France

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

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!”

97-99 Points! Tremblay's 2023 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru is one of the wines of the vintage, wafting from the glass with notes of dark berries, exotic spices, confit orange and incense. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's serious and elegantly muscular, its fleshy, layered core of fruit framed by a chassis of sweet, ultra-refined tannins and animated by lively acids, concluding with a long, saline finish. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

The 2022 Château Giscours may be the finest wine this historic Margaux Third Growth has ever produced, and the critics agree loudly: 98 points from James Suckling, 97+ from Jeb Dunnuck, 96s from the Wine Advocate, Vinous and Decanter, plus a #1 spot on Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2025. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot with dashes of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it's deeply colored, glass-staining stuff, packed with cassis, black cherries, violets and graphite, concentrated and intense yet carrying the ripe, polished tannins and pure, graceful mouthfeel that define great Margaux. The remarkable 2022 vintage gave this estate everything it needed, and Giscours delivered a wine with the perfume and silk of the appellation backed by decades of aging power.

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.

Pack contains: 2 Bottles 2016 Cos d’Estournel + 1 Bottle 2016 Pagodes de Cos

100 Points | James Suckling
Reviewed February 2019

This is muscular yet so well defined and toned. Full-bodied with deep and dense fruit on the palate, yet powerful and rich at the same time. So much sandalwood and blackberry character. Chewy and rich at the finish. This is a warm and generous wine, but the alcohol is just over 13 degrees. Not that high. Love the finish. Extravagant. Magical. Try from 2025.

100 Points | Wine Advocate
Reviewed November 2018

Bottled in July 2018, it is deep garnet-purple colored and starts off a little closed and reticent, opening out slowly and seductively to reveal beautiful lilacs, rose hip tea, crushed stones and camphor nuances over a core of crème de cassis, kirsch, wild blueberries and mocha plus wafts of incense and wood smoke. The palate is simply electric, charged with an energy and depth of flavors that seem to defy the elegance and ethereal nature of its medium-bodied weight, featuring super ripe, densely pixelated tannins that firmly frame the myriad of fruit and floral sparks, finishing with epic length. Just. Magic. (LPB)

100 Points | Vinous
Reviewed August 2020

In my last sighted review of the 2016 Cos d’Estournel, I wrote: “I suspect it will close down for a period in its youth.” Perhaps it is already beginning to shut down, because though this wine was deeply impressive, it fell just a notch short of ethereal previous bottles, despite its “pixelated black fruit” on the nose and “sublime balance” on the palate. I tasted the wine twice thereafter, though this time with a 4-6 hour decant, and this revealed the Cos d’Estournel that has amazed since I first tasted it out of barrel. (NM)

100 Points | Jeff Leve, The 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-Guillaume Prats and his team. Bravo!

99 Points | Jeb Dunnuck
Reviewed February 2019

One of the more seamless, pure, elegant versions of this cuvée out there, it boasts a saturated purple color as well as a monster nose of pure crème de cassis, gravelly, rocky minerality, tobacco leaf, crushed violets, and lead pencil shavings. One of those “iron fists in a velvet glove” wines, with full-bodied richness and beautiful structure that’s covered by thrilling levels of fruit and texture, it stays tight, compact, and incredibly focused on the palate. It’s already brilliant given its purity of fruit and balance, but it deserves a decade of bottle age and will keep for 4-5 decades.

98 Points! A well-tailored Champagne, with density, length and a firm spine of vivid acidity. Though this is firmly structured, there’s a sense of finesse. The crisp, delicate mousse is a swathe of lacy texture enmeshing the fine frame as this carries flavors of black currant, lemon curd, chalky mineral and biscuit. The finish is long and fragrant, echoing fruit, toast, mineral and spices. Harmonious and enjoyable today, but this will cellar nicely—potentially longer than some of its peers from the vintage Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2048. - Wine Spectator

98 Points! The 2018 Cristal opens a new chapter for Roederer. The Cristal estate is composed of 45 parcels. In better vintages, most of the 45 parcels are used for the blend. The 2018 vintage brought with it elevated ripeness and generally low acids. Longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon was forced to cast his gaze wider, to look for parcels that offered a touch of freshness. Lécaillon expanded his palette to 57 parcels. The result is a Cristal unlike any other I have tasted. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, spice, chalk and herbs are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. Floral and savory overtones are quite distinctive. Lécaillon reduced oak ferments, racked very quickly after fermentation and used all his best Chardonnay lots for Cristal, so much so that there is no Blanc de Blancs. He bottled earlier than normal and chose a crown capsule with a liner that allows less oxygen transfer than the norm here. Taken together, those choices paid off handsomely. In tasting, the 2018 is positively stunning. Its linear energy and brilliance are a bit reminiscent of the 2014, but its flavor profile is completely different from any Cristal I can remember tasting. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

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)

Ten years after the vintage, Château Palmer is re-releasing its magnificent 2016 direct from the estate as the Ten Years On release, in a special commemorative label and branded wood case. The timing tells the story: a decade in, the critics have re-tasted, and the verdict is five 100-point scores (Leve, Dunnuck, Galloni, Wine Enthusiast, Anson), with Dunnuck calling it the finest Palmer he's ever tasted, ahead of the legendary '09 and '10. Margaux perfume, near-Pomerol richness, and decades still ahead of it. $424.98 per bottle, pre-arrival, ETA Winter 2027, and quantities are strictly limited.

100 Points – Jane Anson
Cassis, bilberry, cigar box, tobacco and pencil lead, with Palmer's unmistakable violet and peony perfume. Powerful, muscular and still youthful, with the structure and chiseled fruit of great Bordeaux. Anson sees enormous potential here and decades of evolution ahead.

100 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
Dunnuck calls the 2016 the finest Palmer he has ever tasted, surpassing both 2009 and 2010. Crème de cassis, graphite, crushed rock and spring flowers lead into a deep, concentrated palate with remarkable purity, balance and ripe tannins. Classic, regal Bordeaux with the potential to age for half a century.

100 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
One of the most brilliant wines of the 2016 vintage. Rich and expansive, with dark cherry, lavender, spice and mocha, yet beautifully floral and refined. Galloni sees it taking its place among the greatest vintages in Palmer's history and sums it up in one word: “Magnificent!”

100 Points – Wine Enthusiast
Powerful tannins and concentrated black fruit wrapped in Palmer's signature velvet texture, with vibrant acidity providing freshness and lift. A superbly structured Palmer built for long-term aging. Cellar Selection and Top 100 Cellar Selection of 2019.

98 Points! Coming from the Bois de Boursan and Crousroute lieux-dits, the 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Roussannes De Charles is a bigger, richer wine offering ripe stone fruits, brioche, orange marmalade, and honeyed flowers. Based on 100% Roussanne and aged six months in 100% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, concentrated, layered mouthfeel, brilliant mid-palate concentration, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It comes closest in style to Beaucastel's Roussanne Vieilles Vignes and is an absolutely brilliant effort that gains freshness with time in the glass. There are a scant 100 cases of this beauty. If you see a bottle, buy it. - Jeb Dunnuck

100 Points! Absolutely pure gold and reminding me of the 2009 (or is it the 2010?), the 2020 Château Smith Haut Lafitte sports a dense purple hue to go with incredible aromatics of blackberries, blueberries, scorched earth, wood smoke, and acacia flowers. One of the most concentrated, rich, and sexy wines in the vintage, this massive and extraordinarily opulent 2020 shows the vintage's pure, elegant profile yet backs it up with sensational levels of fruit and texture. Based on 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it already offers pleasure given its wealth of fruit, but it deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and will evolve for 40-50 years. Not enough can be said about the quality of these wines. Bravo to Florence and Daniel Cathiard, as well as to director Fabien Teitgen, for another incredible achievement. - jeb Dunnuck

99 Points! Extremely fresh and deep in the nose with raspberry and blackcurrant character, as well as stone, fresh green tobacco and ink. Full-bodied with a dense center palate and gorgeous fine yet steely tannins. It calms down at the end with berries, citrus and some lavender. Salty at the end. Very minerally. Flinty. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Vivid dark purple in the glass, but a remarkable clarity too. Fragrant black cherries, plums, cassis and perfumed aromas with blueberries, balsamic touches and white pepper. Rich, round, grippy and captivating, slightly plush but also tight, where you get a soft chalky, wet stone grip with lively acidity balanced by strict and spiced liquorice-touched fruit. You feel the leanness here but it's so well defined with clarity and precision. A sleeping giant right now, definitely not yet fully expressing itself but slowly grows to a long finish. There's something so utterly seductive about this wine, it's overt, forward, upfront, confident and powerful no doubt, this will need a while before it should be opened, but it’s a shining thoroughbred. Refined and purposeful. There’s a bit of magic in this bottle. - Decanter Magazine

98 Points! The standout wine of the tasting (as expected). Opulent, concentrated with intense cassis notes on both the nose and palate, with a deep-purple hue in the glass (although not quite as deep as the 1995). Mint, cool, menthol on the nose with restrained oak hovering in the background. The palate is ultra-elegant with a freshness from the acidity and perfectly-ripe tannins, combined with subtle oak and intriguing spicy, cedary notes. - Decanter Magazine, 2021

97+ Points! The last time I tasted the 1996 Mouton Rothschild (maybe a couple of years ago?), I recall it was a bit broody and closed. This showing was anything but! Deep garnet in color, it sashays out of the glass with lavishly dressed, gregarious crème de cassis, baked blackberries and plum pudding scents plus touches of menthol, fenugreek, star anise and sandalwood with fleeting glimpses at dried rose petals and oolong tea. The full-bodied palate is richly fruited, opulent and oh-so seductive, with bags of youthful black fruit and lovely finely grained tannins, finishing with fantastic freshness and length. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com 2019

100 Points! Tasted first at the château in July, then again at a Berry Bros supper in late November, and both time it effortlessly showcased why Lafite is one of the most sought-after estates in the world. Takes its time to open, even at 25 years old, but a bit of patience and you are rewarded with rosebud, tuffle, ash, pencil lead and crushed mint, all gently playing around the cassis, bilberry and blackberry fruits. There is huge concentration here, but everything is in balance, and you rejoice in the tertiary notes that give gentleness and juice to the overall feel. Charles Chevallier estate director at the time, Jacques Boissenot consultant. Harvest began September 24, 58hl/h yield. The first Lafite to be put in an anti-fraud engraved bottle. - Jane Anson, 2021

99 Points! This is compelling, with a bright, forward currant fruit that is opening well now to show the nuance of game, earth, and gunflint to the ripe, dark fruit. The texture is tannic and fresh, with tannins starting to loosen but still in evidence. A luminous, radiant wine that will doubtless improve for another half-century. The vintage saw a solid flowering and fruit set and a warm July, but cool, rainy weather in August slowed ripening. The sun returned for most of September, but there was a bit of rain in the last week, although fine weather returned in October. At Lafite, 38% of the grapes went into the grand vin, a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot – more of this last and less Merlot than customary. From 1996 forward, the percentage of Cabernet was higher than it had been hitherto. - Decanter Magazine, 2022

98 Points! As graceful as it is rich, this extraordinary pinot noir is a giant of subtlety. Incredible concentration and underplayed power on the super-silky, medium-bodied palate. Hard to put into words the purity, precision and refinement at the extremely long finish. From vines planted in 1959. From organically grown grapes. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Incredibly concentrated and refined, this has a mind-blowing aroma of sour cherries, but on the palate it is still slowly opening up, with great chalky minerality that builds and builds to an extraordinary climax at the almost endless finish. From organically grown grapes. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Plenty of class, a subtle texture, balance and precision. It shows aromas of raspberries, red cherries, roasted meat, warm spices and some leather. Medium- to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. The texture is so refined, restrained and savory, with a long, precise, chiseled finish. Almost crunchy, with an attractive note of orange peel. - JamesSuckling.com

95+ Points! Still in tank at the time of tasting, Charvin’s 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape shows a less flamboyant profile than last year, opening with aromas of menthol, spices, cassis and mulberries. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and layered, it reveals a lively, tensile core of fruit framed by velvety tannins, concluding with a finish marked by real freshness. Matured for 21 months, this blend of 82% Grenache Noir, 5% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 4% Vaccarèse and the balance Counoise is another impressive success from Laurent Charvin, emphasizing precision and vibrancy over sheer opulence. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

94 Points! Fermented with lots of stems and aged entirely in concrete tanks, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape brings textbook aromatics of ripe red and black fruits, sappy garrigue, leather, and damp flowers, as well as black pepper. It has a deep ruby/plum hue and offers medium body, a pure, focused, elegant mouthfeel, ripe yet certainly building tannins, and a great finish. This is a textbook Châteauneuf with complexity, nuances, richness, and elegance. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points Decanter
"Crushed tobacco, violets, and a seamless interplay of red and black fruit. Remarkable energy and vivacity with depth and lift. A fabulous expression of site and vine age, and a standout in Saint-Émilion."

96-98 Points Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
"Intense, deep, concentrated, and vibrant. Rich, creamy, and powerful, yet balanced and harmonious. The finish delivers waves of sweet, supple fruit and expanding mineral complexity."

95-97 Points Antonio Galloni, Vinous
"Powerful yet understated, with black cherry, lavender, sage, menthol, licorice, and espresso. Limestone-driven energy and broad, chocolatey tannins support a long, explosive finish."

94-96 Points Jeb Dunnuck
"A limestone-driven beauty offering red and black fruits, liquid violets, chalk, and graphite. Medium-bodied and focused with fine tannins, beautiful balance, and outstanding length."

94-96 Points Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Palate
"Juicy black plums, boysenberries, sandalwood, Indian spices, and crushed rocks. Supported by velvety tannins and lively freshness, finishing long and opulent."

93-95 Points Neal Martin, Vinous
"Mineral-rich black fruit, graphite, and tobacco define this more classical interpretation of La Mondotte. Lovely texture, tensile energy, and a brisk, peppery finish suggest excellent aging potential."