2016 Wine from France

jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Lots of mineral, crushed stone, iodine and graphite with blackcurrants and blackberries that follow through to a medium body with ultra fine tannins that are ever so polished and give length and energy to the wine...

jebdunnuck.com, 91 points: One of the best values in Bordeaux out there, the 2016 Arbalest comes from a mix of the Right and Left Banks and is 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Ripe, medium to...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: (93–95 points) Barrel Sample. This is a perfumed wine, likely thanks to a dollop (7%) of Cabernet Franc. It has ripe fruit characters, pleasant richness and a firm structure. ROGER VOSS

Vinous, 95 points: The 2016 Lafon-Rochet has a very engaging bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit laced with pencil shavings and loamy scents. In fact, the more you nose this wine, the more its complexity becomes apparent. The palate...

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: The aromas are very decadent with white truffle, dark berries and wet earth. Dense raspberries. Full-bodied, it grows on the palate with fantastic chewy tannins that are polished and intense. Like a beautifully formed...

jamessuckling.com, 92 points: An elegant Haut-Médoc with a sleek body, rather fine tannins and attractive, redcurrant and herb character. The long, moderately dry finish suggests good aging potential. Drink or hold.

Wine Enthusiast, 97 points: A warm wine rich in tannins and with succulent berry fruits, this is both powerful and elegant. Its density doesn't detract from the fruitiness that shines out of the wine and balances with the structured aging potential...

Vinous, 95 points: The 2016 Extra Brut Vignes d’Autrefois is 100% Meunier from vines planted in 1947 and 1964 done in neutral oak. Bright and vibrant in the glass, the 2016 offers a compelling interplay of Meunier richness with striking...

jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Aromas of blackberries and blackcurrants. Hints of fresh and wet earth. Full-bodied, very tight and polished with ultra-fine tannins and a beautiful finish. Shows intensity and brightness. Exciting. Top for the...

Vinous, 96 points: The 2016 Prieuré-Lichine is all class. Floral, silky and nuanced to the core, the 2016 is a wine of pure and total seduction. Freshly cut flowers, vibrant red fruit and creamy tannins all add to the wine's undeniable...

Decanter, 95 points: The 2016 has all the ingredients for the long haul. The colour is dark to the rim, the nose restrained but serious and intense, the palate structured and harmonious (despite the alcohol). There's a huge charge of very...

jamessuckling.com, 93 points: This has very attractive violets, plums and purple fruit on offer with a very plush and elegant feel on the palate, as well as a polished and long aftertaste. Super long and elegant. Very polished. 60 per cent merlot and...

jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Suave aromas of cedar and fresh red flowers with a thread of ripe red berries and blackcurrants, mulberries, coal smoke and cool stones. The palate delivers a wealth of rich red-fruit flavors, framed in sleek tannins that...

jamessuckling.com, 92 points: Bright flowers and attractive red berries on offer here with a really succulent, velvety palate that offers rich red-plum flavors. Long and juicy resolve. A blend of 74 per cent merlot, 19 per cent cabernet franc and...

Wine Enthusiast, 100 points: A voluptuous wine, this is rich and fruity yet properly balanced by a magnificent structure. Pure, crisp and packed with a black currant flavor, this will be a remarkable wine as it develops. Still young, it needs many...

TheWineCellarInsider.com, 96 points: This is the best wine from the Becot family yet! The wine is sexy, fleshy, opulent, polished and packed with all the fresh, ripe, silky, pure red fruits you need. The crushed rock, thyme and floral accents make this even...

Decanter, 97 points: Tight and closed but clearly going to power out of the gate in five or six years. Shows depth and persistency, with precision and balance to the fruit flavours, feels like every base is covered, laced through with...

jamessuckling.com, 98 points: Stunning concentration of perfectly ripe blackcurrants here with a delicate whiff of vanilla oak and extremely fine tannins that are almost perfectly integrated on the seductive and delicate palate, right through the...

jamessuckling.com, 95 points: Very attractive, ripe dark berries with a meaty edge that delivers a very compelling wine from the outset. Quite plush and elegant tannins with a smooth, juicy and attractive finish that holds long and is saturated in...

jebdunnuck.com, 95 points: (95+ points) The 2016 Château Bellefont-Belcier was truly brilliant on all three occasions I was able to taste it, rating 95 twice and 97 once. Coming from a 13.5-hectare vineyard on the magical Côte Pavie (it’s right...

Wine Enthusiast, 96 points: Reductive flintiness, smoke and red currant shine on the nose of this wine. The tart finesse of the red currant carries onto the slender, taut palate where freshness and elegance reign. Purity and intensity radiate from a...

jebdunnuck.com, 94 points: Even better, the 2016 Domaine de L'Aurage shows slightly better oak integration than the 2015 as well as a more classic feel in its medium to full body, seamless texture, loads of blue fruits, and complex notes of toasted...

Decanter, 96 points: A multi-layered complexity of fine blood orange, lemon grapefruit and haunting smoky perfumed notes blended with cedar toasted oak and an underlying mineral chalk finesse. Outstanding with incredible class and elegance.

Decanter, 96 points: This was delicious En Primeur and is even better now with three years under its belt. It's had time to bed down and is fully set for the long term. Wonderfully rich, intense dark fruits are joined by grip and supple...

TheWineCellarInsider.com, 96 points: Hitting the top range of my projected score, this gorgeous wine pops with its melange of flowers, plums, cherry, licorice, wet earth and smoke. The wine offers elegance, concentration, freshness and length. It is however...

jamessuckling.com, 98 points: This is a compact cylinder of ripe and fresh fruit with currant, fresh-herb and dry-earth character on the palate. So solid. Full-bodied yet refined and checked in every way. Well-defined, formed and perfect. Just a hint...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: Intense aromas of black cherry, pomegranate and tamarind mark this juicy red. Smooth, with well-integrated tannins lending a dusty feel as the finish plays out. Already harmonious, this should develop well over the next...

Wine Enthusiast, 93 points: Hints of flinty reduction and lifted earthiness send conflicting messages of freshness and evolution on the nose of this wine that is rich with lifted red cherry. The palate then plumps for brightness and almost grassy...

jamessuckling.com, 95 points: (JS 94-95 points) This is a juicy and flavorful young wine with dusty and polished tannins. Lots of wild fruit and dark-berry and volcanic/salt undertones. Flavorful finish.