France

From 50+ Year-Old Vines, 7 months aging in concrete...

Following vicious hailstorms in 2016 and 2017 that destroyed much of their harvest, Jean-Louis created the Famille Dutraive label with his three children: Justin, Ophélie, and Lucas. In addition to providing much-needed bottles to sell through these leaner years, the Famille Dutraive label was a way to integrate the next generation into the domaine.

The Famille Dutraive wines are made from purchased grapes sourced from carefully selected parcels that follow the spirit of organics...

94 Points! The 2018 Fonbadet is superb. Classically elegant and refined, the 2018 graces the palate with exquisite finesse right out of the gate. Red berry, floral, blood orange and minty flavors convey freshness as the 2018 opens in the glass. Bright acids perk up the nuanced, persistent finish. Readers won't find too many 2018s that are this delicate, sensual and flat-out charming. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

93 Points! The 2018 Fonbadet makes good on the promise it showed last year, presenting a finely chiseled bouquet of blackberry, graphite and light sous-bois scents. Coy at first, it unfolds with confidence. The palate is very cohesive with well-judged natural acidity. There is plenty of coiled-up energy in this Fonbadet, but what really distinguishes it is the fineness of the tannin's and the persistence on the finish. Bravo! - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93 Points! A pretty white with dried pear, lemon and some mango. Full-bodied and lightly tannic with a creamy texture and a flavorful finish. More fruit-forward and clean. Nice acidity for the vintage. 2/3 sauvignon blanc and 1/3 sauvignon gris. Drink or hold. -  James Suckling Learn More

96 Points! This shows incredible depth and density for the vintage with dark berry, dark chocolate, spice and chalk character. Full body, firm and velvety tannins and a long and powerful finish. Needs five or six years to soften. Try in 2020. - James Suckling

95 Points! The 2012 Pavie celebrates its reclassification and upgrade to Class A St.-Emilion by sporting a new black label with gold print. Fortunately, every Pavie has benefitted since Perse began a complete makeover of this estate in 1998. From 47-year-old vines, the 2012 has an inky purple color, judicious toasty oak in the nose interwoven with copious blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, Christmas spices, as well as licorice and graphite. Full-bodied, rich and moderately tannic, it will require 5-7 years of bottle age but should drink well for 20-30 years. Kudos to Chantal and Gerard Perse for their extraordinary commitment to quality, which is so evident in this more challenging vintage than some of the great years like 2009 and 2010. Very low yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare were obtained from this 92-acre estate. - Robert M. Parker, Jr. - Wine Advocate

97 Points! This is phenomenal with superb depth and texture. Full-bodied and very sweet, yet the bright acidity balances the wine out. Creamy mouthfeel with phenolic undertones. Great finish. This wine has a great future. Better in 2021, but already great. - James Suckling

94 Points! This is on the exotic side of the ledger, with mouthfilling ginger, mango, quince and papaya flavors that course through, backed by a singed marshmallow note on the long, unctuous finish. Approachable, but no hurry. Drink now through 2033. - Wine Spectator

93 Points!-“Creamy and well-knit, with good focus to the baked white cherry, honeycomb and ginger biscuit flavors. A harmonious version, framed by sleek acidity and a chalky underpinning, this is long and mouthwatering on the lightly spiced finish. Disgorged July 2019. Drink now through 2028. 375 cases made.”-Wine Spectator, December, 2019

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

95 Points! The 2012 Palmer is already offering demonstrative drinking at age 10, bursting with aromas of cherries, blackberries, violets and spices, framed by a lavish application of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, ample and enveloping, it's fleshy and sensual, with a deep and layered core of fruit that's discreetly underpinned by succulent acids and sweet, powdery tannins. Concentrated, broad and persistent, this is one of the most successful wines of the vintage, as well as one of the most dramatic. Thomas Duroux is crafting more integrated, less overtly oaky wines at Palmer today, but this 2012 is nonetheless a terrific effort. Château Palmer now systematically holds back an important percentage of its production for later release, and this September it's the turn of the 2012, a dramatic, sensual wine that is one of the clear successes of the vintage. - William Kelley, robertparker.com 2022

The 2016 Tertio de Montrose Saint-Estephe is aged for 12 months in 15% new barrels. During the maturing process the wine is racked every three months. The 2016 vintage as you know is a great vintage and when tasting the Tertio de Montrose, Kyle and I were amazed at just how well this wine conveys Montrose’s illustrious terroir.  A blend of 61% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the wine sees all the top-notch treatment the Grand Vin gets. It’s opulent and markedly textured, it shares more in common with a flamboyant, exuberant year such as 2009 or 2015 than most 2016’s. Dense purple, its loads of blackberry and blueberry fruit, truffles, silky tannins and a sumptuous mouthfeel and terrific long finish.  

