Spain

94-96 Points! A powerful, brooding wine. Black cherry, lavender, dark spice, menthol, licorice and plum bring out somber shades of expression in this decidedly virile Pessac Leognan…there is so much to look forward to here. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

93 Points! Moving to the red, the 2019 Domaine De La Solitude (Pessac-Léognan) reveals a ruby/plum color as well as textbook Graves notes of red and black cherries, damp earth, chocolate, and smoked tobacco. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has ripe, supple, yet building tannins, and a great finish. It's beautifully done, and while I'd happily drink a bottle today, it will keep for upwards of two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! This wine stands out as a sensational effort just a few years away from full maturity. A 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine displays loads of scorched earth and smoky barbecue scents along with blueberry, black raspberry and black currant. The wine is expansive, has a savory, broad palate and a full-bodied mouthfeel, yet possesses vivid purity and uplift. The tannins are still present, but they are sweet and well-integrated. This wine should hit full maturity in another year or two and last for at least 20 more years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2010

100 Points! One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission-Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2012

96 Points! The 1990 La Mission Haut-Brion is drinking brilliantly right now. Revealing aromas of truffles, spices, mocha, prune and a touch of tobacco, it’s beautifully balanced, satiny and sensual, with incredible concentration and a long, delicate finish. It’s a very beautiful 1990 with all the characteristics of this estate: finesse and elegance. I recommend drinking it now and until 2040. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

100 Points! One of the great wines of the vintage, and the last produced under the ownership of the Woltner family, the 1982 La Mission Haut-Brion remains remarkably youthful, exhibiting a saturated ruby-black hue. Unfurling in the glass with rich aromas of black fruits, cigar smoke, loamy soil, black truffle, peat and pencil shavings, it's full-bodied, broad and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, ripe tannins and a long, expansive finish. Over the last decade, the wine has become increasingly seamless and elegant, without losing any of its vitality, and it is now clear, if it were ever in doubt, that this wine can stand alongside vintages such as 1961 and 1955 as one of the great La Mission Haut-Brions of the 20th century. Readers should note that the La Tour Haut-Brion of the same vintage performs at a very similar level of quality. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

95 Points! Intense aromas of violets, berries and spices follow through to a full-bodied palate, with layers of supersilky tannins and a long, long finish. Very classic in style. All in elegance and length. I like it better than the 2000. Best after 2009. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! Haut-Brion’s 2001, which was bottled late (the end of September, 2003), possesses an unmistakable nobility as well as a burgeoning complexity. Plum/purple to the rim, this blend of 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Cabernet Franc is playing it close to the vest, having closed down considerably after bottling. Nevertheless, it reveals pure notes of sweet and sour cherries, black currants, licorice, smoke, and crushed stones. Medium-bodied with excellent purity, firm tannin, and an angular, structured finish, it requires 5-7 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2020+. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

96 Points! A candidate for the -wine of the vintage,- the 2008 Haut-Bailly possesses incredible complexity. Tell-tale notes of lead pencil shavings, charcoal, damp earth, black cherries and black currants intermixed with a hint of subtle barbecue smoke are present in this classic, quintessential Graves. Medium-bodied with an emerging, precocious complexity, it is a super-pure, beautifully textured, long wine that can be drunk now or cellared for 20-25 years. Bravo! - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

94 Points! Fully mature, yet still pure and layered, with plenty of vibrancy, the 2008 Château Haut-Bailly has quintessential Haut-Bailly sweet darker berries, smoked tobacco, minty herbs, and floral aromas and flavors. These carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has firmer, focusing tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish. This is a more austere, focused style from the estate that has a classic, age-worthy style. It should hold nicely going forward and, I suspect, have another 10-15 years of prime drinking, with a gradual decline thereafter. - Jeb Dunnuck, 2023

97 Points! The iconic 2012 Pape Clement is a candidate for near-perfection as well as one of the wines of the vintage. From proprietor Bernard Magrez, this is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. This extraordinary vineyard (a few miles to the west of Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion) has hit all the highlights of this vintage. Interestingly, the quality of the Pomerols and Graves wines in 2012 is closer to what one would consider a great vintage than the general image of 2012. This is truly great wine and not far off their magnificent 2005 and 2010. Full-bodied, with rich cassis, subtle burning embers and spice followed by velvety, well-integrated tannins, the wine is lush, expansive, savory and profound. This is a remarkable wine that could be drunk at a reasonably young age, but should cellar brilliantly for a quarter-century. Yields were modest at 37 hectoliters per hectare from this 132-acre estate. The alcohol level came in at 13.5%. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2015

