2012 Wine from France

Vinous, 98 points: The 2012 Cristal is another absolutely stellar wine this flight of recent releases. Rich, vinous and beautifully textured, the 2012 has been nothing short of magnificent on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. In...

Vinous, 94 points: Delamotte’s 2012 Brut Vintage is rich, creamy and super-expressive. This is only the second vintage (the first was 2008) in which fruit from Oiry rounds out the classic core of Le Mesnil, Oger and Cramant that forms the...

Wine Spectator, 97 points: This goes from zero to 60 right out of the gate, with an intense spine of acidity driving tightly meshed flavors of crushed black currant, ground coffee, candied grapefruit peel and toasted almond. The profile expands on...

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: The nose is floral, delicate and has chalky-mineral accents with a fine edge of yellow citrus fruit. The palate has a super fine, smooth and focused line of lemon, lime and green-mango flavors. Long and taut. Chardonnay...

jamessuckling.com, 93 points: Impressive richness and power with sous-bois and woody aromas, as well as light honey, dried berries and yellow plums. The palate has a smooth, even and suave feel with handy freshness in the mid-palate. Stony grip to...

jebdunnuck.com, 99 points: Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: An impressive, strong effort from Lynsolence, this wine, which normally is 100% Merlot, tipping the scale at 14.5%, has an almost opaque bluish/purple color that is followed by a full-bodied, very concentrated...

Burghound, 90 points: A more elegant nose of relatively high-toned red berry fruit enjoys added breadth in the form of earth, sauvage and spice nuances. The supple, round and accessible middle weight flavors possess a lovely sense of energy on...

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...

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...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points: The 2012 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is a gorgeous effort that’s made from 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre that comes from three terroirs, the Louisianne, La Moutte and the Souteyrades lieux-dits, all of which are located on...

Vinous, 93 points: (AG91-93 points) The 2012 Clos Vougeot is another huge, explosive wine from Chézeaux in this vintage. Smoke, iron, tar, licorice and dark red fruit notes jump from the glass. Broad- shouldered, rich and intense to the...

Burghound, 93 points: (90-93) A background application of wood frames the very ripe aromas of cassis, black cherry, earth and a touch of the sauvage. There is a lush and opulent mouth feel to the concentrated and palate coating medium weight...