100 Points! The aromas of flowers such as roses, violets and lilacs jump from the glass then turn to dark berries such as blueberries and blackberries. It's full-bodied, with velvety tannins and dense and intense with a chocolate, berry and currant character. This is juicy and rich with wood still showing a bit, but it's all coming together wonderfully. Muscular yet toned. Another perfect wine like the 2010. Try in 2022. - James Suckling

100 Points! One of the perfect wines of the vintage, Frederic Engerer challenged me when I tasted the 2010 Latour at the estate, asking, “If you rate the 2009 one hundred, then how can this not be higher?” Well, the scoring system stops at 100, (and has for 34 years,) and will continue for as long as I continue to write about wine. Nevertheless, this blend of 90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Merlot, and .5% Petit Verdot hit 14.4% natural alcohol and represents a tiny 36% of their entire production. The pH is about 3.6, which is normal compared to the 3.8 pH of the 2009, that wine being slightly lower in alcohol, hence the combination that makes it more flamboyant and accessible. The 2010 is a liquid skyscraper in the mouth, building layers upon layers of extravagant, if not over-the-top richness with its hints of subtle charcoal, truffle, blackberry, cassis, espresso and notes of toast and graphite. Full-bodied, with wonderfully sweet tannin, it is a mind-boggling, prodigious achievement that should hit its prime in about 15 years, and last for 50 to 100. - Robert M. Parker, Jr.

100 Points! The 2010 Latour can be summed up in two words: "The King." It convincingly asserts its superiority over other 2010s, including First Growths, in terms of its aromatic complexity, precision, balance, intensity, complexity and persistence. Simply a faultless Latour that ranks amoung its greatest achievements. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

98 Points! Possibly the “wine of the vintage,” the 2008 boasts an inky/blue/purple color as well as a glorious perfume of spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, camphor, truffles and crushed rocks. With great fruit on the attack and mid-palate, a medium to full-bodied, multidimensional mouthfeel and a skyscraper-like finish, this prodigious effort over-delivers, even for this phenomenal terroir. Give it 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 40-50 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

92+ Points! From Buntsandstein and Muschelkalk soils, the 2018 Bollenberg Riesling Neuberg starts with a pretty open, rather low-sulfured (15 milligrams per liter of free SO2), pure and elegant bouquet. Lean, saline and pure on the palate, this is an elegant, fresh and energetic dry Riesling from the eastern part of the Bollenberg. The finish is intense and complex yet also underlines the youth of the 2018. 12.5% stated alcohol. Tasted at the domaine. - Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com

94 Points! Very vibrant and assertive wine with a sense of unhindered power and depth. The palate has such succulent fruit with terrific weight. Moves between citrus and stone fruit with handy acidity driving it through. Will be released in 2021. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

90-92 Points! A Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Tempo d'Angélus charges out of the gate with bold notions of plum preserves, fresh blackberries and Morello cherries, plus hints of tilled soil, black olives and truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate has a beautifully velvety texture and a racy backbone supporting the generous black and red berry layers, finishing earthy. Very impressive for this price point! - Wine Advocate

89-91 Points! A value-priced release from this brilliant estate, the 2020 Tempo D’Angélus comes all from vines owned by Château Angélus and is based on 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc aged 18 months in barrel. It’s well worth seeking out and has a dense purple hue to go with classic Right Bank Merlot black cherry and black raspberry fruits, tobacco, cedarwood, and floral nuances. Rich and medium to full-bodied, with good mid-palate density and a great finish, it should certainly be an outstanding wine. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The stunning nose of ripe black cherry announces what this concentrated, fresh red Burgundy is all about. So much energy, plus a firm yet fine tannin structure and long, mineral finish make a serious statement for this underrated appellation. From biodynamically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! It's difficult to predict how the final wine will compare to a barrel sample. To my way of thinking. tasting a barrel sample is somewhat analogous to viewing a single frame of a motion picture. The ending may be a surprise. That said, this unsulfured, unfiltered barrel sample showed great potential. Less ripe than the 2018, it already shows the tantalising combination of savoury minerality and cherry-like flavours. Its glossy texture comes as no surpise. Bright acidity enlivens the palate. I can't wait to taste it after bottling. - Decanter Magazine

93 Points! The 2019 Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cellier Aux Moines unwinds in the glass with aromas of wild berries, petals, orange rind and loamy soil, complemented by deep spice tones. Medium to full-bodied, layered and lively, it's nicely concentrated, with powdery tannins and bright acids. Combining soe of the substance of the 2018 with the charm and elegance of the 2017, this is the finest Clos du Cellier Aux Moines the Domaine has produced to date. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate