Search results for: 'paraje de compot'

91 Points! A bit of bottle maturation has steered this rich, yet lively Sauternes to a very appealing harmony. Plenty of candied-citrus and some cooked-pineapple character, well balanced by the crisp acidity, making this an ideal wine for blue cheese. Drink or hold. Second wine of Château Suduiraut. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! The Grand Vin 2018 Château Haut-Bailly checks in as 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It spent 18 months in 60% new French oak. This is a beautiful, classic expression of this terroir, and its dense purple hue is followed by gorgeous black cherry and cassis fruits interwoven with ample tobacco leaf, cedary herbs, earth, truffle, and floral nuances. While 2018 was a hot, dry year (at the end of the season anyway), this shows a mix of cooler-climate, vibrant aromatics paired with a rich, concentrated, fresh style on the palate. It has plenty of tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. A beautiful, elegant 2018, it's going to need 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for 3-4 decades. - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

99 Points!  Complex and expressive nose, offering red and dark fruit, spices and pepper with wood and mushroom undertones. Fresh mussel shell and a hint of ink, too. Full-bodied with a fine texture and great balance between the acidity and the controlled, tannic structure. Very long finish. Goes on and on. Tiny production, 21 hectoliters per hectare. Try after 2025. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com Learn More

91 Points! A juicy and berry-oriented Rioja with a stony edge to the black cherries and plums. Firm, bright and pretty succulent on the palate with medium body. Well-balanced even though it is not complex. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! Aromas of chalk, blackberries, dark chocolate and dark plums with a balsamic edge. Medium- to full-bodied with compact, tight-grained tannins. Structured and flavorful. - JamesSuckling.com

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

100 Points! The Grand Vin 2022 Château Margaux checks in as 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc that's pulled from just 40% of the total production. Brought up in new barrels, it has a terrific pH of 3.61, which is low for the vintage, and an alcohol of 14.3%, with the highest level of tannins since 2010. It brings another level of purity, elegance, and finesse, and it is just a sensational, legendary Margaux in the making. Crème de cassis blue fruits, spring flowers, lead pencil, and violets all define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with a layered, seamlessly textured, flawlessly balanced profile. While it shows the ripe, pure, already accessible style of the vintage, I wouldn't be surprised to see this close down over the coming 7-8 years, given its density and structure, and it's not going to hit its prime drinking window until 15-20 years after the vintage. It should be one of those wines that evolve gracefully over the following 50-75 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

100 Points! The 2022 Chateau Margaux represents 40% of the crop this year, slightly higher than recent years, picked between 8 and 27 September. As usual, the Grand Vin demands more time to unfold on the nose compared to the Pavillon. It unveils enticing scents of macerated black cherries, blueberry, violet and hints of orange blossom all delivered with impressive delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with sculpted tannins. A fine-boned and tensile Chateau Margaux that is quite a remarkable feat given the growing season. Silky smooth and almost creamy at first, toward the finish it reveals a slightly powdery texture, almost swaggering in style. Not a subtle or nuanced Chateau Margaux, rather, Philippe Bascaules has conjured a First Growth that is dressed to kill. 14.6% alcohol. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

100 Points! This is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little swirling before notes of blueberry compote, warm cassis, and fresh black cherries soar from the glass, followed by suggestions of candied violets, mint tea, anise, and iron ore with a touch of lavender. The full-bodied palate delivers wonderfully velvety tannins and a refreshing line to superbly frame the generous black fruit layers, finishing long and perfumed. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

99 Points! The 2022 Château Margaux is a total hedonistic turn-on. Soaring Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics are immediately arresting. A wine of depth and stature, Château Margaux is a total stunner in 2022. Dark-toned fruit, graphite, lavender, licorice and spice soar from the glass. There's gorgeous presence and mind-blowing balance to behold here. Château Margaux is always an aristocratic wine. In 2022, it is all that and more. Richness, power and finesse are rarely this profound. The team led by Technical Director Philippe Bascaules opted for shorter macerations than the norm (12-21 days as opposed to 15-28) as a precaution given the tiny size of the berries, which were about 35% smaller than in most years. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

99 Points! I have never encountered a wild Margaux like this. Cassis and blackcurrant aromas with hints of crushed stones and bitter chocolate. The palate is full-bodied but not heavy or ponderous. Really well-structured with fantastic fine tannins that tighten on the palate, giving this so much liveliness and length. Compacted and energetic at the end. 92% cabernet sauvignon and 6% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Exceptional. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! The NV Concordia, a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir with a dosage of six grams per liter, reveals a fruity, fresh bouquet with aromas of red berries, peony, spring flowers and orchard fruits. Moderately weighted and tense, it’s taut and incisive with elegant autolytic notes of honey and pastry. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

