The Château Marquis d'Alesme 2016 is a red Bordeaux wine, noted for its deep garnet-purple color and rich, concentrated flavors. It features notes of plum preserves, crème de cassis, and Black Forest cake, along with hints of potpourri, star anise, menthol, and tapenade. The palate is described as full, rich, firm, and grainy, with good freshness and a long, beautifully fragrant finish.

A clear contender for the best, Left Bank value wine made today, this beauty is elegant, fresh, soft, silky, polished, medium-bodied, fruity, ripe, sweet and already accessible. Drink it over the next 5-7 years. 92 Points

This has the typical structure of a Saint-Estèphe, fleshed out with ripe black fruits. There is fine juicy acidity and rich tannins. An impressive opulence gives this wine good potential.

"Deep, dark, very nearly opaque, purple red color. Aromas have toasty ripe red-plum fruit, tobacco-leaf hints & meaty touches. The palate is a vibrant marriage of red-fruit & chocolate with a silky texture. Tannins are very fine, chocolatey-smooth & underpinned by cedar notes. The mid-palate is of mid-weight & comprises concentrated, opulent cassis & ripe black-cherries. Alcohol is balanced & a long, lean finish combines graphite touches & high-ripeness black-fruit." - 04/22 DCAMW

Always one of the top performers in Margaux, this dense and concentrated wine has a bold, ripe character from the plum and berry fruits. It has the weight to develop. Drink from 2020.

The 2021 Les Pagodes de Cos is a strong effort, offering up aromas of cassis, charcoal, dark berries and cigar wrapper, followed by a medium to full-bodied, sweet and fleshy palate that's quite rich and extracted, concluding with a saline finish. It's a blend of 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 2025 - 2035

A high percentage (75%) of new wood has given this wine a very fine polished character. Along with the structure, it has brought out impressive aromas of black fruits, cinnamon spice and power. The wine is has a fresh black-fruit aftertaste.

Offering up aromas of cassis, minty blackberries, lilac and pencil shavings, the 2021 Haut-Batailley is medium to full-bodied, supple and polished, with a succulent core of fruit and delicately chalky tannins. For many years, significant parts of this property were left unplanted, but as of 2022, all 41 hectares are now under vine; so, there'll be more of this Pauillac—with its new, more modern style—to go around. Drink Date: 2025 - 2041

The 2021 Giscours has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries and licorice mingled with hints of violet and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and suave, it's seamless and enveloping, with good depth at the core, beautifully polished tannins and a long, perfumed finish. This is one of the real successes of the vintage. As readers may remember, it's a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Drink 2027-2045.

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

92 points James Suckling:
Outer quote mark This has aromas of blackberries, porcini mushrooms, tobacco and charred bark. It’s medium-bodied with fine, supple tannins. Savoury, with plenty of earth and mineral character. Fresh finish. Inner quote mark

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!

1x Château Margaux 1987/1999/2011

The Year of the Rabbit set from Château Margaux is limited to 100 sets, with each set independently numbered. The set comprises three bottles of Margaux from the Year of the Rabbit, namely 2011, 1999 and 1987. The wines have been stored in the Château Margaux cellars before release. The year 2011 was one of the most intense vintages that the winery has ever produced, and the wine is finally starting to show its full potential now; 1999 is one of the château’s favorite vintage for serving its guests; whereas the charming character of Margaux’s 1987 continues to emanate despite the difficult weather of the year.

Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tightly knit, very subtle layers of minerals, floral notions and black and red berries, all framed by exquisitely ripe, silt-like tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with epic length and depth.

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. Drink 2026-2066

Composed of 56% Merlot, 37.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6.5% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Haut-Brion is deep garnet in color. The nose beings with simple licorice notes before slowly unfurling to deliver growing scents of creme de cassis, plum preserves, dark chocolate, and lilacs, followed by suggestions of crushed rocks, tar, black truffles and cardamom. The full-bodied palate is a tightly coiled spring, taut with black fruit preserves and earthy layers and framed by very firm, grainy tannins, delivering a burst of freshness to carry the long, long, long finish. This will need a good 7-10 more years to fully blossom, and it will be well worth the wait.

