2012 Wine from France

Wine Spectator, 91 points: Admirably rich for the vintage, with solid plum and black currant paste flavors, allied to a decidedly brisk and racy structure and backed by plum pit, iron and singed alder notes through the finish, giving this a rather...

jamessuckling.com, 93 points: Incredible chalk and salt character with minerala and cocoa as well as berries. Full-bodied, tightly wound and long. So much going on. From Hong Kong’s Kwok family who also own Haut-Brisson in St. Emilion. This is the...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: The 2012 is another truly great wine from Troplong Mondot. It’s always sentimental to taste this wine, realizing that proprietress Christine Valette (the larger-than-life heart and soul behind this estate) has passed...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: A rich version, this savory red evokes cherry, blackberry, beet, black currant, smoke and tobacco notes. Dense yet supple in texture, with a firm underlying structure and a compact finish. The long aftertaste suggests tar...

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Just over two-thirds pinot noir (Verzenay) and the balance southeast-facing chardonnay from Chouilly. This has 30% of oak fermentation which has compressed the wine, lending it an air of extreme concentration. The nose is...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 points: More serious than the Premices, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Tradition has additional structure and depth, with classic red and black fruits, leather, bouquet garni and spice aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, nicely...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points: My favorite of the lineup, the 2012 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Le Clos des Fées is a sensational effort that’s most likely the wine of the vintage. Made from 50% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Carignan and the rest Mourvèdre...

Wine Spectator, 95 points: This is spicy, with underlying flavors of cherry, plum, mineral, earth and tobacco. Saturated midpalate, this combines power and finesse, showing harmony and a long, complex aftertaste. Iron and graphite details linger...

Vinous, 93 points: 93+ A totally elusive wine, the 2012 Chablis Les Preuses is playing its cards close to the vest. A brilliant, energetic Chablis, the Preuses shows considerable textural depth, but is otherwise not terribly expressive...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru from Louis Jadot has a lifted, licorice-tinged bouquet with plenty of guts to it. There aromatics do not hold back. The palate is...

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...

jamessuckling.com, 97 points: The nose has a complex array of fine-ground eastern spices, strong cardamom, fine dark chocolate and ripe black cherries and plums. There's even some licorice. It has a neatly composed and elegant feel on the palate. It...

Wine Spectator, 97 points: This defines old school, with savory detail and notes of roasted chestnut, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar and brick dust leading off, backed by a core of currant, cherry and plum fruit flavors that is lightly dried yet...

Vinous, 93 points: (91-93 points) The 2012 Pommard La Chanière is above all else a wine of tension and pure minerality. Slate, crushed rocks, chalk and bright red berries are all layered into the vibrant finish. Readers who like driven...