The Chateau Malescot St. Exupery is a 3rd growth of Margaux that sits right next to Chateau Margaux- one of the 5-first growths of Bordeaux. This exceptional terroir goes all the way back to 1697 when it was owned by the Escousses family. In the 1800's the property was handed to Jean-Baptiste Saint-Exupery enriching the name of the Chateau with HIS name. By June, 1955 the estate had only 7 ha of vines and the Zuger family began to restore the grounds and the castle. 30ha of the property are dedicated to the vines where the varieties of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot are grown. This is one of the most well-priced wines of Bordeaux and always well regarded, garnering high scores from critics. The 2016 vintage is comprised of 55% cabernet, 37% merlot and the 8% balance is cabernet franc and petit verdot. The wine scored high with typical notes of black currant, cedar, earth, tobacco and mocha around a backbone of fine tannins, and fresh acidity with a lengthy finish and great depth of character. Drink now to 2036

Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon Product Description:
"Château Pavie Macquin owes its name to the grand-father of the current owners Albert Macquin (1852-1911), who used plant grafting as a way to save the Saint-Emilion vineyard, destroyed by phylloxera. The vineyard of Pavie Macquin, a family property of fifteen hectares, is located on the top of the Saint-Emilion plateau.
The clay and limestone soil, on a chalk/an asteriated limestone bedrock, allows a natural draining and an exceptionally continuous water supply. Strong clays result in fleshy, generous and powerful wines. The winemaker has to tame the natural power of the terroir in order to make this exceptional graceful wine." - Winery
Tasting notes:
Nose:violet, rose, truffle, earth, coffee, leather, tobacco, broccoli, berry, flower, currant, blackberry, cherry, cedar and cigar box
Taste:currant, black cherry, plum, bell pepper, olive, oak, smoke, toast, tar, tobacco, raspberry, cassis, violet, pepper, green bean, blackberry, cherry, asparagus, spice, ginger and vanilla

The jury is out on this wine from St. Emilion, whether to drink or hold. If you're looking for a Merlot dominant wine, look no further than this blend of 90% with added 10% Cabernet France for structure and concentration. As one would expect, it's soft and fleshy with plum and blackberry fruits, laced with clove, walnut, and black tea. This will still evolve over time but can be enjoyed now.

A testament to its prestigious terroir, Chateau Pontet Canet 2019 offers aromatic intensity featuring truffle, plum, and subtle oak nuances —an exceptional wine that captures the soul of its vineyard with every sip.

The wine presents a red color with intense ruby highlights. On the nose, it is generous and balanced, offering slight tobacco aromas alongside blackcurrant, blackberry, and blueberry notes, complemented by hints of spice, vanilla, white pepper, and grilled nuts. The palate is elegant and rich, with generous black fruit hints, slight mocha and oak notes, silky tannins, and a round, structured body, providing good intensity and a long finish.

The palate is soft and seductive, with integrated, ripe tannins subsumed by fleshy black fruit. Oily black cherries with a long, fruit-laden finish, this will be approachable and moreish from the outset. Gorgeous aromas of currants, crushed stones, blackberries and flowers.

For the past 150 years Louis Jadot has continued as one of the great names of Burgundy and has gained international reputation for its superb red and white Burgundy wines. Louis Jadot is not only one of the largest producers of estate Burgundies of the Cote d'Or, it is one of the most celebrated exporters of premium Burgundies, owning close to 140 acres of vineyards from 24 of the most prestigious sites in Burgundy.Les Couchereaux vineyard is situated on top of the slope, in the middle of the commune and has a southern exposure of well drained soils. The resulting 100% pinot noir shows ripe fruits of raspberry and cherry, with hints of spice and smoky character. Dense and structured it is rich and warm.

Winemaker Notes Blend: 60% Cabernet, 32% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot

93 Points-James Suckling" The cassis, dried-cranberry and herbal nose has some real complexity. Very expressive on the palate with great balance of crisp acidity, tannins and lively fruit. A joyful wine!"

91 Points-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Chateau du Tertre is a 5th growth in the 1855 Classification, located in the Margaux appellation on the left bank of Bordeaux. The chateau itself is 1000 years old, stretching over 52ha. In 1961, the estate was acquired by Phillipe Gasqueton who restored the vineyards and chateau after WWII. After his death in 1995, his widow sold the property to the neighbouring owners of Chateau Giscours, a 3rd Growth. In 1997, the estate was restructured and redesigned by the current Dutch owners of Albada-Jelgersma. The 2014 is a red blend with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. The Petit Verdot provides a tannic, structured lift to frame the raspberry, baked cherries, potpourri and forest floor aromas. Excellent ageing potential here, drink from 2024-2040.

Chateau Giscours is a famous third growth located in the Margaux appellation of the left bank of Bordeaux. Documents indicate that the estate has been around since 1330. After World War II, it was purchased by Nicolas Tari who set about mondernizing the estate. Here there are 83ha of vineyards that make four labels, including a rose. The 2019 is made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, this a serious wine with high intensity aromas of spicy cumin and cloves, black cherry and blackcurrant with a full bodied palate that is layered and concentrated, bright acidity and a great. long finish. Hold for the next couple of years, and age for the enxt 10+ years.

A blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, this wine was matured in traditional concrete vats for eight months. Expect a fruit-forward glassful of black cherries and mulberries and pour alongside chicken thighs with mushrooms and bacon.

Jane Anson 96 Points for Inside Bordeaux: "The 2016 Fleur Cardinale is a muscular, beautiful and profound wine full of olive tapendade, tar, smoked earth, and tons of liquorice, bitter chocolate shavings, cassis and blueberry fruits. Things close in to a slate textured finish that gives balance and makes your mouth water, and as things open you get clearer peony floral aromatics curling out of the glass. This was the point at which the Decoster family were really making me sit up and take notice of what was happening at Fleur Cardinale, and it is starting to sing as five years old." (11/2021)

Reflecting centuries of winemaking mastery, Domaine De Chevalier 2019 offers silky tannins interwoven with flavors of blackberry, tobacco, and graphite —an exceptional wine that captures the soul of its vineyard with every sip.

Crafted to mature gracefully over the years, the Ladoix 1er Cru Les Joyeuses undergoes a meticulous aging process of 15 months in 40% new wood casks, specifically 228-liter Burgundian tuns. This wine delights the palate with its gourmet and fruity profile, offering a nose redolent of raspberry, cherry, and subtle hints of clove. The mouthfeel is silky, round, and utterly delightful, reflecting the delicacy and sensuality characteristic of this premier cru. Pair it with a range of dishes, including raw ham and game bird terrine, rabbit casserole, pigeon casserole, pheasant with figs, as well as Vacherin, Reblochon, and Cîteaux cheeses for a truly harmonious culinary experience.

Gigondas legend Louis Barruol purchases grapes from the Gard to produce this 100% Syrah Côtes-du-Rhône bottling. Plump and generous in mouthfeel, it's an undeniably southern, sun-drenched expression of Syrah but with a cutting mineral freshness and salty tang on the finish. Soft tannins and hints of bramble and cut stone rim flavors of rich, ruddy black-cherry and plum preserves. Best enjoyed young.

The 2001 Léoville Las Cases is a vintage I’ve encountered many times. Now at two decades old, it has a generous nose with those black plums still in situ, along with graphite and cedar; this bottle is a little more backward, probably due to the provenance. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, white pepper and sage and fine grip. Though it’s not as precise or chiseled as recent vintages, there is admirable complexity on the lightly peppered, tobacco- and rooibos-tinged finish. Excellent. 2021 - 2050

Reserve de la Comtesse is the second label of the Chateau Pichon Longueville, a 2nd growth of Pauillac in the 1855 Classification. From the suprisingly quality vintage of 2014, this wine is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot. With clear ageing potential (due to the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon) there is a deep core of plum, cassis, raspberry and cedar notes with a lush, concentrated and structured palate. Although this is in a good place for drinking now, it can be aged further.

The history of Chateau Duhart-Milon is not as well known as it should be. In the 18th century the wines of Milon became the "second" wine for Chateau Lafite. The 1855 classification awarded Duhart-Milon the only 4th growth in Pauillac, recognizing it for the quality of its soil. Sometime between 1830-1840 35 acres was left to the Casteja family who subsequently possessed a 99acre vinyard name Duhart-Milon. Over the years the property changed hands many times and suffered a decline in the quality of the wines. The property was acquired in 1962 by the Rothschild family who totally overhauled the vineyards and brought back the quality of the wine as a 4th growth. The 2019 Duhart-Milon is a red Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with an up front fruity nose of black currant and blackberry, along with typical Pauillac nuances of pencil shavings, forest floor and cedar. Round, layered and creamy through the palate this wine has excellent potential for great ageing Drink from 2025-2045.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac) – there’s no denying that no matter what vintage, the name of Rothschild will carry the weight and cachet for selling itself, not to mention scoring very high. Cassis, raspberry coulis, and blackberry dominate on a palate of crisp tannins, enormous structure and concentration. Always give this time to age to allow the wine to come into itself. Drink from 2027- 2045. 

Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux)- Lovely, fragrant and elegant, this classy wine is well- defined with aromas of blackberry, cedar and tobacco with a palate of good structure and concentration, streamlined acidity, and velvety texture in this classic Margaux. Drink from 2025-2035.