Lastly, the 2020 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is another legendary wine from this château that has been on an incredible run over the past decade. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot that was brought up all in new French oak, it has a saturated purple hue to go with an incredible, mineral-laced bouquet of crème de cassis, liquid violets, graphite, and tobacco leaf. More structured and concentrated than any of the Léovilles, this blockbuster, deep, concentrated, full-bodied Saint-Julien has off-the-charts purity, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. I wrote in my notes, "Like the 2010, only better." You won't find a more concentrated yet flawlessly balanced and elegant wine out there. It's going to need a decade of cellaring and will have 40, 50, if not 60 years of longevity.

Once again, this wine is of first-growth quality, not only from an intellectual perspective, but in its hedonistic characteristics. More open-knit inaccessible than the 1996, Ducru's 1995 exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color folowed by knock-out nose of blueberry and black raspberry/cassis fruit intertwined with minerals, flowers, and subtle toasty new oak. Like its younger sibling, the wine possesses a sweet, rich mid-palate (from extract and ripeness, not sugar), layers of flavors good delineation and grip, but generally unobtrusive tannin and acidity. It is a classic, compelling example of Ducru Beaucaillou that should not be missed. Drink 2003-2025.

Like Brane-Cantenac, Cantenac Brown is one of the big outperformers in Margaux this year. Is it better than the 2009? It is probably more a question of taste. The 2010 wine is characterised by ripe black fruits well woven together into a sweet oak framework. This is a classic ‘silky’ Margaux but with very present refreshing acidity. Good length. A really successful wine this and with Brane-Cantenac surely a must buy in this vintage.

This is really excellent with creamy tannins and a lovely berry, currant and blueberry character. Full and luscious for the vintage. Superb. Second wine of Ausone.

Amazing aromas here with tobacco, crushed stone, cigar box, currants, tar, and lead pencil, as well as spices, iron, and dried ginger. Medium- to full-bodied, with a density and tightness. Very compact and complex. Racy. Delicacy with strength. Orange peel undertones. A wine to contemplate. You must understand it to understand the great Lafites of the past and those of the future. Only 12.8% alcohol. 92% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot and 1% petit verdot.

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.

Forest leaf, cigar box, herbs, flowers, cherry pipe tobacco, forest scents and spice nuances start off the perfume. On the palate, the wine is juicy, silky, fresh and vibrant, with layers of fresh, sweet, vibrant, polished red fruits that linger. Elegance is the keyword here. This is probably the finest vintage of Le Clarence de Haut Brion ever produced. It is a great example of a baby Haut Brion.

The 2020 Pichon-Longueville Baron is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot aging for an estimated 18 months in French oak barrels, 70% new. The production of the grand vin represents 48% of the harvest this year. Opaque purple-black in colour, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notions of blackberry pie, preserved plums and crème de cassis, plus suggestions of Chinese five spice, chocolate mint, graphite and cedar chest with a touch of violets. The medium-bodied palate is built like a brick house, featuring firm, ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the taut, muscular black fruits, finishing long and spicy.

Red pit fruits, flowers, cedar, and plums with a touch of tobacco leaf create the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, vibrant, soft, and energetic on the palate, with an air of elegance, refinement, and silky textures, which feel great on the mid-palate and in the finish. This is the debut vintage produced in their new cellars, which helped shape the wine, allowing the team to vinify for the first time on a parcel-by parcel basis.

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.

This wine has a tightly-knit tannic texture and a beautiful, long,aromatic aftertaste. It is fruity, spicy and oaky (the oakiness is normal at this early stage).2012 Quintus starts out quite smooth on the palate, going on to showripe fruit and a freshness that might be referred to as mineral which is very typical of the terroir.

Chateau Cos-d'Estournel is a second growth in the Saint Estephe appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux. The Chateau covers 69ha separated from first growth Chateau Lafite along the southern edge, by the stream between St. Estephe and Pauillac. This red blend is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot that is multi-faceted, delivering aromas of cinnamon, truffle, coffee and wild plums with a deep core of velvety tannins, full bodied and fantastic structure. Drink from 2027-2049.

