Wines

94 Points! Fragrant, focused and precise, offering flavors of lemongrass and lemon blossoms, with Meyer lemon and green papaya accents, plus a touch of tangerine. Shows green tea, lemon balm and white pepper notes on a mouthwatering frame, with a hint of salinity that lingers. - Wine Spectator

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94-95 Points! A medium- to full-bodied red with very fine tannins. It’s firm and structured, showing a bright, dark-fruited character. Focused, with a good center-palate and a lingering finish. Really polished. - James Suckling 

93-95 Points! The 2023 Talbot is another strong wine for this re-emerging estate. Powerful, deep and impressively resonant, the 2023 is striking. Dark-toned fruit, new leather, lavender and dried herbs build over time. There's terrific depth and intensity here, with fine balance to match. This is a superb showing from Talbot and the team led by Estate Director Jean-Michael Laporte. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

92-94 Points! Offering up aromas of dark berries, baking chocolate, plums, espresso roast and crushed mint, the 2023 Talbot is medium to full-bodied, deep and fleshy, with a rich but lively core of fruit, powdery tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Harvested over the course of fully four weeks, it's a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot that attained 13% alcohol. - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

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94-95 Points! A subtle yet plush La Lagune with black olives, blackberries and hints of chocolate and hazelnut. Medium body with fine, polished tannins and a savory finish. There's a crunchy feel to it and it’s layered and deep at the end. 65% cabernet sauvignon and 35% merlot. No petit verdot. - James Suckling

92-94 Points! The 2023 La Lagune is a serious wine, but it is also quite backward. Dark red cherry, plum, spice, leather and dried herbs open with some coaxing. The 2023 is going to need time to come together. Its aromatic intensity and overall persistence suggest it has a bright future. Tasted two times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! 2020 was an even drier (and warmer) vintage, but surprisingly enough, the 2020 Domus Aurea shows less alcohol and more moderate ripeness than the 2019 vintage of this same wine. This is the archetype of a powerful, balsamic and minty Cabernet-based blend from Maipo, a wine for the long haul. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

98 Points! It’s hard to find adequate words for the cornucopia of flowers, citrus and stone fruit aromas of this wine. The flinty element creates the most beautiful tension along with the wonderful interplay of fruit and wet stone minerality on the breathtakingly precise and pure medium- to full-bodied palate. And the incredibly energetic, almost endless finish sweeps you away. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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98-100 Points! This hits you right off the first nose, driven by slate and crushed rocks, setting the tone and the architecture, guiding the fruit through the palate. Cassis, bilberry, tobacco leaf, graphite, crushed mint, finessed and sculpted, this is a gorgeous Lafite, with fine tannins and the squid ink character that seems to be present in all of this stable of wines except Moulin de Duhart. Hidden power, where nothing is too much and yet everything is concentrated, once again proving that the terroir at this particular spot has its own personality that stands out every year. High Cabernet as ever, combined with around 15% press wine. Not the concentration of 2022, but in many ways showcasing the essence of Lafite more squarely, and this will delight anyone lucky enough to own it in future years. 45hl/h yield, highest since 2015, harvest September 7 to 29. 100% new oak. New cellar underway, due for completion in 2027. I am giving it 10 years to begin entering its opening window, a little less than usual but it will make no difference to how long you can cellar it. - Jane Anson

97-99 Points! The finest of the first growths this year appears to be the 2023 Lafite Rothschild, a terrific effort that unwinds in the glass with deep and incipiently complex aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, lilac and violets mingled with hints of cigar wrapper and mint. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's vibrant and refined, with a deep core of fruit, plenty of sweet structuring tannin and a compelling marriage between energy and plenitude. It's a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot that reminds me of 2019's tannins combined with 2016's unimpeachable classicism. - William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

97-99 Points! The 2023 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. After a little swirling, wonderfully pure notes of boysenberries, wild blueberries, and blackcurrants emerge from the glass, followed by hints of violets, dark chocolate, licorice, and fertile loam with a hint of black truffle. The light to medium-bodied palate delivers electric sparks of vibrant black berry and mineral flavors framed by super-ripe, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and shimmery. A wine that is so, so cerebral, this is a vintage well played by Lafite. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, with pH 3.76, and an alcohol of just 12.9%. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

97-98 Points! The purity of cabernet sauvignon is so evident here. It mesmerizes you with aromas of black and red currants, cedar, tobacco and bark. It's full-bodied yet there's very impressive weightlessness and agility, as well as subtlety and focus. Some iron and terra-cotta. Cedar and sandalwood undertones. Juicy and plummy at the end. 12.9% alcohol. 3.75 pH. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. - James Suckling

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98-99 Points! Wow, this is really something. It is full and powerful with truly impressive depth of fruit. Yet, it remains agile and structural, with flexed muscles, balanced by a sense of floating. Well defined and poised. 53% cabernet franc, 44% merlot, and 3% cabernet. Will it be better than 2022? - James Suckling

96-98 Points! The 2023 Trotte Vieille is deep garnet-purple in color. The first impression is WOW! It prances out of the glass with showy notes of ripe black plums, mulberries, and blackberry pie followed by hints of candied violets, cedar chest, cinnamon stick, and clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers electric tension, with super-fine satiny-smooth tannins and intense black fruit and baking spice layers, finishing long and fragrant. Along with the 2022, this is the best Trotte Vieille I've tasted. The blend is 53% Cabernet Franc, 44% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an alcohol of 13.5%. “The new vat room was finished in 2021 for Trotte Vieille,” commented owner Frédéric Castéja. “This made a big difference to what we could achieve this year. The aim was to respect the fruit, keep the freshness, and make wines that are not too tannic and aggressive when young. This is the opposite of the wines from the 1990s. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

93-95 Points! The 2023 Trotte Vieille is a seriously impressive wine. Dark, resonant and explosive, the 2023 packs a huge punch. A blast of dark fruit, herbs, menthol, spice and licorice saturates the palate, with pretty floral and savory notes that play off all that richness. Superb. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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95 Points! Inky plum, far deeper in texture and intensity than the Moulin de Duhart (in contrast to 2022, when both 1st and 2nd wines were intensely coloured). Classical Duhart on the attack, reserved and a little subdued, then in comes the waves of cassis, liqourice root, spiced plum, ink, tobacco and cigar box. High Cabernet in the blend, and it suits the style and character of Duhart. Has a ton of ageing potential, classical styled with precision, fully showcasing the enjoyment of 2023 in the right spots. - Jane Anson

94-95 Points! So much pure graphite and lead pencil here, together with blackcurrant and iodine aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with creamy and velvety tannins that are very polished. Cedar and some tobacco box. Deep and layered. Al-dente tannins. Precise. - Wine Spectator

93-95 Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Duhart-Milon pops from the glass with notes of wild blueberries, black cherries, and fresh mulberries giving way to underlying hints of cardamom, licorice, and charcoal. The medium-bodied palate is chock full of bright, black fruits with fine-grained tannins and lovely, well-knit freshness, finishing with a real skip in its step. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, with an alcohol of 13.1%. "We've been restructuring the vineyard for the past 8 years, with a little bit more Cabernet Sauvignon, although we also have good terroir for Merlot," says Saskia de Rothschild. "The planting density is lower - down to 7,000 vines per hectare." - Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

93-95 Points! The 2023 Duhart-Milon was picked September 7 to October 3 and contains 15% pressed wine, matured in 50% new oak. It has a much more backward bouquet than the Moulin, displaying well-defined yet tightly coiled graphite-infused black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins that belie the backbone of this Pauillac. That graphite element is accentuated in the mouth and controls the classic finish that could only come from this appellation. This is excellent, but patience is required. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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96-97 Points! A fine line of tannins runs through this medium- to full-bodied wine. Chocolate, walnut and lead pencil on very fine tannins. Classy and focused, providing elegance with strength. Tight at the end. 78% merlot, 21% cabernet franc and 1% cabernet sauvignon. - James Suckling

96 Points! A fascinating exercise in terroir, as this shows the same alcohol as the Blason, but the density, fruit character and even the IPT (tannin) count are very different. You see the impact of clay soils in the building of the powerful architecture and the plush damson and black cherry fruits. There is density but tenderness to the tannins, with grilled caramel that gives a beautiful Pomerol signature. Violet floral edging arrives towards the finish, as things open up, and this is an impressive L'Evangile that can age with ease. 42hl/h yield, a record in recent years here. Certified organic since 2021. Great stuff from technical director Juliette Couderc. - Jane Anson

94-96 Points! The 2023 L'Évangile was picked from September 4 to 28 at 42hL/ha, which is the highest for many years. Matured in 50% new oak (including 15 foudres) and 8% in amphoras (my sample only from used barrels), this has a very floral and precise bouquet with dark red fruit, blueberry, hints of blood orange and light sous-bois scents. It's very L'Evangile. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. Crisp and precise, there’s fine tension toward the finish with a lingering black pepper note. This is a lovely L'Évangile that deserves five or six years in bottle. It will be worth the wait. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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95-96 Points! A savory and juicy Carruades with softness and notes of ripe berry, cedar and dried tobacco. Like Lafite from the 1980s but more precise. Round and pretty. It really grows on the finish with such sweetness of fruit and length. Pointed, fine tannins at the end. Very long. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. - James Suckling

