2012 Wine from France

Decanter, 96 points: Decanter World Wine Awards 2020. Citrus-infused, peachy and creamy characters on the nose with some autolytic nuttiness. Rich, savoury and multidimensional palate brimful of raspberry, white chocolate, coffee, and...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: Previously unreviewed by The Wine Advocate, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Laurence is 80% Grenache, 6% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and the balance a mix of other authorized varieties. After approximately four years in...

jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Always excellent for the vintage. What a nose with currants, blackberries, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stones and wet earth too. Full-bodied and refined yet muscular and trim. Fabulously polished tannins. Try drinking in 2020.

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: (92–94 points) Barrel sample. A solid effort, this is a wine with great fruit and firm structure to support it. Ripe and full in the mouth, it's a firm and complex wine with a delicious juicy aftertaste. ROGER VOSS

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points: The 2012 Côte Rôtie La Mouline reminds me of the 2011 with its upfront, incredibly perfumed nose of spring flowers, cured meats, roasted herbs, olives and sweet cassis fruit. Full-bodied, beautifully textured...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: (93–95 points) Barrel sample. A complex and very successful wine, this shows rich tannins, dark fruits, a powerful texture of ripe blackberry fruits and spiced acidity. It will shine with some serious aging. ROGER VOSS

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: Grand cru Chardonnay and a low dosage set this Champagne up for a great future. That is to say, with its concentrated minerality contrasting with Meyer lemon fruitiness, the wine is only just hinting at some nuttiness and...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: The chiseled acidity and tactile, chalky edge to the texture gives this bold version more structure than many of its counterparts. Mouthwatering acidity invigorates a rich range of steeped raspberry, grilled nut, Mandarin...

View From The Cellar, 95 points: The domaine’s Bressandes was still in barrel and absolutely singing at the time of my visit. The gorgeous bouquet is a complex and very pure blend of red and black cherries, gamebirds, Asian spices, iron-like soil tones...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: Produced in the magnificent new cellars at Montrose, this big, tannic wine is powerful and concentrated. It has something of the classic severity of a wine from this estate, but that's mitigated by the ripe, generous...

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, 96 points: (NM94-96 points) What is a primeur report without one of Pauillac’s most dynamic estate? I made the trip through the rain to taste their 2012. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 30%...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: Vineyards around Aÿ form the basis of this dry rosé Champagne. The richness balances the dry style, bringing out the ripe fruits as much as zesty acidity. Drink this wine now. ROGER VOSS

Decanter, 91 points: The Jaboulets need little introduction, being as they are one of the leading winemaking families in this small part of the world. This Crozes-Hermitage has structure and breadth thanks to 12 months spent in new French...

jamessuckling.com, 98 points: Incredible clarity and freshness with minerals, lemons, chalk and steel. It’s so racy and exciting. Changes to white peaches and mangoes. Just flies at the end of the palate. Super subtle. Delicate yet agile and powerful...

jamessuckling.com, 90 points: Aromas and flavors of tar, berries and dark chocolate. Full body, relatively firm tannins and a finish that fills the palate. Well done. Second wine of Lynch-Bages.

jebdunnuck.com, 96 points: The 2012 Haut Bailly is brilliant and does nothing to damper my belief that this vintage is underrated in the market. Offering up a classic bouquet of tobacco leaf, cigar wrapper, blackcurrants, lead pencil, and graphite...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points: The 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is in the top 2-3 wines in the vintage. Possessing rock-star concentration and depth, full-bodied richness and loads of sweet tannin, it offers layers of ripe blackberry...

jebdunnuck.com, 94 points: The 2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin is similar to the base cuvée yet has slightly more elegance and complexity, as well as structure. Coming from a cooler terroir in the northern part of the appellation and made...

jamessuckling.com, 93 points: A juicy and rich red, offering chocolate and hazelnuts. Plum and berry undertones. Full-bodied with angular tannins that are firm and muscular. Needs a year or two to soften still.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: Tasted blind at the 2012 Southwold tasting, the 2012 Château Margaux has a taut, linear, pencil lead-infused bouquet with pure blackberry and boysenberry scents, an undercurrent of tobacco that surfaces after five minutes...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: (93–95 points) 93–95. Barrel sample. This firm, dry wine is solidly rich and full in the mouth. With fine acidity and black currant fruit that show through the tannins, it is a wine with considerable potential. ROGER VOSS

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: Perfumed, spicy and complex, with lots of red and black fruits, toasted spices, Provencal garrigue and leather, the 2012 Terrasses du Larzac la Peira is medium to full-bodied, upfront, charming and already drinking...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 99 points: The wine of the vintage is the Perrin’s 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin, and it will most likely merit a perfect rating in another couple of years. Full-bodied, massive and layered on the palate, with...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: (92–94 points) Barrel sample. With marked acidity as well as black fruits, this is a wine with weight and richness. It has a dark core of firm tannins, although the aftertaste maintains the juiciness. ROGER VOSS

Vinous, 92 points: (92+ points) Bright yellow. Musky, highly aromatic nose offers scents of lime, peach, anise, acacia flower, noble herbs and iodiney minerality. Juicy and very intense, with impressive energy to frame the flavors of peach...

Burghound, 91 points: There is enough wood to notice surrounding the earthy and brooding dark berry fruit and game suffused aromas. As one might reasonably expect there is markedly better richness and mid-palate concentration to the...

Vinous, 93 points: The 2012 Extra Brut Assemblage captures all of the exuberance of the vintage. Ample and creamy, the Assemblage is alluring right out of the gate. Kirsch, dried flowers, mint, baked pastry and a kiss of oak build as this...

jebdunnuck.com, 96 points: One of the stars in the vintage is the 2012 from Beausejour Duffau which checks in as 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. It sports an inky purple color as well as classic notes of blackberries, blueberries, crushed...