The 2015 TrotteVieille has an open-knit bouquet with maraschino cherries, fresh figs and brown spices. This flirts with Rhône-like scents. The palate is open-knit and medium-bodied with a savory entry, gentle grip and...

This second wine of Château Margaux, grand in its own right, is powerfully dense. It displays its own style and balance between rich black fruits and the acidity that shines through the structure. The wine will age well...

The 2018 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to unlock notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and crème de cassis, with touches of menthol, Indian spices and smoked meats...

A stunning, monumental Margaux, this has all the power, concentration and class expected of a First Growth. Cool on the palate with an emerging floral bouquet after a few minutes swirling in the glass, Asian spices also...

The second wine of Château Pavie is dense with dark tannins and superripe fruit. Bold and concentrated it still highlights the fruitiness of the vintage. Although it has big tannins and great potential, the wine also...

This was not tasted during the Connoisseur Week, but is a request from a subscriber, so I am adding in at the same time from opening a bottle that I have at home. It's an exceptional wine, still a little austere at this...

The 2018 Belair-Monange has a deep garnet purple color. It is very closed, slightly reduced, requiring a lot of swirling to reveal notes of black raspberries, warm plums, and kirsch, plus hints of pencil lead, wild sage...

Darker cherries, tobacco, and white truffle notes define the 2014 Château Bellevue. Medium-bodied and nicely balanced on the palate, it has a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel and solid depth. This ripe, textured, and...

A blend of 55% Sémillon and 45% Sauvignon Blanc (the highest percentage of Sauvignon Blanc ever), the 2019 d'Yquem features a Sauvignon Blanc-driven bouquet with aromas of menthol, artichoke, iodine, asparagus and orchard...

Pencil lead, roses, cassis, bleuberry, tea, gunsmoke, fine and supple tannins that stretch out through the palate, this is an amazing quality 2017 that shows the potential of the vintage in the right hands. The vineyards...

The 2016 Climens has a wonderful bouquet similar to my last bottle, more expressive now with orange pith, wild honey and quince. Like before it opens wonderfully in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with fine...

Young and structured, with fine tannins are are fully in control, this remains pretty serious in its construction as it ticks on towards the 10 year mark. Black cherry and damson fruit, orange zest, pomegranate, slate...

While the 2018 vintage got plenty of buzz, following the less heralded 2017, I remain less enthusiastic when compared to the stellar 2016. The 2018 has a more roasted fruit profile, albeit with impressive (and seductive)...

Up to a full quarter of Cabernet Franc in this vintage, which may have helped bring the alcohol degree down a little. Gorgeous balance, juicy and rich, with blackberry and black cherry. It has plenty of St-Émilion...

Slightly taut, but the notes of cassis and blackberry preserves stay persistent. Shows some anise and singed spice details, but the woodsy feel of the earlier vintages is much less evident here. Good length and...

Blended of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 15 to 20 months, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Gracia rocks up with an audacious nose of crème de...

The 2018 Haut-Batailley has a delightful bouquet with blackberry, wild strawberry, cedar and light tobacco scents, easily handling the precocity of the growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, a...

Deep plum colour, plenty of enticing fruit on the nose, this is really the point at which you start to see quality taking a step up in this vertical. Dark chocolate shavings, a touch of burnt oak, with plump and textured...

Rich blackberry and fig fruits, well structured dominant tannins that remain fairly tight at this point, exuberant turmeric, black pepper and dried herbs, with a flash of heat on the finish. Atypical in the lineup...

The 2015 Tertre Roteboeuf is medium to deep garnet in color. It bursts with a first wave of profound black fruit preserves - prunes, boysenberries, and blackberry jelly - before slowly unfurling to uncover notes of...

A decade in the bottle has added to the wine's character and complexity. Initially, you notice the nose with its truffle, hickory, cigar box, black currants, and lead pencil form the perfume. The palate follows through...

The 2015 Les Forts de Latour has a lovely nose, with very pure black cherry, raspberry, violet and light cassis scents unfolding with every swirl. The palate is medium-bodied with plush tannins and a velvety smooth...

The Bonnie family's estate has produced a richly structured wine, full of the ripe tannins indicative of the vintage. To balance the structure, powerful flavors of black currant and dark berries give ripeness. It is a...

The Bonnies' work in the vineyard and the vines' maturity is paying off in more complexity, precision and silkier tannins, with elevated, layered aromas and flavours. The bouquet is herbs and lavender, the juicy, open and...

The 2015 Marquis de Terme was picked from September 10 to October 1 and matured in 50% new oak. It is a vintage that I have enjoyed in the past, and this bottle compensates for a questionable showing at Southwold. Plenty...

A candidate for wine of the vintage due to all of its waves of dark red and black fruits, currants, blackberries, mint, spice, and crushed rock nuances. The wine is full, rich, vibrant, and balanced with purity to the...

A blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Orma opens to a soothing display of ripe fruit with blackberry, candied cherry, spice, white pepper and even a speck of red chili flake. The...

(VN 96-98 points) Glass-staining purple. Assertively perfumed cassis, cherry liqueur, fruitcake and floral aromas take on espresso, olive and smoky bacon accents with aeration. Juicy, chewy and energetic on the palate...