94 Points! Medium intensity ruby, fairly austere right now, structured, with the same mint leaf and ink quality as Lafite. The sweet brambled black fruits only come in through the mid palate, this is well paced, unrolls slowly, a serious and concentrated Carruades that has its eye on the future. - Jane Anson

92-94 Points! The 2023 Carruades de Lafite is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, a beautiful perfume of rose oil and lavender is released, opening out to a classic core of cassis, fresh plums, and pencil lead with a touch of red, iron-rich soil. The light to medium-bodied palate is delicately styled, with compelling vibrancy and nice, ripe, fine-grained tannins supporting the black fruits, finishing long and fragrant. This is very pretty! The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with pH 3.70. The alcohol is 13.2%. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

92-94 Points! The 2023 Carruades de Lafite is a very pretty, sensual wine that very much captures the personality of the Grand Vin, naturally in a more approachable style. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with no Franc or Petit Verdot. I have to say, there is something very direct about the 2023—something frank that is really evident. I admire its purity. Succulent red plum, spice, cedar, tobacco and a lifting touch of white pepper open first, while beautifully persistent saline undertones extend the finish. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

93-95 Points! The 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé Clos la Verchère La Maréchaude 1er Cru comes from limestone and marn soils that Julien Barraud explained are structured like a millefeuille for six meters, ergo, very resistant to hydric stress. This has a precise and focused bouquet with yellow fruit, lanolin, desiccated orange peel and pressed white flower scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a very elegant opening. The purity is striking, with perfectly pitched acidity and a persistent, quite mineral-driven finish. This will be irresistible, yet it will age for many years. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

98 Points! An absolutely brilliant wine, the 2021 Ontogeny is an appellation blend put together by Bevan, and it's a year-in, year-out incredible value. Competing with wines 2-3 times its price (if not more), it reveals a deep purple hue as well as an exuberant, full-bodied, concentrated style carrying loads of cr me de cassis, tobacco, violets, charcoal, and graphite-like aromas and flavors. Super-rich, opulent, yet flawlessly balanced, with silky tannins, you should buy a case of this if you can. It should have at least 10-15 years of prime drinking. - Jeb Dunnuck

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98 Points! Structured and powerful, this is not as forbidding as En Primeur in many vintages of Las Cases, showing both flesh and florality, but the tannic walls of this great estate remain fully in place, coupled with layers of cassis and bilberry fruits, subtle hints of bitter aniseed, fennel, cola, espresso, squid ink, textured slate tannins. Expect inky depths and unashamed austerity, a wine that will take its time to open, making no excuses for demanding patience. So so good, with a balance and classicism that delivers on the best of the vintage. 80% new oak, 6.6% press wine, 3.79h, harvest September 9 to October 2, 43hl/h yield. First year in the new cellars, with 43.5ha going into the main wine from the historic walled vineyard site. - Jane Anson

97-98 Points! Exceptional quality of cabernet comes through here, with a lot of graphite, lead pencil, crushed stone, walnut and currant fruit. It grows and expands on the palate, remaining in focus at the same time. Refined and seamless with beautiful tannins that show power and intensity. It rolls across the palate with verve. 86% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc and 4% merlot. - James Suckling

95-97 Points! The 2023 Léoville Las-Caseswas picked from September 9 to October 2 at 43hL/ha and matured in 80% new oak barrels. This has a very precise bouquet, and, like the Clos du Marquis, it is imbued with an attractive estuarine element-aromatics that transport the imbiber to the banks of the Gironde. The oak is neatly integrated; 80% is much optimal than 100% would have been. The palate is lightly spiced on the entry, moderately deep and quite lively on the mid-palate. This is a more linear Las-Cases than recent vintages, conveying a sense of "seriousness" toward the almost saturnine finish. Impressive in terms of persistence, this is a worthy follow-up to the magnificent 2022, but it will demand patience. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

95-97+ Points! The 2023 Leoville Las Cases is deep garnet-purple in color. After a little shaking, notes of ripe blackcurrants, black cherries, and mulberries slowly emerge from the glass, giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of iris, crushed rocks, fertile loam, and dark chocolate. The medium-bodied palate is very tightly wound with taut black berry layers and loads of mineral accents, framed by firm fine-grained tannins and wonderful tension, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. This should be a very long-lived Las Cases! The blend is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Merlot, with pH 3.79, alcohol of 13.1%, and TPI 72. It is aging for around 18 months in French oak barriques, 80% new. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

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95-96 Points! This offers beautiful blackcurrants and blackberries with hints of chocolate and walnuts. Medium- to full-bodied with vivid acidity that adds tension and freshness to the mid-palate. It’s full of life and vibrancy, very fine and polished, and with nicely integrated tannins. Long finish. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 9% cabernet franc. What will be better between 2022 and 2023? - James Suckling

93-95 Points! The 2023Clos du Marquis might very well be the best Clos du Marquis I have ever tasted. A wine freshness and verve, the 2023 is all nuance. Sweet red plum, blood orange, spice, flowers, mint and white pepper are finely cut. The 2023 shows more vibrancy, less oak extraction and more refined tannins than in the past. It's a glorious wine in every way. This early tasting is hugely promising. Clos du Marquis could turn out to be one of the real surprises of 2023. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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94-95 Points! A linear and structured red with blackberry, raspberry and a hint of crushed stone. Medium-bodied with a solid core of fruit and a long, intense finish. Crunchy and minerally. Classy. Precise. 67% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 3% cabernet sauvignon. - James Suckling

93-94 Points! The 2023 Nenin is very attractive, bursting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, dark berries, rose petals and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and supple palate that's pure and sensual, with a succulent core of fruit, sweet tannin and an immensely charming profile that promises a broad drinking window. - William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

92-94 Points! The 2023 Nenin is a classy wine that marries power with nuance. Cabernet Franc plays prominent role here, and that comes through in its aromatic presence and overall feel. There's also a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, which no doubt contributes to the wine's profile as well. Rose petal, mocha, spice, licorice, leather and cefar are all laced together in this powerhouse Pomerol. I can't wait to see where this goes. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! Mocha, blood orange, creamy ripe damson and black fruits, a swirl of peony flowers, succulent but without being heavy, this is a great Nenin, showing potential of the property's 20 year old Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, used in the blend for the first time in this vintage. - Jane Anson

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98-100 Points! A wine to convince you of the quality and ripeness of Cabernet Sauvignon in Pauillac in this 2023 vintage, showcasing superbly supple tannins, great balance, depth and savoury blue and black fruit character, bitter cocoa bean, freshly cut herbs, black tea, fennel, all vivid and with purity of character. There is density here but it is not overt, with heightened raspberry leaf, peony and violet aromatics. Vinified in the newly-completed section of the cellars, with sunken qveri-style cement vats (and egg-shaped wooden vats coming for the 2024 vintage). 50% new oak for ageing, with 35% amphora and 15% one year old barrels. One of the wines of the vintage. - Jane Anson

97-99 Points! The 2023 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of juicy blueberries, black cherries, and blackcurrant jelly spill from the glass, giving way to nuances of violets, black truffle, fertile loam, and mossy tree bark with a hint of cardamom. The medium-bodied palate is so, so silky, elegant, and fine, with perfumed black and blue fruit layers and beautiful tension, finishing long with lots of shimmery mineral and floral sparkles. The blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, aged in 50% new oak, 35% amphorae, and 15% used barrels. With an alcohol this year of just 13.8%, this is a beautifully poised, tightly packed powerhouse that promises to keep the firework displays bedazzling collectors for many years to come. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

97-98 Points! A very structured Pontet-Canet that expands in the mouth with a gorgeous combination of beautifully ripe fruit and intense tannins. Very structured for the vintage. Full-bodied with excellent presence and length. So much raw pencil shavings to the blackcurrants. Graphite and tar. Fresh and vivid. They picked cabernet at the right time at the end of September. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. - James Suckling

94-97 Points! The 2023 Pontet-Canet is a powerful, impressively constituted wine. Dark, vibrant and sensual in the glass, the 2023 is somber and mysterious in bearing. Black plum, gravel, lavender, graphite and licorice all meld together in the glass. More than anything else, the 2023 is incredibly well put together. In this vintage, the wine was blended at the beginning of elevage rather than at the end, as was the custom in the past. This is a gorgeous and hugely promising Pontet-Canet. I especially admire its finely cut precision and soaring aromatics. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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97-98 Points! Wow, this is really something. Very fruity, with dark blackberries and blueberries, as well as blood oranges. It’s full and layered with great depth of fruit and chewy, polished tannins. Turns lightly salty at the end. Power with precision. 84% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon. - James Suckling

95-97 Points! The 2023 Valandraud delivers exactly what you expect on the nose from Jean-Luc Thunevin's crown jewel: very polished scents of black cherries, cassis and crushed violets. One sample has a soupcon of sur-maturite, although another at the Chateau displayed more composure and coolness. The palate is rich and fruit-driven with layers of black fruit. The sample at the Chateau showed more backbone and grip, a healthy sprinkling of cracked black pepper and a long and persistent finish. Give this three to five years, because it is a seriously good Saint-Emilion. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

95 Points! Inky depths to Valandraud in this vintage, well constructued, intense sweet liqourice and black chocolate, starts out threatening a more old school feel for this wine, with crème de cassis dominant and high alcohols, but it is given focus and lift as it moves through the palate, with lilting aromatics of red roses, welcome pummice stone tannins, squid ink salinity, and mouthwatering freshness. Skilful, confident, impressive. - Jane Anson