Bordeaux

100 Points! Even more flamboyant and sexy than the 2000, the 2005 Pavie has everything you could ever want from a wine. Deep, inky purple-colored, an awesome perfume of cassis, blackberries, toasty oak, graphite, and incredible minerality, full body, sweet tannin, and a blockbuster finish all make for an extraordinary Saint-Emilion. It’s still a baby but offers incredible pleasure today. It’s going to last for another 3-4 decades. - jeb Dunnuck, 2018

100 Points! The 2005 Pavie is deep garnet with a touch of brick. It skips out of the glass with bright, lively notes of Morello cherries, plum preserves, red roses, and candied violets followed by hints of menthol, dark chocolate, and underbrush. The full-bodied palate is so vibrant and energetic that it sparkles. Youthful red and black fruit notes comingle with mineral and floral sparks, framed by fine-grained tannins and wonderful tension, finishing with epic length and depth. This is a triumph. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, 2023

100 Points! Just a powerhouse of a wine that does everything right, the 2000 Château Pavie is drinking incredibly well today, offering huge blackcurrant and chocolatey darker berry fruits as well as loads of truffly earth, tobacco, and spice. Full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate, it stays flawlessly balanced, and while I suspect the acidity is quite low, it has an incredible sense of freshness and a weightless texture. Fully mature, yet in the early part of its drink window, it has another two decades or prime drinking ahead of it. - Jeb Dunnuck, 2020

100 Points! Just beginning to come around and strut its enormous potential, this wine at age 15 has been evolving like a glacier. The wine has an inky, opaque, plum/purple color and a stunningly rich nose of mulberries, bramble berries, blackberries, licorice and incense as well as touches of toast and graphite. Fabulously concentrated and full-bodied, with a multidimensional mouthfeel, this profound Pavie is in mid-adolescence. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com 2015

100 Points! Medium garnet-brick in color, the 2000 Pavie needs a little swirl to coax out fragrant notes of dried roses, cinnamon stick, red loam, and fallen leaves leading to a core of kirsch, plum preserves, and blueberry compote plus a hint of cardamom. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in grace and suppleness, featuring exquisitely ripe, silky tannins and seamless freshness to frame the achingly perfumed fruit, finishing so, so long and so, so fragrant. This was the first vintage using the "Eleanor" bottle shape that Pavie is well-known for today. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, 2023

96–99 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Valandraud is breathtaking. Vibrant and explosive in the glass, the 2025 offers an exotic mélange of dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and mocha. There's gorgeous precision here, much of that coming from more finesse in the tannins. The 2025 is utterly magnificent.”

96–97 Points – James Suckling
“Lots of dark fruit with an edge, supported by chalky tannins. Compact and concentrated, with a fresh medium body. This shows an attractive combination of power, focused tannins, freshness and exuberant fruit.”

95 Points – Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
“As ever with Valandraud, this has impressive depths and concentration. Inky colour, sea spray aromatics, sandalwood oak, roasted coffee, dark chocolate, powerful iris and violets. This is a great wine and a clear potential upscore in bottle.”

97–99 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“Based on 84% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2025 Château Valandraud has captivating aromatics of juicy red, blue, and black fruits, graphite, spring flowers, and an ultra-classic lead pencil character. Concentrated and full-bodied, with incredible purity and a more restrained, elegant style than previous vintages.”

98–99 Points – James Suckling
“A cool and perfectly integrated wine with a vivid and poised nature, superb focus and precision. It’s so perfumed and dense yet weightless and polished. Endless finish. 51% Cabernet Franc and 49% Merlot.”

97–99+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“A powerful, inward, yet incredibly discrete and classy wine, the 2025 Château Lafleur reveals black raspberries, framboise, graphite, crushed stone, and floral notes on the nose. Based on 49% Merlot and 51% Bouchet, it's full-bodied on the palate, with a deep, rich, layered mouthfeel, remarkable length, and tons of polished tannins. It's an absolute dream of a wine, and I have no doubt this will check in with the top handful of wines in the vintage.”

