The 2022 Giscours has a very classy, sophisticated bouquet with mineral-laden black fruit, wilted violet and crushed stone, precise with seamlessly integrated oak. The palate is silky smooth, beautifully balanced...

I thought the 2012s would be a good place to start this lunch, as the wines have always been quite open and seductive. That is very much the case today. The 2012 Cristal is quite delicate and floral, with hints of pear...

A classy, balanced and sumptuous du Tertre, a ton of appellation and vintage signature. Lace-like tannins, overperforms the estate at the time, showing just how much quality and value is out there for this vintage...

The 2015 Terre de Vertus Premier Cru is 100% Chardonnay, disgorged on 15 June 2021 and with zero dosage. Pale golden in color, it sails out of the glass with expressive scents of honey-drizzled apricots, almond nougat...

This smells and tastes like the essence of Moulin-a-Vent, with stunning red fruit aromas plus delicate spicy and earthy notes. Wonderful freshness and precision for this very hot and dry vintage on the medium- to...

Magnums of Cristal are always released a few years after the original wine in bottle. This is subtle yet complex, with cranberry and apple aromas and flavors, as well as plenty of minerals and subtle bread-dough and...

The 2015 Lafite-Rothschild is slightly higher in tone than the Mouton-Rothschild on the nose, with scents of blackberry, iodine, cedar and crushed violet emerging with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and...

The NV Champagne Le Rose, which pours a medium salmon color, is a benchmark wine in the range and classic for a reason. Medium to full-bodied, with intertwining notes of flowers and spice, it boasts notes of cherry...

98+ With 150 grams per liter of residual sugar, the 2023 Suduiraut is exquisite, unfurling from the glass with aromas of pineapple, exotic fruits, spices, honey, ripe orchard fruits and a touch of menthol. Medium- to...

The perfume bursts with a bouquet of flowers, candied lemon peels, pineapple, white peach, orange, mango, vanilla, saffron, and anise. It is a lively, bright, energetic vintage for Chateau d'Yquem. Rich, intense, opulent...

This wine, with its rich tannins and powerful structure is impressive. It has great promise with its black chocolate aroma and solid black fruits. Drink from 2028. — Roger Voss

The 2023 Morgon opens on the nose with a signature Lapierre vibrancy, revealing fragrant lavender, crushed petals and vanilla. Layers of ripe raspberries, licorice and blueberries emerge, accompanied by a subtle wave of...

Such gorgeous fruit, with extremely polished tannins and a persistent finish. The new oak comes out at the finish, but it should melt together with age. A joy to taste now but better in 2016.

This is stylish, with perfumy black tea and smoldering charcoal aromas followed by lightly mulled plum, fig and blackberry fruit. An echo of juniper shows on the mineral-edged finish. Drink now through 2024. — JM

2010 Lalande-Borie has a feisty and animated bouquet, more red fruit than black, with attractive pencil lead scents coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, tobacco and graphite, quite...

The 2020 Lascombes has a discrete, finely delineated bouquet that unfolds in the glass with blackberry, bilberry, crushed violet and a touch of iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with sour cherry and brown spices on the...

A bird of a different feather, this marries a polished feel with the nervy, underlying zip of sel gris and quinine notes, while its core of green almond, star fruit and white peach opens slowly. Shows subtle accents of...

The 2023 Cos d'Estournel is just as compelling as it was en primeur. I especially admire how it balances textural richness and vibrancy. Crushed flowers, mint, spice, rose petal, mocha, lavender and new leather caress...

An alluring red, with fresh boysenberry and black pepper-dusted plum flavors underscored by smoked bacon, charred cedar and mocha. Pure and polished, this is well-built and seductive. Drink now through 2030. - J.M.

2018 was especially excellent for the red wine from this estate. It’s seductive, velvety, generous and round, and it’s bursting with scents of berries, herbs and peonies. It’s also balanced, despite the high alcohol.

This 2005 is really coming into its own, with soft, welcoming rose bud, chalk, bilberry, cocoa bean and tobacco. The tannins remain well structured, and you can see the muscles that kept this pretty closed for the first...

A warm vintage during harvest, and this is showing a rich plum colour, with a satin texture that speaks to alcohols that are higher than usual in this part of the Médoc peninsula. Great quality though, and the Petit...

Another excellent year, the 1995 and 1996 vintage have definitely held up in colour and structure. The 1995 perhaps has the markings of a slightly hotter year in terms of the fruit ripeness, which veers towards fig...

(VN 96-98 points) The 2023 Cheval Blanc is uncharacteristically backward on first meeting, and it takes time to really fire up its engines. Quite strict and focused (surprisingly so), the bouquet reveals black fruit, a...

One of the darker wines of the vintage, its blend of 70% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache and 10% Syrah works well this year. Smoke, flowers, spice, meat, espresso, incense, and dark red fruits in the nose get even better on the...

Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 La Mission Haut-Brion needs a swirl or two to unlock notes of blackberry pie, creme de cassis, and espresso plus nuances of truffle, tapenade, and fragrant soil. The medium to...

The 2023 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Crays 1er Cru has an elegant bouquet with nectarine, light Clementine scents, just a touch of nettle and white tea. There is wonderful delineation and a flintiness gradually emerges. The palate...

The 2023 Pouilly-Fuissé Sur La Roche 1er Cru has a more immediate nose than the Aux Charmes, soaring with yellow plum, fern and light smoky notes with time. It conveys a sense of classicism. The palate is beautifully...