"The 2016 Prieure-Lichine has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and a bold, intensely scented nose of warm blackcurrants, black raspberries and mulberries with hints of cedar chest, tobacco, dried herbs and iron ore. Medium-bodied, the palate has bags of class with lovely, vibrant black berries flavors and earthy sparks framed by ripe grainy tannins, finishing long and refreshing. (LPB)" (3/2019) -92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

94 points - Wine Enthusiast

93 points - James Suckling

" I loved the 2016 Château d'Issan and this is a certainly a wine to seek out. Made from a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot from yields of 55 hectoliters per hectare, aged 18 months in 50% new oak, it has a beautiful perfume of blue fruits (cassis, blueberries, etc.) as well as hints of graphite, subtle oak, and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, with integrated acidity, a terrific mid-palate, and perfect balance, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age and is going to cruise in good cellars for 20-25 years or more. It's a beautiful, elegant, seamless wine that's very much in the style of the vintage." -Jeb Dunnuck (2/2019)

97 points - Decanter

The 2016 Château Duhart-Milon is a highly-rated, elegant 4th Growth Pauillac blend (typically ~67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot) featuring a deep, dark ruby color. It offers intense aromas of blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco, and violets. On the palate, it is medium-bodied with silky, well-integrated tannins, excellent freshness, and a long, savoury finish. 

94 points- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate" Blended of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Clos du Marquis has a very deep garnet-purple color and is a little broody to begin, giving way to notes of crushed blackcurrants and black cherries with touches of warm plums, pencil shavings, earth and new leather with a waft of yeast extract. Medium-bodied with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins, it has bold fruit matched by freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. (LPB)" (11/2018)

95 points - Jeb Dunnuck

Not always a first growth, Chateau Mouton, owned Baron Philippe Rothschild was originally a 2nd growth in the original 1855 classification, but after a 20 year battle was elevated to a first growth in 1973, now in the elite five first growths. In 1988, Baron Philippe's daughter took over the Chateau. During her time as CEO, she brilliantly enhanced and modernized Chateau Mouton. Her three children now are co-owners and united in the same ambition to carry on the work of their mother and grandfather. The Chateau spans 90ha in the Pauillac appellation on the left bank of Bordeaux. A red blend made with 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot which offers an intense, expressive wine with aromas of blackberry, cassis, pencil shavings, cedar and mint. The palate has fine tannins with a rich, medium to full bodied wine. The finish is extremely lengthy. Always scoring very high, put this away for a few years. Best from 2025-2040.

Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
Drinking Window: 2033–2066

A cerebral, elegant Lafite in a throwback style, this 2024 vintage showcases red fruit, graphite, and cedar with a Burgundian finesse. Nuanced, refined and deeply expressive, it possesses freshness, poise, and incredible length on the finish.

97 Points - Vinous
"According to Technical Director Eric Kohler, the 2024 Lafite-Rothschild was picked from September 23 to October 7 and underwent a short vinification—less than three weeks—plus a gentle extraction. The blend includes 16% vin de presse. It has an understated and typical Lafite nose with crushed stone infusing the black fruit, black olive tapenade and marine scents. It comes across as statesmanlike, which is just how you want your First Growth, even in a tricky vintage like this. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh saline notes on the entry. Tensile from the start, this has very impressive focus and is a tad more peppery than previous vintages. This is an assured Lafite-Rothschild with a very seaweed/Japanese wakame-tinged finish. Very promising and one of the very few "cerebral" Left Bank wines in 2024."

The color is concentrated, intense. Aromas of fresh black currant, sweet and ripe, bring great intensity to the wine's fruity youthfulness. Careful barrel aging shows well. This 2010 vintage is fresh and powerful on the palate, with an evolution focusing on tight and firm tannins. The mid-palate is very fleshy, finishing on a slightly dry note produced by the wine's youth and the harvest's maturity. This wine has great power with very good aromatic length. Grapes harvested at full ripeness give fruity retro-olfactive aromas which fully express the potential of Pavie's terroir. Wait at least another five to 10 years, and this wine will make a memorable meal all the more special.

An exceptional wine, the ideal balance between freshness and power, fleshy structure and supple tannins.The nose is slightly smoky, with black fruits, periwinkles and wild blackberries enhanced by pepper and cinnamon. The palate is powerful and peppery, with a full, round palate and a tangy finish that brings finesse and lightness.

Bright golden appearance shot through with amber highlights. A delightfully refined Rivesaltes with a classy bouquet of soft caramel, stewed apples, pears, nuts and an overriding impression of completeness. Round and elegant on the palate, with a Margaux like understated sophistication. Unmistakeable rancio characters help to place this in a blind tasting, but this is preceeded by impressions of butterscotch, walnut fudge, soft brown sugar and a little treacle. Very gentle on the long length with a pleasing warmth that lingers long after the wine has disappeared.