97–99 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
“Truffles, flowers, cocoa, black cherries, smoke, and chocolate mint begin to define the nose. The wine coats your palate, covering your mouth, teeth, and gums with layers of pure, sweet, energetic fruit, marine influences, dark cocoa, and a touch of herbs. Long, intense, rich, and polished, this is one of the more sensuous offerings from Lafleur.” 

98–100 Points – Wine Advocate
“A wine of remarkable precision and intensity, the 2025 Lafleur delivers layered dark fruits, flowers, graphite, and mineral complexity with stunning persistence and structure.”

97–99 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Lafleur is captivating. Aromatic, layered, and incredibly nuanced, with remarkable persistence, energy, and finesse.”

96–98 Points – Neal Martin, Vinous
“The 2025 Lafleur combines purity, energy, and precision with extraordinary finesse. Intensely mineral and beautifully proportioned.”

98–99 Points – James Suckling
“A tight and powerful wine with a precise and structured texture. Restrained, steely and racy. Goes on for minutes. So much intensity. A bright and shining white. Stunning balance.”

97–99 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc gets my vote for the white wine of the vintage. Rich and powerful in the glass, but also beautifully vibrant, the 2025 dazzles from start to finish. Lemon confit, pear, slate, mint, white flowers and tangerine peel are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop over time. The 2025 is quite simply stunning. Don’t miss it!”

97 Points – Decanter
“The cooler microclimate at this estate favours hot and dry weather, and this proved no exception in 2025. Always showing the exciting combination of freshness and white stone fruit fleshiness expressed in a suave palate texture with nuance and refinement, evoking Meursault-like depth and opulence. A great success.”

95–97 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown
“The 2025 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc soars from the glass with vibrant notes of grapefruit essence, Granny Smith apples, and passion fruit, leading to a fragrant undercurrent of honeysuckle, lime blossoms, and sea spray. The medium-bodied palate is intense with citrus and tropical fruit layers with a refreshing line and chalky texture, finishing with great length and energy.”

98-100 Points - Wine Advocate 

"A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that weighs in at 13.3% alcohol, the 2025 Pontet-Canet is one of the finest wines this estate has produced. Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet cassis, wild berries and plums mingled with notions of violet and burning embers, it's full-bodied, ample and velvety, with a degree of structural polish and sensuality that is rare in the Médoc, ripe acids and a long, penetrating finish. Over the last handful of years, technical director Mathieu Bessonnet and his team have revitalized Pontet-Canet's vineyards with well-timed soil work and precise phytosanitary treatments; and since 2023, the careful use of "pieds de cuve" in the winery, along with early blending, more refined barrel choices and cooler temperatures in the chai—plus more precise bottling practices—have conspired to take this estate to new heights of quality and consistency. In 2025, the team formed lower-than-usual "ponts" (whereby the canopies of adjacent vines are braided together in an arch) to retain denser foliage to protect the fruiting zone from sunshine, and they waited to pick late in pursuit of full maturity in Cabernet Sauvignon, finishing on September 23. The result is one of the wines of the vintage.times."

97–98 Points – James Suckling
“A precise and beautiful wine with total integration of the fruit and polished tannins that give a caressing and seductive mouthfeel. It’s medium-bodied with lovely fruit, a gentle nature and an overall softness and gorgeousness. Yet structured.”

96–98+ Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Pontet Canet is a wine of exquisite class. Silky, aromatic, and vibrant, the 2025 is all finesse. Crushed red and purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, and a gentle hint of spice are all wonderfully put together. Pontet-Canet is one of the more refined, sublimely beautiful wines of the year. This could turn out even better than my notes suggest. Tasted two times.”

98 Points – Falstaff
“Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate notes of candied violets, black cherries, some nougat, inviting hint of precious wood, multi-faceted bouquet. Juicy, elegant, ripe heart cherries, fine extract sweetness, ripe, silky tannins, freshly structured, mineral, blackberry confit in the finish, finesse-rich, harmonious style.”

