Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild is a Second Wine from the famed First Growth, Château Mouton Rothschild, that offers an opportunity for oenophiles to experience its sensuous winemaking style at a great value. Château Mouton Rothschild was initially ranked as a Second Growth during the Official 1855 Classification, and in 1922, the estate was acquired by Baron Phillippe de Rothschild, a true renaissance man who added his name to the label. The Baron was a successful winegrower, a playwright, a screenwriter, a theatrical producer, a poet, and a Grand Prix racecar driver. He also referred to Château Mouton Rothschild’s Second Growth classification as a “monstrous injustice.”

Pairs well with: Beef, Lamb and Venison

The 2019 Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild is a, "gorgeous," and, "fabulous," second wine from the famed Pauillac First Growth, offering remarkable intensity, energy, and elegance that rivals previous, lesser-vintage First Growths. Composed primarily of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot, this 2019 vintage showcases a deep, complex, and full-bodied profile with a long, velvety finish. 

Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is a little broody and reticent at this very youthful stage, slowly unfolding to reveal profound plum preserves, crème de cassis, black raspberries and star anise with hints of moss-covered bark, truffles and tilled loam plus a waft of red currants and raspberry leaves sparks.

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon: 70%, Merlot: 30%
Drinking Window: 2014-2045

96 Points - Neal Martin, Vinous
"The 2009 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux is a splendid example of this second wine’s quality. It presents an expressive bouquet of dark fruits, floral notes, and cedar. On the palate, it is full-bodied and well-balanced with velvety tannins and a seamless texture. Layers of blackcurrant, plum, and subtle spice build through to a long, refined finish. This wine is seductive yet structured, demonstrating excellent ageing potential and the hallmark elegance of Margaux.”

Elegant, sophisticated, long, clean and expansive, this is showing just great due to all its layers of perfectly ripe, red fruits, silky tannins, length and freshness. There is a real verve here, with concentration, sweetness, lift and complexity allowing the wine to age and evolve. The finish leaves you with more of those sweet, ripe, juicy berries. Today the second wine of Mouton Rothschild is superior to every vintage of Mouton produced in the 70s and most of the 80s! The wine blends 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

Blend: Merlot (50%), Cabernet Franc (50%)
Drinking Window: 2035 - 2065

95-97 Points - Neal Martin, Vinous.com
“The 2025 Angélus was picked from September 10 to 20, and Stéphanie de Bouard told me that they halved the pumpovers. The Cabernet Franc is aged half in foudres and half in new barrel, and the Merlot is half in new barrel and half in one-year-old barrels that were used for the 2023 vintage. The alcohol is 14.05% with a pH of 3.6, many grapes showing a gram or more malic acid. This note comes from a narrower Riedel glass that showed the wine in a better and more accurate light. The bouquet opens with blackberry, raspberry, light cassis scents and a touch of iodine, well defined, the oak seated politely in the background. The palate is silky smooth with filigree tannins, very well judged acidity plus palpable underlying sapid notes that come through towards the finish. Fine tension, very focused with a very persistent aftertaste, this is an Angélus with great potential and it should give 25 to 30 years' drinking pleasure.”

Reflecting centuries of winemaking mastery, Carruades De Lafite 2020 offers rich aromas of ripe berries, dark cherries, and delicate floral hints —an exceptional wine that captures the soul of its vineyard with every sip.

Blend: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and the remainder Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
Drinking Window: 2022-2055

98 Points - Neal Martin, Vinous
"The 2015 Pichon Lalande is richly layered and impeccably balanced. It opens with aromas of blackberries, blueberries, rose petals, and toasted oak. On the palate, it is full-bodied and lush, with velvety tannins and bright acidity that lift the fruit. Complex notes of graphite, licorice, and spice weave through the dense core of dark fruit. The finish is long and elegant, showcasing the wine’s harmonious texture and purity. A superb vintage that combines power with finesse.”

Second label of Chateau Latour.

Critic tasting note: "There is a velvet touch to this smooth, rounded wine. With some dark tannins as well as blackberry fruits, it is rich with some concentration. At the same time, the acidity shoots through the wine to give a really fruity aftertaste." - 94/100, Wine Enthusiast

Blend: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2056

98 Points - James Suckling
"The 2018 Pichon Lalande is rich and opulent with expressive aromas of blackberries, black cherries, rose petals, and toasted spices. The palate is full-bodied and dense with silky tannins and layers of ripe fruit supported by fine acidity. Flavors of dark chocolate, licorice, and graphite add complexity, while the finish is long and persistent. This is a powerful yet elegant wine with excellent ageing potential, showcasing the hallmark finesse of Comtesse de Lalande.”

The 2016 is a red wine blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The wine has notes of black fruit and cocoa bean on the noes with a dense texture and elegant tannins. The palate is full-bodied with notes of black currant, pencil shavings and spice that lead into a very pleasant long finish. Drink from 2026-2036.

For 6 generations the family of Rothschild is synonomous with quality and luxury when it comes to the world of wine. First noted as a wine producer in the 1200's it earned the 1855 classification of a Premier Grand Cru Classe even before the chateau was acquired in 1868 by Baron James Rothschild. Today the family owns 9 seperate domaines expanding to countries outside of France including Chile, New Zealand and China. The Carruades de Lafite is the 2nd label of it's famous first growth Chateau Lafite. While Lafite will use 100% new barrels, the Carruades use the same barrels, but a year later. The 2016 vintage is a blenf of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The terroir of Pauillac shines through with an intense floral nose of lavender and other flowers, yet black currant, tobacco, pencil lead and cedar. Great ageing potential!

A testament to its prestigious terroir, Chateau Durfort Vivens 2016 3L-341 offers aromatic intensity featuring truffle, plum, and subtle oak nuances —an exceptional wine that captures the soul of its vineyard with every sip.

Like many Chateaux, Palmer was always owned by families. The Pereire brothers purchased the property in 1853 working hard to bring the estate up to first growth status in time for the famous 1855 Classification. It was ranked a Third Growth, although widely recognized as among some of the greatest wines of Bordeaux. Now owned by several families of Bordeaux, English and Dutch heritage since 1938, these families have always given priority to quality and authenticity. A typical blend of almost equal parts Cabernet and Merlot, this 2019 is a red blend of 53% cabernet sauvignon, 43% merlot and 4% petit verdot, this elegant Margaux is beautifully defined with pencil lead infused black fruit of cassis and blackberry, spice, crushed rock and pressed flowers. Juicy, yet creamy on the palate, it offers substantial tannins and a beautiful long finish. Drink from 2025-2049

Blend: Pinot Noir 100%

The 2022 Grands Échezeaux Grand Cru from Bruno Desaunay-Bissey is a wine of exceptional power, elegance, and complexity. The nose reveals concentrated red and black cherry, raspberry, floral nuances, and subtle spice. On the palate, it offers silky, layered red fruit, refined tannins, and a mineral-driven structure, culminating in a long, precise, and age-worthy finish.

A Grand Cru of outstanding finesse, ideal for pairing with game, roast poultry, or fine mushroom dishes.

A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Palmer gives a very serious nose of pronounced blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and blackberry preserves with hints of cedar chest, pencil shavings, violets, dark chocolate and star anise plus exotic wafts of sandalwood and cassia. Medium-bodied, the palate features fantastically vibrant, crunchy black fruits with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced. It will need a good 5-7 years to really blossom with all those tightly wound nuances, but it should be a stunner!

Le Réviseur XXO (Extra Extra Old) is a premium, single-estate cognac produced by Francis Abécassis in the Petite Champagne cru. It is characterized by its significant aging, with the youngest eau-de-vie

Blend: 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot
Drinking Window: 2020-2052

95 Points - Robert Parker
"The 2010 Pichon Lalande is performing extremely well and at the top of the range I predicted several years ago. A final blend dominated much more by Cabernet Sauvignon than usual (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot), the wine is a tighter, more tannic and structured version of this famed Pauillac, which often tends to have more of a St-Julien-like personality than most Pauillacs. Structured, backward and tannic, yet showing a fat mid-palate that is more savory, broader and more expansive than I remember from barrel, this wine is somewhat reminiscent of the 1986, given the Cabernet Sauvignon domination of the blend. Full-bodied, impressively endowed, and less sexy and velvety than normal, this is a somewhat different style of Pichon Lalande than most readers have been used to. Whether you like it more or less will depend on your point of view, but this wine, unlike most Pichon Lalandes, needs a good 5-7 years of cellaring and should keep for 30+ years."

