The 2022 from Alexander van Beek and the team at Giscours is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I find a real sense of fragrant harmony but also bright energy here...

A deliciously inviting nose, with dark and perfumed fruits, blackcurrant, blackberry and damson, with smoky crushed chalk, rose petal and toast, as well as a touch of honeyed oak. The palate builds on this start with a...

Another St Estèphe which was blighted by hail in the vintage, reducing yields by 30%. dark and smoky nose, with sweet black cherry, coffee bean and toast draped over black cherry. There follows a sweetly poised palate of...

In 2022 Les Tourelles is a blend of 65% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc. Les Tourelles charms on the nose with scents of toasted fruits, cedar and crushed chalk, with a little touch of mint and...

Situated at the borders of the appellation Saint-Estèphe but within the appellation Médoc, the 2022 Larrivaux reveals a somber, dark bouquet of spices and dark berries mingled with elegant toasty notes. Medium to...

A very convincing nose of sweet blackcurrants, blackberries and dark chocolate, with an appealing edge of toasty oak. The palate follows with a wealth of dark fruits, dark chocolate, toast and coffee bean, set in a broad...

The grand vin from the Decosters is a blend of 76% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, matured mostly in new French oak barrels, with some use of older oak, foudre s and amphorae. A rather restrained...

This is a blend of 55.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38.5% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, the press wine is a confident 18.5% of the total, and the élevage was in 39% new oak. This is dark and brooding on the nose, the fruit...

A nose rich in toasted oak here, as well as very dark fruits, griddled blackcurrant and damson, liquorice and tar, along with elegant and perfumed notes of white flowers, crushed chalk, mint, white peach and white pepper...

An interesting nose, distinctive, with toasted redcurrant and red cherry fruits layered with vanilla. A juicy style follows on the palate, the fruit floral and scented, with peony, blackcurrant leaf and rosemary, draped...

This is a powerful wine with rich tannins and a solid structure. The black coffee aroma and the wine's dense black fruits are impressive. This is a memorable wine with a long life. Drink from 2028. Organic and...

The grand vin here is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, and the élevage was in 75% new oak for 16 to 18 months. This possesses a gorgeous nose, one which seems to evoke the rich and dark fruit of the vintage as well...

The blend here is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The aromatics feel appropriately sweet and primary, with a nose of sugared blackcurrant, black pepper, sweet liquorice and fragrant currant. This...

This is led by Merlot, at just over 62% of the blend, and it was aged in 20% new oak. Tasted against La Chapelle this has more immediate impact on the nose, with darker and more defined fruits, and more perfumed chalk...

This is a blend of just 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, a low figure for the appellation although quite typical for Beychevelle, with 42% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. It is dark, smoky, focused, sweet and concentrated on the nose...

Supple, soft, and creamy, the floral-edged wine is loaded with elegant, polished, sweet, ripe, delicious fruits that flow across your palate with ease. This baby Brane is perfect to enjoy on release while waiting for the...

A fresh, direct style, with light sanguine and cedar accents gently framing a core of red currant and bitter cherry coulis flavors. The sleek finish makes this approachable now. Delicious. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink...

The grand vin from Axelle and Pierre Courdurié, certified organic, this opens with a dark, focused and gently scented character on the nose, with dried cranberry, cherry and blackcurrant notes, with violets and roses on...

This was bottled in September 2024, so at the time of tasting has only been in bottle three months. The blend is 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot, with 70% whole-cluster vinification, and the...

In this vintage Siran is a blend of 53% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, and the label carries an artwork depicting Queen Elizabeth II by Damien Elwes. A very classically styled nose...

This is 96% Merlot and just 4% Cabernet Franc, the Moueix family never having leaned into Cabernet Franc in the way much of the right bank has. Absolutely classic Trotanoy on the nose of the 2022 vintage, all dark gravel...

This is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, and the élevage was in 40% new oak, 40% second-fill and 20% third-fill barrels. A nose of sweet and dark fruits, with smoky dark red cherry laced with...

This is 32% of the crop here, and dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon at 64% of the blend. with 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. No change in the élevage here, Philippe Bascaules having initially considered...

Cloves, grilled spice, incense, cappuccino, creamy depths to the black cherry and damson spice. The muscularity of the tannins is in full evidence, a great sign of ageing ability, intense and concentrated. Less signature...

The second wine of Pichon-Comtesse, made by Nicolas Glumineau, this is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, the later variety generally reserved for the Réserve, if you...

The blend is 71% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, at the upper end of the usual range of percentages for the Merlot, and the élevage was in one-third new oak for twelve months, the...

The blend is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, with a 2% dash of Petit Verdot. Lovely classicism and freshness on the nose here, dark and brooding, yet perfumed as well, with fragrant red cherry, blackberry, olive...

The 2022 from Alexander van Beek and the team at Giscours is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I find a real sense of fragrant harmony but also bright energy here...

The blend is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, and the élevage was in 100% new oak for 18 months. A glorious nose, so pure, with powdered chalk, incense and sandalwood, with a little dark curranty fruit lingering...

Sleek and polished, with alluring notes of blackberry puree and warmed cassis that glide through, while fine-grained tannins, a buried chalky spine and a gilding of sweet tobacco add range and length. Shows a...