En Primeur | Burghound Recommends
Although the field of serious Burgundy critics is becoming ever more crowded, Allen Meadows (Burghound) still stands out as the original and the best. So, when he releases his review of a new vintage it is worth sitting up and taking notice. He is positively rapturous, commenting that the 2019 wines are: “Ripe, fresh, concentrated and very high-quality.” If you have not yet dipped a toe in the fabulous Burgundy 2019 pool, now is the moment.2022 Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Christian Sérafin - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2027 - 2040
- Domaine Sérafin Père et Fils
- 6x75cl
- Gevrey chambertin, Red Burgundy
- En Primeur
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Goedhuis, December 2023
This superb wine embodies the ethos of Domaine Serafin. It comes from two different plots in the appellation, one with vines of 70 years old and the other just over 100 years old. Redolent of redcurrant jelly and loganberry, hints of vanilla pod and spiced oak, and a layer of rich tannic substance. Impressive.
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Burghound, January 2024, Score: 89-92
Here too there is enough wood and menthol to mention framing the more deeply pitched and gamier aromas of mostly dark currant and newly turned earth. The bigger and richer medium-bodied flavors display focused power that continues onto the lingering, firmer and more complex finish where moderate rusticity and wood appear. This serious effort always ages well and the 2022 version should be no exception. Drinking 2032+.
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Jancis Robinson, December 2023, Score: 16+
From 90-year-old vines. 100% new oak. Cask sample. Mid cherry. Deep raspberry and a little cassis on the nose. The oak adds real spice and complexity on the finish, ably balancing the deeper, concentrated fruit. Fine acidity and rounded, well-knit tannins. Even more classic than the regular village Gevrey. (MH) Drink 2025-2035.
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Jasper Morris MW, November 2023, Score: 90-93
100% new wood from here on. A bright mid purple. some concentration of a dark raspberry fruit here. Then kicks on, notably more depth of fruit here, pleasing concentration and fine length. A 2022 Gevrey to look forward to. Drink from 2030-2036.
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2022 Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Geantet Pansiot - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2024 - 2030
- Domaine Geantet-Pansiot
- 6x75cl
- Bourgogne hautes côtes de nuits, Red Burgundy
- En Primeur
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Goedhuis, December 2023
The grapes for this cuvée were the last to be harvested, some 15 days after Fabien started picking on 5th September. This wine expresses the vibrant freshness one expects from the higher slopes of the Côte de Nuits, with charming raspberry and strawberry fruit flavours and a gentle alcohol level of 13%.
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Burghound, January 2024, Score: 86-88
There is enough reduction present to push the fruit to the background. More interesting are the racy and delicious middleweight flavors that retain good detail and a subtle minerality on the dusty, inviting and refreshing finish. This should be approachable young after 2 to 3 years of keeping. Drinking 2025+.
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2022 Marsannay Clos du Roy Charles Audoin - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2026 - 2038
- Domaine Charles Audoin
- 6x75cl
- Marsannay, Red Burgundy
- En Primeur
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Goedhuis, December 2023
This vineyard, like Les Longeroies, is in the north of the commune, on hard Comblanchien limestone and is recognised for producing one of the village’s more powerful wines. In some years, this cuvée can be a little reserved when tasting young, but, having been racked and put in cuve ahead of bottling, it was a sumptuous joy to taste in November 2023. Combining bilberry and blueberry fruits, with a lacquer of liquorice, the open sweetness of fruit is balanced by a charming saline minerality on the finish.
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Burghound, January 2024, Score: 90-93
Here a discreet application of wood surrounds the fresh, cool and restrained red and dark pinot fruit where a floral top note adds a touch of elegance. The more concentrated medium weight flavours possess excellent intensity while the moderately firm and youthfully austere finish flashes more evident minerality on the balanced and sneaky long finish. This is built to repay up to a decade of keeping but could reasonably be approached after 5 years. Drinking 2030+.
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Wine Advocate, January 2024, Score: 90-92
Offering up aromas of cherries, rapberries, rose petals and dark chocolate, Audoin's 2022 Marsannay Clos du ROy is medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with bright acids and a succulent, charming profile.
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1990 Ch Figeac 1er Grand Cru Classé St Emilion - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2010 - 2030
- Château Figeac
- 12x75cl
- St emilion, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Neal Martin, June 2015, Score: 94
Tasted at the Château Figeac vertical at the property. The 1990 Figeac was drinking gloriously and this is perhaps the best bottle that I have tasted. It is noticeably deep in color, in fact, deeper and more lucid than many vintages from the 1980s. It reminds me of the Lafleur 1990 in some ways, with its very expressive Cabernet Franc that manifests black truffle and cigar ash scents. There is such clarity here. The palate is medium-bodied and full of degraded black, earthy fruit. There is weight and presence here, gently gripping the mouth with a long tobacco-tinged finish that is still very satisfying. There is something still "old school" about this Figeac, but it certainly would be my pick from this era. Tasted June 2015. 2015-2035
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Robert Parker, June 1992, Score: 92-93
The 1990 is the first great Figeac since their splendid 1982. When Figeac gets everything right, as it did in 1990, the result is one of the most compelling wines in Bordeaux. The huge nose of new saddle leather, herbs, black fruits, and smoke is followed by a wine with exceptional concentration, excellent balance and depth, and a smooth-as-silk finish. Ripe tannins and sweet fruit combine to produce a splendidly opulent, rich Figeac that should drink well for two decades. Figeac often behaves like Cheval Blanc. Therefore, it can be notoriously light when tasted young, often putting on considerable weight during the first 2-5 years after bottling. With that caveat in mind, this is undoubtedly one of the most impressive notes I have ever given an infant vintage of Figeac. Anticipated maturity: 1995-2010.
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Robert Parker, January 2003, Score: 92
This is a fabulous Figeac with a deep ruby/garnet color and some lightening at the edge. A sweet nose of licorice, cedar, black currants, cherries, and minerals is followed by a relatively fleshy Figeac with medium body and wonderful sweetness, in a very expansive, elegant style, with nothing out of place. The wine is fully mature and capable of lasting for at least another 10-15 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2016. Last tasted, 12/02.
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Robert Parker, June 2009, Score: 91
This is a strong effort for Figeac, but the wine is fully mature and is beginning to fade slightly. It offers a terrific bouquet of roasted herbs, cedarwood, licorice, sweet cherries, and background foresty/underbrush notes, a fleshy attack, medium body, sweet fruit, and plenty of glycerin, but the tannins provide a pinched finish that evaporates quickly leaving only astringency. This wine tires within 45 minutes of opening, so it needs to be drunk over the next 4-5 years, if not sooner. And, do not over-aerate! Release price: ($500.00/case). Drink: 2009-2014.
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Robert Parker, February 1997, Score: 94
One of Bordeaux's most schizophrenic properties, as disappointing as Figeac's 1989 has turned out, the 1990 is fabulous. This property has not made a wine as rich as the 1990 since 1982. In contrast to the 1989, the 1990 is a great Figeac, potentially a richer, more complete and complex wine than the 1982. The 1990 exhibits a saturated dark purple color (somewhat atypical for Figeac), and a gorgeous nose of olives, fruitcake, jammy black fruits, minerals, and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, with gobs of glycerin-imbued, sweet, jammy fruit, this wine is nicely buttressed by moderate tannin and adequate acidity. Fleshy and rich, as well as elegant and complex, it is approachable because of the wine's sweet fruit, but it promises even more pleasure with 2-4 more years of bottle age; it will last for 20 years. I predict the 1990 Figeac will have one of the most exotic and compelling aromatic profiles of the 1990s. It is a terrific wine! Drink 1999-2017
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1995 Ch Lafite Rothschild 1er Cru Pauillac - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2008 - 2035
- Château Lafite Rothschild
- 12x75cl
- Pauillac, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Robert Parker, April 1996, Score: 92-95
The 1995 Lafite-Rothschild, a more typical blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc, harvested between September 18 and October 1, looks to be a great Lafite in the making. Only a minuscule 30% of the harvest was chosen for Lafite-Rothschild. For the first time, Lafite did three separate passes through their vineyards, harvesting only the most mature grapes, a la the practice followed in Barsac and Sauternes to make sweet wine. The 1995 Lafite displays outstanding color saturation, a blossoming, elegant, intense nose of smoke, roasted nuts, spices, and red and blackcurrants. The wine reveals sweetness and outstanding richness, as well as Lafite's remarkable ethereal weightlessness and finesse, smooth tannin, and exceptional length. Different from anything else I tasted in Pauillac, it is a compellingly elegant example of Lafite. Given the wine's intensity and tannin (there is no heaviness or bitterness), it will require a decade of cellaring and will keep for 30-35 years. I am very high on this wine and feel it will easily be the qualitative equivalent of Lafite's 1990, 1989, and 1988.All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux. Drink: 2006-2031.
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Robert Parker, January 1998, Score: 93
This dark purple-colored 1995 displays the quintessentially elegant Lafite style in both the aromatics and flavors. Subtle lead pencil, black currant, and cedary notes emerge from the wine's bouquet with coaxing. In the mouth, it is beautifully knit, medium-bodied, suave, and elegant, with no intention of being flamboyant and/or over-sized. This is a textbook, classic Lafite-Rothschild that should reward 10-20 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. Last tasted 1/97. Drink: 2008-2035.
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Robert Parker, February 1997, Score: 91-94
Because Lafite-Rothschild (1) tends to lack the weight of many wines of the northern Medoc, and (2) is never a flashy, ostentatious style of wine, it is often more difficult to evaluate when young than some of its neighbors. This dark purple-colored 1995 displays the quintessentially elegant Lafite style in both the aromatics and flavors. Subtle lead pencil, blackcurrant, and cedary notes emerge from the wine's bouquet with coaxing. In the mouth, it is beautifully knit, medium-bodied, suave, and elegant, with no intention of being flamboyant and/or over-sized. This is a textbook, classic Lafite-Rothschild that should reward 10-20 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035.
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Robert Parker, February 1998, Score: 95
The 1995 Lafite-Rothschild (only one-third of the harvest made it into the final blend) is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc. The wine was showing spectacularly well when I tasted it in November, 1997. It exhibits a dark ruby purple color, and a sweet, powdered mineral, smoky, weedy cassis-scented nose. Beautiful sweetness of fruit is present in this medium-bodied, tightly-knit, but gloriously pure, well-delineated Lafite. The 1995 is not as powerful or as massive as the 1996, but it is beautifully made with outstanding credentials, in addition to remarkable promise. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2028.
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1995 Ch Léoville Las Cases 2ème Cru St Julien - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2006 - 2025
- Château Léoville Las Cases
- 12x75cl
- St julien, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
This wine is currently only available Duty Paid
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Robert Parker, April 1996, Score: 94-96
This great estate, run with extraordinary passion and brilliance by Michel Delon, has once again turned in superlative efforts - wines that are unquestionably of first-growth quality. The 1995 is a tantalizing effort. Only 35% of the harvest made it into this wine. While most producers were raving about the quality of their Cabernet Franc in 1995, Michel Delon felt it was atypical, and thus he utilized none in the blend, creating an essentially Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot wine. The 1995 Las Cases, which falls just short of rivaling the 1982, 1986, and 1990, has the potential to easily surpass the 1989, perhaps even the 1990. It exhibits (by analysis) a level of tannin unequaled since 1986. However, readers would not know that when tasting the wine. It reveals an opaque black/purple color, and a spectacularly sweet, rich nose that soars from the glass, offering up intense richness and fabulous purity. This is a profoundly concentrated, statuesque wine of enormous richness and character with extraordinary balance. It does not taste as tannic as the statistics suggest, but the tannin will undoubtedly become more evident as the wine evolves. Although it will be approachable in its youth, it will need 10-15 years to hit its stride. It will keep for 25+ years. The lion of St.-Julien roars again.All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux. Drink: 1996-2021.
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Robert Parker, January 1998, Score: 95
In a year where 65% of the production was eliminated, Las Cases has turned out an amazingly profound, opaque black/purple-colored wine that offers the essence of cassis fruit in its formidably endowed personality. The wine hits the palate with an explosion of ripe fruit. Possessing nicely integrated acid, alcohol, and tannin, the 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases is full and rich, yet marvelously well-balanced. This is a classic example of packing significant power and flavor intensity into a wine, without causing it to taste heavy or ponderous. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030. This lion never falls asleep on the job! Last tasted 1/97.
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Robert Parker, February 1997, Score: 94-96
Michel Delon, a great man, is the consummate proprietor, meticulously administering this vast estate spread out along the St.-Julien/Pauillac border, separated from Latour's finest vineyard by a mere ten feet. The 1993-95 vintages from Delon are brilliant wines. Leoville-Las-Cases remains one of the irrefutable reference points for high class Bordeaux. In a year where 65% of the production was eliminated, Las Cases has turned out an amazingly profound, opaque black/purple-colored wine that offers the essence of cassis fruit in its formidably endowed personality. The wine hits the palate with an explosion of ripe fruit. Possessing nicely integrated acid, alcohol, and tannin, the 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases is full and rich, yet marvelously well-balanced. This is a classic example of packing significant power and flavor intensity into a wine, without causing it to taste heavy or ponderous. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030. This lion never falls asleep on the job!
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Robert Parker, February 1998, Score: 95
If it were not for the prodigious 1996, everyone would be concentrating on getting their hands on a few bottles of the fabulous 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases, which is one of the vintage's great success stories. The wine boasts an opaque ruby/purple color, and exceptionally pure, beautifully knit aromas of black fruits, minerals, vanillin, and spice. On the attack, it is staggeringly rich, yet displays more noticeable tannin than its younger sibling. Exceptionally ripe cassis fruit, the judicious use of toasty new oak, and a thrilling mineral character intertwined with the high quality of fruit routinely obtained by Las Cases, make this a compelling effort. There is probably nearly as much tannin as in the 1996, but it is not as perfectly sweet as in the 1996. The finish is incredibly long in this classic. Only 35% of the harvest was of sufficient quality for the 1995 Leoville-Las-Cases. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.
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Wine Advocate, March 2021, Score: 95
The 1995 Léoville Las Cases is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. Medium garnet colored with a touch of brick, it needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock the intense notes of baked plums, dried mulberries and boysenberry preserves with hints of black truffles, Chinese five spice, unsmoked cigars and dusty soil, plus wafts of beef drippings and cast-iron pan. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers good weight and generous fruit, supported by plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with loads of earth, sautéed herbs and mineral-inspired flavors. Lisa Perrotti-Brown 2021-2038
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1996 Ch Margaux 1er Cru Margaux - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2007 - 2045
- Château Margaux
- 12x75cl
- Margaux, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Neal Martin, July 2016, Score: 100
The 1996 Chateau Margaux, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, must be a strong contender for wine of the vintage. It offers everything you desire from this First Growth. It is blessed with breathtaking delineation and freshness on the nose, understated at first and then blossoming with mineral-infused black fruit, hints of blueberry, crushed stone and violet. The palate is perfectly balanced with filigree tannin, perfect acidity, a wine where everything seems to be in its right place. Blackberry, crushed stone at the front of the mouth, just a touch of spice towards the finish that shows supreme control. This is a Margaux that seems to light up the senses. It was outstanding in its youth...something that has not changed one bit over the intervening two decades. This may well turn out to be the Left Bank pinnacle of the 1990s. Tasted July 2016. 2016-2050
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Robert Parker, July 2006, Score: 100
The 1996 Chateau Margaux, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, must be a strong contender for wine of the vintage. It offers everything you desire from this First Growth. It is blessed with breathtaking delineation and freshness on the nose, understated at first and then blossoming with mineral-infused black fruit, hints of blueberry, crushed stone and violet. The palate is perfectly balanced with filigree tannin, perfect acidity, a wine where everything seems to be in its right place. Blackberry, crushed stone at the front of the mouth, just a touch of spice towards the finish that shows supreme control. This is a Margaux that seems to light up the senses. It was outstanding in its youth...something that has not changed one bit over the intervening two decades. This may well turn out to be the Left Bank pinnacle of the 1990s.