The 1983 Château Lagrange, a Saint-Julien Third Growth (3ème Cru Classé), is described as a classic, savory Bordeaux with firm tannins, earthy notes, and mature black fruit (plum, cassis), showing complexity with hints of leather and pencil shavings, holding up well with age but benefiting from decanting to reveal its depth, reflecting the era when Suntory began its major revitalization of the estate.

Mature first impressions from this Pavie 2007, with its intense ruby color and violet highlights, reveal a carefully crafted structure and concentration. The aromatic range is very expressive, showing ripe and juicy aromas of pepper, abundant spice, licorice and black cherry jam. The wine is smooth and supple in the mouth, with a tight and powerful texture from well-presented tannins; the mid-palate is worthy of a great terroir. This dense wine from a rather difficult vintage with a hint of severity needs time and aeration for greater accessibility. A long finish of flavorful, complex aromas with pepper and cinnamon notes. Prepare rich meats for this wine, like flank steak, beef cheek stew, thyme-scented lamb filet, or a winter dish of feathered game.

Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Drinking Window: 2028-2048

97-99 Points – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
“A breathtaking Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux that exemplifies the purity and sophistication of great Sauvignon Blanc. Intensely aromatic, it reveals layers of grapefruit, lemon zest, white peach and passion fruit intertwined with acacia blossom, fresh herbs and crushed stones. The palate is vibrant yet remarkably textured, delivering exceptional concentration balanced by crystalline acidity and striking mineral tension. Elegant and seamless, it unfolds with notes of citrus, orchard fruit and a delicate saline character that carries effortlessly through the extraordinarily long, refined finish. A world-class Bordeaux Blanc with remarkable precision, complexity and aging potential.”

The 2019 Château L'Eglise-Clinet is a premier, highly acclaimed Pomerol, renowned as the last masterpiece produced by the late Denis Durantou. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, it offers immense concentration, power, and elegance, featuring notes of black fruit, violet, truffle, and graphite with refined tannins.

The Château Lagrange Heritage Collection 2023 is a limited-edition Saint-Julien red wine created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the estate's acquisition by the Japanese Suntory group in 1983. This unique cuvée is a modern reinterpretation of the estate's historical blend from that era.

Blend: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot
Drinking Window: 1992-2030

Discover the timeless elegance of Château Lagrange 1982, a rare and celebrated Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classé. This iconic vintage has matured gracefully over decades, revealing layers of dark fruit, cedar, and subtle spice, with a silky texture and remarkable depth. Perfect for collectors and connoisseurs alike, it embodies the pinnacle of Bordeaux craftsmanship and is a prized addition to any wine cellar or special occasion.

94 Points - Wine Spectator.
“One of the sleepers of the vintage. Traditional and rich. Dark ruby-colored, with a slight garnet rim. Masses of berry, chocolate and raspberry character. Full-bodied and very tannic, packed with fruit. Lengthy finish. A youthful and concentrated wine; a relatively good value.”

Reflecting centuries of winemaking mastery, Chateau Gruaud Larose 2016-506 offers aromatic intensity featuring truffle, plum, and subtle oak nuances —an exceptional wine that captures the soul of its vineyard with every sip.

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon (93%), Merlot (7%)
Drinking Window: 2036-2070

99-100 Points – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
“A breathtaking Mouton Rothschild that embodies the grandeur and power of Pauillac. The nose is intensely aromatic, revealing layers of cassis, blackberries, violets and graphite, accented by notes of cedar, cigar box, dark chocolate and exotic spices. Full-bodied and immensely concentrated, the palate delivers extraordinary depth and precision, with a seamless integration of fruit, tannin and freshness. The texture is both opulent and refined, carrying remarkable energy through a core of pure dark fruit and mineral complexity. The finish is exceptionally long, powerful and multidimensional, confirming its status as one of the iconic wines of the vintage.”

The 2020 L'Eglise Clinet is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot was picked between the 11th and the 14th of September, and the Cabernet Franc was picked on the 16th of September. It has an alcohol of 14.4% and is aging in French oak barrels, 80% new. Displaying and opaque purple-black color, it needs a bit of swirling to reveal a fascinating array of earthy notes —black truffles, charcoal, mossy tree bark and fallen leaves—over a profound core of preserved plums, blackberry preserves and violets, with a waft of tapenade. The medium to full-bodied palate has exquisitely ripe tannins and bold freshness supporting the seductively ripe, black fruit layers, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note.

