France

95 Points! The aromas of orange peel, citrus, fresh mushroom, bark, smoked meat and currants is fantastic. The palate is pure and focused with super-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Muscular and formed, yet agile, Takes the appellation to a new level. Partially aged in amphore. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A svelte, seductive and seriously appealing 100% Merlot grown atypically on clay-dominant soils on one of the highest points of the Francs Côtes de Bordeaux. Wild strawberries, Morello cherries and subtle spices on the nose and palate, softly sweet, generous, round, plump, juicy and mouth filling, all harmoniously packaged and carefully balanced with freshness from start to finish. Complete and evocative with purity of expression. Seek it out. - Decanter Magazine

93 Points! Composed of 100% Merlot, the 2019 Marsau is medium to deep garnet-purple colored. It struts out of the glass with assured notes of juicy black plums, blackberry preserves, tar, and cumin seed with touches of violets and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegant and lively, with lots of bright, savory sparks to the restrained black fruits, finishing on a lingering mineral note. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

The forgotten wine? Bouchard's Beaune Greves Vignes de L'Enfant Jesus gets all the run but did you know they made another wine from this site at 1/3 the price? And it's terrific...

93-95 Points! Wild strawberries, raspberries, spring lowers, sandalwood, and Provençal spice notes all emerge from the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Sables De La Crau, a beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied Châteauneuf du Pape based on 100% Grenache that was fermented with some stems and brought up all in used barrels. It shows the ripe yet still fresh, elegant style of the vintage beautifully. - Jeb Dunnuck

91 Points! Juicy and vivid, this red shows notes of sweet cherries, raspberries and sweet spices. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Succulent, with plenty of fruit character and a spicy lift in the lively finish. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

90 Points! Provençal red and black fruits, meaty spice, and peppery herbs all emerge from the 2023 Cairanne Les 2 Arbres, an equal blend of Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah aged in cement tanks with less than 5% in neutral barrels. It's medium-bodied, round, and supple, with a nicely textured mouthfeel that's ripe and satisfying. - Jeb Dunnuck

90 Points! Based on 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and the rest Mourvèdre brought up in tank and foudre, the 2022 Côtes Du Rhône offers red and black fruits, peppery herbs, licorice, and some stone minerality on the nose. It's medium-bodied, has a pretty, pure, juicy, absolutely delicious style, and delivers the goods as this cuvée always does. - Jeb Dunnuck

90+ Points! Notes of lilac, dark cherries and flowers preface Guigal’s 2022 Côtes du Rhône, a juicy, round and elegant wine that is also remarkably dense for the vintage and represents excellent value. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

93 Points! Deep and highly aromatic on the nose - freshly picked red berries with dried herbs and a touch of liquorice. Supple and forward, this has nice energy and bounce. Creamy, super juicy and with a cooling mineral bite that comes across as slightly spiced with graphite and pencil lead accents and a slight chalky powderiness on the tongue. Really lovely frame and focus. Great to drink now, has plenty of punch but with lovely finesse too. Easy to enjoy this. - Decanter Magazine

93 Points! Very perfumed, bright and crunchy. Rose petals, lemons and other citrus fruits. Medium body with citrus and raspberry flavors. Linear and long with lovely energy and vivacity. Drinkable now, but better in a couple of years. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Vibrant, scented and delineated, showing expressive blue fruit, hibiscus, cassis, minerals and spices. The medium- to full-bodied palate is evenly packed with fresh and fine tannins. Graceful, velvety yet al dente. Spot-on balance with a lengthy but tightly wound finish. Already attractive, but wait three years if you want a more complete Bordeaux. This has the potential to develop for at least another eight to ten years. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! (47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot). A lovely vintage of Senejac, plummy dark fruits, luscious cocoa bean and espresso, edges of rosemary and sage, good stuff. Eric Boissenot consultant, Bignon-Cordier family owners. - Jane Anson

93 Points! I like the biscuit and brioche aromas here. Some fig, walnut and apple crumble, too. It’s rich an creamy with delicious, toasty undertones. Rounded yet very fresh finish. Disgorged in 2023. Dosage 3g/L. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

52% Vertus Premier Cru, 27% Bergères les Vertus Premier Cru, 21% Cramant Grand Cru  Côte des Blancs, 40+ year-old vines.

90 Points! Rocking stuff, the 2024 Côtes du Rhône offers peppery red and black fruits, spice, and beautiful minerality. It's medium-bodied, fresh, focused, and balanced, with the pure, focused, graceful style of the vintage. - Jeb Dunnuck

90 Points! Dark, inky and nicely unadorned, with violet and fresh blackberry flavors showing real purity and freshness. Ripe and weighty, offering velvety tannins that guide the chalky, smooth finish, flecked with fleur de sel, garrigue and licorice root. Solid and vibrant. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! Based on Bourboulenc, Viognier, and Marsanne, the 2024 Côtes Du Rhône Coudoulet De Beaucastel Blanc is a killer white offering honeyed peach, orange blossom, white flowers, and a kiss of minerality. It's medium-bodied, pure, focused, and elegant, with a layered mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and a great finish. This is legit fabulous stuff that's as good as many a top Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc and will drink beautifully over the coming 4-6 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

Gorgeous now! What a screaming bargain...

90 Points! Fresh verbena and lime lend zip to white grapefruit and peach in this juicy blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc. Bright in fruit and thirst quenching, it's an easy-drinking, fruity dry white with crowd appeal. - Wine Enthusiast

90 Points! Brimming with fresh black-cherry fruit, this light and crisp Julienas has a very engaging balance of full fruit, gentle tannin and lively acidity. Good length, thanks to those tannins!  - JamesSuckling.com

Old cherry trees are planted in this plot of 60 year old vines giving to the wine distinct note of cherries, stone fruits, pepper and kirsch every year. 

Neal Martin from The Wine Advocate at the time writes: The palate is medium-bodied with fine tensile tannins. There is great harmony here whilst the finish is cohesive and nicely poised. This is very fine almost Saint Estèphe-like in style. 90-Points!

The 2010 Carcanieux is entering a lovely phase of maturity. Crushed red plum, blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco leaf and dried rose petal emerge from the glass, lifted by subtle hints of pencil shavings and savory herbs. Medium-bodied and classically proportioned, the 2010 offers fine-grained tannins that have softened nicely with age, while retaining enough backbone to frame the wine's evolved fruit. The mid-palate is supple and understated rather than powerful, with earthy nuances and a touch of leather adding complexity. The finish is persistent and refined, marked by lingering notes of cedar, dried black fruits and gentle spice. This is a charming, traditionally styled Médoc that is drinking beautifully today and should continue to provide pleasure over the next several years.

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."

94 Points! More Mourvèdre-dominated, the 2009 Châteauneuf Du Pape L'Envol is slightly less aromatic yet still brings solid complexity in its gamey, darker fruits, iron, smoked meats, spice, and peppery, garrigue-like nuances. It's beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, has ripe, polished tannins, and just about flawless balance. It's another brilliant wine from this estate that offers a terrific drinking experience today yet still has another decade of longevity. Drink: 2025-2034. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! A more long-term effort is the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape L’Envol (70% Mourvedre and 30% Grenache, aged in two- to three-year-old small barriques). A complex nose of sauteed mushrooms intermixed with meat juices, blueberry, mulberry and tree bark are all present in a completely different interpretation of Chateauneuf du Pape. The color is a healthy deep bluish purple, and the wine medium to full-bodied, tannic and quite young and backward. This will need a few years of bottle age and evolve over the next 15+ years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

96 Points – Decanter
"A beautifully crafted Saint-Estèphe with impressive depth, precision, and freshness. Dark fruits, graphite, cedar, and mineral notes are framed by fine tannins and excellent persistence."

96–97 Points – James Suckling
"A refined and focused Phélan Ségur with blackcurrants, graphite, crushed stones, and floral undertones. Medium- to full-bodied with polished tannins and a long, energetic finish."

94 Points – Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
"Fresh, vibrant and classically styled, with cassis, cedar, tobacco leaf, and crushed rock minerality. Excellent balance and aging potential."

93–95 Points – Neal Martin, Vinous
"The 2025 Phélan Ségur offers lovely delineation with blackberry, cassis, graphite, and subtle floral aromas. The palate is structured and persistent with fine tannins and excellent precision."

92–95 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
"Black currants, blackberries, tobacco leaf, cedar, graphite, and crushed rocks form the aromatic profile. The wine is fresh, energetic, and loaded with classic Saint-Estèphe character, finishing with excellent length and minerality."

97–98 Points – James Suckling
“A serious Aile d'Argent with sliced green mangoes, pears and green apples. Full-bodied. Framed with phenolics and minerals. Complex and real. A touch of flint and cedar at the end. Super finish. A blend of 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Sémillon, 7% Sauvignon Gris and 1% Muscadelle.”

94–96 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent
“The 2025 Aile d'Argent pops from the glass with vivacious notes of Bosc pears, white peaches, and pink grapefruit, giving way to hints of honeysuckle, orange peel, and beeswax with a touch of jasmine tea. Medium-bodied, the palate is satiny-textured and crisp with intense orchard fruit flavors and a long, fragrant finish. The blend is 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Sémillon, 7% Sauvignon Gris, and 1% Muscadelle. It has a pH of 3.13 and the alcohol is 13.6%. It is due to age in French oak barrels for 9 months, 45% new. No malolactic was performed this year.”

93–95 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“A blend of 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Sémillon, 7% Sauvignon Gris, and a splash of Muscadelle, the 2025 Château Mouton Rothschild Aile D'Argent Blanc offers bright green citrus, crushed stone, minty herb, and savory aromatics, with an incredibly mineral-driven character. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, with bright, racy acidity and a clean finish. This exotic, complex, perfumed white is going to benefit from a few years in the cellar and I suspect have a long drinking window.”

94–95 Points – James Suckling
“A beautifully structured and polished La Chapelle with layers of dark fruit, graphite, and crushed stones. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins, excellent balance, and a long, focused finish. A superb second wine.”

92–95 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“A beautiful, layered second wine from this team, the 2025 La Chapelle De La Mission Haut-Brion checks in as 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28.3% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, and a splash of Petit Verdot. Ripe black cherries, graphite, red plums, smoke, and tobacco are just some of the nuances on the nose, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with a pure, layered mouthfeel, fine and polished tannins, and a great finish.”

92–94 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent
“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion prances out with gregarious notes of fresh black cherries, juicy raspberries, and cassis, plus hints of lavender oil and pencil shavings with a waft of tree bark. The medium-bodied palate delivers fine-grained tannins and great tension to match the bright black and red berry flavors, finishing minerally. The blend is 28.3% Merlot, 52.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.1% Petit Verdot, and 18% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 14.1%.”

93–95 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
“Flowers, tobacco leaves, black cherries, cassis, smoke, and crushed rocks create the aromatic profile. The wine is fresh, vibrant, and energetic with a beautiful sense of purity to the fruit. The finish combines minerality, freshness, and length, making this one of the strongest vintages of La Chapelle in recent years.”