Wines

100 Points! The perfect 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, all of which spent 22 months in 80% new French oak. The idea of this release is to showcase fruit from throughout the valley, and to say that winemaker Chris Carpenter succeeded would be an understatement. It boasts off-the-charts richness and depth as well as notes of cassis, toasted spices, graphite, tobacco, and espresso, with perfectly integrated oak. Inky purple-hued, full-bodied, voluptuously textured, and flawlessly balanced, it can be drunk any time over the coming 25 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

99 Points! Lovely purple fruits with violets, lead pencil, mint, crushed stones, pine needles, resin, and ceramic. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins that show a silky beautiful texture. Blend of Stags Leap, Saint Helena, Yountville, and Atlas Peak plus all the mountain vineyards of Cardinale. A blend of 91% cabernet sauvignon and 9% merlot. - James Suckling.com

98 Points! In my tasting with winemaker Chris Carpenter, we talked at length about differentiating sub-appellations of Napa in the Lokoya wines. Still, with Cardinale, the Oakville-based crown jewel in the Jackson Family portfolio, the idea is the sum must be greater than the parts. This is not an estate wine. It is culled from multiple appellations, typically between three and nine, depending on the vintage. Sources have been Vine Hill Ranch and To Kalon in the past. The 2021 is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap, Rutherford, and St. Helena, with 9% Merlot from the 24ha Keyes Estate Vineyard on Howell Mountain, aged 22 months in 80% new French oak. Super savoury aromatics of black cherry, cedar, black liquorice, graphite, black tea, tobacco leaf, rose petal and sagebrush. Full-bodied with all those aromatic qualities making appearances on the full-bodied palate, framed by a soaring tannin profile that resolves with beautifully crisp and mouthwatering acidity, which is so impressive given the density of the wine. The acidity is so pure and cleansing it gives the sensation of fresh, crisp mountain water washing away the deeply robust and powerful tannins that frame this powerhouse wine, readying you for another sip. - Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter Magazine

 

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99 Points! The 2020 L'Apparita will soon take its place among the great Apparitas. Unctuous and layered in the glass, the 2020 possesses exceptional balance and tons of character right out of the gate. Exotic scents of blackberry jam, chocolate, new leather, licorice and smoke are so alluring. Imposing tannins need time to soften, but once that happens readers will be treated to a spectacular Apparita that captures all the best the vintage had to offer. Marco Pallanti waited until mid-September (late for the year) to bring in this fruit. That decision paid off handsomely. - Antono Galloni, Vinous Media

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$289.98 at checkout, 99 Points! A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is another wonderfully evocative triumph from this family-owned Pitchard Hill pioneer. Deep garnet-purple colored, it storms out of the glass with profound scents of crème de cassis, blackberry preserves, licorice and mulberries, plus hints of unsmoked cigars, wild sage and tar. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers fantastic intensity and great poise, offering fine-grained, ripe tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

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99 Points!  The 2016 Chateau D’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as well as a blockbuster bouquet of honeyed tangerines, tart apricots, liquid rocks, white flowers, and honeysuckle, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, an opulent texture, vibrant acidity, and again, an incredible sense of minerality, despite having no shortage of sweetness or richness. The 2016 is a classic blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon that hit 14.2% alcohol with 135 grams of residual sugar. It’s already complex and approachable yet will keep for 3-4 decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

99 Points! A very classic Yquem. Breathtakingly wide spectrum of floral honey, exotic fruit (passion fruit, mango and pineapple), caramel and marzipan aromas. But none of this is a jot too much. In fact, the wine is extremely precise and finely nuanced. Wonderful freshness and textural complexity, in spite of the considerable concentration and extravagance. Very suave and sensual finish that goes on and on. - James Suckling

98 Points! Containing 135 grams per liter of residual sugar, the pale lemon-gold colored 2016 d'Yquem leaps from the glass with honeyed apricots, pineapple, green mango, crushed rocks, candied ginger, coriander seed and citrus peel with hints of orange blossom. The palate is very tightly wound, vibrant and refreshing with layer upon layer of minerals and spices, finishing with epic poise and persistence. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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ETA: EARLY WINTER OF 2026

100 Points! With 153 grams per liter of residual sugar—placing it among the 10 most concentrated vintages in the château’s history—the 2023 d'Yquem ranks among the finest wines bottled here under Lorenzo Pasquini’s direction. It unfurls from the glass with a complex, vibrant and remarkably pure bouquet of pineapple, guava, mango, confit citrus, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it combines formidable depth with perfectly judged control, built around a fleshy core of fruit, framed by lively acidity and a crystalline texture and culminating in an endless, refined and ethereal finish. Yquem’s natural power is here masterfully harnessed by the vintage’s freshness and tension, revealing an aesthetic of precision and vibrancy encountered only in the estate’s greatest years—made all the more remarkable by the fact that the château now achieves even higher levels of concentration than a decade ago, without any perceptible increase in sweetness on the palate. - Yohan Castaing, RobertParker.com

100 Points! Power, freshness, depth — after the extremes of 2021 and 2022, this walks the line between the two, exceptional. Mandarin, quince, mirabelle plums, white truffle, fresh fruit and confit fruit, a vibration of slate and steel, opulent but slices closed on the finish. The botrytis came early and quickly in 2023. Francis Mayeur in final vintage as consultant, after many years as inhouse winemaking team, Lorenzo Pasquini director. 154g/l residual sugar, 3.85ph, harvest September 14 to October 11. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

100 Points! Perfect aromas carry through to every milliliter of this wine, showing intense orange peel, honey, butterscotch, saffron, smoke and peat, with hints of coffee and dried apples. Full-bodied but weightless and silky, with an excellent balance of fruit, sweetness and spices. Some peanut brittle, dried oranges and lemons at the end. I can’t get over how wonderful this is now, but it can age forever. 154 g/L residual sugar. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

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99 Points – Decanter
Although the colour of the wine is now bricking at the rim, the core still has a deep, tawny/garnet hue. The aromas here are significantly mature, including smoke, truffle, cedar and earth. Yet a lovely ripe plummy fruit lingers attractively on the balanced, elegant finish. Although this is drinking well now, fans of mature wine will likely be thrilled with its continued evolution. Top quality from a top vintage and definitely not in decline. (CC)

98 Points – James Suckling
This is a phenomenal 1982 and it remains the most drinkable of the first growths. A strong iodine character here enveloped by delicious currants, shaved chocolate and spices. Full body with super-integrated tannins and a refined texture. Wonderful balance.

98 Points – Vinous
It is time that the 1982 Haut-Brion got the respect it deserves. Forever deemed the "least" of the First Growth, that holds no water if this example is anything to go by, the best of a couple of dozen bottles encountered over many years. Amazingly-fresh on the nose, this shimmers with red fruit, black olive, meat juices and incense, gaining vigour with each swirl of the glass. The palate is perfectly balanced with a lovely line of acidity, focused and refined with just a slightly roasted character towards the finish. Harmonious and effortless, it is the kind of claret that leaves you grinning like a Cheshire cat. (NM)

97 Points – Jane Anson
A rich, dense cushioning of fruit, set against a cedar and toasted spice backdrop, makes the nose full of integrity and promise. Rich blackberry with soft menthol on the finish, this is again absurdly young and tight for a wine that is in its fourth decade and another few decades ahead seems almost a certainty. Clear florality also, with a redcurrant and grilled herbs fragrance that catches prettily at the back of the throat. Totally beautiful, even with the sweet iodine tang that just begins to betray its age. Supremely drinkable.

97+ Points – John Gilman
In its early years the ’82 Haut-Brion was really the odd man out amongst the First Growths, as the wine seemed a tad silky and easy-going in comparison to the larger than life profiles of the ‘82s from the likes of Mouton, Lafite and Margaux. However, as can so often be the case with Haut-Brion, the wine has put on weight with bottle age, and at age twenty-five this really does look to be a clone of the legendary 1959. The bouquet is deep and roasted, as it soars from the glass in a blaze of dark plums, roasted cassis, grilled walnuts, cigar smoke, herb tones and a serious base of Graves soil. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very powerful, with a palate profile that is a dead-ringer for a younger version of the 1959, with layers of fruit, strong soil signature, moderate tannins, and great length and grip on the palate-staining finish. As is the case with the beautiful 1990 and 1985 HBs, I would strongly advise keeping the paws off of the 1982 Haut-Brion for several more years, for as good of a drink as it is today, it will continue to improve with further bottle age. Beautiful wine.