Reviseur Cognac Extra Origin is a premium, single-estate Extra Cognac from the Petite Champagne terroir, lauded for its intense, aromatic, and complex profile. Crafted from 100% Ugni-blanc grapes by Domaine Francis Abecassis, this award-winning, aged blend features a powerful, spicy nose, strong notes of honey and cinnamon, and a rich, slightly dry finish at 45% ABV.

ABK6 Abecassis Grande Champagne XXO is a premium, single-estate Cognac from the prestigious Grande Champagne cru, characterized by its "Extra Extra Old" classification. It is known for a complex, elegant profile with notes of dried fruits, jasmine, cedarwood, and sandalwood, often featuring a long, candied ginger finish.

97 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: " Blended of 91% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, the medium garnet-purple colored 2016 la Fleur-Petrus reveals stunning Black Forest cake, redcurrant jelly and wilted roses scents with underlying suggestions of pencil shavings, yeast extract, dark chocolate and cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the mid-palate possesses superb intensity and depth with layers of perfumed black fruits and loads of red fruit sparks framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing on a lingering earthy note. (LPB)" (11/2018)

99 points - James Suckling

Chateau Angelus in St. Emilion, Bordeaux's right bank has been in existence since 1782. Now operated by Stephanie de Bouard-Rivoal, who represents the 8th generation of the Bouard de Laforest family. Her goal is to ensure the Angelus name continues to represent excellence and timelessness. Although the estate has been farming organically, they are going through the process to obtain official organic certification. The 2019 Angelus is a red blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Full and powerful the blackfruits of black cherry, cassis, plum, dried flowers and forest floor are evident with ripe tannins, medium+ body and a full, long finish. This wine is sure to age for 30 or more years.

A serious, age-worthy vintage of La Mission Haut Brion here. With a deep, dark, rich hue, the wine pops from the glass with its smoky essence made even better by its layers of black currants, black plums, tar, herbs, cigar box, and tobacco accents. The palate is full-bodied, powerful, rich, intense, mouth-filling, and long. Everything is in balance, meshing power with precision, purity, freshness, length, and complexity. Like all the great vintages of La Mission Haut Brion , this is going to demand time in the cellar before it unfurls and displays all it has to offer. Drink from 2036-2060. 98 Points

Embodying an iconic legacy, Chateau Palmer 2020 offers a structured palate with notes of cassis, spice, and cedar —an exceptional wine that captures the soul of its vineyard with every sip.

Composed of 50% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 Pavie weighs in with an alcohol of 14.82% and a pH of 3.61. It is aging in French oak barriques, 75% new. Opaque purple-black coloured, notes of plum pudding, blueberry pie, and dark chocolate covered cherries charge out of the gate, followed closely by hints of eucalyptus, star anise, unsmoked cigars and fertile loam with a hint of cedar chest. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, offering very firm yet wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins and seamless freshness to support the densely laden, muscular black and blue fruits, finishing very long and with loads of mineral-laced layers. As hedonic as it is cerebral this year, it is a beautiful paradox.

Blend: 67% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon
Drinking Window: 2028 - 2050

98 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2021 Vieux Château Certan is a spectacular tour de force from Alexander and Guillaume Thienpont. What a wine. Vibrant and magnificent in its precision, the 2021 races across the palate, revealing seemingly endless layers of nuance over time. Dark blue/purplish fruit, cinnamon, new leather, graphite, lavender and crushed rocks all build effortlessly. The Cabernets are dialed up in 2021 and that comes through in the wine's flavor profile and overall feel. The purity of the flavors is just mind-bending. Harvest took place between September 25 and October 4. The blend is 67% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Readers who can find the 2021 should not hesitate, as it is truly magical. Score

The 2019 Château Pavie showcases a deep, dark, opaque purple-black color with a rich bouquet of cherries, blackberries, and berry fruit liqueur, mingled with sweet spices, loamy soil, licorice, and rose petals, known for its power and structure.

Composed of 48.6% Merlot, 43.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 7th to 29th September, the 2020 La Mission Haut-Brion has an alcohol of 14.7%. It needs considerable swirling and coaxing to reveal slowly emerging scents of freshly crushed blackcurrants, Morello cherries, wild blueberries and forest floor, leading to suggestions of violets, baker's chocolate and cardamom with wafts of dusty soil and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with impactful, fresh red, black and blue fruit layers, supported by impressive freshness and fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing very long and fragrant. A stunning expression of this vintage!