Search results for: 'mostly a one plot'

96 Points! The tension here comes from chalky tannins and lovely tobacco, herbs, cedar and cigar-box character. Currants and blue fruits. It's medium-bodied with lovely fruit and light-citrus bitterness. Firm and intense with an excellent finish. One of the best Duharts I have tasted. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The 2022 Château Duhart-Milon is all finesse and elegance, offering cassis, black raspberry, spring flowers, spicy wood, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied, it’s incredibly pure, layered, and seamless, with utter class from start to finish. You can safely drink bottles anytime over the coming 30 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Beau-Sejour Becot is a dense, powerful wine. A rush of black cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, licorice, spice and sweet oak builds as this towering, vertically explosive Saint-Émilion opens in the glass. This is an especially broad, expansive Saint-Émilion, much of that attributable to the clay in these soils. The 2020 is magnificent in its intensity and overall volume. Superb. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media Learn More

94 Points! There's also a village red from Labastida, of which I tasted two vintages. The 2021 Viñedos en Labastida is a blend of different plots with some 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 5% white grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts and some whole clusters in search of balance and elegance. The wine matured in 500- and 600-liter oak foudres in their cold cave. This was my favorite of the village reds, with a perfumed and elegant nose, complex, deep and nuanced. It's serious, harmonious and with very fine tannins. It has medium ripeness and good balance. 3,600 bottles were filled in September 2022. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2019 La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou is matured for 12 months in 60% new oak. Interestingly, that Earl Grey tincture continues to define this very classically styled wine, enhancing the black fruit. Hints of ash emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and plenty of graphite-infused black fruit that render this quite Pauillac in style. Impressively persistent on the tobacco-tinged finish. Leave this for 4–5 years in bottle just to smooth its edges. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

96 Points! Fantastic aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, licorice and walnuts. So St.-Julien. Full-bodied with a solid core of fruit and chewy tannins that are really long and serious. Like the 1995 Ducru! One for the cellar. Needs at least until after 2028. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

95 Points! Where you can drink Le Petit Ducru relatively soon, with La Croix you need to wait a few years for the structure to soften. The tannins are silky, the black fruits drenched in espresso, liquorice root spice and smoked oak. An extremely successful La Croix, sexy and powerful while still elegant and sculpted. Give it five or six years from now, and expect a drinking window of at least 15 years. Almost entirely from specific plots within the Ducru vineyard, plus a few young vines of the Grand Vin. 60% new oak.- Jane Anson

94 Points – Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
"This has the intensity and the structure of the vintage, matched by a ton of juice and black fruits, orange peel, black chocolate, slate, crayon. Great potential, if lacking a little in the real luscious tannic quality that you get in Pomerol in the best vintages. Vignobles K, JC Meyrou director. Harvest September 4 to 17. 27 hl/ha yield. 3.51 pH. 100% new oak."

92–94 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
"The 2025 Enclos Tourmaline is a selection of the best plots the Kwok family owns in Pomerol. Dark and ample, with tremendous power, the 2025 captures all the natural richness of the year and also remains remarkably balanced. Dark-toned fruit, espresso, chocolate, new leather and licorice build nicely. Enclos Tourmaline is fermented in barrel, an approach that works quite well here."

95 Points! Such an elegant wine for this Grand Cru that tends towards aromatic richness, the pineapple and basil notes very delicate on the nose. On the medium-to full-bodied palate there’s more succulence, but even there the crushed-stone minerality keeps everything very cool and straight. Very long, focused finish with so great vitality and very fine tannins. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Opaque violet color. A highly perfumed and finely detailed bouquet evokes fresh red and blue fruits, exotic spices, vanilla, smoked meat and candied flowers, along with smoky mineral and botanical herb notes that build steadily with air. Stains the palate with vibrant black raspberry, cherry preserve, boysenberry, licorice and violet pastille flavors that convey a suave blend of depth and elegance. Fine-grained, polished tannins frame a strikingly long, finely detailed finish that strongly echoes the floral and mineral notes. All de-stemmed fruit; fermented in large, new oak casks and then raised in used barriques. - Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2023 Bolgheri Rosso highlights the importance of the Cabernet Franc in the blend. In the glass, it displays a purple/red color and is highly expressive with wonderful energy on the nose. Fermented in stainless steel tank, and then in used barrels (3 to 4 years old), the nose reveals lively aromas of currants, graphite, black raspberries, sweet herbs, and floral perfume. The palate is full-bodied, with a refreshing, compact, and angular structure, well-defined tannins, an even spine of acidity, and notes of dusty earth through the finish. An overachiever with exceptional purity, this is an early contender for top lists of the year. Bravo. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! Based on 100% Chardonnay and aged six months in stainless steel vats, the 2024 Chardonnay has a medium to light gold hue and offers exotic citrus, minty herbs, and subtle tropical flower notes that all define this clean, crisp, remarkably pure Chardonnay. It puts on weight and richness with time in the glass and is a terrific mix of both richness and freshness. This is a no-brainer purchase for those who love Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, and I love its purity. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! This white’s sleek mix of ripe pear, ginger and pomelo flavors show striking restraint, coiled around a mouthwatering thread of acidity. Details of lime zest, white peppercorn and dried tarragon linger, along with a whiff of sea spray. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! This has a succulent texture, remaining pure and long throughout. Salinity, minerals and springtime blossoms stay taut alongside lemons and crunchy orchard fruit with a lingering kick of tactile melon pith. - JamesSuckling.com

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

97-98 Points! This is always an idiosyncratic wine. This year it’s stunning, with a unique floral aspect and excellent depth of pure blue fruit, mulberries, dried herbs and white pepper. So juicy and mouthwatering on the palate, with a medium to full body and fine tannins. There is a crystalized mouthfeel, but the tannins are fresh and well knit. This is already delicious, which indicates its superb balance. 48% cabernet franc, 29% cabernet sauvignon and 23% merlot. - Zekun Shuai, James Suckling

95-97 Points! Seamless and silky in the glass, with superb balance, the 2024 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the wines of the vintage. All the elements are so well balanced, always a sign of a superior vintage at this address. Floral notes, spice, leather and mocha run through a core of layered, beautifully persistent dark red fruit. Harvest took place between September 17 and 25, during one of the rare windows with little rain. As always, Les Carmes is done with a high percentage of stems (52%), specifically 100% for the Cabernet Franc, 50% for the Merlot and 20% for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging 70% new oak barrels,19% 18HL foudre and 11% amphora. New oak is already very nicely integrated, another sign of a superb vintage. The 2024 is a brilliant effort by the team led by Technical Director Olivier Pouthier. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94-97 Points! The 2024 Château Carmes Haut-Brion comes from 7.8 hectares of vines in the heart of Pessac and is 48% Cabernet Franc, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance 23% Merlot that was vinified with 52% whole clusters and will spend two years in 70% new barrels as well as smaller portions in vats and amphora. It's one of the darker-hued wines in the vintage and has a terrific nose of ripe black fruits, smoky earth, violets, crushed stone, and hints of lead pencil. It's medium to full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, and a great finish. I think it's clearly one of the top wines in the vintage. - Jeb Dunnuck

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

97 Points! Looking at the Grand Vin 2022 Château Laroque, it checks in as 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc raised in 60% new oak with a mix in larger formats, as well as a portion in foudre. Gorgeous black raspberries, spring flowers, graphite, and truffly mineral and crushed stone-like nuances all shine in this stunningly complex, medium to full-bodied effort. With ripe, polished tannins, perfectly integrated acidity, and ultra-fine tannins, it's going to drink well for at least 30 years. The alcohol here is a healthy 14.7 with a pH of 3.4. This is an absolutely gorgeous wine! Buy a case for your cellar. You can thank me later. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Superb quality delivering grip and lift, with the fleshy black fruits underpinned by steel, crushed slate and softer crayon. Well defined black fruits, mouthwatering, vivid, energetic, one to look out for. 3.55ph reductive ageing on fine lees, 1st racking after 6 months, harvest September 14 to 30, Vineyard located on the limestone plateau and slopes at one of highest points of St Emilion in St Christophe des Bardes, owned by the Beaumartin family, David Suire director. - Jane Anson

97 Points! A pure and focussed nose full of ripe but cool black fruit with soft hints of violets and vanilla. This delighted during Primeurs and it's turned out excellently in bottle. Juicy, clean and crystalline with a perfect balance of fruit, tannins and acidity with plenty of underling power but delivered so elegantly. Great harmony and drinkability on offer. Ends salty with graphite and slate really putting the limestone terroir into the glass. Delicious. Another excellent bottle from this rising start estate under the helm of David Suire. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter Magazine

95 Points! The 2022 Laroque has turned out very well indeed in bottle, offering up aromas of cassis, plums, pencil shavings and violets, followed by a medium to full-bodied, suave and vibrant palate that's pure, concentrated and penetrating. Harmonious and integrated, this limestone terroir's identity really shines through. - William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

95 Points! The 2022 Laroque is even better from bottle than it was en primeur. Dark, rich and enveloping, the 2022 is seriously impressive. Black cherry, leather, licorice, dried herbs and mocha race across the palate. The possesses superb depth and nuance while capturing all of the richness of the year. Laroque is very clearly one of the sleepers of the year. Superb. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! This is very structured and intense with blackberries, currants, walnuts and chocolate. Fresh tobacco as well. Full-bodied, it has lovely fruit and a flavorful finish. A succulent and juicy red. One of the best ever from here. Leave it alone for two or three years. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Inky black and blue fruit, crushed stone, graphite, and smoky tobacco notes all emerge from the 2022 Château Du Tertre, a rich, powerful wine from this château that has medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, velvety yet building tannins, and a great finish. Based on 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, and the balanced Petit Verdot, it spent 18 months in 60% new barrels. Give bottles 4-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2022 du Tertre has realized the potential it showed from barrel, offering up complex aromas of cassis, plums, pencil shavings and violets, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety palate that's rich and textural, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, delicately minty finish. It's an unusual blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, which no doubt contributes to its singular style. - William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

94 Points! The 2021 Petite Sirah checks in as 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Syrah, aged the normal 22 months in 60% new 300-liter barrels. It's a gorgeous expression of the variety with loads of jammy blue fruits, flowery incense, spice, and underbrush notes as well as a full-bodied, deep, richly textured, layered style on the palate. I’d be thrilled to drink a bottle any time over the coming decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! A sleek, elegant red, silky in texture and linear in profile. Rose, macerated cherry, strawberry, mineral and spice flavors abound, while a line of energetic tannins shows up on the long finish. This wine's purity and structure show the potential of the vintage. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! Pretty nose of dried red flower and herb, then to a palate of dried raspberry, tar and fine grained tannins. - Decanter World Wine Awards

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

94 Points! Made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc aged 25% new oak, the 2022 Château Cote De Baleau has a deep ruby/purple hue as well as a brilliant nose of smoky red and black fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and crushed stone. I love its overall purity, and it's medium to full-bodied and has a silky, elegant mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and a great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Super perfumed on the nose. Sharp, just shy of sour blackcurrant and black cherry on the nose and palate, vibrant. Lovely crushed stone and powdery texture to the tannins - they're prominent giving some tightness on the mid palate with a liquorice and dark chocolate edge to the frame towards the finish. Serious but well worked, lean but detailed, just a bit tense right now though does feel sculpted with a cool minty freshness on the finish. Tasted twice and kept the higher score. Rolland & Associés consultants. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

93 Points! Very elegant with blackberries, black olives, spice and a hint of cedar on both the nose and palate. It's medium-bodied with well-integrated tannins that provide both length and beauty. Hard not to drink now. A blend 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. - JamesSuckling.com

92-94 Points! The 2022 Côte de Baleau has a well-defined bouquet with black cherries, bilberry and floral scents, quite complex and focused. The oak is nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with more pliant tannins than many of its peers, lending it a rounded texture, beautifully balanced with a minerally finish. This represents a big step up from the 2021. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93 Points! The 2022 Côte de Baleau is quite racy and extroverted in this vintage, as one might expect. Bright red-toned fruit, chalk, mint and white pepper lend notable brilliance to this mid-weight Saint-Émilion. Côte de Baleau is usually pretty forthcoming. The 2022 might need some time to come together. Drinking window : 2025-2037 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2021 Pagani Ranch is a beautiful, expressive wine from one of Sonoma Valley's great sites. Rich, pliant and explosive, the 2021 possesses captivating inner perfume, vivid fruit and exceptional balance. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint, spice, mocha and a kiss of new oak all race across the palate. An alluring, captivating wine, the Pagani Ranch is total sensuality...Unfortunately, this is the last Pagani Ranch for Bedrock. - Antonio Galloni, Viunous Media

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

94 Points! Rich and intense nose, concentrated with dark bramble fruits. A shot of sharp intense strawberry and raspberry fruit hits the palate, super succulent and instantly mouthwatering, quite lean and linear though there is a nice expansion of fruit flavours while the tannins stay quite firm and straight. Touching on austere and severe but the softly plump juiciness keeps this enjoyable and there is layering of elements. Acidity is on the prominent side but this is quite captivating with crunchy, bright, just-ripe red fruits and chalky texture on the finish. Yield: 35 hl/ha. 30% new oak barrels. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

92 Points! A firm and tight red with blackberries, crushed stones, ink and iodine. Medium-bodied with medium tannins that are polished and very pretty. Refined and delicious. Always an excellent value. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2022 Château D'Aiguilhe brings more of everything, with a gorgeous nose of black raspberries, crushed stone, spring flowers, and violets that opens up beautifully with air. This carries to a medium to full-bodied effort delivering ripe, polished tannins, a seamless mouthfeel, and a great, great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

98 Points! The Grand Vin from this terrific Pomerol estate, the 2022 Château Clinet checks in as 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 19 months in 80% new barrels. It's a beautiful Pomerol that clearly ranks with the greats from this address, offering a vivid purple hue, classic notes of cassis, leather, graphite, and black cherries, full-bodied richness, and a layered, seamless mouthfeel. It's another remarkable 2022 that brings the richness and depth of the vintage while staying light on its feel and flawlessly balanced. It has plenty of upfront appeal even today, yet there's ample structure here as well, and it's going to evolve beautifully over the coming 30 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! Streamlined and sleek, silky smooth but also gorgeously textured, clean and clear with grip and interest. Less fleshy and chewy than some, more charming and elegant with tannins that have a weight in the mouth. There is clear power and concentration underneath the juicy acidity with a straight backbone and direct energy from start to finish. Appealing layers of salinity, blackcurrant fruit, creamy vanilla, cool cola touches and crushed stones on the finish. Feels well made and sophisticated. 3.74pH. A yield of 34hl/ha. Earliest harvest ever starting on 6 September for Merlot and 20 and 21 September for Cabernet Sauvignon. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

96 Points! The 2022 Clinet is terrific. Vibrant, aromatic and beautifully sculpted, Clinet is also a terrific example of the energy quality-minded winemakers were able to achieve in 2022. Crushed rose petals, spice, blood orange, mint and white pepper give Clinet a compelling upper register of presence in the bouquet. Wonderfully delineated, Clinet builds effortlessly into the mid-palate and finish, where a closing burst of red/purplish fruit framed by clean mineral notes leaves a lasting impression. This is stellar. Tasted two times. Drinking window : 2030-2052 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97 Points! Intense aromas of dark violets and blueberries as well as terra-cotta follow through to a full body, yet it’s tight and focused with beautifully framed fruit from polished tannins and a long and rather endless finish. A complete and fresh Pomerol in 2022. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Dark currants with blackberries and a touch of pencil shavings. Good perception of freshness despite the ripe black fruit. Tight, full-bodied and fine-grained on the palate. Long, structured and juicy. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Give it two or three more years. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Blackcurrants, smoky tobacco, crushed stone, and graphite emerge from the 2022 Echo De Lynch-Bages, ripe, concentrated, structured second wine. It has more than a small resemblance to the Grand Vin in a rounder, more mouth-filling style that will have two decades of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Blue fruits, subtle perfume, a juicy blackcurrant and stony minerality on the nose. Supple and juicy, a real sense of fun with detail to the fine tannins. Well balanced, gorgeous texture, depth and characterful. A great second wine still with terroir markers, a salty finish, chalky texture and grippy tannins. Still concentrated and serious, there’s an intensity to the fruit but really well delivered. Will be a beauty. 91 IPT. 3.69pH. Ageing 14 months, new and one year old oak barrels. 3.9 g/L total acidity. 91 IPT. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

97+ Points!  I loved the 2020 Château Pape Clément, and this beauty is up there with the top wines in Pessac. Checking in as equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged 18 months in 90% barrels and 10% in foudre, it offers a deep purple hue to go with a powerful, concentrated profile displaying both red and black fruits, lots of spicy, chocolate, flowery incense nuances, full-bodied richness, and an almost salty, bloody character on the finish. This beauty shows the concentrated yet utterly classic, focused, elegant style of the vintage and has so much to love. It's going to be even better with 4-6 years of bottle age and will see its 30th birthday in fine form. - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

98 Points!  Lots of blackberry, iodine and crushed stone here. Some black pepper and graphite, too. Full body and medium, fine tannins that have a powdery texture and open in the mouth. So much going on. Iodine and iron undertones with some raw mushroom bring you back for more. Muscular. This is for the cellar. Drink after 2027. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com