This 2005 is really coming into its own, with soft, welcoming rose bud, chalk, bilberry, cocoa bean and tobacco. The tannins remain well structured, and you can see the muscles that kept this pretty closed for the first...

The 2020 Franc-Mayne has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, spices and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless palate of real class and purity. Vibrant...

The 2020 L'Hêtre has a more restrained and nuanced bouquet that unfolds in the glass, with more mineralité and terroir expression than the preceding d'Aiguilhe. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins and...

This is stylish, with perfumy black tea and smoldering charcoal aromas followed by lightly mulled plum, fig and blackberry fruit. An echo of juniper shows on the mineral-edged finish. Drink now through 2024. — JM

Among the oldest estates in St Emilion, dating back to the Middle Ages, this is pure restrained limestone, and stands as an excellent reflection of why this type of terroir worked so well in 2018. The ph for example, is...

The 2015 TrotteVieille has an open-knit bouquet with maraschino cherries, fresh figs and brown spices. This flirts with Rhône-like scents. The palate is open-knit and medium-bodied with a savory entry, gentle grip and...

This second wine of Château Margaux, grand in its own right, is powerfully dense. It displays its own style and balance between rich black fruits and the acidity that shines through the structure. The wine will age well...

The 2018 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to unlock notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and crème de cassis, with touches of menthol, Indian spices and smoked meats...

A stunning, monumental Margaux, this has all the power, concentration and class expected of a First Growth. Cool on the palate with an emerging floral bouquet after a few minutes swirling in the glass, Asian spices also...

2010 Lalande-Borie has a feisty and animated bouquet, more red fruit than black, with attractive pencil lead scents coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, tobacco and graphite, quite...

The second wine of Château Pavie is dense with dark tannins and superripe fruit. Bold and concentrated it still highlights the fruitiness of the vintage. Although it has big tannins and great potential, the wine also...

This was not tasted during the Connoisseur Week, but is a request from a subscriber, so I am adding in at the same time from opening a bottle that I have at home. It's an exceptional wine, still a little austere at this...

The 2018 Belair-Monange has a deep garnet purple color. It is very closed, slightly reduced, requiring a lot of swirling to reveal notes of black raspberries, warm plums, and kirsch, plus hints of pencil lead, wild sage...

Darker cherries, tobacco, and white truffle notes define the 2014 Château Bellevue. Medium-bodied and nicely balanced on the palate, it has a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel and solid depth. This ripe, textured, and...

Pencil lead, roses, cassis, bleuberry, tea, gunsmoke, fine and supple tannins that stretch out through the palate, this is an amazing quality 2017 that shows the potential of the vintage in the right hands. The vineyards...

Young and structured, with fine tannins are are fully in control, this remains pretty serious in its construction as it ticks on towards the 10 year mark. Black cherry and damson fruit, orange zest, pomegranate, slate...

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)...

This has lively pepper and bay streaks, along with a sanguine twinge, amid the core of cherry and red currant fruit. A bright iron note shows on the finish. Has length, refinement and purity. Best from 2018 through 2024...

Up to a full quarter of Cabernet Franc in this vintage, which may have helped bring the alcohol degree down a little. Gorgeous balance, juicy and rich, with blackberry and black cherry. It has plenty of St-Émilion...

Slightly taut, but the notes of cassis and blackberry preserves stay persistent. Shows some anise and singed spice details, but the woodsy feel of the earlier vintages is much less evident here. Good length and...

Blended of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 15 to 20 months, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Gracia rocks up with an audacious nose of crème de...

The 2018 Haut-Batailley has a delightful bouquet with blackberry, wild strawberry, cedar and light tobacco scents, easily handling the precocity of the growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, a...

The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is deep garnet-purple in color. It charges out with bold notions of baked plums, fruitcake, and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by hints of clove oil, menthol, and sandalwood. The medium...

Deep plum colour, plenty of enticing fruit on the nose, this is really the point at which you start to see quality taking a step up in this vertical. Dark chocolate shavings, a touch of burnt oak, with plump and textured...

Rich blackberry and fig fruits, well structured dominant tannins that remain fairly tight at this point, exuberant turmeric, black pepper and dried herbs, with a flash of heat on the finish. Atypical in the lineup...

2010 Lalande-Borie has a feisty and animated bouquet, more red fruit than black, with attractive pencil lead scents coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, tobacco and graphite, quite...