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Robert Parker, April 1997, Score: 96-100
Chateau Margaux, along with Leoville-Las Cases in St.-Julien, was among the handful of properties that did not finish their Cabernet Sauvignon harvest until October 12. Whether that was a factor or not, both of these estates undoubtedly produced compellingly great wines in 1996. At Chateau Margaux, the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between October 1 and October 12. The final blend produced a wine with nearly 13% natural alcohol, and relatively low acidity. I have tasted some extraordinary Margauxs over the last 18 years, but I have never tasted a Chateau Margaux as rich and Cabernet-dominated as the 1996. Certainly the 1986 came close to this level of quality at the same stage of development, but the 1996, which is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 10% Merlot, contains 10% less Merlot than the 1986. Unequivocally, the 1996 Margaux is a candidate for perfection. The Mentzelopoulos family has made a number of spectacular wines since they took over this estate in 1977, but the 1996 is so extraordinary that it may prove to be more prodigious than the legendary wines they fashioned in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1990. Paul Pontallier and Corinne Mentzelopoulos confirmed that they had never before picked Cabernet Sauvignon with such high sugars. The 1996 Margaux boasts an opaque black/blue/purple color that resembles ink. The nose offers extraordinarily sweet, jammy, blackcurrant fruit that has totally absorbed the effects of four months in 100% new oak barrels. I noticed this phenomenon with most of the top 1996s, and I consider it to be indicative of just how rich in extract the finest wines of this vintage are. I cannot recall a young vintage absorbing and masking the new oak as well as the finest 1996s have done. The wine hits the palate with extraordinary purity, richness, and equilibrium. Every component in this seamless, velvety as well as voluptuously-textured wine is stunning. As I was slushing the wine around on my palate, chills suddenly ran down my back as I realized I was in the presence of one of the greatest young wines I had ever tasted. Given the high Cabernet Sauvignon content, I expected the tannins to be more obvious, but this wine is so rich that the high tannin level is buried beneath the wine's extraordinary levels of glycerin, extract, and fruit. It is difficult to imagine when this wine might reach full maturity. I suspect it will exhibit more tannin in 1-2 years than it does at present, but the wine possesses such amazing sweetness and richness, that I suspect it will be approachable when young. It will not hit its peak for 15 or more years. It will be a fascinating wine to follow over the next 3-4 decades. Kudos to Corinne Mentzeloupolos and her mother, as well as their talented administrator, Paul Pontallier. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2035.
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Robert Parker, February 1998, Score: 98-100
The 1996 is a modern day legend. I reported in detail on the prodigious quality of the 1996 Margaux in issue #110. This wine, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, achieved a natural alcohol of nearly 13%. The wine's acidity is low, largely because the estate harvested the Cabernet Sauvignon extremely late, not completing the harvest until mid-October. The wine, which was the single greatest wine I tasted from the 1996 vintage in spring, 1997, continues to give every indication of being one of the all-time great clarets from this renowned wine region. The dense opaque purple color possesses a thick, unctuous texture. The nose offers celestial aromas of cassis, vanillin, and intriguing blackberry and floral scents in the background. Despite aging in 100% new oak, the fruit dominates the wine, with the oak offering a minor background nuance. In the mouth, the wine is massive, but not heavy, with extraordinary richness, perfect precision and equilibrium, an opulent texture, and remarkably well-integrated tannin, acidity, and alcohol. Revealing dazzling sweetness at present, the 1996 may be the finest Chateau Margaux I have tasted in the two decades I have been visiting this property. Can it surpass the quality of the 1990, 1986, 1983, and 1982, not to mention the fabulous 1995? Time will tell, but this is one of the most compelling wines I have tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2040.
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Robert Parker, April 1999, Score: 99
The 1996 Chateau Margaux, which was bottled in September, 1998, is undoubtedly one of the great classics produced under the Mentzelopoulos regime. In many respects, it is the quintessential Chateau Margaux, as well as the paradigm for this estate, combining measured power, extraordinary elegance, and admirable complexity. I tasted the wine on three separate occasions in January, and in short, it's a beauty! The color is opaque purple. The wine offers extraordinarily pure notes of blackberries, cassis, pain grille, and flowers, gorgeous sweetness, a seamless personality, and full body, with nothing out of place. The final blend (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) contains a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It tastes complete and long, although backward. My instincts suggest this wine will shut down, but at present it is open-knit, tasting like a recently bottled wine. The fruit is exceptionally sweet and pure, and there are layers of flavor in the mouth. I do believe this wine will develop an extraordinary perfume, and possess a high level of richness. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2040.
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Jancis Robinson, Sept 2011, Score: 18
Dark crimson. Very fine, together and fragrant. Sweet and very Margaux – super charming. Already quite evolved for a first growth! Lovely polish. Though you would need to distract from the fine tannins there in abundance on the finish. Very fresh. No shortage of acidity. A little fragile and spiky. Drinking dates 2006-2020
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Clive Coates, June 2001, Score: 18.5/20
Good colour. Rich, full, oaky nose. Plenty ofdepth here. This is fine, a long way ahead ofthe rest of the Margaux. Ripe, rich, classyand multi-dimensional. Very long.Drink 2006-2012
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1996 Ch Pontet Canet 5ème Cru Pauillac - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2010 - 2030
- Château Pontet-Canet
- 12x75cl
- Pauillac, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
This wine is currently only available Duty Paid
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Goedhuis, August 2006
The 1996 Pontet Canet is currently in an adolescent phase of its life, shedding its youthful primary fruit character and taking on secondary and tertiary notes of leather and forest floor. It offers a poised, balanced palate that is neither hedonistic nor heavy and finishes on pure, clean cut mineral flavours. Drink 2011 - 2025.
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Neal Martin, October 2016, Score: 89/100
Tasted at the Pontet-Canet vertical in London, the 1996 Château Pontet-Canet was tasted from three different bottles. Two of them didn't pass muster and seemed a little bretty on the nose. A third was much better with mulberry, blackberry and cedar on the nose that still lacks the panache of more recent vintages. I noticed how meaty it became in the glass, slightly ferrous. The palate is medium-bodied and at 20 years fully mature. Cedar and dried herbs dominate the opening but unlike the 1982 Pontet-Canet there is decent substance here and a slightly medicinal finish. Hopefully your bottle will mirror the best of the three that I tasted. Good luck. Drink 2016-2022. 89/100
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Robert Parker, April 1997, Score: 92-93
Proprietor Alfred Tesseron should be commended for taking what was a good, robust, fifth-growth Pauillac, and in three years, 1994, 1995, and 1996, producing a wine that is one of the finest of the vintage. If there is such a thing as the frugal person's Chateau Latour, it may be Pontet-Canet. Despite the fact that this estate's vineyards are adjacent to Mouton-Rothschild, the 1994, 1995, and 1996 wines have had more in common with Latour than any other Pauillac. The 1996 looks to be another classic for Pontet-Canet. An opaque purple color, and a backward but huge, promising nose of sweet black fruits, fruitcake, earth, and spice are followed by an old style Pauillac that appears to have been made with no compromises. This is a mammoth, super-powerful, awesomely concentrated wine that may need 10-15 years to shed some of its tannin. However, there is no doubting that there is more than enough fruit, extract, and glycerin to withstand the aging process. It will be fun to compare the 1994, 1995, and 1996 Pontet-Canets over the next 30-35 years to see which will ultimately come out on top. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2035. P.S. Patience is a must for readers considering buying this wine.
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Robert Parker, February 1998, Score: 91-95
A classic Pauillac, the 1996 continues to flesh out, revealing an opaque purple color, and a magnificent creme de cassis nose reminiscent of the superb vintages of Mouton-Rothschild (Pontet-Canet's neighbor). The wine is full-bodied, as well as extraordinarily rich, ripe, and powerful, with layers of sweet black fruits intertwined with earth, minerals, and spicy oak. Massive on the palate, with lofty tannin, but equally high extract, this is a profound Pontet-Canet that may turn out to be even more classic and longer-lived than the 1995 and 1994. Terrific stuff! Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035. The extraordinary effort that Alfred Tesseron is making at this property is reconfirmed with each new tasting note I write on Pontet-Canet. Having recently had the exceptionally impressive 1994 in several tastings, it is a pleasure to see this historic estate turning out wines that behave like super seconds rather than fifth-growths.
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Robert Parker, April 1999, Score: 92
I was shocked by how backward the 1996 Pontet-Canet was on the three occasions I tasted it in January. This wine possesses superb potential, but it appears a decade's worth of patience will be necessary. The color is a saturated dark purple. With coaxing, the wine offers aromas of black currant jam intertwined with minerals, sweet oak, and spice. A full-bodied wine, it possesses layered, concentrated, sweet fruit, with an elevated level of ripe tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035.
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Clive Coates, June 2001, Score: 16.5/20
Full colour. Medium-full weight on the nose.Lovely fruit. Slightly looser-knit than someof the other top wines but rich and plump.Ripe and succulent. Very good tannins.Medium-full body. Balanced, long andelegant. Very good plus. Drink 2006-2026
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2001 Ch Lafite Rothschild 1er Cru Pauillac - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2012 - 2030
- Château Lafite Rothschild
- 12x75cl
- Pauillac, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2002
A delicious, supple and seductive Lafite, rich in ripe plum fruit with a juicy structure and smokyfinish. Only 43% of the harvest made it into the grand vin which is made up of 13.5% merlot and86.5% cabernet sauvignon. This is outstanding and shows that Ch Lafite is really back on form.
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Robert Parker, June 2004, Score: 94
The 2001 Lafite Rothschild's deep, saturated plum/purple color is accompanied by lead pencilliqueur-like notes intermixed with sweet red and black currants, plums, and cedar. This blend of 86.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13.5% Merlot is a classic example of Lafite. Extremely elegant, medium-bodied, with intense concentration, richness, and sweet tannin, it appears to be on a rapid evolutionary track, at least in comparison to recent Lafite vintages that have been far more backward and powerful. The classy 2001 should be at its finest between 2007-2020.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2002, Score: 18.5
Excellent, healthy deep crimson. Complete nose and obviously very dense. Very, very lively. Very, very intelligent wine respecting the character of the vintage. Dry, sandy tannins push in after fresh, elegant fruit on the palate. Nothing forced. Drink 2009-2024
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2004 Ch Cheval Blanc 1er Grand Cru Classé St Emilion - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2014 - 2028
- Château Cheval Blanc
- 12x75cl
- St emilion, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, May 2005, Score: -
Cheval Blanc is often difficult to taste from barrel. However this 2004 showed exceptionally well and is excellent. Very fine and intense with masses of dark raspberry fruit and a hugely appealing bittersweet finish. Drink 2014-2028
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Robert Parker, June 2007, Score: 90
Eighty thousand bottles of 2004 Cheval Blanc were produced from a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. Subtle herb, menthol, cranberry, black currant, and licorice aromas emerge from this dark ruby/plum-colored wine. It is medium-bodied and elegant with plenty of sweet fruit, but not a lot of weight or intensity. The complexity and nobility of Cheval Blanc's gravelly terroir isapparent in this delicate, subtle St.-Emilion. Give it a few years to develop additional aromatics, and drink it over the following 12-15. Drink 2010-2025
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Robert Parker, June 2006, Score: 93-95
This may be the finest Cheval Blanc since the monumental 2000. Only 50% of the crop made it into the final blend (55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot). Cheval has a tendency to come across as a bit light in its infancy, but the 2004 lacks neither stuffing nor intensity. A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a classic Cheval perfume of menthol, red as well as black currants, smoke, oranges, and black tea. It possesses beautiful sweetness and purity, medium body, extraordinary elegance, and potential complexity. While not a blockbuster in the style of the 2000 and 1998, it is a precise, fragrant, potentially top-flight effort as well as one of the finest wines of the vintage. Drink 2009-2022 The 2004 Cheval Blanc displays a dark plum/ruby color in addition to a perfumed sweet nose of cranberries, cherries, incense, dried herbs, espresso, and mocha. Elegant, medium-bodied, layered, and significantly richer than its weight suggests, this defined, perfumed, stylish wine should at its peak between 2008-2019. It is an outstanding, but hardly inspired effort. Drink 2008-2019
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Jancis Robinson, April 2005, Score: 18.5
CF 5%; M 45%; average yields 45 hl/ha; grand vin represents 50% of total production; third wine, 27%, also produced] Very deep, purplish crimson. Much more reticent on the nose than the second wine Petit Cheval. Deep flavours with some floral notes. Extremely round, supple tannins and impressive depths of undeveloped flavour with lovely appetising dry tannins (as opposed to a drying, rasping finish) – truly winemaker Pierre Lurton's “cashmere” tannins. Round, intensemulberry flavours. Quite insistent, ripe tannins on the finish. Relatively gentle and the vintage with the most recognisable Cheval character of recent years. Great balance, savoury and rather playful. Lots of fruit and well-hidden tannins. Good freshness without any excess of acidity. Drink 2014-28
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2004 Ch Gloria Cru Bourgeois St Julien - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2012 - 2022
- Château Gloria
- 12x75cl
- St julien, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, October 2011
Rich structured dark mature berry fruit aromas. In the palate this has lovely sweetness of fruit, with a natural richness and long textured finish. A fine example of quality St julien
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Goedhuis, October 2011
Classic through and through, this 2004 opens with a nose of celery seed, leather and forest floor. Ample yet firm and notably Médoc in style. One of our favourite unclassified Bordeaux.
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Goedhuis, May 2005, Score: -
Quality is soaring at this excellent Chateau that really ought to enjoy classed growth status. Situated across the road from Ducru Beaucaillou and Branaire Ducru, its terroir is outstanding. This is a silky, very pure wine with lots of dark cherry fruit. It has a firm but ripe structure and a lovely bittersweet finish.Highly recommended. Drink 2012-2025
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Robert Parker, June 2007, Score: 89
This stunningly rich sleeper of the vintage reveals oodles of herb-tinged black currant and cherry fruit, medium to full body, silky tannin, and low acidity. Gloriously fruity, soft, and classic in its aromatic and flavor dimensions, it can be enjoyed over the next decade. Drink 2007-2017
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Jancis Robinson, April 2005, Score: 15
Brownish deep purple. Sweet, simple, overworked flavours. Little terroir effect. Very astringent on the finish. Furry – not pure. Very chewy finish. Falls away. Drink 2015-2020
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2004 Ch Haut Brion 1er Cru Pessac-Léognan - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2015 - 2035
- Château Haut-Brion
- 12x75cl
- Pessac-léognan, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, May 2005, Score: -
In the seventeenth century Samuel Pepys used to repair to the Pontac Arms to drink 'Ho-Bryan', a wine that has always been popular with the British. The 2004 is excellent. 61% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, this has great opulence and presence. However, true to the vintage the sweet, ripe fruit of the Merlot is tempered by the firm structure of the Cabernets. Jean-Philippe Delmas is of the opinion that this is the best Haut Brion since 2000. Drink 2013-2030
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Neal Martin, February, Score: 93
It has been a few years since I last tasted the 2004 Haut-Brion. Now at 12 years of age, it retains its deep color. The bouquet is "pleasant" if not as complex as the 2004 Latour, yet it's possibly just biding its time as it gradually opens with black fruit, black olive, even a touch of mint that might dupe you into thinking Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied and very harmonious, almost caressing thanks to the Merlot lending that velvety texture. The second half changes tack, the Cabernet nudging the Merlot off the stage and delivering a more structured, possibly foursquare finish that is linear and correct. It is an excellent wine for the vintage although it will always be overshadowed by the 2005 inter alia. Maybe more personality just needs to develop? Tasted September 2016.