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1 btl Ch. Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2017 édition 100% Cabernet Franc

1 flacon 30ml. L’Eau des Carmes

This exceptional case tells the story of a century at les Carmes. A unique experience, a DIALOGUE between the WINEGROWERS of Carmes and BARNABÉ FILLION, perfume designer. Olfactory design, wine design, crafts that inspire each other to PAY TRIBUTE TO A CENTURY OF HISTORY. To Bijou, to the freedom of a woman who lived here for a long time, to the daring that expresses itself on a TERROIR. To the Peugue banks, where the WINEGROWERS celebrate nature and culture. To the genius of plants, and to that of CABERNET FRANC in particular, whose oldest plants have been exploring the area for over 90 years. To the next generation, grateful, brave and creative.

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98-99 Points! This has real al dente fruit character on the palate with lemon rind and blackcurrants with blueberries. Lead pencil and stone, too. Full-bodied with chewy and juicy tannins that are primary and growing quickly on the palate as you taste it. Reminds me of the 1978, but brighter and more precise. 51.7% cabernet sauvignon, 43.2% merlot and 5.1% cabernet franc. - James Suckling

97-99 Points! The 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion is matured in 70% new oak. It has a very refined bouquet with mineral-driven dark berry fruit, hints of Earl Grey and freshly-rolled tobacco, focused with exquisite delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins that still provide the backbone to what is the most elegant La Missions that I have tasted at this stage. It is harmonious and silky toward its extremely persistent finish. At the moment, it has got its nose just in front of its First Growth sibling...at least at the moment. For sure, it's going to be one of the standouts of the 2022 vintage. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

97 Points! Gorgeous intensity on the nose, really fragrant and perfumed, richly scented with black fruits and bramble berries. Round, full, persistent and thrilling on the palate, a perfect balance between rich, concentrated and intense fruit and lively acidity. There is density and crispness while remaining quite pure and focused, no overt over ripeness or heaviness. Precise and elegant, juicy and alive. This has supreme charm. 4pH. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

95-97 Points! While I don't see the 2022 Château La Mission Haut-Brion matching the legendary wines from this address at this early stage, it's nevertheless a gorgeous wine in the making. Based on 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, it has a pure, elegant, lengthy style as well as classic cassis and darker cherry fruits, some smoky, tobacco, scorched earth nuances, medium to full body, perfectly ripe tannins, and a great finish. I love its tannins, and it's a forward, seamless, balanced beauty that will shine with just short-term cellaring. - Jeb Dunnuck

94-96+ Points! A rich and muscular wine that reflects the warmth of the vintage, the 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion reveals aromas of dark berries, cherries and crème de cassis mingled with licorice, spices, incense and spring flowers. Full-bodied, broad and concentrated, it's surprisingly lively despite an elevated pH of 4.0, exhibiting a seamless, broad-shouldered profile with an ample core of fruit framed by rich, powdery tannin. It's a blend of 51.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot and 5.1% Cabernet Franc. - Yohan Castaing, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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98-99 Points! Currants and cedar with sandalwood and peaches. Fascinating aromas. Violets. Full-bodied with a crunchy and electric palate of primary fruit, with hints of tangerines and citrus. Great finish with structure and polish. 53.6% merlot, 35.4% cabernet sauvignon and 11% cabernet franc. Interesting to have such high merlot in the blend. - James Suckling

97-99 Points! The 2022 Haut-Brion comes across as a bit restrained, given the natural opulence of the year and the other wines in the Clarence Dillon portfolio. Deep and wonderfully layered, the 2022 possesses remarkable depth but also a bit less of the explosive energy that is such a Haut-Brion signature. I suspect that will come in time, as the 2022 starts to show quite a bit better with a little aeration. Violet, gravel, incense, leather, tobacco and scorched earth linger. Superb. - Antonio Galloni

96-98 Points! Slightly better than its sibling La Mission Haut-Brion, the 2022 Château Haut-Brion has a full-bodied, concentrated, structured style that's going to demand bottle age. Cassis, graphite, scorched earth, and tobacco are just some of its nuances aromatically, and it shows the ripe, powerful style of the vintage. There are lots of tannins here, especially on the finish, and it's going to need 7-8 years in the cellar. - Jeb Dunnuck