100 Points! The 2020 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse), made mostly by the team of Nicolas Thienpont (the final blend was put together by Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse), is another tour de force from this incredible terroir, and undeniably one of the wines of the vintage. Based on 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc brought up in 70% new French oak, it offers a sensationally pure bouquet of black raspberries, blueberries, scorched earth, graphite, and a dense, smoky, floral character that emerges with time in the glass. With a voluptuous, layered mouthfeel, gorgeous mid-palate depth, building tannins, and a liqueur of mineral-like character on the finish, it shows the density, purity, precision, and vibrancy of this vintage perfectly and displays that rare mix of richness, intensity, elegance, and length that are the hallmarks of a truly great wine. This is unquestionably in the ranks of the 2009, 2010, and 2016 and will evolve for 40 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

98 Points! Intense but delicate, really an exciting wine to taste where you feel the energy build through the palate. Unmistakable limestone influence with the floral aromatics, a jumble of peony, roses and violets, opening up to brambled raspberry and loganberry fruits, with fennel, oyster shell and slate. Huge ageing potential. Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Cabernet Franc in this blend, just one of the many ways in which it stands out from its peers even on the limestone plateau of St Emilion, its delicacy suggesting it is one of the most Burgundian of Bordeaux wines. This vintage was overseen during the growing season and vinification by the team under Nicolas Thienpont, but given its final blend and ageing by new co-owner Josephine Duffau-Lagarosse, along with Prisca Courtin-Clarins. - Jane Anson

92 Points! Aromas of ripe fruit with fresh herbs and green walnuts that follow through to a full body, round and velvety tannins and decadent fruit. Delicious finish. A fascinating wine now that has evolved beautifully. Drink now. - jamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A very mineral style full of chalk and lemon peel, coconut and butter. Fine bubbles with light to medium body, zesty acidity and slightly honeyed flavors. Tense, stony finish. Almost austere yet polished. Drinkable now but best in one or two years. - JamesSuckling.com

100 Points! Extremely aromatic with red currants, blackcurrants, spices, iodine, paprika and subtle hints of white pepper. Fresh flowers, fresh sage, lavender and some pine needles and sandalwood. Medium-bodied with perfectly integrated tannins that go on for minutes with refined and harmonious fruit that integrates beautifully into the wine, giving it a weightless structure that shows class and verve. Endless balance and length. It’s so balanced that you could drink it now but it will age for decades. A blend of 75% carmenere, 18% cabernet sauvignon and 7% merlot. Best after 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! Aromatically complex and intriguing, this offers a spiced plum pastry note that melds with petrichor, pine, dried violet and cocoa powder elements. The palate is round and richly textured, with Szechuan peppercorn accents to the concentrated black cherry, plum and cassis center. Everything comes together harmoniously on the finish and lingers, with present but integrated tannins. A stunner that should develop nicely in the cellar. Carmenère, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2040. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! A deep, complex wine, the fruit integrated into the mineral-laden style. Essential oils of lemon with zest, green apples and stone fruit. Chalky with orange-blossom flavors, racy acidity and an austere palate. Light-bodied yet precise in the finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

The 2022 opens in the glass with ripe raspberry, black cherry, cassis and cedar. Scheduled to age in large foudres for two years, ripe tannins offer the wine a good structure and framework. Finishing on a savory note, the 2022 looks quite promising at this early stage. - Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous

The classic red of the domaine accounts for approximately 85% of the annual production of the estate.  It is composed of 65% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre and a balance of other traditional varieties. The grapes are not destemmed, the cuvaison lasts for three weeks and the élevage encompasses an additional 18 months in traditional foudre wood vats before the wine is bottled unfiltered. The fruit is perfectly in balance with the textural elements, showing typical dark fruit notes with discernible energy and liveliness. Its slighty sauvage character and firm structural backbone is leavened by its exceptional breed.

91 Points! Based on the 2020 vintage, complemented by reserve wines from 2019, the latest rendition of Agrapart's NV Brut 7 Crus is charming and unusually giving at this early stage, offering up aromas of white flowers, sweet orchard fruit and ripe citrus, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and pillowy palate. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

91 Points! A very restrained, indeed grudging, nose faintly reveals its combination of mineral reduction and citrus scents. The super-sleek and borderline painfully intense middleweight flavors are like rolling tiny pebbles around the mouth while the cuts-like-a-knife bone-dry finish is markedly austere. The mid-palate density is most impressive as the single digit yields are noticeable. I would point out that this is sufficiently austere as to not make for especially interesting drinking young. - Allen Meadows, Burghound

100 Points! Just a powerhouse of a wine that does everything right, the 2000 Château Pavie is drinking incredibly well today, offering huge blackcurrant and chocolatey darker berry fruits as well as loads of truffly earth, tobacco, and spice. Full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate, it stays flawlessly balanced, and while I suspect the acidity is quite low, it has an incredible sense of freshness and a weightless texture. Fully mature, yet in the early part of its drink window, it has another two decades or prime drinking ahead of it. - Jeb Dunnuck, 2020

100 Points! Just beginning to come around and strut its enormous potential, this wine at age 15 has been evolving like a glacier. The wine has an inky, opaque, plum/purple color and a stunningly rich nose of mulberries, bramble berries, blackberries, licorice and incense as well as touches of toast and graphite. Fabulously concentrated and full-bodied, with a multidimensional mouthfeel, this profound Pavie is in mid-adolescence. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com 2015

100 Points! Medium garnet-brick in color, the 2000 Pavie needs a little swirl to coax out fragrant notes of dried roses, cinnamon stick, red loam, and fallen leaves leading to a core of kirsch, plum preserves, and blueberry compote plus a hint of cardamom. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in grace and suppleness, featuring exquisitely ripe, silky tannins and seamless freshness to frame the achingly perfumed fruit, finishing so, so long and so, so fragrant. This was the first vintage using the "Eleanor" bottle shape that Pavie is well-known for today. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, 2023

99 Points, Dunnuck's #19 Wine of the Year! Another wine I underrated on release, the 2020 Château Haut-Bailly is just about pure perfection, and whereas the 2018 is closer in style to the 2009, this plays things a little closer to its vest and is reminiscent of the 2010. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, it nevertheless cuts a focused, precise path across the palate and brings incredible purity in its darker fruits, smoked tobacco, cedar pencil, and Asian spice-driven aromas and flavors. The tannin quality here is off the charts, and this beauty has everything you could want from wine. It needs a solid 4-6 years (if not longer) to hit the early stages of its prime drinking window, and it's going to evolve for 50+ years. - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

99 Points! A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Haut-Bailly is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a bit of swirling to coax out notions of black cherry compote, blackcurrant pastilles, and blackberry preserves, giving way to fragrant wafts of violets, dark chocolate, cardamom, and sassafras, with a touch of Indian spices. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in poise, delivering tightly wrapped black fruit, exotic spice and floral layers, with a super-plush texture and seamless acidity, finishing very long with loads of mineral sparks and tons of energy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

99-100 Points James Suckling
"A high-definition wine. Wow. The aromas are incredible, with roses, strawberries and crushed stones. So perfumed. It's the magic of perfectly ripe Cabernet Franc. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins and a firm and silky finish. Sublime length and mouthfeel. Cool, subtle, sophisticated and stunning."

97-99 Points Wine Advocate - William Kelley
"A blend of 65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2025 Château Ausone unwinds in the glass with notes of sweet raspberries and mulberries mingled with notions of mint, rose petals and blood orange. Medium- to full-bodied, lively and perfumed, with lovely energy, exquisitely refined tannins and a bright, precise finish. One of the most refined, classy Ausone vintages in recent years."

97-99 Points Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Palate
"The 2025 Ausone slowly unfurls to reveal ripe blackberries, red currant preserves, blueberry compote, rose bud tea, lilacs and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is simply electric with intense fruit, very fine-grained tannins, incredible tension, and epic length and depth. Stunning."

97 Points Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
"Nuanced layers of rose petals and iris flowers, knitted down, textural and expansive, will take its sweet time to uncoil and uncurl, but you can see exactly how rewarding it will be to follow its journey. A stunning example of Ausone."

96-98 Points Neal Martin, Vinous
"The 2025 Ausone represents the entirety of the vineyard this year. Beautifully defined and a little less precocious than usual, there is a sense of classicism here that I admire. Layers of blackberry and raspberry fruit, hints of white pepper and clove, with a very long peacock-tail finish."

95-97+ Points Jeb Dunnuck
"A very classic expression from this château, with ripe black cherries, graphite, classy oak, liquid violets, and chalky minerality on the nose. Rich and medium to full-bodied, with a straight, focused, beautifully concentrated mouthfeel, plenty of chalky tannins, and a great finish."

95-97 Points Antonio Galloni, Vinous
"The 2025 Ausone is powerful, dense and packed to the core. Readers will have to be patient. Time in the glass brings out hints of blood orange, rose petal, mint and raspberry jam. It will be fascinating to see how the 2025 ages."

90-92 Points! Blackberries, spicy garrigue, herbes de Provence, and some peppery nuances all emerge from the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Sinards, a medium-bodied, supple, elegant red with tons of character. - Jeb Dunnuck