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Robert Parker, June 2007, Score: 92
The dark plum/ruby-hued 2004 Haut-Brion exhibits a noble, discrete, smoky bouquet revealing notions of plum liqueur, black currants, sweet cherries, and subtle earth. In addition to its aromatic complexity, this medium-bodied effort reveals classic elegance and delicacy as well as sweet fruit in the mouth and a long finish. Give this streamlined, civilized wine 2-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 20-25 years. It is amazingly similar to Haut-Brion's 1999. Drink2009-2034
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Robert Parker, June 2006, Score: 93-95
An atypically high percentage of Merlot (61%) in addition to 19% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon make up the 2004 Haut-Brion. Fifty-five percent of the production was utilized for the grand vin, a surprisingly forward, charming, silky effort despite the relatively high tannin. In fact, it reminded me of the 1985 even though those vintage conditions have nothing in common with 2004 other than high yields. In any event, the 2004 is a beautiful effort that is far superior to the 2002. Soft, gentle, and gracious, with a deep plum/ruby/purple color, it offers up aromas of smoked herbs, sweet plums and black cherries, and hints of mulberries as well as earth. Medium-bodied, structured, pure, round, and seductive, with a long finish, there is more here than meets the eye and the palate. Drink 2009-2024 Although atypically delicate and light for this estate, the 2004 Haut-Brion exhibits the essence of this fabulous terroir situated in the suburbs of Pessac. Gravelly, smoky, cranberry, black cherry, and plum-like scents jump from the glass of this fresh, medium-bodied red along with notions of road tar, earth, and truffles. Stylish, with crisp acidity, it is a beautifully made, pure, long 2004 to enjoy during its first two decades of life. Drink 2006-2026
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Jancis Robinson, April 2005, Score: 18
Deep crimson and just slightly less blue than La Mission. More aromatic lift than La Mission but lots of rigour. Strict framework, tannins more evident than flesh. A low key wine, but then Haut-Brion is always low key. Dry rather than sweet – so unpushy as to be easy to overlook. Fine dry tannins on the finish. A bit denser than La Mission. Drink 2014-2030
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2004 Ch Léoville Las Cases 2ème Cru St Julien - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2018 - 2040
- Château Léoville Las Cases
- 12x75cl
- St julien, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, May 2005, Score: -
Only 34% of the estate's production found its way into the grand vin this year. With 76% Cabernet Sauvignon it is no surprise that the profile of this great wine is very serious indeed. Dense, powerful and extremely tightly knit. It is of First Growth quality and clearly a candidate for the wine of the vintage. James Suckling finds it reminiscent of the stunning 1996, possibly better. Drink 2013-2028
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Neal Martin, September 2019, Score: 93
The 2004 Léoville–Las Cases has the tough job of following the 2005. It offers black fruit mixed with sous-bois, smoke and sage aromas, now moving into its secondary stage but without the intensity of great vintages like 2005 or 2010. The palate is well balanced, with off-dry tannin. Classic in style, fresh and poised, leading to a lovely, quite sensual finish that leaves you wishing for another sip. Very fine. 2021-2044
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Robert Parker, June 2007, Score: 93
Performing better from bottle than it did from cask, this blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc has put on weight over the last year. It exhibits the classic style of both Las Cases and St.-Julien in its deep black currant notes interwoven with sweet cherries, wet stones, and toasty vanillin. Made in a structured, medium to full-bodied style with superb concentration, beautiful purity, and admirable symmetry, this beauty is one of the strongest efforts of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028.
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Robert Parker, June 2006, Score: 91-93
Jean-Hubert Delon has produced an elegant, tannic 2004 that may lack the prodigious depth and texture of Las Cases's finest vintages, but remains quintessentially pure as well as verySt.-Julien. Only 34% of the production made it into the final blend (76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc). Rigid and tight, with a deep ruby/purple-tinged color, and a sweet nose of black cherries, currants, minerals, and subtle background oak, this medium-bodied 2004 is built along the lines of the 1999. As always, it is a wine of considerable distinction, subtlety, grace, and class. The harvest at Las Cases was relatively late, with all the fruit brought in between October 4 - 17. Proprietor Jean-Hubert Delon believes the 2004 Leoville Las-Cases, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, represents a lighter version of the 1996 and 1986 Las Cases. While an outstanding effort, it does not possess the breadth or depth of flavor found in the two aforementioned vintages. A classic bouquet of black cherries, cassis, crushed rocks, flowers, vanilla, and background oak emerges from this dense ruby/purple-tinged 2004. Medium-bodied with moderately high tannin and crisp acidity in the strong finish. Drink 2010-2020
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Jancis Robinson, April 2005, Score: 17.5
Dark crimson. Lively topnotes of a confident wine with a seriously long term future ahead of it. Very concentrated but some almost sweet, treacly fruit on the front palate and then very fine tannins. Lots built in there but well integrated. Dry tannins but very fine. Not exaggerated. A good difference in drinking dates between this and the second wine Clos du Marquis but not of style. Very bright fruit. Real life. Good for the year. Needs lots of time. Drink 2017-2030
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2005 Ch Angélus 1er Grand Cru Classé St Emilion - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2018 - 2045
- Château Angélus
- 12x75cl
- St emilion, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
This wine is currently only available Duty Paid
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Goedhuis, March 2018
I found this a little dumber on the nose than many others, but my interpretation stands at odds with David’s, who scored this highly. The palate has a dark, brambly character with chewy tannins. The finish is long, but lacks a little of the refinement and elegance I found in the others.
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Goedhuis, April 2006, Score: 91-94
Full-bodied and super velvety, the 2005 Angélus displays notes of black cherries and spice. Polished with a refreshing kick on the finish. Drink 2012 - 2025+.
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Robert Parker, April 2008, Score: 98
This 7,000 case blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc will rival or perhaps eclipse vintages such as 2000, 1998, 1990, and 1989. Its dense purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of charcoal, espresso roast, blackberries, blueberries, and a hint of wood. In spite of its thick texture, terrific acidity, high tannins, and enormous intensity as well as richness, it is surprisingly approachable, but given how slowly the 1989 and 1990 have aged, I would recommend cellaring it for 8-10 years. It should keep for three decades. A brilliant wine! Drink: 2018 - 2038
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Robert Parker, April 2007, Score: 96-99
It seems like proprietor Hubert de Bouard has the Midas touch no matter what he does. The profound 2005 Angelus (a 7,000-case blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc that achieved 14.5% natural alcohol) may be the finest wine produced at this estate since 1990 and 1989. An amazingly rich bouquet of espresso roast interwoven with blueberry liqueur, violets, and graphite is followed by a wine of enormous richness, full body, superb acidity, huge tannin, and nearly perfect symmetry. This staggering effort is more backward than such recent vintages as 2003 and 2000, but after 5-10 years of cellaring, it will provide immense pleasure for three decades or more. It is a titan in the making! Drink: 2012 - 2042
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Robert Parker, April 2006, Score: 96-98
Could this be the most profound Angelus yet made by the brilliant Hubert de Bouard since he turned this once under-achieving estate around in the mid-eighties? A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the spectacular, inky/blue/purple-hued 2005 (7,080 cases; 14.5% natural alcohol) exhibits an extraordinary projected nose of blueberries, blackberries, liqueur of minerals, flowers, and subtle, toasty new oak. Magnificently concentrated, displaying a seamless integration of acidity, wood, tannin, and alcohol, a soaring mid-palate, and a finish that lasts over 60 seconds, this is a wine of compelling potential. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030+.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2006, Score: 15 points
Purple with some paleness at rim. Big, bold and very ripe with no shortage of energy. Thick, sweet palate attack but pretty extracted on the finish. Quite exaggerated expression of what were obviously very charming ripe ingredients. Fast fade on the finish. Drink 2012-19. 15 Points.
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Wine Spectator, April 2006, Score: 92-94
Very, very pretty aromas already of violets, mineral and blackberry. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a delicate, complex finish. Very subtle. Refined. Will it be better than 2000?
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Robert Parker, June 2015, Score: 100
Following the stunning fragrance of acacia flowers, blueberries, espresso and graphite, this prodigious wine hits the palate with amazing blue and black fruits, sweet tannin, a full-bodied mouthfeel, incredible purity, texture and length. Little is left to chance or imagination in this compelling effort. It is a quintessential style of l’Angélus, only more concentrated and dense than usual. The tannins are sweet and well-integrated, so this is a wine that one can drink despite its infancy at age 10, but it will keep for 40-50 years. Drink 2015-2065
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2005 Clos Fourtet 1er Grand Cru Classé St Emilion - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2017 - 2040
- Clos Fourtet
- 12x75cl
- St emilion, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2006, Score: 87-88
One of the most balanced St Emilions that we tasted, the 2005 is medium- to full-bodied with wonderfully ripe fruit that is enhanced by additional spicy and meaty notes. Refreshing and clean finish. Drink 2011-2025.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2021, Score: 97
The 2005 Clos Fourtet is a dramatic, sweeping Saint-Émilion endowed with tremendous depth and unctuous intensity. Dark cherry, plum, cedar, tobacco and woodsmoke build as this rapturous, deeply textured wine shows off its allure. Silky, plush and wonderfully expressive, Clos Fourtet is fabulous in 2005. Bright saline notes, that are such a signature of Saint-Émilion's plateau, balance all of the natural richness of the year. Readers lucky enough to own it can look forward to another several decades of exceptional drinking. This is a superb effort from the Cuvelier family. 2021-2040
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Robert Parker, June 2015, Score: 98
Dense ruby/purple, with notes of crushed rock, blueberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with some licorice and chocolate, this full-bodied, massive wine from proprietor Philippe Cuvelier coincides with the resurrection of this premier grand cru classé in St.-Emilion. As the wine sits in the glass, notes of espresso roast and chocolate emerge. This full-bodied classic should continue to drink well for another 25 years. This is a killer effort.
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Robert Parker, April 2008, Score: 98
Clos Fourtet is on a roll, having produced a stunning wine in 2003, and an even more brilliant effort in 2005. Stephane Derenoncourt, the consulting oenologist, has plenty with which to work given the fact that this is a relatively large vineyard (50 acres) planted with 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc as well as a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. The inky/blue/purple-colored 2005 boasts an exceptional perfume of acacia flowers, blackberry and blueberry liqueur, graphite, scorched earth, and background oak. The wine possesses a full-bodied texture and abundant quantities of stunningly pure black fruits. The result is a sumptuous St.-Emilion of great concentration, intensity, and overall balance. This prodigious effort looks set for 25-30 years of evolution. Utterly awesome! Drink: 2008 - 2038.
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Robert Parker, April 2007, Score: 94-96
This estate has resurrected itself in a dramatic fashion thanks to the new proprietor, Monsieur Cuvelier and the hard work of his estate manager, Tony Balu, and a consulting team headed by Stephane Derenoncourt. The nearly 50-acre vineyard is planted with 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 6,000-case 2005 may rival the spectacular 2003, which is currently outstanding. The black/purple-hued 2005 is a wine of extraordinary intensity displaying a beautiful floral nose of licorice, blueberry, creme de cassis, scorched earth, lead pencil, and pain grille notes. Given a Burgundian-like upbringing of malolactic in barrel and five months of lees aging with frequent batonnage, this beauty reached nearly 15% natural alcohol, and boasts enormous concentration, intensity, and richness. It should turn out to be a modern day classic. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030+.
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Robert Parker, April 2006, Score: 94-96
Under the guidance of its new owner, Monsieur Cuvelier, Clos Fourtet has enjoyed a dramatic renaissance. I did not think the estate could eclipse its other-worldly 2003, but the remarkable 2005 may do just that. A blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is given a Burgundian-styled malolactic in barrel, and is aged 5 months on its lees with batonnage. There are 6,000 cases of the 2005, which achieved 14% natural alcohol. The striking thing about Clos Fourtet is that one can see its fabulous terroir along with great purity, and stunning nobility and complexity. Its inky/purple color is accompanied by beautiful notes of blueberries, blackberries, plums, and flowers. This full-bodied wine cascades over the palate with huge concentration, high tannin, and freshness as well as sweetness. This brilliant effort should be at its peak between 2012-2030.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2006, Score: 17.5
Dark purplish crimson. Healthy glow. Savoury oak dominates fruit on the nose. Lots of colour intensity and real ripe fruit charm on the palate. Dry finish but sappy and appetising. 2005 energy dominates this fine-boned wine. Drink 2015-28.
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Wine Spectator, April 2006, Score: 92-94
Very rich and ripe with raspberry syrup and floral aromas. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish. Seductive.
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2005 Ch Latour 1er Cru Pauillac - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2024 - 2050
- Château Latour
- 12x75cl
- Pauillac, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, March 2018
The hardest wine to assess as there was a surprising degree of bottle variation on the night, but the best bottles showed breeding and class. If Lafite is all about subtlety, this a wine with unreserved brooding power. Molasses, liquorice and dark blackberry fruits, this is deeply intense, massively full, with a feeling of rich sweetness. It really is the epitome of the raw power that the very best 2005s have. A wine with a huge life ahead of it, as it is a long way away from its peak.
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Goedhuis, April 2006, Score: 94-100
It is a common misconception that Château Latour was named after its notable cream-coloured tower – a 17th century edifice that served as a dovecote. The original tower that had yielded its name to this exemplary property was built in the 15th century as a watchtower to fend off invading pirates during the Hundred Years War. It has long been eroded away but not without leaving its long lived legend intact.Mindbogglingly powerful, albeit very reticent upon first taste, there was no denying its sheer concentration and ceaseless length. This is very reminiscent of the exceptional 1961 but with more flesh. Drink 2015 - 2045+.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2021, Score: 100
The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2005 is utterly captivating. All the elements are so seamlessly put together. Graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, dark spice and lavender infuse the 2005 with so much energy. More than anything else, though, the 2005 is a Latour of texture and resonance. Even after several hours, the 2005 is fresh and full of energy. Wines like this are just life affirming. That's about all I can really say. Tasted two times.
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Robert Parker, February 2019, Score: 98+
2005 was a very dry, warm and sunny vintage, causing vine stress in some areas of Bordeaux. Harvested from September 26 to October 6, the tannin/IPT levels were very high this year. The 2005 Latour is blended of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. It is the biggest surprise of this tasting—until now, the wine was relatively closed and broody, but today the wine is just starting to reveal its personality—and what a stunner! Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with provocative floral scents of roses and violets over a core of fresh blackcurrants, chocolate-covered cherries and black raspberries with hints of fertile loam, unsmoked cigars and black tea. Medium to full-bodied, firm, grainy and packed with muscular fruit, it has an epically long, savory finish sparked by floral notes. 12,000 cases were made. 98+/100
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Robert Parker, June 2015, Score: 98
The 2005 Latour (87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot) is a spectacular effort from Château Latour. It has an inky plum/purple color and a gorgeous nose of graphite, crème de cassis, and floral notes with some forest floor in the background. It is full-bodied, super-concentrated, and for my taste, probably one of the two or three most intense, rich, and complex wines of the entire Médoc. The wine has great texture, purity and a finish of close to 40 or 45 seconds. The tannins are surprisingly sweet, even in this large-scaled, masculine wine. Drink it over the next 50+ years.
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Robert Parker, April 2008, Score: 96
Only 44% of the production made it into the dense ruby/purple-hued 2005 Latour, a powerful, backward, 12,000-case blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Petit Verdot and Merlot. As I wrote last year, this classic effort is built for the ages, and is largely destined to be drunk by our offspring rather than anyone over the age of 50 today. Complex aromas of crushed rocks, graphite, black cherries, creme de cassis, new saddle leather, and dried mushrooms are still tightly wound. The wine is full-bodied and powerful with exceptionally high tannin combined with zesty acidity, and laser-like focus. It will require 15 or more years of cellaring. I still prefer the 2003, but administrator Frederic Engerer says this “is more Latour.” Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060. Latour is always the most difficult Medoc first-growth to find, largely because the vineyard and production are much smaller than its' peers and because of the severe selection routinely done byowner Francois Pinault and administrator Frederic Engerer.