95-97 Points! The 2022 Haut-Brion shows considerable promise, revealing aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with notions of pencil lead, licorice, tobacco leaf, spices and incense. Full-bodied, broad and seamless, it's rich and muscular, with a deep, layered core of fruit framed by an ample endowment of tannin. This blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc, the result is a lip-smacking exemplification of controlled power. Analytically, the 2022 possesses a similar level of tannins to the 2010, and a similar pH to the 2009, yet it is more suave and polished than the 2010 at the same stage, and seemingly more dynamic than the 2009. - Yohan Castaing, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

97-99+ Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Haut-Brion is a blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc aging in 62.9% new oak. The nose is typically closed and broody, requiring a lot of shaking to wake up enticing notes of iron ore, red roses, lavender, mint tea, and forest floor, leading to a tantalizing core of plum preserves and blueberry pie. The medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly knit with vibrant black and blue fruit layers and red berry sparks, framed by very fine-grained tannins and a refreshing backbone, finishing long and minerally. A classic, breath-taking expression of Haut-Brion, I expect this to remain shy and restrained for the first 10 years so in bottle, and then watch it soar. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

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98-100 Points! Inky dark in color, the wine requests a bit of effort before jumping into its nose of spice, cigar wrapper, blackberries, black currants, flowers, wet earth, and smoke. On your palate, the purity in the fruit, elegance, and lift is there. But what stands out is the width in your mouth as the wine caresses every part of your palate with its silky textures, and richness. The finish seals the deal as the wine has real staying power, staying with you for over 50 seconds! Harvesting took place from September 5 - September 30. Yields were low at 28 hectoliters per hectare. The wine is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and is aging in 60% New, French oak barrels for 18 months. 14.5% ABV. pH 3.55. Is this the best vintage of Smith Haut Lafitte ever produced? Maybe. Let's revisit when the wine is in the bottle. Drink from 2027-2055. - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

97 Points! A real success of the vintage that manages to deliver a bold, structured, concentrated and powerful wine with real terroir signature. You get the impression it’s from a warm vintage, but I love the fact you have texture, volume and weight but keeping the finesse. Fragranced black fruit and purple floral notes with soft medicinal herbal touches on the nose. Sleek and supple, tannins make the impression with juicy blackcurrants, black cherries and strawberries. Excellent tannin definition, they’re filling, massy and round, almost plush but accented by acidity and freshness. Strong signature, you know you're in gravel with Cabernet. Juicy, clean, pure, but with bite and intensity. I love the dark savoury notes too, the cough syrup, liquorice, clove, tobacco and cigar box elements, complex and captivating. 4% press. 3.65pH 30% whole bunch Petit Verdot in the blend. Potential upsore in bottle. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak barrels. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

95-97 Points! The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte was cropped at 29hL/ha between 5 and 30 September, undergoing half the extraction, aged in 60% new oak for a planned 18 months. It is fragrant and very pure on the nose: beautiful blackberry, raspberry and liquorice. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, very elegant and focused, fine-boned with an exceptionally pure and caressing tobacco-tinged finish. This is going to grow to be a wonderful, delicious Smith Haut Lafitte. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

96 Points! Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. This ripe, powerful, concentrated wine reminds me of the 2010 with its structure, concentrated mid-palate, and just sheer density and regal, full-bodied style on the palate. Despite its size, it stays balanced, has a beautiful perfume of sweet black fruits, graphite, scorched earth, and spring flowers, building tannins, and a great, great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

94-95 Points! The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte opens in the glass with attractive aromas of cassis, spices, tobacco, graphite and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that is deep and layered, with good depth and powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the finish. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot will require some patience, given its somewhat extracted style. - Yohan Castaing

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98-100 Points! The 2022 Château Haut-Bailly is going to be one of the legendary vintages at this château, and it should be a no-brainer purchase for readers. Based on 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it has an incredible perfume of cassis, ripe black cherries, crushed stone, smoke tobacco, and wood smoke. Earning more than a few expletives in my notes, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, and ultra-fine, silky tannins. Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen, this is an incredible wine in the making! - Jeb Dunnuck

98-100 Points! Initially, you find a display of flowers before moving on to all of its cigar wrapper, spice, blackberry, currant, black cherry, smoke, and hints of forest leaf in the perfume. Deeply concentrated, vibrant, and refined, the palate is packed with multiple-layers of perfectly, ripe, red fruits, a fabulous sense of purity, silky, soft, polished tannins, and ample lift in the finish, providing the backdrop to age, and evolve for decades. The wine blends 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Petit Verdot. 14.5% ABV, pH 3.92. Picking took place September 7 - September 27. The yields were only 30 hectoliters per hectare. This is in serious contention as the best vintage ever produced at Haut Bailly. Drink from 2027-2060. - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

97-98 Points! Incredible complexity of aromas here with ripe currants and blackberries, but also dried flowers like violets and roses. Then there’s forest flower character such as bark, mushroom and sandalwood. Black truffles. Full-bodied with tight and chewy tannins that are polished and pure, with a solid and tight finish. It builds on your palate and frames the wine beautifully. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, 5% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc. - James Suckling

96-98 Points! The 2022 Haut-Bailly was picked between 7 and 27 September and underwent a four-week cuvaison, taking longer to consume the sugar and was matured in 50% new oak. It has a bouquet that compels you just to sit and contemplate. It gradually unfolds with blackberry, raspberry, potpourri and iris flower scents, well-defined, not showy but suave. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins. Minerals, black pepper and clove off a gentle grip with an impressive crescendo. It will need a decade in bottle. This Haut-Bailly has a haunting beauty, the kind of wine that will bring people to tears! - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

96-98 Points! A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Haut-Bailly is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling to bring out fragrant notes of kirsch, warm cassis, black raspberries, and underbrush, followed by hints of star anise, peonies, graphite, and wood smoke. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with ripe, expressive black fruit and earthy accents, framed by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and minerally. pH 3.92. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

94-96 Points! The 2022 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of dark berries complemented by accents of iris, lilac, rose petals, graphite and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, dense, it's layered and textural, with a deep core of fruit, powdery tannins and a penetrating, saline finish. Vinified along traditional lines, it is a structured wine that will take some time to hit its stride, but at this early stage it appears suppler and more seamless than its 2020 and 2019 predecessors. A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc from grapes picked from September 7 to 27, it's maturing half in new barriques and half in one- or two-year-old barrels. - Yohan Castaing, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

93-96 Points! The 2022 Haut-Bailly is dark and quite brooding in bearing. The natural intensity of small grapes comes through in the wine’s dark fruit and firm, imposing tannins. Black cherry, gravel, cloves, cured meats, licorice, incense and charcoal embers add to an impression of virile thrust. I imagine the 2022 will take some time to come together, as the tannins are pretty forbidding at this stage. Drinking window : 2030-2052 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

96 Points! Fragranced nose, purple fruits, blackcurrants, juniper, liquorice, crushed stones, salt, violets, roses, dark chocolate and cherries - perfumed, alive and expressive. Smooth, but generous with crunchy fruit and salty touches that come in and coat the super fine tannins with a powdery sensation that really fills the mouth. Nice terroir aspects, smooth, well textured and elegantly weighted. Gives dark fruit, subtle savoury tones with dark chocolate and herbal aspects giving nuance. Excellent length and freshness, it's graceful but almost a bit light in terms of fruit density and plushness - although the tannins are exceptional, really so sleek and silky with definition and detail. Feels well worked, gentle, confident and shiny. It's missing a touch more excitement and juicy liveliness but it’s extremely finessed and you can't fault the attention to detail of the tannins and the moreish quality they give. Great potential. 3.92pH. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. A yield of 30hl/ha. Consultants Christophe Olivier and Axel Marchal. Harvest 7-27 September. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

98-99 Points! The purity of fruit is really impressive here with crushed apples, pears and lemons. Some mineral and stone, too. Honeysuckle. Very clear and bright. The palate is full and very direct and focused, with a long, salty dried lemon finish and minerality. Fine phenolics at the end. 63% sauvignon blanc, 35% semillon and 2% muscadelle. - James Suckling

95 Points! Mint, white peach, green apples, and pear aromatics open the perfume. On the palate, the wine is ripe, creamy, and focused on its wealth of sweet, yellow citrus, pineapple, white peach, and orange rind notes in the mid-palate, and in the finish. The wine blends 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon and 2% Muscadelle. Picking took place August 28 - September 2. Drink from 2025-2035. - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94 Points! The 2022 Pape Clement Blanc was cropped at 35hL/ha between 28 August and 2 September and matured in under 20% new oak. It is very fragrant on the nose, with lemon verbena, white peach and honeysuckle scents. Really fine definition and sense of focus. The palate is well balanced, a little steelier and more linear than recent vintages with plenty of tension on the saline finish. This should age well in bottle. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

90-93 Points! A blend of 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon and 2% Muscadelle, the 2022 Pape Clément Blanc exhibits aromas of spices, spring flowers, lemon, peach and hints of jasmine and grapefruit. The palate is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and satiny, with an oaky frame. The finish is long, persistent and elegantly spicy. - William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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97-98 Points! This is a very structured 2022 with powerful tannins that run the length of the wine. Yet it’s perfumed and fresh with flowers and subtle undertones of stone. Pure. It’s full but not heavy with backbone and structure. Lots of crushed stone and currants. One of the most transparent you Pape’s I have tasted. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet sauvignon. - James Suckling

96-98+ Points! A full-bodied, concentrated, awesome Pessac, the 2022 Château Pape Clément offers up loads of spiced red and black fruits, some leafy tobacco, gravelly earth, and graphite aromatics, building, ripe, polished tannins, and a stacked mid-palate. Beautifully done, with remarkable purity and a great finish, it's going to rank with the crème de la crème of the vintage and is well worth seeking out. - Jeb Dunnuck

96-98 Points! Dark, almost opaque in color, the wine grabs your attention with its showy display of flowers, cinnamon, chocolate, spice, tobacco, blackberries, and black cherries in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is rich, lush, sweet, deep, and intense. There is a wealth of flavor in the black cherries, white pepper, dark chocolate, and espresso on the palate. The endnote sticks for almost 50 seconds, delivering a peppery, orange rind, refreshing note in the finish. The wine blends 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14% ABV, 3.6 pH. The harvest took place September 7 - September 28. Yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2026-2055. - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

95 Points! Focussed and charming, good weight and depth, the tannins come into play almost straight away coating the mouth in fine but plump, fleshy black fruit with cool blue fruit touches and high acidity giving a different, lighter nuance. Well made, with good definition. Not as lively as some, but has supreme complexity and shine, everything feels well worked with touches of oak, liquorice spice and clove that dot the palate. Strong and serious but confident and controlled. A thoroughbred. Tightly knitted but still showing glamour. Harvest 7-27 September. Bee friendly, HVE3 certified. Celebrating 770 vintages in 2022. Michel Rolland and Julien Viaud consultants. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

95-97 Points! The 2022 Pape Clement is composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon with a yield of 35 hl/ha. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little subdued to begin, soon unfurling to offer evocative notes of baked blackberries, boysenberry preserves, and plum pudding, followed by wafts of cassis, violets, cedar chest, and cumin seed. The full-bodied palate is rich and impactful, delivering layers of bright black cherries and baking spices with a lively backbone and fine-grained tannins, finishing long and energetic. pH 3.70. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

94-96 Points! The 2022 Pape Clément was picked 7-27 September at 35hL/ha, aged in 60% new oak. It has quite an open and expressive bouquet at this stage, with blackcurrant and bilberry scents. A more sensual Pape Clément perhaps, the oak is neatly integrated. Black olives emerge with time, hints of sea spray - this is certainly a wine you have to stay with. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. Layers of black fruit laced with graphite and cedar, rending this 2022 quite Pauillac-like in style. Nicely controlled on the finish, this is a Pape Clément with breeding. Tasted four times. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93-96 Points! The 2022 Pape Clement is shaping up to be a gem. Deep, pliant and layered in the glass, the 2022 possesses notable energy and vibrancy to play off its core of rich, sumptuous fruit. Soft, plush contours wrap it all together. Time in the glass brings out notable energy, especially as the mid-palate opens into the gorgeous, palate-staining finish. The 2022 is unusual in that it is 60% Merlot, rather than the more typical blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted three times. Drinking window : 2030-2052 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

92-94 Points! Revealing aromas of blueberries, cassis, spring flowers and toasty new oak, the 2022 Pape Clément is full-bodied, broad and textural, with a rich, layered core of super-ripe fruit framed by liberally extracted tannins that assert themselves on the firm, lavishly oaky finish. This is a flamboyant, unabashedly modern-styled Pape Clément that will need several years in the cellar to blossom. It's a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. - Yohan Castaing, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate