions of plum preserves and Morello cherries, giving way to hints of...

The 2015 Haut Bailly was first tasted at the Farr Vintners tasting, although I felt that this bottle did not show as well. Another at the Vinous Icons event in New York is more representative. Vibrant red berry fruit...

The 2008 Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte is still going strong and is a classic wine from this reference point estate in the Graves region. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit...

The 2004 Haut-Brion has a superb bouquet with very well-defined blackberry, cedar, cigar humidor and dried blood scents that blossom in the glass - quintessential Haut-Brion. The palate is medium-bodied with an almost...

High Cabernet Sauvignon and the oak upped to around 60% new, higher than usual but well integrated at 17 years on. This is showing well right now, fully in the drinking window and extremely moreish, gentle fine tannins...

Quite a surprise in a difficult vintage a strict selection and the superb terroir of Haut Brion triumphed over a very challenging year that produced many hard relatively herbaceous wines. The color is a surprisingly...