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Robert Parker, April 2007, Score: 96-99
A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, the powerful 2005 Latour is even higher in alcohol and tannin than the extraordinary 2003 (which I believe is a more generously styled wine). The 2005 is a quintessential Latour built for the ages. Monumental levels of concentration and tannin are found in this dense ruby/purple-colored effort. Aromas and flavors of liquid stones, graphite, black cherries, and cassis emerge from this massive yet fresh, lively, incredibly well-delineated Latour. This offering will test the patience of its purchasers as it will require 10-15 years of cellaring, and will keep for a minimum of 4-5 decades. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060. Ask just about anybody which first-growth is pushing quality to the highest level, and the majority will claim it is Latour. With owner Francois Pinault giving perfectionist administrator Frederic Engerer carte blanche, this estate has been producing spectacular wines since 2000. New cellars, winemaking facilities, and barrel rooms only add to their ability to produce classic wines. Production is much smaller than at other Medoc first-growths with only 44% of the 2005 production making it into the grand vin. Drink 2017-2057
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Robert Parker, April 2006, Score: 98-100
The colossal 2005 Latour (44% of the total production) is a wine for the ages. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, it possesses the highest alcohol of recent vintages. Different both structurally and texturally from the extraordinary 2003 (which I tend to prefer, although Frederic Engerer clearly disagrees), the black/purple-hued 2005 exhibits high tannin, prodigious concentration, unbelievable purity, amazing freshness and vibrancy, and almost surreal definition and nuances for such a young wine. It is a huge, fresh, backward yet incredibly pure effort that represents a modern day classic, but don't expect the opulence and exotic sweetness of the 2003. It will close down after bottling, and require at least a decade of cellaring before consuming. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050+.
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Decanter
Concentrated Cabernet nose lifted by floral wild violets, the classic restrained firmness of Latour with intellectual more than sensual complexity to come. Drink 2018-2040. (5 stars).
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Jancis Robinson, April 2006, Score: 19.5
Excellent depth of colour. Very intense and spicy. Intriguing - this is a wine that drags you in to the glass! Full, ample, wonderful grand spread across the palate. Such magnificence - rides over the palate. All lovely fine tannins and subtlety. No obvious alcohol - dense but not tricksy. Yet there is the squareness and rigour of Latour. Just 13.35 per cent alcohol. Deliberate choice not to go for monstrous alcohol. Very intense and extremely fine. Intense and funnily enough it reminds me a bit of Ausone. The focus of it, the density of it. Smoky character - a bit of woodsmoke. Very dry tannins but not drying on the finish. Cool, restrained, less aromatic than the Margaux. But very solid. This wine may still be motoring along after the Margaux. Very mineral. Structured like 2004 but with more flesh. Drink 2018-40.
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Wine Spectator, April 2006, Score: 95-100
Incredible aromas of currants and exotic fruit. Hints of chocolate and cigar box. Very complex already. Full-bodied, concentrated and velvety. Chewy and powerful. Pure fruit. This is superpowerful. It's like a tidal wave of fruit and perfect tannins on your palate. This is a Latour 2000 II. On it's way to 100 points.
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2005 Ch La Tour Haut Brion Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2016 - 2029
- Château La Tour Haut-Brion
- 12x75cl
- Pessac-léognan, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2006, Score: 90-92+
Stylistically, Latour Haut Brion is fragrant and supple; profoundly so in 2005. It may be the high percentage of Cabernet Franc (41%) which makes this wine stand out. It has an ethereal presence which is delicate yet complex. Drink 2011 - 2022+.
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Robert Parker, April 2008, Score: 89
Beginning in 2006, this vineyard became part of La Mission-Haut-Brion's second wine, so 2005 willbe the final vintage of La Tour Haut-Brion. That's a shame as many superb, under-the-radar wineswere produced under this moniker in the forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, and early eighties. The 2005 is a 2,000-case blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot, and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, a relatively high amount of Cabernet Sauvignon for a Pessac-Leognan property. It offers classic notes of scorched earth, asphalt, smoky black cherries, and roasted herbs. Medium-bodied and tannic, it is an excellent, but not inspirational claret that should be at its finest between 2013-2025.
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Robert Parker, April 2007, Score: 89-91
The very last vintage (starting in 2006 this vineyard became part of the second wine of La Mission-La Chapelle), this dense ruby/purple-colored, well-textured, broodingly backward 2005 is a 2,000-case blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot, and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon. Displaying notes of scorched earth, smoke, and asphalt, medium body, and elevated tannin, it needs 7-8 years to reveal its full potential. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.
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Robert Parker, April 2006, Score: 90-92
Dark ruby/purple-colored with a smoky, barbecue spice, mulberry, and black currant-scented nose, this strong effort reveals more body, density, and length than usual. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2006, Score: 18
32% M, 27% CS, 41% CF. Particularly blackish crimson. Extraordinary depth of colour. High-toned, very Cabernet nose but with great luscious ripeness too - much riper than I ever remember La Tour tasting at this time of year. Full and opulent - and almost odd because of its lack of customary rigour. It does have a backbone but the tannins are so fine. Almost delicate! Drink 2015-30
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Wine Spectator, April 2006, Score: 92-94
Black in color. Intense yet subtle aromas of currant, raspberry and flowers. Full-bodied, with big, silky tannins. Racy.
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2009 Ch Lafon Rochet 4ème Cru St Estèphe - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2017 - 2030
- Château Lafon-Rochet
- 12x75cl
- St estèphe, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2010, Score: 91-93
The Tesserons' hard work has paid off with their 2009. This wine packs a punch with its polished tannins and its spicy vanilla and bramble fruit flavours. Dark and brooding, it reveals its pronounced St. Estèphe tannins that, though ripe and round, will need time to tame.
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Robert Parker, February 2012, Score: 90
This wine seems to be one of the few that has not yet recovered from bottling. In a somewhat monolithic, latched-down style, it has plenty of stuffing, lots of structure and an impressive dark ruby/purple color, but it is very hard to coax from the glass. It is a rather classic St.-Estephe made by the Tesseron family, with its distinctive blood orange label, but this wine seems to beg for another 5-7 years of bottle age. The final blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc has some impressive fruit, but the wine just seems slightly more clipped and narrow than I remember it from barrel. Hopefully, time will mellow out this impression. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035.
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Robert Parker, April 2010, Score: 91-93
Perhaps the finest Lafon Rochet ever made, the purity, freshness, and sweet, rich, blueberry and boysenberry fruit and hint of pen ink that are found in this opaque purple-colored wine are impressive. Massive in the mouth, with freshness, delineation, and sweet tannin, it is a major sleeper of the vintage that should last for 25+ years. Drink: 2010 - 2035
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Decanter, April 2010, Score: 17.5
Black red, colour sticks to the glass, big smoky Cabernet cassis nose, excellent natural concentration, intense yet lifted fruit, lots of succulence and lots of grip, a really well-expressed, well-made wine with a very good future. Drink 2015-30.
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Wine Spectator, April 2010, Score: 89-92
Currant and spices on the nose follow through to a medium body, with fine tannins and a medium finish. Solid structure.
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2009 Ch Valandraud Grand Cru Classé St Emilion - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2015 - 2028
- Château de Valandraud
- 12x75cl
- St emilion, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Decanter, April 2010, Score: 18.5
The best Valandraud ever. Rich and concentrated but measured. Ripe, fresh, red-berry fruit aromas and flavour. Almost Burgundian in nuance. Palate suave, succulent, harmonious and poised. Remarkable finesse. Potential to age. Drink 2015-2028.
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Wine Spectator, April 2010, Score: 93-96
What a nose to this young red, showing crushed blueberry and blackberry, with black licorice as well. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a racy and beautiful finish.
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2011 L'If St Emilion - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2015 - 2022
- Château l'If
- 6x75cl
- St emilion, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Neal Martin, October 2016, Score: 91/100
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The Château L'If from Jacques Thienpont and Fiona Morrison has a broody, introspective bouquet that needs encouragement from the glass. Although it is tightly coiled, it feels well defined and the oak is nicely embedded into the fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy dark plum and blackberry fruit laced with graphite and tobacco. Masculine compared to its peers, this is another wine that will require long-term ageing. There is a lot to admire considering that the couple had only recently taken over the running of the property. Drink 2019-2038
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2014 Ch Figeac 1er Grand Cru Classé St Emilion - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2023 - 2035
- Château Figeac
- 12x75cl
- St emilion, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2015, Score: 93-95
The new regime at Figeac has made huge strides in driving the quality of this famous estate even higher. The uniquely deep gravel soils make this the perfect terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon, hence the 44% in the finished blend this year. A fine balance between exuberant spiced dark fruits and a fresh sturdiness. Concentrated and long, there is a hint of Médoc masculinity to this wine and yet it finishes very fine indeed. Huge potential.
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Neal Martin, April 2015, Score: 93-95
The Château Figeac 2014 is a blend of 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot picked from 29 September and 12 October. It is matured in 100% new oak from six different coopers, the alcohol level 13% with a pH 3.7. I tasted the wine twice at the property and once more at a négoçiant. The first time, it did not quite possess the precision on the finish that I was looking for, whilst the oak felt too prominent and blurred away that distinctive Figeac character. The 2nd and 3rd samples tasted one week later showed much better. Superb delineation on the nose, the oak here nicely integrated and allowing the Figeac character to be expressed, lifted red cherries and fresh strawberry dallying with cold stone and undergrowth scents, a touch of graphite courtesy of the Cabernets. The palate is medium-bodied with typical Figeac traits of cedar and undergrowth coming through with aeration, joined by blackberry and boysenberry. The finish here displayed more precision. Yes, just a little reserved and austere but the Cabernet is on song and imparting a structured finish. There are scurrilous rumours that the Figeac style is being forsaken. On the contrary, under winemaker Frédéric Faye and the Manoncourt family, it is retained and enhanced.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2015, Score: 92-95
A big, ample wine, the 2014 Figeac is bold and intense to the core. Black cherry, plum, smoke, new oak and licorice flesh out in a beautifully layered, resonant wine endowed with superb richness and power. The style is both modern and classic, with bold fruit and plenty of supporting structure. Mint, lavender, violets and cloves wrap around the powerful, structured finish. My sense is that the 2014 is going to require considerable cellaring. Today it is inward, tightly wound and massively tannic, with a level of explosive energy that should allow it to develop beautifully in the cellar. The blend is 40% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Cabernet Franc.
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James Suckling, March 2015, Score: 94-95
A beautiful Figeac with stones, oyster shells, chalk and fruits. Full-bodied and compacted with ultra-fine tannins. This is compressed and compacted with a wonderful style. The 32% cabernet sauvignon should give a unique structure here. More structured than the 2012.
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Decanter, April 2015, Score: 92
40% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc. Stylistically still finding its way. Dark fruit nuance. Mid-palate fuller and rounder than in the past but with a firm tannic line behind. 100% new oak fully absorbed. Only 13% alcohol. Needs time. Drink: 2022-2035
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Jancis Robinson, April 2015, Score: 17.5
Two thirds of the crop. 40% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% new barrels. Deep crimson. Quite opulent nose. Much more intense and opulent on the palate. Round and gentle tannins. Much more obviously charming at this stage than the old Figeac. Tannins almost imperceptible. Quite savoury on the finish. Lively. Certainly much more Figeac than ‘Rolland stereotype’. 13% Drink 2024-2040
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Tim Atkin, May 2015, Score: 95
When this château employed Michel Rolland, allegedly in the search for higher scores, some people feared the worst. But they (and I) were wrong, because this is a fantastic 2014. Rich, plush and densely oaked, but with mineral, lead pencil-etched freshness, fine tannins and a real sense of purpose and precision. Drink: 2022-35
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Wine Spectator, March 2015, Score: 93-96
Sleek and tight, with layers of well-focused boysenberry, cherry and cassis fruit, backed by a long, iron-edged finish. There's a whiff of tobacco in the background, too. Seriously grounded in terroir, this may take some time to unwind fully.
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2014 Ch Grand Puy Lacoste 5ème Cru Pauillac - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2023 - 2033
- Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
- 12x75cl
- Pauillac, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2015, Score: 91-93
It is always such a pleasure tasting with Emeline and Xavier Borie; not only do they themselves exude charm, but so do their wines. Concentrating on a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, this has an exquisite nose of damsons and tayberries. An extremely broad and rounded mouthfeel with fully developed tannins is helped by a harmonious freshness and lasting sensation of sweetness. As always a fine glass of Claret.
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Neal Martin, April 2015, Score: 93-95
The Château Grand Puy Lacoste 2014 is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot between 25 September and 9 October at 33 hectoliter per hectare. The aromatics are not as immediate as the Haut-Batailley and demand more coaxing from the glass, but that comes with the territory. It unfurls with each swirl, black fruits at first, then GPL’s trademark, graphite and gravel scents storm into the room. Leaving the glass aside for 10 minutes there is a distant tang of shucked oyster shells. The palate is understated on the entry. This is not a powerhouse Grand-Puy-Lacoste, rather one that emphasizes finesse and precision. It is almost unerringly low-key and yet there is an enormous length already in place. As usual, I suspect that its secrets (or at least some of them) will be unlocked during its barrel maturation. One of the appellation's most cerebral offerings.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2015, Score: 92-95
Vibrant and pulsating in the glass, the 2014 Grand Puy Lacoste impresses for its superb overall balance. The flavors are bright and beautifully expressive, with sweet floral notes woven throughout that give the wine much of its nuance, while the seamless, silky tannins speak to finesse. Even with all of its explosive energy, the 2014 is not an obvious or huge wine; rather it is a Pauillac that draws the taster in with its multiple shades of dimension. A wine of true class and pedigree, the Grand Puy Lacoste is shaping up to be a real gem in this vintage. Tasted twice.
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James Suckling, March 2015, Score: 93-94
This is a wine with a dense center, wonderful fruit, polished and refined tannins and a persistent finish. Full-bodied, long and intense. Beautiful pure cabernet character. Real wine. 82% cabernet sauvignon and 18% merlot. Higher percentage of cabernet than normal.
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Decanter, April 2015, Score: 92
All the clarity and depth expected of GPL, with an added level of fragrance, elegance and purity. Simply wonderful in this vintage. Drink: 2020-2035
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Matthew Jukes, May 2015, Score: 18.5++
(82 Cabernet Sauvignon, 18 Merlot) | 75% new oak. With a much bigger frame than its stablemate, Haut-Batailley, this is a drier, more savoury and richer wine with a longer life ahead of it than many 2014s. With more grip and more density of flavour it still manages to retain incredible freshness and sour black cherry notes which never bruise the palate and only fire up the taste buds. This is a typically wonderful and evocative wine which focuses its sights, with innate precision, on the fabulous soil and setting of this property overlooking Pauillac. This is one of the wines of the vintage not least because it captures the qualities of this unique season and overlays them perfectly on the GPL sense of place. 18.5+ Château Lafite Rothschild (1er Cru Pauillac) (87 Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 Merlot, 3 Cabernet Franc) This is an exceptionally stern and commanding Lafite. Focussed, concentrated, precise and balanced, the message is clear and sonorous. The recipe is classic - 18 months in 100% new oak, 12.6% alc., and no fat anywhere to be seen. The finish takes half an hour to subside, in fact it was still there as I approached the next Château on my tour. The Cabernet intensity is fascinating at Lafite and it is achieved at such a subtly low alcohol level and with relatively long hang times. This wine will roll and roll and while it is very quiet now, introverted and pensive, it will emerge in a decade and begin conversation. Charles Chevallier, Director of Domaine Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), noted that it was ‘very long and very smooth’ – he’s not wrong.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2015, Score: 17++
82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 33 hl/ha. A bit richer than the Haut-Batailley. Something floral on the nose. Polished and straightforward though a little denser and longer term than its stablemate Haut Batailley. Very round and a sort of cross between Pauillac and Pomerol. In fact many of these Pauillacs are richer than many of the Pomerols in 2014. Very solid. Needs lots of time with all that tannin but very honest and a little more refined than the Pontet-Canet. Great minerally finish and lovely purity. Drink 2025-2040
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Tim Atkin, May 2015, Score: 94
The Borie family told me that they are a little exasperated that I keep talking about the value that this Pauillac fifth growth offers, to the exclusion of its other qualities, but it’s true. This is a very feminine Pauillac, all grace and poise rather than muscle, with silky perfume and impressive depth of flavour. Drink: 2020-30
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Wine Spectator, March 2015, Score: 93-96
Rock-solid, with a gutsy core of plum, black currant, steeped fig and melted licorice snap, all carried by a gorgeous, charcoal-edged spine. Long, and loaded with fruit and grip. As solid as they come.
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2014 Le Pin Pomerol - 3x75cl
- Red
- 2019 - 2032
- Château Le Pin
- 3x75cl
- Pomerol, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2015, Score: 95-97
Bright ruby colour, full of fresh red summer fruits. Flavours of freshly picked raspberries, this is almost Pinot Noir-like in its purity of flavours. Gentle volume with a soft, silky tannic structure and deliciously sweet on the finish. Quite lovely.
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Neal Martin, April 2015, Score: 92-94
Jacques Thienpont told me that the Le Pin 2014 was picked between 23 and 30 September at a yield of 24 hectoliter per hectare. The wine has 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.5. Of course, its gravelly soils would have been beneficial in coping with the rain compared to those on less well-drained clay soils. It has a well-defined, focused bouquet that is not as complex as a top vintage Le Pin but there is a pleasant underlying mineralité that I believe will be expressed in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin, a little pinched on the mid-palate with a very linear finish with a saline, citrus fresh finish. This is one of the most tensile vintages that I have tasted in recent years: not as complex as others (and I've tasted them all except the four barrels of 2013), but it is full of nascent energy. Rather than thinking of this as Le Pin, it’s just a supremely well-crafted Pomerol.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2015, Score: 94-97
The 2014 Le Pin is a stratospheric, deeply moving wine. Here, the gravelly soils allowed for excellent drainage and gave the Thienpont family all the conditions needed for a late harvest. Rich, powerful and voluptuous in the glass, the 2014 boasts superb depth and concentration to match its exuberant personality. A deep, sensual wine, in 2014 Le Pin has it all. Hints of lavender, violets, plums and cassis are layered into the spellbinding finish. In 2014, this is just about as good as it gets.
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James Suckling, March 2015, Score: 93-94
Very subtle and refined with an ethereal fruit and stealth character. Medium body, integrated tannins and a delicate fruit, mineral and fresh herb aftertaste. A gorgeous pure merlot.
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Decanter, April 2015, Score: 94
Typical Le Pin. Almost Burgundian, berry-fruit fragrance. Delicate sweetness on the palate. Elegant texture with finely woven tannins. Persistent, fresh finish. Elegant, balanced and digest. Drink: 2022-2035
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Matthew Jukes, May 2015, Score: 18.5+
(100 Merlot) | 13% alc. | 77 IPT. Very bright, shining, expressive and layered, this is a fabulous Le Pin with great density and a lovely, smooth, mouth-coating flavour. The balance is undeniable with a counterpoint between luxuriousness and coolness which keep the palate on its toes. Wild strawberry and wild cherry notes abound and there is a red liquorice detail and rose petal notes here, too. With superb, effortless weight and freshness, this is an epic Le Pin.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2015, Score: 17.5
‘We thought it would be ok when we didn’t see any rot in the vineyards and we could choose when to pick, compared with 2011, 20112 and 2013.’ There was a week’s difference between young and old vines. They use the Vieux Château Certan picking team so they can alternate. 24 hla/ha. pH 3.5, TA 3.6 g/l (= 5.5 g/l expressed as tartaric). Dense crimson. Very meaty indeed on the nose. Heady and ripe. Broad and luscious. More ripe and intense initially than any other 2014 I have tasted so far but then a cool finish with lots of sweetness. Very polished. Lift and plushness. But the elements need to come together. 13% Drink 2025-2038
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Tim Atkin, May 2015, Score: 97
After a near wash out in 2013 (there were only 1,000 bottles made), normal service was resumed at this bijou Pomerol property in 2014, albeit at yields of 24 hectolitres. This is fine, floral and very delicate, despite its 100% new oak. Sweet, nuanced and hauntingly balanced with notes of redcurrant and raspberry and a hint of leafy complexity. Drink: 2022-
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Wine Spectator, March 2015, Score: 96-99
Delivers its telltale aroma of succulent raspberry fruit, with beguiling spice and an echo of boysenberry and blackberry. The structure is solid, but remains remarkably silky and thoroughly ensconced in the fruit. A fine mineral accent emerges on the finish, revealing echoes of violet and lavender, but this is basically all fruit, the whole fruit and nothing but the fruit, and there's nothing wrong with that. Tasted non-blind.
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2014 Ch Montrose 2ème Cru St Estèphe - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2022 - 2050
- Château Montrose
- 6x75cl
- St estèphe, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, February 2018
A very polished wine, with hints of cedarwood, coffee bean and spice on the nose. In the palate the initial attack is one of power and intensity, and then the richness of the fruit takes hold to reveal a wine of subtlety underneath. Beautifully integrated and very long.
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Goedhuis, April 2015, Score: 91-93
Deep opaque colour, with floral summer fruit aromas. A full and muscular wine, with intense dark fruit flavours and hints of vanilla and cocoa. The tightly entwined tannins provide tension and power, whilst the finish is uplifting and very fresh. Strong potential.
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Neal Martin, March 2018, Score: 96
The 2014 Montrose has a bouquet that exudes class and sophistication: pure and mineral-driven black fruit, cedar and pencil lead, hints of blueberry developing with aeration although it never impedes upon the sense of terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with graphite-tinged black fruit, filigree tannin, a sweet core of blackberry and boysenberry fruit with a satin-like texture towards the finish. There is obviously some high quality oak used here, but it is simpatico with the fruit. For Montrose, you might argue that this is more modern in style and yet it is undeniably crafted with real panache to create a modern classic. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2022-2055
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Neal Martin, April 2015, Score: 95-97
The Château Montrose 2014 is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that represents 47% of the total production. It was picked from mid-September via five or six tries through the vineyard. The aromatics represent a clear step in quality from the second wine, attired with far more precision and focus, much more purity with scents of blackberry, boysenberry and blue fruit, now with touches of violet and vanilla. It is beautifully defined and actually, at least at this juncture, closely aligned with Cos d’Estournel 2014. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin that underpin layers of pure mineral-rich black fruit. There is an enthralling sense of energy and precision here and it fans out remarkably on the finish. Dare I say, this is one grand vin that comes perilously close to matching the heights of the 2009 and 2010. This is a brilliant Montrose, one of the best you will find on the Left Bank this vintage. Tasted on five separate occasions, twice at the château.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2015, Score: 93-96+
The 2014 Montrose is one of the most intriguing wines of the vintage. An elegant, beautifully layered wine, the 2014 Montrose comes across as incredibly silky and polished. The typical Montrose power, richness and breath take a backseat to a total sense of refinement, as the 2014 is a remarkably nuanced and noble wine. Beams of acidity and minerality give the finish its salivating energy and brightness. Given that Montrose is slow to develop, my sense is that the 2014 is not ready to show all of its cards just yet. Today, it's all about potential, and there is plenty of that here. Sweet red cherry plum, dried flowers and spices are some of the notes that are laced into the exquisite, alluring finish. The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that represents 47% of the total production.
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James Suckling, March 2015, Score: 94-95
This is a fabulous young red with blackberries, currants and wet earth. Full body, firm tannins. Very long finish. It really takes off.
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Decanter, April 2015, Score: 95
Dense, irony Cabernet nose and deep chalky fruit typical of Montrose. Rich but with clarity and precision, robust yet elegant – one for the long term Drink: 2022-2045
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Matthew Jukes, May 2015, Score: 18+
(61 Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 Merlot, 8 Cabernet Franc, 1 Petit Verdot) This wine shows an intense nose and a lovely, initial burst of both red and black fruit with no trace of greenness in sight. The Merlot component here seems to be fit, slippery and also spicy. There is stunning fruit here with a classic Saint-Estèphe combination of charm and austerity. The tannins are racy and mouth-watering and the texture, while not as luxuriant as some, is spot on. This is a charming Montrose which will start to drink sooner than most vintages, but it will really soften and open out after a decade. I know that more tannin will build in this wine during its time in barrel but this will not overpower the fruit. I tip Montrose as one of the quiet stars of the vintage.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2015, Score: 17
47% of production. 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Very muted nose. Seems rich and heavy but not that expressive aromatically. Big and bold and ambitious with a good balance between fruit and tannins. Acid reasonably well in check. And very definitely St-Estèphe. Pretty brutal – without the charm and glamour of Cos – but probably very true to the archetype. Good tannin management but nothing at all confected or too modern. Inky finish. Drink 2024-2040
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Wine Spectator, April 2015, Score: 94-97
As sleek and tightly coiled as they come, with wonderful purity and cut to the red and black currant and red and black cherry fruit. The long iron spine is thoroughly embedded and a gorgeous echo of charcoal lingers at the very end of the lightly pebbly finish. Everything finally seems to be coming together here.
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2015 Ch Figeac 1er Grand Cru Classé St Emilion - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2023 - 2040
- Château Figeac
- 6x75cl
- St emilion, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2016, Score: 94-96
Deep opaque purple. The nose carries the lifted prickle of minty notes and blackcurrants thanks to the high proportion of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Cabernet Franc in the blend. These are well matched by the toasty oak nose, resulting in a wine that is expressive, harmonious and balanced. The palate is built on solid foundations and a broad frame of firm tannins, combined with a luscious splash of Merlot fruit (29%). Unlike some left bank wines, this St Emilion has perfect synergy between ripeness and freshness running concurrently from start to finish.
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Neal Martin, July 2019, Score: 97
The 2015 Figeac has a wonderful bouquet with pure blackberry, raspberry and mineral aromas, very focused and precise with discreet earthy scents emerging with time. The palate is very precise with crisp acidity, taut and linear with a very detailed and persistent finish. This is quintessential Figeac trying to steal some of the glory from the imperious 2016! It needs time but just wait until this blossoms. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
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Neal Martin, April 2016, Score: 97-99
The 2015 Figeac is a blend of 29% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc and 43% Cabernet Sauvignon that was picked from 21 September with the Merlot until 15 October with the Cabernet Sauvignon at 41 hectoliters per hectare. The Cabernet comes through strongly on the nose - classic Figeac in many ways - black fruit, a touch of cassis, pencil and a touch of rose petal. The palate is drop-dead gorgeous, its foundation a lattice of filigree tannin and perfectly judged acidity. It is very fresh from its vivacious start to its pencil-lead finish imbued with effortless grace. It is almost comical that naysayers decried that Michel Rolland would turn Figeac into some kind of fruit bomb. Head winemaker Frédéric Faye has overseen a tip-top classic Figeac without any of the greenness that occasionally affected older vintages, now boasting a level of precision up there with the very best in the Right Bank. It was difficult to find fault with this quite astonishing Saint Emilion and who knows what could transpire once it is in bottle.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2016, Score: 93-96
The 2015 Figeac is superb. A blast of tannin hits the palate first followed by waves of inky purplish fruit, exotic spices, new leather, lavender and mint. Beams of pulsating acidity and structure give the 2015 much of its super-distinctive personality. The 2015 is powerful and built to age, that much is clear. In 2015, Figeac brings together the generosity of the year with the classic sense of structure that is so unique to Figeac, with a touch greater polish that Michel Rolland has brought since he arrived. The 2015 is compelling. It's as simple as that.
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James Suckling, April 2016, Score: 97-98
This is the most structured Figeac in modern times. I tasted wines from this estate from the 1920s and 1910s but this is something. Full and powerful. Pure and focused. Extracted Cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc.
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Decanter, April 2016, Score: 95
Classic style but added precision this year. 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot. Fragrant floral and dark fruit notes. Lovely depth of fruit on the palate. Ripe, enrobed tannins provide a velvety texture as well as persistence and length. Overall freshness and harmony. The 100% new oak is completely integrated.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2016, Score: 18
29% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon. Lovely combo of opulence and freshness. The Cabernet Sauvignon surely helps. Real drive and Figeac character. Real savour. Sappy. 14% Drink 2025-2045
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Tim Atkin, May 2016, Score: 96
This has the second highest ever percentage of Cabernet Franc, as well as its customary backbone of Cabernet Sauvignon, giving the wine a freshness, perfume and structure that some St. Emilions lack in 2015. Plush, concentrated and built to age, with very fine tannins, classy oak and impressive length. Drink: 2022-40
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Wine Spectator, April 2016, Score: 94-97
This has eye-opening power and depth, with a well of currant, fig and blackberry fruit that is supported by fresh tobacco and warm stones notes. Grippy through the finish, with a loam note adding more bass, this still stays focused and integrated.
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2015 Ch Lanessan Cru Bourgeois Haut-Médoc - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2021 - 2029
- Château Lanessan
- 12x75cl
- Haut-médoc, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2016, Score: 91-93
This striking château sits on the horizon as you enter St Julien and always makes a very rewarding style of wine. This has volume and body, with stacks of aromatic dark berry fruit flavours. Sweet, long and luscious on the finish.
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Neal Martin, July 2019, Score: 89+
The 2015 Lanessan offers black plum, smoke and cedar on the nose. Clean and correct, it is maybe just lacking the flair I was hoping for. The palate is medium-bodied with blackberry and raspberry fruit. The tannins are a little firm at the moment but with decent length. Give this three or four years. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
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Neal Martin, April 2016, Score: 90-92
The 2015 Lanessan has quite a punchy, fruit-driven bouquet with well-integrated oak, a Lanessan with more sense of purpose than I have found in recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with fine blackberry and raspberry fruit, fine tannin, leading to a smooth and harmonious finish, which lingers nicely in the mouth. You know, this is the best Lanessan for a long time, perchance because Mon. De Bouard is consulting?
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Antonio Galloni, April 2016, Score: 86-88
The 2015 Lanessan is an attractive, mid-weight wine that will drink well upon release. Dark red cherry, plum and sweet floral notes add to the wine's open-knit personality and considerable appeal. Tasted two times.
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James Suckling, April 2016, Score: 92-93
Blackberry and black licorice aromas and flavors. Full body, chewy tannins and bright acidity. Impressive concentration for the vintage. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 1% cabernet franc.
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Decanter, April 2016, Score: 88
Floral nose and good firmness and depth. This wine is always slow to start and will develop well.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2016, Score: 16.5
Light crimson. Not very expressive on the nose. Very brisk indeed. Glossy fruit. Could be quite a charmer in the short term. GV? Drink 2019-2026
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2015 Ch Meyney St Estèphe - 6x150cl
- Red
- 2022 - 2039
- Château Meyney
- 6x150cl
- St estèphe, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, February 2019
Deep opaque colour. Wonderfully polished aromas of dark intense berries, with hints of liquorice. A very striking wine in the palate, with great intensity and structure, beautifully supported by a lovely sweetness of rich fresh black fruits. A very layered wine, the overall richness of fruit supports the high degree of concentration. This oozes class and is the epitome of great St Estephe.
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Neal Martin, July 2019, Score: 94
The 2015 Meyney was the shock of this blind tasting - in a positive sense. It blew everyone's expectations including mine. It has very impressive intensity on the nose, more than its peers, with blackberry, raspberry, sage and just a touch of dried blood. This is quite complex and very engaging. The palate is very well defined with fine acidity, razor-sharp tannin and plenty of mineralité toward the persistent finish. I thought it might be Montrose but it turned out to be Meyney. Chapeau! Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
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Neal Martin, March 2018, Score: 90
The 2015 Meyney is a blend of 52% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot. The aromatics are nicely composed, quite pure with well-integrated new oak (40%). There is something almost Burgundian here with Morello cherries, crushed strawberry and light rose petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannin. It has modest depth, prioritizing balance and finesse over power, adorned with a caressing finish that renders this one of the most approachable Saint-Estèphes this vintage. Drink this finely crafted Meyney over the next decade. 2020 - 2030
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Neal Martin, April 2016, Score: 88-90
The 2015 Meyney has a rounded red cherry and blackcurrant scented bouquet with a touch of spice that only develops with rigorous aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. I appreciate the fleshiness of this Saint Estèphe and it is nicely balanced. I can envisage this being an enjoyable 2015 to drink over the next decade, even if I suspect they will create better vintages in the future. Drink: 2019 - 2029
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Antonio Galloni, February 2018, Score: 92
The 2015 Meyney is terrific. There is lovely depth to the black cherry, graphite, smoke and earthy flavors. This is an especially supple, fruity style for Saint Estèphe, and yet there is more than enough underlying structure to give the wine backbone, persistence and a good deal of explosive energy as well. 2020 - 2035
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Antonio Galloni, April 2016, Score: 90-93
The 2015 Meyney is round, supple and inviting. This is an especially creamy, voluptuous Saint-Estèphe with the fruit pushed forward and silky tannins that add to an impression of raciness. Ultimately the 2015 offers lovely density, not to mention considerable polish in a fruity, juicy style. Tasted two times.
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James Suckling, February 2018, Score: 92
Impressive dark-cherry and dark-plum aromas with nicely delivered spices and chocolate to boot. The palate has a very vibrant, very juicy and fresh pure palate with dark cherry flavors that hold bright. Very approachable St.-Estephe. Try from 2020.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2016, Score: 16+
A red-fruited and relatively seductive wine, this has good balance with decent detail and some rather nice freshness about it. Forward and appealing, the oak is quite firm but it doesn’t get in the way.
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Jancis Robinson, January 2019, Score: 18.5
Tasted blind. Very dark crimson. Rich array of aromas on the nose. Ambitious with lots of stuff covering a pretty massive charge of tannins. Just slightly inky. Exciting finish. Very persistent. Classic build with lots of ambition. Everyone thought this was Montrose! VGV
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2016 La Chapelle de La Mission Pessac-Léognan - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2020 - 2030
- Château La Mission Haut-Brion
- 6x75cl
- Pessac-léognan, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2017, Score: 92-94
42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.5% Merlot, 21.5% Cabernet Franc. Another stellar effort from the La Mission Haut-Brion team, this second wine is deeply coloured, and has the intense aromatics of ripe damsons. Grippy little tannins abundantly fill the palate, and the wine finishes with a long, savoury attitude. CP
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Neal Martin, January 2019, Score: 90
The 2016 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion has a tight, reticent nose at the moment, perhaps just a little closed down in winter. The harmonious palate is more open, offering fine-grained tannin, black cherry and bilberry fruit laced with white pepper, and a touch of tobacco on the finish, which shows fine persistence. This La Chapelle will benefit from a couple of years in bottle. 2022 - 2034
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Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 91-93
The 2016 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion is a blend of 36.5% Merlot, 21.5% Cabernet Franc and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon picked from 19 September to 14 October. Matured in 23% new oak, it has a very succinct bouquet with tensile black cherry and pressed flower aromas, subtle at first but soon gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, very precise and focused with razor-sharp definition. This is one of the most sophisticated La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion releases that I have tasted from barrel and it bodes well for the future. I expect this will nudge past the 2015 once in bottle. Let's see! Drink Date 2022 - 2040
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Antonio Galloni, January 2019, Score: 92
The 2016 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion is just as captivating from bottle as it was from barrel. Fresh, silky and inviting, the Chapelle is all class. Floral notes lead into a core of expressive red cherry and plum fruit. Medium in body, silky and exquisite in its balance, the 2016 has so much to recommend it. I would prefer to give the wine a few years in bottle to allow a broader range of aromas and flavors to develop, but even today, the Chapelle is gorgeous. The 21% Cabernet Franc in the blend adds striking brightness and perfume throughout. 2021 - 2036
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Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 90-93
The 2016 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion is a striking second wine. Medium in body, but certainly not lacking in depth, the 2016 speaks to balance and feel above all else. Gravel and floral notes lead into a core of intense dark red cherry/raspberry fruit, licorice and dried flowers. There is wonderful depth and density here, but also a refreshing sense of grace.
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James Suckling, April 2017, Score: 92-93
Minerals and blueberries with plenty of blackcurrant character. Medium body and silky tannins. Pretty second wine of La Mission.
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Decanter, April 2017, Score: 93
The success of La Mission is even more impressive as this was not an easy vintage for the Haut-Brion stable. They are close to the city here, and things got hot on their gravel soils. It is one of the main reasons that alcohols are lower than in recent years, because various plots shut down and stopped accumulating sugar. Although yields were high at 52hl/ha, the extra volume was mostly put towards the third wine. They have performed an amazing sleight of hand here, as La Chapelle has plenty of the signature of its brilliant big brother. There is less persistency but still plenty of juicy, ripe fruits and a toasty edge to the aromatics that is a classic signature of the house. There is a gap between the two wines, perhaps more than in some other years, but it's a space where you would be very happy to sit and enjoy the view. From a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.5% Merlot and 21.5% Cabernet Franc, aged in 25% new oak. 3.6pH.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2017, Score: 18.5
October This is a stunning La Chapelle with very expressive fruit and really sensual, open, floral tones. Beautifully aromatic and really inviting, this is a bouquet of a bouquet which is fascinating and enthralling. The tannins are really bright, punchy, fresh and clean and this lifts the whole wine to another level. This is a forward wine and it is stunning. It is unprecedented for me to award a Grand Vin and a Second wine the same score, but the two wines from La Mission are so different and so engaging that I cannot resist it in this vintage. I judge all wines on flavour and not on label or indeed whether they are first, second, third or last. In this instance this is one of my favourite, early-drinking wines of the vintage and it thoroughly warrants its massive score.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 17
Sumptuous first-growth suavity on the nose. Sinews and dry finish but a little austere. Just slightly muscular. Dry but not drying finish. Drink 2023-2033
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Tim Atkin, May 2017, Score: 94
Made with 25% of the total production at La Mission in 2016, this is a subtle, serious, appealingly restrained wine with real finesse and poise. Savoury, fresh tobacco aromas segue into nuanced, sappy, dark berry fruit flavours and a patina of scented oak. 2022-30
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2016 Ch Desmirail 3ème Cru Margaux - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2023 - 2032
- Château Desmirail
- 12x75cl
- Margaux, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2017, Score: 91-93
This charming property owned by Denis Lurton first caught our eye in 2015 and it is great to see his 2016 continuing in the same vein. This looks destined to be one of the great bargains of the vintage. Full of smoky, coffee aromas, and succulent richness with a little bit of Margaux suaveness and sophistication. Earlier drinking, but hugely rewarding. A lovely wine. DR
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Neal Martin, January 2019, Score: 90
The 2016 Desmirail shows much better now than a couple of months ago: crisp and focused, offering light, tertiary and graphite-tinged black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin and a fine thread of acidity, but just a little compact and austere on the finish at the moment. Give this Margaux five or six years in bottle. 2019 - 2023
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Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 88-90
The 2016 Desmirail is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. It does not possess the most complex Margaux nose, although the purity deserves a commendation with blueberry and cassis fruit. The palate has quite a rich and showy opening though fortunately it does not go over the top. There is a slight metallic edge towards the finish, which I hope will disappear by the time of bottling. It just feels a little pinched at the moment, so there is room for improvement here. Drink Date 2020 - 2032
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Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 89-92
The 2016 Desmirail is a bold, powerful wine. The darker side of the appellation comes through in the wine's dark flavor profile and imposing structural profile. Black cherry, smoke, tobacco and licorice run through the 2016. Potent and virile, the 2016 is likely to need a few years to come into its own. Even so, it is impressive today.
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James Suckling, April 2017, Score: 92-93
A chewy and rich red with plenty of currant and black-cherry character. Tannic. Should come together nicely with some barrel aging.
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Decanter, April 2017, Score: 91
Denis Lurton is in charge at this 37ha Margaux estate, and he has produced a classy, cedar-scented 2016 that has a beautiful vibrancy to it. It is a fairly dramatic take on the year, with full extraction of damson fruit and chewy tannins.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2017, Score: 17+
Slight bitterness on the palate detracts from an overall nice wine with decent density of fruit and tell-tale coffee notes. I would like more silkiness but the blunt tannins will subside in due course leaving a competent wine.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 16.5
Dark crimson with a slightly weak rim. Very sweet, almost chocolatey oak (like the old Tertre nose). Really nice texture and pace on the palate though. Provided you don't have anything against that aroma, you could take a lot of pleasure from this wine. Drink 2025-2043
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2016 Ch Gazin Pomerol - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2023 - 2036
- Château Gazin
- 12x75cl
- Pomerol, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2017, Score: 94-96
So often overlooked, this beautifully positioned property offers one of the most classical examples of Pomerol year in year out. In addition, when considering all its illustrious neighbours, it is regularly one of the bargain wines of the vintage. Watch out for its release, (normally one of the first!) as the 2016 is a beauty. Full of aromas of the Orient and Black Forest fruits, this is a deliciously rich wine without excess. Lots of grace and delicacy on the finish, poised and very long. DR
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Neal Martin, January 2019, Score: 94
The 2016 Gazin has a pure bouquet of luscious blackberry, black truffle and light smoky aromas that gain vigor with aeration. There is an unerring sense of control here, as if keeping something back for later. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, a silky-smooth texture and beguiling, graphite-tinged black fruit toward the refined, persistent finish. Flecks of clove linger on the finish. Classic Gazin. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 2020 - 2050
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Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 94-96
The 2016 Gazin is a blend of 87% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc this year, picked from 22 September with respect to the Merlot and from around 7 or 8 October for the Cabernet Franc. Now this has quite a powerful bouquet for Gazin, more heightened fruit compared to recent vintages with blackberry, briary and pressed flower aromas that are well defined (although my sample demanded two or three minutes to really find its voice). The palate is medium-bodied with a gently grip on the entry. I adore the tannic structure to this Gazin, equidistant between masculine and feminine, a backbone that will ensure this will age over many years. There is abundant, lightly spiced black fruit with a touch of cracked black pepper and clove towards the finish. The 50% new oak will add a little muscle onto the finish, thereupon you will have a really marvelous Gazin that will give thirty years of drinking pleasure, possibly more. Drink Date 2023 - 2055
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Antonio Galloni, January 2019, Score: 93
The 2016 Gazin has developed into a super-refined wine. Silky tannins and floral aromatics add to an impression of total finesse. Blood orange, sweet red/purplish berry fruit, rose petal and mint are all finely knit in this gracious, subtle Pomerol. More importantly, the 2016 has grown into an absolutely striking wine that is even more expressive and complete than it was from barrel. 2021 - 2036
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Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 89-92
The 2016 Gazin is bold and powerful, yet also retains striking freshness and energy throughout. Sweet red plum, blood orange, wildflowers and mint are some of the many notes that are delineated in this super-classy, refined Pomerol. All the elements come together effortlessly in the glass. The 2016 is not a big Pomerol; rather, it is a wine that impresses with its nuanced expression of the vintage. Hints of smoke, tobacco and grilled herbs add closing shades of complexity. Tasted two times.
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James Suckling, April 2017, Score: 94-95
Tight and silky with plum, blackberry and blueberry character. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and silky. Very linear and bright. A pretty follow-up to the stupendous 2015.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2017, Score: 17+
Spicy and rather dry on the finish, this wine still manages to retain some freshness and lift and so the overall effect is not bad and the core fruit has some character so I am sure it will become a charmer in time.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 16.5
Dark crimson. Rich, shiny, blackberry aromas. Sinew and a dry but not drying finish. A little austere and lacking juice but creditable. Correct. Drink 2024-2037
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Tim Atkin, May 2017, Score: 94
This doesn’t quite hit the same heights as the 2015, but it’s still a very stylish Pomerol, with plenty of zip, perfume and backbone from the Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. The tannins are a little firm, but should soften in bottle. 2024-34
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2016 Ch Gloria St Julien - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2022 - 2032
- Château Gloria
- 6x75cl
- St julien, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2017, Score: 91-93
As always a wine that sits beautifully in its category for its price quality ratio. Shining purple colour, it has pure dark elderberry aromas. In the palate, it is a very enticing harmonious style, with ripe rounded black fruit flavours, a feeling of richness, and subtle smooth tannins. A real star. DR
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Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 93-95
Ch Gloria St Julien
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Antonio Galloni, January 2019, Score: 96
The 2016 Gloria is one of the undisputed stars of this vintage. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2016 possesses tremendous intensity in all of its dimensions. Sweet red cherry, tobacco, menthol, licorice and dried rose petal all add complexity. In 2016 Gloria is a real head-turner. It should be a fabulous value as well. There is not much else to say. 2026 - 2046
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Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 92-95
The 2016 Gloria is striking. Ripe, dense and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2016 exudes class. Super-ripe red cherry, plum, pomegranate, rose petal, cinnamon and licorice notes abound, but it is the wine's juiciness and overall texture that are most appealing, A super-classic Saint-Julien, Gloria delivers serious quality for the money. Despite its obvious depth and fleshiness, the 2016 Gloria is also one of the most restrained, gracious Saint-Juliens readers will come across.
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James Suckling, April 2017, Score: 93-94
Dense and layered red with berry and tobacco character, a full body and a savory finish. Got it all here.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 16.5
Sweet and energetic and very glossy. Just a little austere on the end. Bone dry. Quite demanding. Just not quite enough ripe fruit for the not inconsiderable tannins. Drink 2024-2038
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Tim Atkin, May 2017, Score: 94
Working with its new winery for the first time in 2016, Gloria has made a fine, aromatic, well structured blend, with more tannin and concentration than the 2015, but similar levels of perfume and finesse. Serious and age worthy, it’s sappy and long. 2024-36
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Neal Martin, August 2020, Score: 94
The 2016 Gloria is noticeably deeper in color than its peers. It has a charming bouquet of blackberry, briar, brown spices and touches of sandalwood, complex and developing loamy elements with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Quite mineral-driven, leading into a composed, precise finish that indicates careful winemaking from great terroir. Superb. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drink: 2026 - 2060
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2016 Ch Léoville Las Cases 2ème Cru St Julien - 12x75cl
- Red
- 2030 - 2050
- Château Léoville Las Cases
- 12x75cl
- St julien, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2017, Score: 97-99
As my children would say “OMG”! This vies as one of the most exciting wines I tasted all week and I simply can’t wait to try it again. Unquestionably first growth in all but name. This is a simply great wine and I am tempted to go as far as to say it is the greatest Las Cases I have ever tasted, and that is saying something… I’m not sure where to start! Dense opaque colour, with hints of eucalyptus, black cherries and black fruits on the nose. These follow through into the palate, with hints of blackcurrant. A hugely bold wine, with great breadth of fruit. It has the power of its famed neighbour Ch Latour, but with a degree of St Julien sensitivity, poise and grace. It finishes with chocolate, mocha and a delicious degree of richness. Almost perfection, and a definite addition to my cellar this year. DR
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Neal Martin, January 2019, Score: 98
The 2016 Léoville Las-Cases underwent three more months in barrel than usual, and was bottled in September 2018. It has an extremely intense bouquet that manages to retain otherworldly delineation. It is not as expressive as its peers at this early stage (but then again, it rarely is). Yet there is palpable coiled-up energy on the nose, and you can feel the mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with super-fine tannin and layers of pure black and blue fruit laced with allspice and a pinch of white pepper. It fans out wonderfully on the finish, which exerts fine grip but never overwhelms. This is undoubtedly one of the best wines ever made by the estate. Close to perfection. 2026 - 2060
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Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 98-100
The 2016 Leoville-Las Cases comprises 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc picked between 30 September and 19 October, during which the harvesters were out in the vines for 16 days. It is matured in 90% new oak and delivers 13.60% alcohol and an IPT of 82. It is initially tightly coiled on the nose and needed coaxing from the glass. There are scents of small black cherries, boysenberry, crushed violets and a slight flintiness that emerges with time. The definition is very impressive—you can almost pick the aromas out one by one. The palate is awe-inspiring. The tannins are so filigree, in fact not dissimilar to their neighbor across the border at Château Latour. That seam of graphite lends this Léoville Las-Cases a Pauillac-like personality, but ignoring stylistic similarities, it is the intensity, depth and arching structure that astounds, with detail on the finish that rivets your feet to the spot. Then the finish is ultra-precise, one of the most mineral-driven that I have encountered in almost 20 years visiting the estate, plus it is endowed with one the longest aftertastes you will find in 2016. Yeah, it's good. Drink Date 2030 - 2070
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Antonio Galloni, January 2019, Score: 98
The 2016 Léoville Las Cases is a majestic, seamless, opulent wine. Yes, I am talking about Las Cases, traditionally one of the Left Bank's most austere, forbiddingly tannic wines. Sumptuous and full-bodied, the 2016 takes over all the senses, with seemingly endless layers of inky, purplish fruit. Mint, lavender and white flowers are some of the many notes that emerge from the exotic, arrestingly beautiful bouquet as the 2016 makes its case for consideration as one of the wines of the vintage. The 2016 got an extra three months in barrel and was therefore bottled on the later side, but that does not appear to have done anything to close the wine down. The 2016 was magnificent on both occasions I tasted it. Put simply, the 2016 Las Cases is a total stunner. Don't miss it! 2026 - 2066
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Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 95-98+
Léoville Las Cases is usually a brutish, powerful wine, especially when young. The 2016, on the other hand, is a wine of total finesse. There is almost no sensation of tannin, even though the wine has the highest degree of tannin ever measured here. Sometimes wines can go from the merely outstanding into the realm of the sublime. That is very much the case with the 2016 Léoville Las Cases. I could describe the aromas and flavors, but that seems superfluous for a wine that delivers so much pure pleasure. Silky (yes, silky) tannins wrap around a super-expressive finish laced with the essence of blue/purplish fruit, crème de cassis, lavender and blueberry jam.
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James Suckling, April 2017, Score: 98-99
A unique Las Cases that harkens back to some of the great classics such as 1985 or 1986 with its solid backbone of tannins and a walnut, licorice and blackcurrant character. Full and powerful, characterized throughout by a steeliness that shows its strength and energy. Better than the 2015. Ultra-classic.
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Decanter, October 2018, Score: 100
Nothing under 20 years old supplies fruit for the grand vin de Léoville. It's extremely dark and rich, a stately purple in colour with some violet around the rim. Right from the off it expands upwards and outwards, showing polished dark, dark fruits such as black cherry and cassis, alongside slate, liquorice and rosemary. It's mouthfilling and almost less austere than all of the others, yet it's a serious wine. The tannins close in on themselves at the end, showing how this is built to last. A great advert for the whole of Bordeaux, and for me it's the clear wine of the vintage. Drink 2026-2045
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Matthew Jukes, April 2017, Score: 20++
Very profound, very focussed and also amazingly exotic, there is a mind-bending amount of class here and it is so dense and so classy that it completely baffles the palate. The weightlessness and also intensity of the flavours are nothing short of amazing. The tannins are complete and not at all drying but they are incredible and they will arm this wine for a fifty-year life. The colour and turbidity is insane, too. Sitting here tasting this wine is a seriously unnerving out of body experience and I will make it my mission to taste (and drink) this wine as many times as I can for the rest of my life! This is a truly amazing Las Cases and it is a ‘classic’, at the same time as defining a new era of classicism in this commune. Phenomenal.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 19
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc picked between 30 September and 19 October, the result aged in 90% new barrels. IPT 82. Amazing combination of the stoniness and backbone of traditional Las Cases with extraordinary vitality and energy, all overlaid with fully ripe fruit. Such richness! Round tannins but the most youthful wine I have yet encountered. Extremely minerally and thrilling. Jean-Hubert Delon bemoans the fact he will not be alive to see it at its peak, and is convinced it will shut down at some point. It is glorious to taste now. 13.6% Drink 2026-2050
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Tim Atkin, May 2017, Score: 95
Jean-Hubert Delon has made the most of the superb vintage in 2016 to produce a Las-Cases that’s typically concentrated, backward and even a little forbidding. But scale the walls of the tannins and savoury, compact berry fruit and the view is beautiful. 2030-45
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2016 Ch Meyney St Estèphe - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2023 - 2035
- Château Meyney
- 6x75cl
- St estèphe, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, January 2020
This little property surrounded by three prestigious neighbours was a wonderful array of dark black fruits, with hints of mocha and violets. In the palate it is bold and rich, tightly held together with a firm tannic core. Superbly intense with a fine long aftertaste affirming its ability to age for a long period. A cracker!
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Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 90-92
The 2016 Meyney has quite an opulent and flamboyant bouquet, which is something I do not expect from this Saint Estèphe. It seems to calm down in the glass and attains more delineation and poise. The palate is sweet on the entry with impressive precision, quite linear in style with blackberry, graphite and smoky notes, leading to a finish that offers satisfying persistence. Excellent. 2021 - 2040
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Antonio Galloni, January 2019, Score: 93
The 2016 Meyney is a bold, powerful wine. Tobacco, menthol, chocolate, spice and torrefaction notes all add shades of darkness. Meyney is potent and quite broad in feel, and yet everything is very nicely balanced. Although not especially subtle, Meyney delivers the goods, and then some.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 90-93
The 2016 Meyney is powerful and absolutely delicious. Black fruit, torrefaction, smoke, licorice and bittersweet chocolate flavors are dark and boldly sketched. Beams of firm tannin add to the wine's imposing, brooding personality. All the elements fall into place effortlessly in this ample, broad Saint-Estèphe.
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James Suckling, January 2019, Score: 96
Wild nose. Impressive, deep hue and a wealth of fresh, violet-like aromas, as well as cassis, graphite and dark cherries. The palate has a very sleek, fine, powerful core of tannins that bring a lot of depth and deliver rich dark-fruit flavor. A classic Meyney. Best since 1961! Try from 2023.
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Jancis Robinson, February 2020, Score: 18.5
Tasted blind. Very dark crimson. Intense Indian ink on the nose. Give me my calligraphy pen! Rich and round. Very glamorous. So much effort has gone into every drop of this …. VGV. Drink 2026 – 2050
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Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 16.5
Very deep crimson. Sweet and perfumed. Very luscious with a hint of camembert! Much riper and lusher than the average St-Estèphe. Very dry end. Only on the end does the appellation impose itself. Drink 2024-2037
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Neal Martin, January, Score: 95
The 2016 Meyney has a very deep color. The bouquet is a stunner, delivering intense, mineral-rich black fruit pixelated to the nth degree. This is extremely focused and conveys the energy of a tightly coiled spring. The extremely well-balanced palate offers fine-grained tannins and superb acidity. Very pure and focused, with a harmonious, vibrant finish that lingers in the mouth. You can feel this lingering 45–60 seconds after the wine has exited. Wonderful. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. 2026-2050
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2016 Ch La Mission Haut Brion Grand Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2025 - 2043
- Château La Mission Haut-Brion
- 6x75cl
- Pessac-léognan, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2017, Score: 97-98
This glorious wine typifies everything that makes La Mission Haut-Brion so appealing and why it is a habitual winner in blind tastings amongst the first growths. Beautifully polished loganberry and wild berry aromas, with hints of dark currants. This balances a lovely silky texture, with volume and richness, whilst maintaining a continuous flow of tannic structure throughout the palate. Vibrantly fresh, the finish of mocha and chocolate give added complexity and enormous appeal. This glass was hard to put down, I loved it! DR
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Neal Martin, January 2019, Score: 99
The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion was stunning from barrel, and now in bottle. It has a sublime bouquet of blackberries, briar and hints of dark chocolate and rose petals that gain intensity with aeration while maintaining ethereal delineation. It never steps on the accelerator too hard. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is still a veneer of new oak that will need to be assimilated over the coming years. This is a deep La Mission that caresses the mouth. Touches of graphite lingering on a finish that fans out gloriously. Is the 2016 up there with the 1955 or 1989? Nearly. 2026 - 2066
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Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 98-100
The 2016 La Mission Haut Brion is a blend of 57.5% Merlot and 42.5% Cabernet Sauvignon picked between 19 September and 14 October, one of the longest ever. "We had to be patient and wait for each plot," Jean-Philippe Delmas told me. "It took longer than usual." As is customary, I allowed my sample, and likewise all the wines poured at this tasting, around 40-45 minutes to open since they always transform in the glass. It has a clean and precise, quite understated bouquet with fine mineralité, cold stone aromas infusing the black fruit. This has incredible precision, perhaps even more pixelated than the "gaff over the road" Haut-Brion. The palate is medium-bodied with supple and lithe tannin. I appreciate the line of acidity here, the smoothness and harmony that takes your breath away. Every atom is infused with life-affirming freshness. It is a wine bridled with incredible focus and delineation. I thought that the 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion flirted with perfection. The 2016 has that extra edge, a "je ne sais quoi" that leaves you reaching for the thesaurus looking for superlatives. Drink Date 2026 - 2070
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Antonio Galloni, January 2019, Score: 97+
The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion is flat out gorgeous. Today, La Mission is incredibly primary, with stunning purity in its red/purplish berry fruit. Readers will have to cellar the 2016 for the better part of a decade at a minimum before the telltale aromatics of this fabled château start to blossom in bottle. I adore the 2016 for its gracious personality, fine tannin and remarkable freshness, not to mention that it is absolutely delicious and the kind of wine that is so suggestive of a very bright future. 2026 - 2066
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Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 94-97
The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion is a total knockout. Vertical and powerful, but not at all austere, it exudes class. Fine-grained tannins support the fruit, but they are barely felt, as the wine's balance is so extraordinary. Lifted floral notes and a host of red fruits give the 2016 energy and verve. I can't wait to see how it ages.
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James Suckling, April 2017, Score: 96-97
The texture to this is very beautiful with chewy yet very polished tannins. Full-bodied, tight and mouth-filling. Starts very slowly and then takes off. Love the energy in this.
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Decanter, April 2017, Score: 98
Wonderful La Mission this year, graceful but with an unmistakable sense of controlled power. The wine just expands outwards and upwards in your mouth - insistent but terribly polite about it. It is deep and silky, shot through with coffee grounds, damson and soft cassis on a creamy mid-palate, utterly beautiful. There is a real energy and vitality here, with a caressing texture to the tannins and huge persistency on the finish. Dense, and yet so finessed that you could almost drink it today. Wow. The blend is 57.5% Merlot and 42.5% Cabernet Sauvignon with a pH of 3.66, harvested between 19th September and 14th October.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2017, Score: 18.5+
A lovely, wild nose of macerated berries and old library books greets the taster. This is a historic flavour and it shows amazing complexity and thrilling tannins. The fineness and richness of the skin elements are incredible. Long and smooth, this is a superb La Mission, built along a red fruit theme and even though it is very dry and savoury it is certain to blossom in a decade into a lithe, sensual creature.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 18.5++
Glowing deep crimson. Very intense and ripe. Snazzy and spicy. Polished and racy. Very firm and lots of ripe tannins – very much à La Mission. Super-sophisticated. Inky and fresh and so ripe and confident. A dry style but great. Racy but tannic. Drink 2027-2050
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Tim Atkin, May 2017, Score: 95
Tight, focused and even a little backward, as it’s entitled to be at this young age, this is a very intellectual claret, rather than an exuberant fruit bomb. Fine oak, granular tannins, taut acidity and savoury red and dark berry fruit flavours. 2026-36
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2017 Ch Beychevelle 4ème Cru St Julien - 3x150cl
- Red
- 2027 - 2040
- Château Beychevelle
- 3x150cl
- St julien, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2018, Score: 92-94
In recent years Ch Beychevelle has reclaimed its former glory, re-establishing itself as one of the finest examples of great St Julien. The introduction of their new state-of-the-art winery this year has taken them to new heights. This blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot is full of life. With bright, pure, energetic berry and plum fruits, and a subtle tannic structure sitting underneath, this is a finely balanced wine with excellent ageing potential.
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Neal Martin, April 2018, Score: 90-92
The 2017 Beychevelle was cropped at 54hl/ha between 18 September and 3 October, matured in around 60% new oak with 13.4° alcohol. It has a very ripe blueberry, almost iodine-scented bouquet that is much more extroverted than its peers (like the 2016 last year.) The palate is medium-bodied with sweet black cherry and boysenberry fruit, and plenty of crushed violet. The palate is ripe and succulent; a sweet core of blue and black fruit here although perhaps its neighbor across the road, Branaire Ducru, displays a little more terroir at this early stage. Maybe that is because of the saignée? I would just like to see a little more restraint come through in bottle while I noticed greater precision developing during the 30 minutes the sample spent in my glass. 2021 - 2040
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Antonio Galloni, April 2018, Score: 92-95
The 2017 Beychevelle is absolutely gorgeous. Creamy and beautifully layered on the palate, Beychevelle exudes exotic richness in its ripe red/purplish berry fruit. Even though the 2017 is rather flamboyant in style, it retains quite a bit of brightness to play off its more extroverted leanings. Beychevelle was impressive on the several times I tasted it.
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Wine Advocate, April 2018, Score: 90-92
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Beychevelle opens with gregarious cassis and blackberry pie notes with touches of baking spices and underbrush plus a waft of lavender. Medium-bodied with a great core of ripe black fruits, it has a firm frame of ripe, grainy tannins and balancing freshness, finishing long. The final blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 4 Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc.
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James Suckling, April 2018, Score: 93-94
Very fine tannins already with a solid core of blackberry and blueberry character. Hints of flowers. Full-bodied, well-integrated and tight, not to mention fresh and long.
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Decanter, April 2018, Score: 92
This is a fine expression of St-Julien, with extremely pretty aromatics and brambly, juicy black fruits that remain soft and persistent through the palate, with the tiniest hint of acidity tightening the tannins. It's not as expressive as in 2016, but that was exceptional, though this is certainly a wine to recommend in 2017. Drinking Window 2026 - 2040
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Matthew Jukes, April 2018, Score: 17.5
A super-fragrant Beychevelle with bright Merlot fruit very much in evidence. Lovely and pure and silky, with little aggression on the finish, this is already a very harmonious wine with buoyancy and charm. There is some spice and warmth on the finish, which gives some richness but all in all this is a forward and luscious wine.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2018, Score: 16.5
Deep crimson with purple rim. Tangy, slightly wild black fruit, more bramble than cassis. Smooth, rounded and rather gentle but still persistent. Supple tannins already, though they may be deceptive. (JH) Drink 2024-2036
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2017 Ch La Conseillante Pomerol - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2023 - 2038
- Château la Conseillante
- 6x75cl
- Pomerol, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2018, Score: 95-97
This wine is a showstopper. Marielle Cazaux continues her success at this estate, which has confirmed its reputation as a star of the Right Bank with a string of excellent recent vintages. This blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc has a heightened aromatic drama, with hints of eucalyptus, mint and bursting red berries. Gentle extraction has yielded sinuous tannins and graceful length. Its perfumed elegance sets it apart from its peers. Standing ovation.
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Neal Martin, April 2018, Score: 93-95
The 2017 La Conseillante contains a little less Cabernet Franc than usual because four or five rows were damaged by frost. It has a classic Pomerol bouquet with touches of truffle and incense infusing the broody black fruit that take a few minutes to unwind in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well balanced with a subtle sprinkling of white pepper and fennel. The Cabernet Franc, despite its diminished contribution, is quite expressive towards the balsamic-tinged finish that shows plenty of energy and decent persistence. It is less powerful than the 2016 at this stage but it is clearly a very well crafted, almost sensual Pomerol by winemaker Marielle Cazaux. Tasted twice with consistent notes, this may well settle at the top of my banded score once in bottle. 2022 - 2045
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Antonio Galloni, December 2020, Score: 96
The 2017 La Conseillante is a regal wine. Lithe and statuesque in the glass, La Conseillante soars with real vertical intensity. Sweet floral aromatics and silky tannins give the 2017 much of its understated, classy personality. Inky dark blue/purplish fruit, spice, licorice and lavender develop with a bit of time, but it is the wine's balance and extreme sense of harmony that stand out most. Technical Director Marielle Cazaux gave the fruit about 2 days on the skins, with no SO2 at crush. Cazaux added that the malos were quite fast. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Frost reduced production by around 15%, while drought further reduced yields in the Franc by a further 10%. This is a fabulous showing.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2018, Score: 94-97
The 2017 La Conseillante is a wine of total finesse and class. Bright, floral and beautifully lifted, the 2017 is exceptionally polished and nuanced from start to finish. Despite its mid-weight, gracious personality, the 2017 has real staying power. Technical Director Marielle Cazaux gave the fruit about 2 days on the skins, with no SO2 at crush. Cazaux added that the malos were quite fast. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Frost reduced production by around 15%, while drought further reduced yields in the Franc by a further 10%. As for the wine, well, the 2017 was magnificent on each of the three occasions I tasted it.
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Wine Advocate, April 2018, Score: 95-97
The 2017 La Conseillante displays a deep garnet-purple color and simply sings of crushed blueberries, mulberries and ripe plums with suggestions of violets, chocolate box, rose hip tea and a waft of menthol. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive richness at this elegant weight coupled with vivacity and supported by plush, velvety tannins, finishing with great length and energy. This is an arrestingly beautiful expression of this vintage!
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James Suckling, April 2018, Score: 94-95
Tight and precise with focused tannins and a lovely texture to this young wine. Medium to full body. Compressed and serious. Some salty and dark fruit at the end.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2018, Score: 19+
Organically certified from this vintage. Winemaker Marielle Cazaux was elated about her 2017. The temperatures dropped to -2C and so they rented a helicopter (which hovered at a height of 30m) and this took the temperatures back up to 0C. On the Cheval Blanc side, the temperature dropped to -3.5C and they lost 15% of fruit which was destined for Duo. A very early vintage, with veraison happening at the end of July. They started picking on 5th September and so Marielle had to cut her holiday short! They stopped for rain and then finished everything on 29th September. The Cabernet Franc berries were very small, very spicy and of great quality. Pure, complex and totally refreshing, this is a stunningly energetic La Conseillante with lovely definition and class. This is all about length rather than depth and while it is forward and clear, it will hold well on account of the stunning acidity. This is a completely different wine to the 2015 and 2016 and it is very worthy of its place in this fabulous trio of vintages.
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2017 Ch La Conseillante Pomerol - 1x300cl
- Red
- 2026 - 2044
- Château la Conseillante
- 1x300cl
- Pomerol, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2018, Score: 95-97
This wine is a showstopper. Marielle Cazaux continues her success at this estate, which has confirmed its reputation as a star of the Right Bank with a string of excellent recent vintages. This blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc has a heightened aromatic drama, with hints of eucalyptus, mint and bursting red berries. Gentle extraction has yielded sinuous tannins and graceful length. Its perfumed elegance sets it apart from its peers. Standing ovation.
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Neal Martin, April 2018, Score: 93-95
The 2017 La Conseillante contains a little less Cabernet Franc than usual because four or five rows were damaged by frost. It has a classic Pomerol bouquet with touches of truffle and incense infusing the broody black fruit that take a few minutes to unwind in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well balanced with a subtle sprinkling of white pepper and fennel. The Cabernet Franc, despite its diminished contribution, is quite expressive towards the balsamic-tinged finish that shows plenty of energy and decent persistence. It is less powerful than the 2016 at this stage but it is clearly a very well crafted, almost sensual Pomerol by winemaker Marielle Cazaux. Tasted twice with consistent notes, this may well settle at the top of my banded score once in bottle. 2022 - 2045
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Antonio Galloni, December 2020, Score: 96
The 2017 La Conseillante is a regal wine. Lithe and statuesque in the glass, La Conseillante soars with real vertical intensity. Sweet floral aromatics and silky tannins give the 2017 much of its understated, classy personality. Inky dark blue/purplish fruit, spice, licorice and lavender develop with a bit of time, but it is the wine's balance and extreme sense of harmony that stand out most. Technical Director Marielle Cazaux gave the fruit about 2 days on the skins, with no SO2 at crush. Cazaux added that the malos were quite fast. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Frost reduced production by around 15%, while drought further reduced yields in the Franc by a further 10%. This is a fabulous showing.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2018, Score: 94-97
The 2017 La Conseillante is a wine of total finesse and class. Bright, floral and beautifully lifted, the 2017 is exceptionally polished and nuanced from start to finish. Despite its mid-weight, gracious personality, the 2017 has real staying power. Technical Director Marielle Cazaux gave the fruit about 2 days on the skins, with no SO2 at crush. Cazaux added that the malos were quite fast. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Frost reduced production by around 15%, while drought further reduced yields in the Franc by a further 10%. As for the wine, well, the 2017 was magnificent on each of the three occasions I tasted it.
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Wine Advocate, April 2018, Score: 95-97
The 2017 La Conseillante displays a deep garnet-purple color and simply sings of crushed blueberries, mulberries and ripe plums with suggestions of violets, chocolate box, rose hip tea and a waft of menthol. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive richness at this elegant weight coupled with vivacity and supported by plush, velvety tannins, finishing with great length and energy. This is an arrestingly beautiful expression of this vintage!
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James Suckling, April 2018, Score: 94-95
Tight and precise with focused tannins and a lovely texture to this young wine. Medium to full body. Compressed and serious. Some salty and dark fruit at the end.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2018, Score: 19+
Organically certified from this vintage. Winemaker Marielle Cazaux was elated about her 2017. The temperatures dropped to -2C and so they rented a helicopter (which hovered at a height of 30m) and this took the temperatures back up to 0C. On the Cheval Blanc side, the temperature dropped to -3.5C and they lost 15% of fruit which was destined for Duo. A very early vintage, with veraison happening at the end of July. They started picking on 5th September and so Marielle had to cut her holiday short! They stopped for rain and then finished everything on 29th September. The Cabernet Franc berries were very small, very spicy and of great quality. Pure, complex and totally refreshing, this is a stunningly energetic La Conseillante with lovely definition and class. This is all about length rather than depth and while it is forward and clear, it will hold well on account of the stunning acidity. This is a completely different wine to the 2015 and 2016 and it is very worthy of its place in this fabulous trio of vintages.
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2017 Ch Grand Puy Lacoste 5ème Cru Pauillac - 1x300cl
- Red
- 2024 - 2041
- Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
- 1x300cl
- Pauillac, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2018, Score: 92-94
My impression is that this fine wine may be underestimated by some tasters. It is not a showstopper, but a wine of poise, balance and integrity. Striking bramble and dark berry aromas, this has an appealing succulence whilst retaining a tightly knit tannic core. A wine with an unforced depth of both fruit and weight. It highlights François-Xavier Borie’s skill in allowing both nature and terroir to express themselves beautifully.
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Neal Martin, April 2018, Score: 91-93
The 2017 Grand Puy Lacoste was picked from 15 to 29 September cropped at 45hl/ha, matured in 75% new oak. It has a clean, precise and conservative bouquet that takes time to open. I like the mineral tension here, the focus, and hints of freshly shucked oyster shell emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, fresh in the mouth with plenty of cedar and tobacco-infused red and black fruit that drive a long, slightly peppery finish. It is a quintessential Grand Puy Lacoste, sans the frills of the 2016 and yet you can already imagine this being drunk to the very last drop in about ten years time. It is simply a very likeable Grand Puy Lacoste in the making. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 2022 - 2042
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Antonio Galloni, April 2018, Score: 90-93
The 2017 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is bright, floral and nicely lifted. Gracious in style, the 2017 is built on a core of fresh, red-toned fruit. Silky tannins add to the wine's elegant, cooly sophisticated personality. There is plenty to like and admire in this classically restrained, gracious Pauillac from François-Xavier Borie. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Tasted two times.
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James Suckling, April 2018, Score: 92-93
Very pretty and focused with a tight and refined palate of juicy tannins and a savory finish. Elegant.
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Decanter, April 2018, Score: 94
These guys often over-deliver in challenging years, and have done so yet again. As you would expect in a vintage that has produced such an excellent Lacoste Borie, this GPL is exceptional, a real success that's juicy and carefully extracted. It has weight and impact, with a Pauillac tannic hold and presence. It's one of my wines of the vintage, and a must buy. The balanced, sculpted, juicy black fruits fully deliver personality and signature style. Harvested 15-29 September, yielding 45hl/ha. 80% new oak. Drinking Window 2025 - 2038
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Matthew Jukes, April 2018, Score: 18.5+
This has a thrilling nose which, in spite of the weighty dominance of Cabernet, is perfectly red-fruited and sonorous. This is a sleek thoroughbred with power and grace and it is layered with flashes of both red and black fruit on the palate. The finish has more muscle and more tannin looms as the flavour senesces on the back of the palate and the result is a game of flamboyance and reticence warning the drinker that while the flavour entices you in, there is also the need to exercise restraint because this is a not a wine for drinking in the short term in spite of its apparent precocity. Throughout the flavour there is levity and this is what makes this powerful wine such an unequivocal success. François-Xavier Borie agrees with this character. He smiled – ‘don’t forget we are serious’.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2018, Score: 17
Colour of blackcurrant juice. Fresh and peppery with lots of pure, fine cassis on the nose. Dark and pure. Silky, moreish, not that much more intense than the second wine Lacoste Borie but a little more persistent and more depth in the middle. Fine tannins, soft and supple. Fresh on the finish. Pure and persistent in its relative delicacy. (JH) Drink 2025-2037
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2017 Ch Haut Bailly Grand Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2026 - 2040
- Château Haut-Bailly
- 6x75cl
- Pessac-léognan, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2018, Score: 93-95
Ch Haut Bailly lost around 30% of their yield to frost, which mostly affected the plots used in their second wine, La Parde. The château’s owner, financier and philanthropist Robert Wilmers, passed away in December 2017, but there is no doubt this wine would have met with his approval. The Merlot component (32%) is fruity and finely weighted, and the Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) provides aromatic freshness and silky structure to the tannins. 4% each of old vine Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot were co-fermented this year and add spice and depth to the blend. It is a precise and pure wine, and one of the most successful in the appellation.
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Neal Martin, April 2018, Score: 92-94
The 2017 Haut-Bailly was cropped at 28hl/ha (40hl/ha on non-frozen parcels and 2hl/ha on frosted parcels) and includes co-fermented Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It is unlikely to contain any vin de presse this year, unlike in 2016, and it is matured in 50% new oak. There is a pH of 3.74 with 13.2° alcohol. It has an attractive and quite opulent bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, hints of crushed stone and briary, a light oyster shell influence. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin but there is good backbone here, quite “solid” for Haut-Bailly and it will need to just soften the edges during its élevage. With moderate length and a very attractive graphite aftertaste, this Haut-Bailly will require five or six years in bottle but will repay the patient wine-lover. 2021 - 2040
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Antonio Galloni, April 2018, Score: 93-96
The 2017 Haut-Bailly is an understated beauty. Nothing in particular stands out rather it is the wine's balance that impresses most. All the classic Haut-Bailly signatures come through in a mid-weight, super-finessed wine that hits all the right notes. Dark red and blue stone fruits, graphite, smoke, licorice and incense are all laced into the super-expressive finish. The 2017 emerges from the estate's central, most historic parcels, as those vineyards were not affected by the April frost that took with it 30% of the production.
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Wine Advocate, April 2018, Score: 94-96
The 2017 Haut-Bailly is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Very deep garnet-purple colored, it has a wonderfully spicy nose of cinnamon stick, cloves, anise and fenugreek with core of roses, warm blueberries, black forest cake and black raspberries plus hints of underbrush and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied with firm, ripe, grainy tannins, it has oodles of freshness and great finesse, continuing bright and energetic on the long, minerally finish.
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James Suckling, April 2018, Score: 94-95
A firm and silky red with a medium to full body, a solid center palate and a long and integrated finish. Very fine, polished and refined. Creamy tannins. Hints of bitter orange.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2018, Score: 18.5++
This is one of the calmest and most centred wines of 2017. There is no tension here, just precision and balletic balance. The fruit is focussed, deep and proud and the amalgam of the blend is amazing. There are two ages of Petit Verdot vines in the wine and they both add a different aspect to the wine. This spice is integral to this wine’s appeal. There is a voluptuousness and also elegance about this wine and it is not bigger than the second wine La Prade, it is just much longer and finer. This is a succulent, Burgundian-shaped wine in its demeanour and yet the tannins and the acidity are going to keep it going for years and years.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2018, Score: 17.5
Very dark with purple rim. Oozes elegance on the nose, subtle dark fruit, nicely dusty/mineral and a touch of graphite and a slight and attractive herbaceous note. More fragrant with air. Texture is fine like layers of paper, tannins are dry and refined. Lightness of touch but really persistent. Juicy, gentle. Very lovely, the graphite elegance, freshness and fruit go on to the end. (JH) Drink 2027-2040
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
2017 Ch Margaux 1er Cru Margaux - 6x75cl
- Red
- 2025 - 2040
- Château Margaux
- 6x75cl
- Margaux, Red Bordeaux
- Available Now
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Goedhuis, April 2018, Score: 95-97
Ch Margaux escaped the worst that the frost brought, reporting a loss of only 10%. Given the frost and the September rain that threatened to dash the vintage, Thibault Pontallier remarked on the team’s astonishment when they first tasted the wine after fermentation. Thanks to the warm spell at the end of September, he explained they have made a much better wine in 2017 than anticipated. He likened it to 1996: not an easy vintage, but one that produced a sublime wine. 2017’s velvet-like tannins support the aromatic fruit and soft creamy texture of the wine. It has freshness, charm and perfume, but still retains density and richness on the palate reminding you of its First Growth status. Against the odds, this is a hugely successful Ch Margaux, and one of the finest wines of the vintage.
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Neal Martin, April 2018, Score: 93-95
The 2017 Margaux, matured in 100% new oak, was blended in the second half of February. It has a very pure, floral bouquet with scents of iris and violet infusing the black and subtle blue fruit. There are touches of crushed stone and with aeration, a little candied orange peel. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannin, very harmonious in the mouth, caressing and sensual with black fruit, hints of graphite and a light marine influence. There is a fine build to this Château Margaux, commencing almost understated but finishing with an insistent grip and a long, quite spicy aftertaste. It's not the bewitching 2015 however, it purrs like a Rolls Royce and will age with panache. 2023 - 2045
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Antonio Galloni, April 2018, Score: 94-97
The 2017 Margaux is one of the highlights on the Left Bank. Surprisingly powerful and virile, the Grand Vin clearly reflects the influence of a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Beams of tannin give the wine support through the mid-palate and into the finish. Estate Manager Sebastian Vergne told me the winemaking team opted to raise temperatures at the end of fermentation to gain a bit more color, depth and polymerization of tannins. The Grand Vin represents 37% of the estate's production.
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Wine Advocate, April 2018, Score: 96-98
A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Château Margaux charges from the gate with opulent kirsch, raspberry preserves, wild blueberries and cassis notions accented by roses, violets, Chinese five spice and fragrant earth with touches of underbrush and truffles. Medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with vibrant, ripe red and blue fruits, layering in perfume and spice nuances. It's framed by very finely grained and plush yet firm tannins and great tension, finishing with epic length.
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James Suckling, April 2018, Score: 97-98
This is a very dense Margaux, and especially for the vintage, with a full body, grainy tannins and a long and rich finish. Impressive depth of fruit and structure. Luscious and muscular at the same time.
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Decanter, April 2018, Score: 96
Wow! This makes the whole room smile. The stunning nose hits you right off the bat, followed by wonderful fleshy damson fruit. This has some of the best aromatics in the business this year and a wonderful creamy texture through the palate. There's great density, and the tannins flatter it but they have menace and intent too, pulling the structure inwards and bouncing along to finish beautifully. This is more opulent than the Pavillon, which has some clear austerity, and the scale of the fruit is a little fresher than the 2015, with around the same ripeness level as the 2016. The 3.7pH is a little higher than the last two years, while an IPT of 73 is the same as last year. 37% of production went into the grand vin, including a 1% drop of Petit Verdot. Drinking Window 2027 - 2040
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Matthew Jukes, April 2018, Score: 18.5+
After the dark bottle, which was used for the 2015 vintage, they have decided to continue with this bottle for all three wines including the white wine. This is a very dense and very focussed Margaux, with intense fruit and dark, mineral- soaked, graphite-tinged wine. The weight is so fresh and so bright it is incredible. This is not a big wine but it is very powerful.
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Jancis Robinson, April 2018, Score: 17.5
Deep glowing crimson. Pure, very dark cassis fruit. Fragrant and lightly floral too. And the fruit smells sweet, the oak so subtle. Intense without being flamboyant. Firm, smooth, chocolate-textured. Creamy and rich and supple on the long finish. Depth of fruit, both red and black on the mid palate. Well sustained.The tannins are powerful but hidden by the lovely fruit. Succulent even though well structured. (JH) 13.5% Drink 2027-2042
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