The story of Maison Jadot began with vines and the purchase of a Premier Cru site in 1826. Three decades later in 1859 the family-owned domaine was completed. Louis Jadot also became contributed to the renown of Burgundy by becoming the first negociant, with a focus on selling these unprecedented wines in the Northern European markets with his descendants following in his footsteps.

The Les Boucherottes vineyard covers 8.5ha and has a deep clay soil that adds a lush quality to the the wines. As such, this is a full-bodied aromatic Pinot Noir that is plump and round with a dense structure. The aromas of raspberry and plum mingle with rosehip, raw cocoa and spice. It is a classic expression of the Louis Jadot style, which emphasizes balance, elegance, and terroir-driven wines.

Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere is a Premier Grand Cru Classe, located in the St. Emilion appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux. Owned by the von Neipperg family, there are links to viticulture here since the 13th century. Canon -la-Gaffeliere is one of only two Bordeaux properties that is Certified Organic. The 2014 is a red blend of 55% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of preserved blackberry, fig and black currant. The palate is medium-bodied with good structure and a spicy finish.

Margaux shows us the elegance and feminine side of Bordeaux. This second label of Chateau Brane Cantenac, a Second Growth of Bordeaux is a blend of 65% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Already silky and very promising, it expresses black fruit aromas of blackberry and fleshy cherry mixed with elegant toast, smoke, and vanilla. The tannins are refined and balanced and is absolutely in the drink window.

94 points-Vinous "Another sleeper from Saint-Estèphe, the 2016 Phélan Ségur is super impressive. An enticing bouquet laced with crushed rocks, graphite, iron, smoke, lavender, mint and inky blue/purplish fruit makes a strong opening statement. A wine of power, resonance and gravitas, the 2016 Phélan is remarkably expressive and also full of potential. (AG)" (1/2019)

Beautiful ruby colour . Ripe and fairly intense bouquet of crunchy red fruit (cherry). Well-integrated oak flavours. Smooth on the palate, the wine reveals excellent fruits with plenty of rich tannin.

Medium-bodied, elegant and refined, with lovely, fresh, sweet, red fruits, silky tannins and floral aromatics. The wine is bright, refined and finesse driven. There is purity in the fruit, length and energy here.
The wine was made from blending 89% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14.5% alcohol and aging in 50% new French oak barrels

"Uplifting aroma of ripe blackberries and black plums, wrapped around by a layer of smoked bacon, sweet spices, cedar and forrest floor. Structured, dense and dry palate with most fruit elements hiding behind the big frame for now. Even at this young age, there is already some degree of balance between acidity and tannins after an hour in the decanter. Not ready to drink now, let it age for 3-5 years and this Margaux will develop gracefully for the next decade." - Wine Enthusiast

Château Haut Boutisse is a highly-regarded Saint-Émilion Grand Cru from Bordeaux, known for its rich, structured red wines dominated by Merlot, blended with Cabernet Franc/Sauvignon, offering complex notes of dark fruit, spice, earth, and oak, with deep tannins and elegant structure, grown on limestone/clay soils with mature vines, resulting in wines with excellent aging potential and complexity.

If you're looking for Beaujolais Cru, look no further. Of the 10 Cru, CLS has wines from seven. Rather than sourcing the grapes from all across the Beaujolais region, each individual Cru has their own terroir and soil structure; all made with 100% Gamay with the resulting wines unique and set-apart from each other. At the foot of the Côte du Py are the “Grand Cras” plots, a magnificent terroir composed of compacted sediments from the Côte du Py (a mixture of schist, metamorphic rock, and clay) and decomposing granite. This unique blend with the 75-year old vines produces wines with great character and complexity.
The Grand Cras is very complex and powerful. As it opens up, it presents notes of red fruit. The tannins are mature, leading into a velvety and persistent finish reminiscent of a Burgundian Pinot Noir.

Nose: Intense aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, and cherry, with hints of cedar, tobacco, and vanilla.

Taste: Rich and full-bodied, with flavors of ripe dark fruits, such as blackberry and plum, complemented by notes of spice, licorice, and dark chocolate.

Palate: Well-structured with velvety tannins, offering a smooth and elegant mouthfeel. The finish is long and lingering, leaving a pleasant aftertaste of black fruits and subtle oak.

Nose: Intense aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, and cherry, with hints of cedar, tobacco, and vanilla.

Taste: Rich and full-bodied, with flavors of ripe dark fruits, such as blackberry and plum, accompanied by notes of spice, licorice, and dark chocolate.

Palate: Well-structured with firm tannins, balanced acidity, and a long, lingering finish.