Winemaker Notes
A creamy attack, buttery and spicy, characteristic of Pagodes de Cos precedes elegantly balanced aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry,blackberry, violet, bergamot and black tea. The 2019 vintage also presents velvety tannins and a very long finish with a magnificent,refreshing touch of salinity. Incredibly dense and elegant, Pagodes de Cos 2019 is a wine with instantaneous powers of seduction.
Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot

Chateau Montrose is a 2nd growth in the Saint Estephe appellation of the left bank of Bordeaux. The location itself is exceptional, facing the Gironde Estuary which means the 95ha vineyard benefits from the moderating influence of this body of water during hot summers and harsh winters. This red blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and scored over 95 by many of the critics. All typical Medoc aromas and flavours of blackcurrant, licorice, pencil lead, crushed stones, warm spices and violets. Balanced and impressive, give this a decade before opening and age for the next 30+ years.

Benefiting from the same care as Château de Camensac, it is blended from carefully selected batches, specifically for the second wine, in accordance with its identity. Soft tannins, ripe fruit, elegance, and always excellent value! Château de Camensac's second wine is predominantly Merlot, subtly complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon.

The fruit is highlighted and offers an elegant aromatic palette.When young, the wine develops a crisp density that becomes patinated with a beautiful complexity as the years pass.

Without a doubt, Chateau Troplong Mondot has one of the most enviable and unique terroirs on the St. Emilion appellation on Bordeaux's Right Bank. Specifically located on the highest point of Saint-Emilion's famous limestone plateau, the 43ha estate has ideal soils and exposure. The resulting wines combine strength and elegance, complexity and precision. This 2014 Bordeaux red blend consisting of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc The wine has a rich fruit basket of blackcurrants, blackberries and raspberries accompanied by graphite, espresso and earth. The palate is fresh and precise that is rich, classy and elegant. Drinking well now, but certainly has 20 years of life left in it!

"The 2016 Durfort-Vivens is gorgeous. Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and structure play off the natural intensity of the year beautifully. Blackberry, grilled herbs, licorice, leather and crème de cassis are all vividly sketched in this layered, expressive Margaux. (AG) " --- Vinous (1/2019)

96 points - James Suckling

91 points -Jeb Dunnuck "The outstanding 2016 Château Marquis de Terme is an attractive, elegant wine that has classic Margaux character. Black cherry and blackberry fruits, hints of graphite and smoke earth, and plenty of tobacco leaf all emerge from this medium-bodied effort, which has some firm tannins and a great finish. Give bottles 3-4 years to let these tannins chill out, and it should drink beautifully for 15+ years. " (2/2019)

Lush, round, medium bodied and packed with fresh, ripe red fruits, licorice, earth and mocha, the wine is forward, elegant and supple textured in the fruit filled finish. ---The Wine Cellar Insider:

94 points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate" Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it absolutely sings of red roses, black tea and tilled black soil with a core of crushed blackberries, Morello cherries and cassis plus a hint of cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers a great intensity of ripe black berries and floral layers, framed by soft, silken tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. (LPB)" (11/2018)

94 points - James Suckling

93 points - Wine Enthusiast

The nose displays plenty of menthol, blackberry and blackcurrant aromas. On palate, this medium-bodied wine is fresh and ripe with a long, clean, mineral and herbal finish. An incredibly food-flexible wine!

"Wet earth and sliced, fresh mushrooms. Menthol. Dark berries, such as blackberries and blueberries. Full-bodied, dense and whole, but you don't feel the tannins, even though it is so powerful and structured. Detailed and defined. Cashmere. Wonderful finish. Glorious young Cheval. Try after 2025, but so wonderful already. " -James Suckling (2/2019)

100 points - Robert Parker

99 points - James Suckling

98 points - Decanter

The second label of First growth Chateau Latour is just as impressive as its big brother, and at 12 years old, if there is more than one bottle in the cellar, time to see how it's evolving. Not an epic vintage, but well made, nonetheless. The tannins are fresh, there is good weight in the mouth and the typical flavours of cassis, cedar and graphite are here in this iconic Pauillac.

Éphémère de Grenet (Malbec) is a single-varietal Malbec wine produced by Domaine Chibaou in Bordeaux, France. It is known for its deep color, intense black fruit aromas, and rich, concentrated flavor with firm tannins. The wine is described as powerful yet balanced, with a good length and a potential for aging.