96 Points – Wine Advocate
Supple and enveloping, the 1982 Haut-Brion is drinking brilliantly today, wafting from the glass with aromas of red berries and plums, tobacco leaf, cedar box, scorched earth, cigar smoke and walnuts. Medium to full-bodied, broad and sensual, it's fleshy and giving, with a rich core of fruit, melting tannins and a long, resonant finish. At age 40, this is the most charming of the 1982 first growths, yet despite its outgoing personality, it seems to gain in stature with every passing year. (WK)

95 Points – Wine Spectator
Dark ruby red. Tobacco, roasted coffee and light raisin. Full-bodied, with soft and silky tannins and a long finish. I have always loved this wine. (JS)

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100 Points — Jeb Dunnuck. The 2015 Haut Brion is a perfect wine that couldn’t be any better and is certainly at the top of this great vintage. A blend of 50% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Cabernet Franc, this full-bodied, concentrated, backward, yet sensationally pure 2015 boast knockout notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, ground herbs, and graphite, with a terrific damp earth/minerality quality emerging with time in the glass. Straight, focused, and built like a skyscraper, with a stacked mid-palate, forget bottles for 7-8 years and enjoy over the following three to four decades.

100 Points — Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. A blend of 50% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Haut-Brion is reticent to begin, languidly revealing crushed black cherries, ripe black plums and wild blueberries with sparks of cinnamon stick, cloves, nutmeg, espresso, unsmoked cigars, tapenade, crushed rocks and lavender. The full-bodied palate possesses wonderfully complementary contrasts of bold black and blue fruit richness and delicately nuanced cherry fruit, baking spices and floral accents, strutting ripe, finely pixelated tannins and seamless acidity that is placed firmly in the background, finishing very long and with plenty of attitude. This impeccably poised, exquisitely perfumed 2015 Haut-Brion possesses the most alluring yet seemingly effortless beauty. While it bears only a passing resemblance in its opulent personality to the now legendary 1989, like that vintage the 2015 cannot fail to hedonically satiate and intellectually edify all lovers of great Bordeaux who drink it. What’s more, it also has the blue-blooded tenaciousness to remain this jaw-droppingly impressive, throughout its many guises over time, and for a very, very long time.

100 Points — The Wine Independent. The 2015 Haut-Brion is composed of 50% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet in color, it rolls out of the glass with a youthful, still primary core of juicy black plums, crushed blackcurrants, and boysenberries, before revealing evocative notes of iron ore, violets, dark chocolate, and licorice with a waft of tar. The full-bodied palate is packed with muscular black fruits and lots of mineral nuances, framed by very firm, very fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. Stunning! (LPB)

100 Points — Wine Cellar Insider. If the color does not let you know you're in for a treat, the nose is going to knock you over with its floral, smoke, cigar wrapper, black cherry and cassis notes. The purity of fruit here is off the charts. The wine is all about its silk and velvet textures from that point forward. The finish is so expansive, it feels like it keeps on going, moving across an array of flavors long after you've put the wine where it was supposed to go. This is the best wine yet produced by Jean Philippe Delmas yet. Bravo!

99 Points — Jane Anson. Review Date: February 2025. Stately, muscular, nuanced, waves of toasted cumin, black tea, pomegranate, sandalwood, cloves, smoke, tar, tobacco, intense and concentrated, clearly decades ahead. Rich and powerful, leans into the fingerprint of the vintage but makes it its own. Jean-Philippe Delmas estate director, Jean-Philippe Masclef technical director. 78% new oak for ageing.

99 Points — Decanter. Rich and sumptuous on the palate with huge depth of fruit yet reined in by fresh acidity, with masses of tight tannins. It’s already appealing to drink (as are many 2015s) this really needs a decade or more to allow it to fully develop. The 15% alcohol is carried so easily here, with the crushed rock, sage, lavender and warm earth characters making it a standout First growth. Rated as a 100-point wine by many influential judges and undoubtedly one of the wines of the vintage. (AH)

98 Points — James Suckling. This is all about seduction and beauty with tobacco, berries, tea and wet earth. Full-bodied, round and sexy. Love the polished and beautiful tannins. Racy and refined. Try in 2023.

98 Points — Vinous. A huge, dramatic wine, the 2015 Haut-Brion is magnificent. Vertical in its construction and towering in its reach, the 2015 is going to need a good decade-plus to even start becoming approachable, as it needs to lose baby fat and develop the full range of its aromatics. Even at this early stage, though, it is wonderfully complete and positively stunning. (AG)

98 Points — Wine Spectator. A brick house of a wine, loaded with roasted fig, warmed currant compote and plum reduction flavors that are as broad as they are deep, carried by warm tar, ganache and smoldering bay leaf and charcoal notes. A swath of tobacco through the finish pulls everything together and ties it up with a bow of roasted mesquite. The core shows lean, muscular strength in spades. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2045. Collectibles (JM)

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100 Points | Wine Advocate

Lisa Perrotti-Brown found an extraordinary combination of floral, mineral and cassis character, framed by exceptionally fine tannins and seamless freshness. Her review emphasized the wine's profound aromatics, elegance and remarkably long finish.

100 Points | Vinous

Antonio Galloni found the 2016 even more impressive from bottle than it had been from barrel. He praised the wine's combination of tremendous power and richness without heaviness, along with the classic gravel, tobacco and cedar character that makes Haut-Brion so distinctive.

100 Points | James Suckling

Suckling found tremendous black fruit and forest berry character wrapped around an intensely structured palate. He praised the extremely fine-grained tannins, vibrant acidity and seemingly endless finish, highlighting its very long aging potential.

100 Points | Decanter

Jane Anson found a wine of hidden power, with charcoal, tobacco, dark plum and damson fruit emerging as it opened. She praised its layered tannins and understated authority, concluding:

“A great wine En primeur that has settled into greatness.”

100 Points | Wine Enthusiast

Roger Voss described the 2016 as one of the finest Haut-Brions in many years, emphasizing its immense tannic structure, powerful black fruit and acidity.

This is a wine built for long-term aging.

100 Points | Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

Jeff Leve was equally enthusiastic, awarding the wine a perfect 100 points. The nose explodes with smoke, mint, cigar wrapper, tobacco and crème de cassis, but for Leve, what really separates the wine is its combination of elegance, concentration, complexity, extraordinary length and sensuous texture.

His conclusion gets right to the point:

“This is one of those dream wines that if you can afford it, it belongs in your cellar!”

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100 Points | Wine Advocate

Lisa Perrotti-Brown found an extraordinary combination of floral, mineral and cassis character, framed by exceptionally fine tannins and seamless freshness. Her review emphasized the wine's profound aromatics, elegance and remarkably long finish.

100 Points

100 Points | Vinous

Antonio Galloni found the 2016 even more impressive from bottle than it had been from barrel. He praised the wine's combination of tremendous power and richness without heaviness, along with the classic gravel, tobacco and cedar character that makes Haut-Brion so distinctive.

100 Points

100 Points | James Suckling

Suckling found tremendous black fruit and forest berry character wrapped around an intensely structured palate. He praised the extremely fine-grained tannins, vibrant acidity and seemingly endless finish, highlighting its very long aging potential.

100 Points

100 Points | Decanter

Jane Anson found a wine of hidden power, with charcoal, tobacco, dark plum and damson fruit emerging as it opened. She praised its layered tannins and understated authority, concluding:

“A great wine En primeur that has settled into greatness.”

100 Points

100 Points | Wine Enthusiast

Roger Voss described the 2016 as one of the finest Haut-Brions in many years, emphasizing its immense tannic structure, powerful black fruit and acidity.

This is a wine built for long-term aging.

100 Points

100 Points | Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

Jeff Leve was equally enthusiastic, awarding the wine a perfect 100 points. The nose explodes with smoke, mint, cigar wrapper, tobacco and crème de cassis, but for Leve, what really separates the wine is its combination of elegance, concentration, complexity, extraordinary length and sensuous texture.

His conclusion gets right to the point:

“This is one of those dream wines that if you can afford it, it belongs in your cellar!”

100 Points

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100 Points, Jeb's #1 Wine of the Year! One of the more muscular, concentrated 2022s in my tastings, the 2022 Château Larcis Ducasse sports a deep ruby/plum hue to go with serious aromatics of ripe red and black cherries, smoked tobacco, new leather, truffle, and an incredible sense of crushed stone-like minerality. Rich, full-bodied, and massively concentrated on the palate, this intense, flawlessly balanced, voluptuous 2022 has a stacked mid-palate, velvety tannins, and fabulous length on the finish. I wouldn't be surprised to see this close down with 3-4 years of bottle age only to re-emerge after a decade. Based on 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc raised in 40% new oak, this modern-day legend has a terrific pH of 3.48 and an alcohol of 14.8%. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! This is marked by the chalky tannins, which are very cohesive and caressing. The ripe and dry year gave a more savory character to the wine, with notes of mussel shells, fine spices and dried orange peel coloring the fruit. Medium to full body with a compressed mouthfeel from the vibrant, powdery tannins. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The 2022 Larcis Ducasse is a huge, vertical wine. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2022 will need quite a few years to shed some of its considerable baby fat. Dense dark red fruit, new leather, licorice, rose petal and mocha are all broadly sketched. Imposing and vertical in build, this is immensely promising. The 2022 spent 14 months in oak (40% 225-liter barrels, 40% 500-liter barrels and 20% foudre), then three months in cement. I can't wait to see how this develops. Tasted two times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

96 Points! The 2022 Larcis Ducasse has a very delineated, focused bouquet with blackberry, graphite, hint of freshly shaved black truffle and light granitic scents that emerge with time. Of all the recent vintages, this is perhaps one that leans a little toward Pomerol in style, maybe due to the expressive Cabernet Franc (14%). The palate is medium-bodied with finely embroidered tannins, a perfect line of acidity, superb focus and gentle grip. Having tasted at this property for over two decades, this is the finest Larcis Ducasse to date—a modern-day benchmark for the estate. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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100 Points, Jeb's #1 Wine of the Year! One of the more muscular, concentrated 2022s in my tastings, the 2022 Château Larcis Ducasse sports a deep ruby/plum hue to go with serious aromatics of ripe red and black cherries, smoked tobacco, new leather, truffle, and an incredible sense of crushed stone-like minerality. Rich, full-bodied, and massively concentrated on the palate, this intense, flawlessly balanced, voluptuous 2022 has a stacked mid-palate, velvety tannins, and fabulous length on the finish. I wouldn't be surprised to see this close down with 3-4 years of bottle age only to re-emerge after a decade. Based on 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc raised in 40% new oak, this modern-day legend has a terrific pH of 3.48 and an alcohol of 14.8%. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! This is marked by the chalky tannins, which are very cohesive and caressing. The ripe and dry year gave a more savory character to the wine, with notes of mussel shells, fine spices and dried orange peel coloring the fruit. Medium to full body with a compressed mouthfeel from the vibrant, powdery tannins. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The 2022 Larcis Ducasse is a huge, vertical wine. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2022 will need quite a few years to shed some of its considerable baby fat. Dense dark red fruit, new leather, licorice, rose petal and mocha are all broadly sketched. Imposing and vertical in build, this is immensely promising. The 2022 spent 14 months in oak (40% 225-liter barrels, 40% 500-liter barrels and 20% foudre), then three months in cement. I can't wait to see how this develops. Tasted two times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

96 Points! The 2022 Larcis Ducasse has a very delineated, focused bouquet with blackberry, graphite, hint of freshly shaved black truffle and light granitic scents that emerge with time. Of all the recent vintages, this is perhaps one that leans a little toward Pomerol in style, maybe due to the expressive Cabernet Franc (14%). The palate is medium-bodied with finely embroidered tannins, a perfect line of acidity, superb focus and gentle grip. Having tasted at this property for over two decades, this is the finest Larcis Ducasse to date—a modern-day benchmark for the estate. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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99 Points | James Suckling | January 2017
Suckling finds a striking aromatic combination of violets, licorice, pencil, flowers and currants, followed by fresh mushroom nuances. Full-bodied but tightly compressed, the wine shows tremendous tension, exceptionally fine-grained tannins and energy. He emphasizes the extraordinary length and recommends giving it time.

97+ Points | Wine Advocate | William Kelley | March 2022
Kelley calls the 2014 Latour one of the finest wines produced in a vintage particularly successful in the northern Médoc. Wild berries and cassis are joined by cigar wrapper, earth, black truffle and high-quality oak. The palate is full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a deep, tightly wound center framed by chalky tannins and bright acidity. He sees enormous longevity here and compares its classical balance to a modern-day version of the 1996.

97 Points | Wine Spectator | James Molesworth | February 2017
A driven, energetic Latour with mouthwatering acidity and a pronounced graphite character surrounding pure cassis and blackberry. Licorice and sweet tobacco emerge on the finish before the graphite returns and carries through the exceptionally long close. Molesworth gave a drinking window of 2022–2040.

97 Points | Wine Enthusiast | Roger Voss
Voss emphasizes the enormous tannic structure surrounding the blackcurrant fruit, along with spice and a pure, cool character. This is very much a traditionally structured Latour, with the fruit and tannins suggesting a long evolution ahead. His recommendation was to drink from 2027.

97 Points | Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider | July 2024
This is particularly useful for our offer because it's a much more recent tasting. Leve finds truffle, cedar, tobacco leaf, pencil, cigar wrapper, currant, cassis, blackberry and forest-floor aromas. The palate brings sweet red fruit together with spice and herbs, finishing with freshness and finesse. Importantly, he notes that this is one of the relatively rare Latours that can show real character without requiring decades in the cellar, although additional bottle age will bring greater complexity. Drink 2028–2060.

96+ Points | Jeb Dunnuck
Dunnuck finds the wine still youthful and relatively closed, showing dark, meaty black fruit, tobacco, truffle-like earth and graphite. He considers it denser and more structured than he expected from the vintage, with full-bodied richness, an impressive mid-palate, excellent balance and plenty of tannin on the finish.

96 Points | Antonio Galloni, Vinous | January 2022
Galloni describes the 2014 as a more understated Latour, emphasizing finesse rather than sheer power. Red cherry and plum, spice, mint and sweet tobacco develop with air. He views it as a particularly classic expression of Pauillac and an excellent reflection of the cooler, late-ripening 2014 growing season. Drink 2026–2064.

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ETA: Late Winter 2027

Jeb Dunnuck, 100 Points Deep purple in color, offering a powerful and complex array of pure Pauillac cassis-like fruit, lead pencil, graphite, chalky minerality, truffle, and espresso. Medium to full-bodied, with ripe, sweet tannins, classic Latour regalness, concentration, structure, and class, with just a hint of its normal youthful austerity. This flawless, balanced, structured, insanely good Latour will be drinkable in just 7 to 8 years but evolve for 40 to 50 years in cold cellars.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent, 100 Points Deep garnet-purple in color, coming barreling out of the glass with powerful notes of blackcurrant jelly, blackberry pie, and plum preserves, followed by suggestions of pencil shavings, cast-iron pan, and charcoal. The medium to full-bodied palate is exquisitely constructed with a myriad of very fine layers, supported by ripe, grainy tannins and beautiful tension, finishing epically long and mineral-laced. Still very tightly wound and will require at least 5 to 7 more years in cellar, then should age gracefully for 50-years+. Drink 2027-2077.

Georgina Hindle, Decanter, 100 Points Dark blackcurrants with smoky tobacco, liquorice and slate. Cool straight away, fresh but so perfectly mouthfilling. Blue fruit, black cherry, fleshy like fruit skin texture. This is how a great Pauillac can taste: serious, deep, classic Cabernet markers, lots of minerality in the flint and stony aspects, strong tannins and a powerful, muscular structure with minty sides. An amazing Pauillac. This will last forever.

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99 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted at the domaine, the 1982 Leoville Las Cases is just about pure perfection, and while certainly mature, it has plenty of life ahead of it. Thrilling notes of blackcurrants, kirsch, tobacco leaf, cedar box, menthol, and exotic spices all emerge from this seamless, powerful yet magically elegant Léoville Las Cases. Opening up in the glass, with a smoky, singular character, it's an incredible wine from this terroir that has an almost Latour-like regal quality.

98 Points – Decanter
Beautifully fragrant nose, dried flowers and cedar, iron and salted-caramelised cherries: graceful and understated. Refined palate, sleek yet dense with generous and imposing tannins, yet remaining round and approachable. This has real charm with underlying drive but presented in such a complete and harmonious way; polished and precise with tons of energy. A stunning wine and so easy to drink, full of cherries and red berries with savoury touches of cigar smoke and leather that give a hint of maturity but in no way shout that it's more than 40 years old. Just wonderful. Winemaker was Bruno Rolland, who took over from his father, his grandfather and grand uncle. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. (GH)

97 Points – Wine Advocate
As I wrote earlier this year, the 1982 Léoville Las Cases is one of the least evolved wines of the vintage, and this impeccably conserved ex-château bottle was, if anything, even more youthful still. Retaining a saturated ruby-black hue at age 40, it unwinds in the glass with aromas of cassis and other dark fruits mingled with notions of pencil shavings and loamy soil. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad-shouldered and muscular, with an ample core of fruit framed by voluminous, powdery tannins. Rich and concentrated, with an expansive, comparatively low-acid profile, it comes into its own with extended aeration—and with food. (WK)

96 Points – Jane Anson
Gentle bricking around the edges of the glass, rose petals and campfire smoke on the first nose. Elegance personified, the tannins are so fine and the overall body so fresh, that it explains right there in the glass why St Julien is loved world over. Las Cases can almost be Pauillac-like when young, but as it ages it reconnects with its St Julien character, and here it shows freshly tilled earth, loam, truffles. Very much on its drinking plateau, but the kind of wine that will quietly, unobtrusively deliver for the next two decades or more. gold, no question. Slight deposit thrown, so suggest carafing, but for the first few hours after opening I would simply let stand. 50% new oak. Michel Delon owner.

95 Points – Wine Spectator
A racy, classy, silky wine. Inky-ruby color. Black cherry, mineral and wet earth aromas. Medium-bodied, with very silky tannins and a long, superfine finish. Has always been excellent. (JS)

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98 Points – Jane Anson
Spiced sandalwood, white pepper, saffron, cigar box, oyster shell salinity, orange peel, and still juicy blackcurrant and blueberry fruit, even as it heads towards 35 years old. Utterly gorgeous, effortless even, the word beguiling comes out of nowhere. Love this, and provides a glimpse into what this wine can acheive when you are lucky enough to catch it at the right moment. 50% new oak, Michel Delon owner. Harvest September 5 to 25, after a hot dry year.

96 Points – Wine Spectator
Very ripe, with raisin and dried fruits on the nose. You can smell the sun-dried grapes. Full-bodied, delivering firm tannins and a very fresh palate. Long and flavorful, offering currant, berries and all sorts of dark fruits, but turns lightly earthy and floral. This is a thoroughly complex wine. Just starting to really open into the mature 20-year-old wine it is, but such a great life ahead of it. Muscular. (JS)

94 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
I thought the 1989 Château Leoville Las Cases showed brilliantly, with a classy, elegant, regal feel that's very much in the style of the estate. Certainly in its prime drink window, it has lots of pure cassis and darker fruits as well as graphite, scorched earth, tobacco, and hints of saddle leather. Medium-bodied on the palate, it's balanced, has a pure, layered mouthfeel, resolved tannins, and outstanding length. While it doesn't hit the same heights as the 1982, 2000, 2003, 2009, or more recent vintages, it's a classic example of this terroir that will continue to evolve gracefully for another two decades.

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WS: "This pulls together all the glorious notes of a fully mature Margaux, with singed cedar, rooibos tea, rose water and sandalwood aromas, followed by a stunning mélange of both fresh and dried red and black fruits, including currant, cherry, raspberry and plum. The long finish lets everything drape together beautifully. Absolutely stunning, this seems in no hurry to go anywhere. Remarkably fresh and defined at this time." Learn More

99-100 Points! The fantastic quality of the cabernet sauvignon really comes through here with black currant, blueberry and raspberry character. It’s full-bodied with such tightness. It’s so beautiful in the center palate. The tannins are wonderfully blended into the wine and flow across the palate. Rather leaner and racy. Ethereal. 37% of the production and 90% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

97-100 Points!The 2019 Château Margaux is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, accounting for 37% of the crop. The alcohol came in at 13.9%, the IPT was 75, and the pH was 3.66. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose begins with intense scents of crushed blackberries, warm cassis and plum preserves before fanning out into a whole array of floral, exotic spice and earth scents: iris, red roses, star anise, cassis, tilled soil, moss-covered bark and black truffles, with an emerging waft of crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate quivers with energy, emitting loads of mineral sparks, featuring bold freshness and fantastically ripe, finely grained tannins to support the delicate, perfumed layers, finishing very long and wonderfully poised. The juxtaposition between the acidity and the richness in this Château Margaux is just extraordinary! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

98 Points! This expands sideways, vertically and downwards, with a creamy mid palate and a rose petal, peony, raspberry and cassis collision on the nose. This is chewy in its tannic structure, full on and yet delicate and sappy. Fresh, elegant, perfumed and concentrated - clearly will age for decades. This is close in character to the 2009 or 2015, two exceptional vintages at Margaux and classic to the graceful yet concentrated signature of the property. 1% Petit Verdot to complete the blend, 100% new oak although barely discernible already. 37% of overall production in the 1st wine this year. - Jane Anson, Decanter

Expected ABV: Under 14%

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