100 Points! Pichon Baron 2016 is a riveting, classy wine, richly aromatic and expressive from the start with a complex bouquet of black cherry, liquorice, graphite, menthol and subtle spices. The palate combines fleshy texture and linearity. The fine-grained tannins have the laser-like precision that Christian Seely likes so much, and contribute to the overall impression of crystalline purity so conducive to the terroir expression of this benchmark wine destined to reach new heights over the next 20 to 30 years. Magnificent wine. - Yohan Castaing, Decanter Magazine 2021

99 Points! The concentration and largesse of the 2016 Pichon Baron is apparent from the get-go with incredibly alluring, ripe and expansive fruit aromas in the blackberry, dark-cherry, mulberry and plum zone. Espresso and cedar, as well as a slate-like, stony mineral edge add complexity. The palate has incredible depth, drive and detail. Fine and plush tannins stretch the palate in every direction. So fresh and vivacious, this is the greatest Pichon Baron since 1989 and has a long future. Try from 2024. - James Suckling

99+ Points! Borderline perfection in a bottle, the 2010 Pichon-Longueville Baron (79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot) boasts a saturated purple color as well as truly extraordinary aromatics of crème de cassis, licorice, crushed rock-like minerality, graphite, and spring flowers. Possessing full-bodied richness, a huge, unctuous mid-palate, and building tannin, it shows the purity, grandeur, and precision that makes this vintage so remarkable. Hide bottles for another 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy bottles over the following 2-3 decades. - Jeb Dunnuck, February 2018

99 Points! Incredible depth apparent from the first whiff as well as powerful aromatics combining graphite, black fruit and spices. The palate is concentrated but brimming with energy, yet what really stands out is its confounding freshness as well as the finesse and precise contours of the tannic framework. An already profound wine that will reach new heights over the next two decades. - Yohan Castaing, Decanter Magazine, December 2021

100 Points! Just a powerhouse of a wine that does everything right, the 2000 Château Pavie is drinking incredibly well today, offering huge blackcurrant and chocolatey darker berry fruits as well as loads of truffly earth, tobacco, and spice. Full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate, it stays flawlessly balanced, and while I suspect the acidity is quite low, it has an incredible sense of freshness and a weightless texture. Fully mature, yet in the early part of its drink window, it has another two decades or prime drinking ahead of it. - Jeb Dunnuck, December 2020

100 Points! Just beginning to come around and strut its enormous potential, this wine at age 15 has been evolving like a glacier. The wine has an inky, opaque, plum/purple color and a stunningly rich nose of mulberries, bramble berries, blackberries, licorice and incense as well as touches of toast and graphite. Fabulously concentrated and full-bodied, with a multidimensional mouthfeel, this profound Pavie is in mid-adolescence. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

100 Points! The 1999 Pavie is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. It springs out with spritely notes of redcurrant jelly, Morello cherries, and blackberry preserves giving way to suggestions of red roses, tobacco leaf, and pencil lead with a touch of tapenade. The medium-bodied palate has bags of energy, with a fine-grained texture and lively line to lift the long, mineral-laced finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

100 Points! A wine of noble bearing and exceptional beauty, the 2010 Mouton Rothschild is a flat-out stunner. The aromatics alone are beguiling. On the palate, the wine is every bit as thrilling, with myriad layers of flavor that continue to open up in the glass. Graphite, gravel, smoke, plum, black cherry and savory herbs are all strikingly delineated throughout. Vivid and crystalline, the 2010 is a jewel of a wine, but it is impossibly young now. Readers who can be patient will be treated to a fabulous wine. Today, the 2010 reminds me of a more civilized version of the 1986. The 2010 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon (the highest amount of Cabernet ever here). Dollops of Merlot round out the blend. Harvest took place between September 29 and October 13. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

100 Points! Clearly a perfect wine that shows incredible depth of fruit with currants, dark chocolate, minerals and licorice. Full-bodied, tight and wound up with ripe tannins that let go and seduce you. Makes me want to drink it now. But this is a wine for the long term. Extraordinary. - James Suckling

100 Points! Smoked grilled tar on the nose, it feels both very 2010 and supremely Mouton - accomplished and confident. A more glamorous, enticing edge than the other Pauillac Firsts at this 10 year window. There are plentiful tannins but they are lined with air, and the overall feel is of plush, plumped fruits, like being rolled-up in luxurious sheets. It is very different in character to the other two Pauillac Firsts, but no less enjoyable. It feels higher in alcohol, more Cos than Lafite in terms of personality, in the way that Pichon Baron is more Latour than Comtesse, but it is nuanced and clever and surprising. - Jane Anson, Decanter Magazine, Janaury 2020

100 Points! Gorgeous aromas of dark plums and violets. Orange peel, too. Some crushed stone. Bark. Stems. Iron shavings. Full-bodied, but very tight and compacted. The tannins are all here making it very structured, yet they are polished and melted together. Needs years to show all of its greatness. Incredible polish and structure. - James Suckling

100 Points! This has grip and poise, it edges forward with slate textured tannins, not givin too much away at first, but sit with it, because the future brilliance of this Margaux is there to be seen if you take your time. It displays a seriousness of intent that sets it apart in expression from vintages like the 2018, and has dense and powerful red and black fruits along with supple and plentiful tannins that have no intention of relinquishing their hold for decades to come. Gingerbread, liqourice root, grilled sandalwood, red peppers, mint leaf and peony flowers add waves of complexity as it widens and softens through the mid palate, along with raspberry puree and edges of patisserie cream. A Margaux for the ages. - Jane Anson

100 Points! Michel Delon, then owner, believed this to be the greatest wine he ever made. It's not often the case that wines with this much expectation riding on them live up to the hype, but this one did. A stunning wine that, at 33 years old, still feels fresh, concentrated and with a long way left to go. The tannins have the characteristic Las Cases weight and definition to them, giving form and shape to the sweet berry fruit, but the overall impression is of welcoming, juicy pleasure. Harvested from 1 to 17 October. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. - Jane Anson, Decanter Magazine 2019

98 Points! Having tasted the 1986 Léoville Las-Cases countless times, I wondered whether it would ever come round. The news is, it has, and it is beautiful. Stunning delineation on the nose, this has lazer-like focus and breathtaking tension, very mineral-driven with touches of blood orange emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with those once rigid tannins finally softening, layers of black fruit laced with cedar and tobacco with a silky-smooth finish. Heavenly! - Neal Martin, Vinous October 2021

100 Points! This is one of my favorite wines ever. Full-bodied, with layers of silky fruit and masses of currant, mineral and berry character. Amazing. It's a wine with perfect structure, perfect strength. It's 1961 Latour in modern clothes. It's hard not to drink it now. - James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2005

99 Points! A superb wine, ageing well, the 1990 Latour still seems deceptively youthful, with plenty of ripe mulberry and blackcurrant fruit, but there is also a graceful evolution, with truffle, earth and smoke notes. The texture is supple and warm, but it avoids the softness of some of the clarets from 1990. The tannins are still reasonably firm and the wine should continue to improve in the cellar for at least another 20 years. - Decanter Magazine, 2022

100 Points! One of the greatest wines produced in Bordeaux this year is the 2019 Lafite Rothschild, an impeccably balanced classic of immense charm and grace. Wafting from the glass with arresting aromas of cassis, blackberries and cherries mingled with violets, cigar box and warm spices, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, concentrated mid-palate framed by exquisitely powdery tannins and ripe acids, and concluding with a long, perfumed finish. This rivals the 2010 and 2016 as the greatest Lafite of the decade, and of those three vintages, it's clearly the most sensual and demonstrative out of the gates. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

100 Points! So much sweet tobacco, Spanish cedar, dried flowers, dark mushrooms and roses. Really aromatic. This is so polished and very powerful, yet ethereal and refined at the same time. The finish goes on for minutes. Tight and harmonious. You want to drink it! So balanced, yet it will age beautifully. It will be this good forever. - JamesSuckling.com

100 Points! The nose is fresh, bright, and dense. With aromas of violets, minerals, spices, cool stones, mint, dark fruits, and plum skins, this is beautiful. Very much still a baby right now, it needs much more time. This is a wine for the next generation. Finesse and elegance, truly a wine that makes you contemplate life. This is not about power, there is really nothing like it. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon. - JamesSuckling.com, February 2011

100 Points! A brilliant, heavenly wine that simply couldn't be any better, the 2000 Château Lafite-Rothschild is based on 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot. Ripe currants, lead pencil, cedary spice, leather, and tons of tobacco and truffle all emerge on the nose, and on the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with a broad, layered, deep yet at the same time weightless and seamless mouthfeel. It still has tannins and structure but is so complex and nuanced, with that classic Lafite elegance. It has another 30-40 years of prime drinking and will most likely see its 100th birthday still offering pleasure. Drink 2026-2066. - Jeb Dunnuck, April 2026

99 Points! This is incredibly complex, with all the cabernet descriptors, from mint and lead pencil to blackberry, blackcurrant and menthol. It changes all the time in the glass, just as in the nose. Yet, it remains cool and classy. Full-bodied with very fine, tight tannins that run the length of the wine, carrying on and on and on. Well-framed and compact wine. Never-ending procession of currant, berry and black cherry fruit, together with licorice, earth and just a hint of black truffle. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Give this until 2028 to show its true greatness. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

98+ Points! The 2019 Mouton Rothschild is the most dramatic of the Médoc first growths, soaring from the glass with aromas of cassis, blackberries and violets mingled with rich aromas of cedar, cigar wrapper, licorice, loamy soil and spices. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and powerful, with huge levels of concentration and an ineffably complete, seamless profile, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Plenty of ripe tannin is hidden by its ample core of fruit, and despite its youthful polish, this will require plenty of bottle age to realize all its potential. This blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot tastes in many respects like the 2016 Mouton's more sun-kissed cousin. - William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

98 Points! A deep intense nose, this is another brilliant Pauillac First Growth in 2019, all different in style and true to themselves. The tannins are ripe and fleshed out, taking a confident hold around well-textured blackberry and cassis fruits that are fluid, supple and frankly delicious. This is pure Mouton, you couldn't mistake it, with its touch of mocha and chocolate, and its core of freshness. Has a feel of the 1996 about it. - Jane Anson, Decanter

ETA: Early Winter 2026

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.

100 Points! Rose petals, sandalwood and currants with some plums and fruit tea. Full-bodied, tight and focused. Incredibly straight and minerally. Toned muscles here. Tannic. Traditional and unwavering. Try in 2024. - James Suckling

100 Points! The finest wine ever made by proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard, the 2009 Smith-Haut-Lafitte exhibits an opaque blue/purple color in addition to a glorious nose of acacia flowers, licorice, charcoal, blueberries, black raspberries, lead pencil shavings and incense. This massive, extraordinarily rich, unctuously textured wine may be the most concentrated effort produced to date, although the 2000, 2005 and 2010 are nearly as prodigious. A gorgeous expression of Pessac-Leognan with sweet tannin, emerging charm and delicacy, and considerable power, depth, richness and authority, it should age effortlessly for 30-40+ years. Bravo! - Robert M. Parker, Jr. , robertparker.com, December 2011  

100 Points! The 2016 Pavie a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it needs a little coaxing to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal a fragrant perfume of violets, chocolate-covered cherries, crushed blueberries and eucalyptus over a core of preserved plums, kirsch, black raspberries and crème de cassis plus hints of licorice and chargrilled meat. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a solid foundation of firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness interknit with the black fruit preserves and minerally layers, finishing very long and very decadent. Superb! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

99 Points! Turning the dial up considerably, the 2016 Château Pavie leaps out of the glass with a thrilling bouquet of crème de cassis, toasty oak, graphite, white truffle, crayons, and flowers. A blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 85% new French oak (the new oak has been dialed back in recent vintages), this full-bodied Pavie is made in a more elegant, seamless style compared to prior great vintages, yet it still has brilliant depth of fruit and concentration, ripe, present tannins, a seamless texture, and an awesome finish. -  Jeb Dunnuck

98+ Points! The 2016 Pavie is simply magnificent. Gracious, perfumed and exquisitely beautiful, the 2016 has it all. I can't remember seeing a Pavie with this much translucent energy and nuance. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice and menthol all infuse this explosive, young wine with tremendous character. In the glass, the 2016 is vivid, aromatically deep and full of saline-infused energy. It is without question one of the wines of the vintage. As it turns out Gerard Perse also opened the 2008. Although the two vintages (2016 and 2008) in question are quite different in style and quality, the trajectory Pavie has taken in recent years is evident. The 2016 is a thrilling wine. That's all there is to it. The blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous