100 WA / 100 RP / 100 JS / 100 JD / 99 VM / 99 DE / 99 WCI / 98 FS / 98 WS / 20/20 JR Over the last couple of years, I had inclined to the view that the 1986 vintage was eclipsing the 1982 Mouton Rothschild, but two...
93 WA / 93 WS / 93 VM / 92 WCI / 18.5 JR The home property of Jean-Luc Thunevin, the inspirational spirit for Bordeaux's garagiste movement, is Valandraud. The 2003 is a full-bodied, powerful St.-Emilion offering up notes...
100 FS / 99 WCI / 98 RP / 97 DE / 96 VM / 18.5 JR Strong ruby garnet, good color depth, violet reflections, delicate water edge. Subtle spicy, black and red berries, candied mandarin zest, spicy and tobacco hints. Juicy,...
100 DE / 100 JS / 100 JD / 100 WCI / 99 WA / 99 VM / 99 WE / 98 WS / 98 FS / 18.5 JR #98 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2019 What I love about the 2016 Lafite is that the sweetness of the fruit comes...
100 JD / 99 WI / 98 WA / 98 JS / 97+ AG / 97 DE / 97 WE / 97 FS / 97 WCI / 96+ VM / 18 JR I obviously underrated the 2016 Château Haut-Bailly on release, and it easily tops out my scale. A hypothetical blend...
99 JD / 98 JA / 97 WA / 96+ VM / 96 WCI / 95 JS / 94-96+ GV / 16.5+ JR Tasted on four separate occasions, the 2016 Château Clinet is another brilliant wine from this estate. Showing slightly more freshness and purity...
92 JS / 91 WE Very attractive and suave nose with toasty oak and fresh berries, leading to a plush and neatly arrayed palate with ample, deep-set tannins and good ripeness. Second label of Château Carignan. Try from...
100 JD / 99 VM / 99 WCI / 98 JS / 98 WI / 97 WA / 97 DE / 17+ JR Cassis, crushed rocks, graphite, and liquid violet notes all emerge from the 2016 Château Beauséjour, one of the magical wines in this...
99 JD / 98 WCI / 97 JS / 96 WA The 2016 Château Péby Faugères is flat-out awesome and easily up with the finest Saint-Emilion out there. Incredible notes of ripe black cherries, truffly earth, iron,...
99 WI / 98 WE / 97 DE / 97 VM / 97 JS / 97 WCI / 97 FS / 96 JD / 95 WS / 18.5 JR The 2016 Canon is deep garnet-black in color. Wow - it rockets out of the glass with a powerful nose of blackberry preserves,...
99 JS / 97 VM / 97 JD / 97 WCI / 96 WA / 95 WS / 95 DE / 17 JR #7 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2019 The aromas here are so spellbinding with shitake mushrooms, wet earth and moss, as well as tree bark and,...
100 WA / 100 DE / 100 VM / 100 JS / 100 WE / 100 WCI / 98+ JD / 98 WS / 18 JR #55 Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2019 The 2016 Haut-Brion is blended of 56% Merlot, 37.5% Cabernet Sauvignon...
97 JD / 93 WCI / 17.5 JR This tiny estate located down on the lower plain continues to produce a powerful, opulent style of wine. Their 2016 La Fleur Morange is another beauty, boasting full-bodied richness and serious...
100 WA / 100 VM / 100 JS / 100 WCI / 99 JD / 98 JA / 97 DE / 18 JR #1 James Suckling's Top 100 French Wines of 2019#51 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2019 The 2016 Cos d'Estournel is blended of 76% Cabernet...
100 VM / 100 JS / 100 WI / 100 WE / 99 WS / 99 JD / 98+ WA / 98 RP/ 98 JA / 98 DE / 98 WCI / 19 JR The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the...
100 WI / 100 JS / 100 JD / 100 DE / 100 WCI / 100 FS / 99 WS / 99 WA / 98 VM / 20 JR The 2000 Chateau Margaux is deep garnet in color, with a touch of brick. It leaps from the glass with evocative scents of plum preserves,...
100 WA / 99 RP / 98 DE / 98 WCI / 19.5 JR Deep garnet-black in color, the 1996 is classic Latour at its utmost. The nose offers a tantalizing array of complex notes including dried Chinese plums, toasted nuts, Indian spices...
98+ WA / 98 DE / 96 JA / 96 WS / 95 VM / 17.5 JR Pale to medium gold colored, the 2007 d'Yquem delivers powerful scents of tropical fruits—dried mangoes and pineapple paste—accented by acacia honey, toasted...
100 VM / 100 WI / 100 WA / 100 WS / 100 JS / 100 JD / 100 FS / 100 WCI / 20/20 JR Just weeks after tasting the 2001 Château d’Yquem at the estate, another bottle was served at a lunch in London and it was...
96 RP / 96 WCI / 96 WA / 96 WS / 18.5 JR The 1976 Yquem continues to go from strength to strength. Who can ignore the awesome bouquet of spices, honeyed fruit, pineapples, bananas, coconuts, and overripe melons? This...
98 WCI / 97 WA / 97 WS / 19.5 JR When Chateau d'Yquem is young, the wine has competition from some of the other top producers in the appellation. But as the wine ages, that is when the rubber hits the road, as Yquem clearly...
19.5 JR / 96 WA / 94 WS Dark orange-amber. Very dense – amazingly so for a wine of this age! Broad, orange-compote flavour with such intensity! Some bitter marmalade and a hint of coconut on the finish. Very complex...
100 JS / 100 VM / 100 JD / 100 WCI / 97-99 FS / 97-99 WE / 99 WA / 99 WI / 98 DE / 97 WS / 18.5 JR #11 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018 The blackberries, blueberries, oyster shell and violets...
91 RP This 1996 Valandraud has firmed up significantly since bottling. Unfined and unfiltered, this viscous wine displays the tell-tale thickness of color (saturated dark ruby/plum/purple). The wine\'s exotic bouquet is...
96 JA / 94 DE / 17 JR I've tasted this vintage of Sociando a few times recently, and strongly recommend. Sums up the pull of mature Left Bank with its crayon, cigar, blackberry, soft cassis puree, touch of mint leaf, cedar,...
99 JS / 98 DE / 98 WCI / 97 WA / 96+ JD / 96 WS / 95 WE / 95+ VM / 95-97 GV / 95 FS / 18 JR #50 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018 The currants and blackberries on the nose are very impressive with wet-earth and...
94 VM The 1989 Rauzan-Ségla is a vintage that to my surprise, I had not tasted since September 2007. Just like then it represents the high point of the decade and augured a much brighter future in terms of quality...
94 WS One of the wines of the tasting. Fresh and complex, generous in character, with lovely dried cherry and spice aromas that follow through on the palate. Full-bodied, with concentrated fruit and firm tannins,...
100 JS / 100 DE / 100 WA / 98-100 FS / 99 VM / 99 WS / 99 WCI / 98 RP / 19.5 JR Stunning. So deep and characterful yet refined and subtle. It shows aromas of wet earth, mushrooms and dark fruits. Dry black olives come out...
100 WA / 100 JS / 100 FS / 100 JS / 99 WCI / 98 WS / 97 VM / 20/20 JR The 1990 Petrus remains incredibly young, one of the least evolved wines of the vintage (along with Montrose and Beausejour-Duffau). This dense...
98 JS / 97+ WA / 94 WS Wine #61 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2015The violets and blackberries show wonderfully on the nose here, yet this remains subtle and complete with hints of walnuts. Full body, ultra-fine and...
99 JS / 98 WA / 97 JD / 97 WCI / 96 VM / 95 WS / 94-96 GV #46 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018 A very intense yet playfully ripe and balanced expression of dark plums, dark stones and blackberries. Then wait for the...
97 CT
100 JS / 100 WCI / 98 JD / 98 WA / 98 WE / 98 FS / 97 VM / 97 DE / 96 WS / 99-100 GV / 18 JR #48 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018 I am breathless with the dark-berry, lavender and burnt-orange aromas. Some salt...
97+ WA / 97 RP / 97 WE / 97 WCI / 96 DE / 95 VM / 18.5 JR Deep garnet colored with a touch of brick, the 2000 Mouton Rothschild (composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot) boldly bursts from the glass with...
89 RP / 89 WS The 1987 would appear to be a sure bet for the wine of the vintage. It remains the most complete and backward 1987 Medoc, with at least 10-15 years of aging potential. The touching dedication from the late...
20/20 JR / 99 WCI / 98 VM / 98 RP / 98 JA A bottle that had been decanted 12 hours previously and, although there was the tiniest suggestion it has not been freshly opened, was absolutely stonking. So rich, sweet and...
96 WI The 1970 Montrose is pale to medium tawny in color. Fragrant notes of Jasmine tea, dried cherries, and cranberries spill from the glass, leading to touches of rose oil, tobacco, and leather. Light to medium-bodied,...
100 JS / 100 DE / 100 JD / 100 WE / 100 FS / 100 WCI / 99 WA / 99 VM / 99 WS / 98 WI / 19 JR #52 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018 #1 James Suckling French Wine of the Year 2018 #20 Wine Enthusiast's Top...
100 WI / 100 JS / 100 WCI / 99 WA / 99 RP / 99 DE / 98 JD / 98 WS / 98 WE / 97 FS / 19 JR A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 1.5% Cabernet Franc, and 1.5% Petit Verdot, the 2010 Chateau Margaux is deep garnet in...
100 WI / 100 DE / 100 JS / 100 JA / 100 WCI / 99 WA / 98+ VM / 98 FS / 98 WE / 97 WS / 19.5 JR A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2009 Chateau Margaux has a deep...
93 RP Superbly balanced, with lovely, elegant fruit flavors. Quite succulent in style. Medium ruby-garnet, with an elegant, earthy strawberry aroma, balanced fruit and medium tannins.--1959 Bordeaux horizontal...
97 JS / 96 WCI / 95+ VM / 95 WS / 94+ WA / 17 JR Some very rich and ripe red and dark berries here make for an impressive, engaging nose that has charming violet undertones. The palate is velvety and supple, while...
100 JA / 99-100 RP / 98 AG / 97 VM / 18.5 JR #1 Jane Anson Top 10 Right Bank Bordeaux 2024 A wine that blew everyone away from the first moment. So full of black truffles, tobacco, crayon, slate, rose petals, Served from...
99 JD / 98 RP / 97+ WA / 97 WCI / 18 JR The 2005 Le Tertre Roteboeuf is just about off the charts and shows how good this vintage is for Bordeaux. Still inky ruby/purple-colored with a huge nose of blackcurrants, chocolate,...
98 WA / 98 JD / 97 WCI / 96+ WI / 94 WS / 18.5 JR Tasted at Bipin Desai’s Le Pin vertical in Los Angeles. A magnificent Le Pin, deep garnet/ruby in colour. The nose has the clarity of crisp spring morning with notes...
90 CT
100 WA / 99 WCI / 98 VM / 98 JS / 96-98 FS / 96+ RP / 96 WS / 18.5 JR Deep garnet colored, the 2010 L'Eglise Clinet begins unassumingly with gentle notions of fragrant dried flowers and wild sage leading to savory nut...
94 WA / 17 JR Real class in evidence here, a wine that rather embarrassed its contemporaries at the IMW horizontal. The nose is not as immediate as other vintages, kind of creeps up on the you with its pure, ripe black...
100 RP / 19 JR One of the wines of the day was the 1950 Latour à Pomerol. 1950 was a forgotten vintage in Bordeaux until I started writing about how great some of the Pomerols were. It is one of those unusual...
Actual bottle shown 94...
100 JD / 100 WI / 100 WA / 100 JS / 100 JA / 100 FS / 100 WCI / 99 VM / 99 DE / 99 WS / 99 WE / 19+ JR An incredible wine in every way, the 2009 Château Latour displays the ripe, sexy style of the vintage while still...
100 WA / 100 JS / 100 WI / 98 WS / 97 IWC / 97 WE / 97 VM / 19+ JR “Administrator Frederic Engerer says the 2003 is “the sexiest Latour ever made.” He also described it as “the 1990 without any...
97 DE / 96 RP / 96 WCI / 94+ VM / 94 WS / 18.5 JR The nose showed warm and sunny, baked black and red fruit on the nose and a supple but dense texture. The impressive level of tannin noted in earlier tastings is softening...
19.5 JR / 96 WA / 94 JS Very deep crimson. A very big-boned wine of great density. Some very strong menthol character with a touch of liquorice too and pretty dry on the finish. This seems to have taken on flesh since its...
100 WA / 99 VM / 99 JA #2 Jane Anson Top 10 Left Bank Bordeaux 2024 Port-like, with an unctuous texture, and a dark garnet color with considerable amber at the edge, the 1961 Latour possesses a viscosity and...
99 JS / 97 VM / 97 WCI / 96 JD / 96 WI / 95 WS / 95 DE / 94 WA / 96-98 GV / 17.5 JR #81 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018 The aromas to this are phenomenal with oyster shell, blackberries,...
100 WA / 100 JD / 98 WCI / 97 VM / 97 WI / 17 JR With an unbelievable nose of licorice, tapenade, black cherry and blackcurrant liqueur, as well as full body, super-sweet tannin, and astonishing richness and length, this...
100 JS / 100 WA / 100 FS / 99 DE / 98 WCI / 98+ RP / 98 VM / 97 WE / 97 WS / 19 JR This is crazy. The nose is so unique with the iodine, stones and currant aromas with wet earth and mushroom. Aromas like this don't usually...
100 WA /100 VM / 100 WI / 100 JD / 100 WCI / 99 JS / 98 DE / 98 JA / 97 WS / 97 WE / 19++ JR The 2005 La Mission Haut-Brion is pure perfection. It has an absolutely extraordinary nose of sweet blackberries, cassis and...
100 RP / 100 WCI / 98 JA / 97 DE / 97 VM / 19.5 JR 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...
100 JA / 100 RP / 100 VM / 100 WCI / 100 FS #1 Jane Anson Top 10 Left Bank Bordeaux 2024 La Mission 1989 takes its time, pulls you in with softly charred peony and iris floral aromatics but doesn't give...
100 WA / 99 RP / 99 DE / 99 WCI / 97 JS / 19 JR 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...
90 CT / 16.5 JR Brick rim and deep crimson. Very rich nose and round and glossy texture with good freshness. Getting a little dusty but there was obviously class here once. Drink up. Second bottle actually corked! - Jancis...
93 WS / 92 VM / 17 JR Very ripe, rich and fleshy, although still with a hard backbone. Deep ruby, brick-red color, ripe, intense raspberry aromas, full-bodied, with ripe, rich rasberry flavors and cedar and tobacco notes...
100 RP / 100 AG / 100 WCI / 100 FS / 99 JA / 98 VM / 96 WS / 18.5 JR One of the greatest 1961s, La Mission-Haut-Brion has been fabulous to drink for the last 5-10 years. Where well-stored, this wine will continue to drink...
100 RP / 100 VM / 100 WCI / 98 AG / 19 JR / 96 JA Even allowing for the greatness of Haut-Brion and Mouton-Rothschild, the 1955 La Mission is the "wine of the vintage." It possesses a sweet, cedary, clove, smoke, and...
97 WCI / 96 RP / 95 FS / 19 JR Powerful, rich, concentrated and deep, with waves of rich, juicy, sweet, fresh mineral driven citrus fruits, honey suckle and vanilla, this is quite young and tight. Give this at least another...
91 DE The estate had just been bought the year before by the Freys, taking over from René Chayou, owner of Ayala Champagne - although Caroline Frey arrived a few years later. Significantly higher Merlot than in...
97 JS / 96 DE / 96 WCI / 96 FS / 18 JR Complex aromas of blackberry and whole white truffles with hints of wet earth and stones. Full body and structured with gorgeous, velvety tannins, but reserved and polished. Very long...
96 WCI / 95 WA / 95 FS / 93+ VM / 93 WS / 93 JS / 18 JR Flowers, fresh churned earth, cherry pipe tobacco, cocoa and cigar box aromas are making their presence known. Still young, the wine is fresh, supple and tannic. While...
100 WA / 100 VM / 100 DE / 100 WCI / 98 FS / 19 JR An utterly awesome wine, the only problem with the 2000 Lafleur is that I indicated its maturity window would be 2012-2040+. Based on two tastings of it, I would...
98 WCI / 97+ WA Off the hook from the first sniff, sip, and swallow. The compelling nose, with its ripe and overripe plums and kirsch, black cherry, charcoal, mint, flowers, truffle, and forest scents was almost more than...
100 DE / 100 JA / 100 WA / 100 JS / 100 WE / 99+ WA / 98 RP / 97 FS / 97 WCI / 19 JR This vintage featured a cold winter and cool weather at flowering, followed by a dry summer with a hot July and warm days and...
100 RP / 99 FS / 99 WCI / 98 JS / 97 WE / 18 JR A modern day version of the 1959 Lafite, the 2003 Lafite Rothschild was bottled in mid-May, 2005 after achieving 12.9% natural alcohol hardly an astonishing figure given the...
98 RP / 96 VM / 95 DE / 18 JR A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, this wine represents only 34% of Lafite's total harvest. In a less than perfect Medoc vintage, it has been spectacular since birth, putting on...
100 RP / 100 DE / 98 WCI / 18 JR The 1986 possesses outstanding richness, a deep color, medium body, a graceful, harmonious texture, and superb length. The penetrating fragrance of cedar, chestnuts, minerals, and rich fruit...
96 JS / 94 WA / 93 RP This is the wine of the vintage. I love the rosewater, currants and citrus character to this now. It's still full body yet so ethereal. It goes on and on in the finish turning creamy and citrusy. From...
100 DE / 99 JD Actual bottle shown. Per back label was recorked at the chateau in 1991. I have tasted this wine several times over the past few years, and each bottle has blown me away. Now almost 60 years old, it still...
96 JS / 93 RP / 93 WA / 93 WS / 93 VM / 93 DE / 17 JR Fabulous nose of spice, mushrooms, blueberries and blackberries follows through to a full body, with firm tannins and a silky tannins. This is so savory and beautiful...
93 WS Pure and focused, with a vivid core of white peach, nectarine and tangerine flavors. Tangy acidity gives this a chalky, minerally edge and a long, persistent and captivating finish. Drink now through 2022. Ò...
100 WA / 100 WI / 100 JD / 100 WCI / 99 DE / 98 WS / 98 JS / 98 VM / 97 WE / 18.5 JR The 2015 Haut-Brion is a blend of 50% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc picked between 8 September and 5 October. Of...
100 RP / 100 WA / 100 JD / 100 JA / 100 FS / 100 WCI / 99 WS / 98+ VM / 98 DE / 98 WE / 97 JS / 19 JR As for the 2010 Haut-Brion, it does not have the power of Latour’s 2010 or the intense lead pencil shavings and...
91 WS This is extremely well-crafted. Dark colored, with wonderful milk chocolate and ripe berry aromas. Full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and plenty of refined and rich fruit. Give this time. Super quality from a...
92-94 WA Clos Saint-Martin is a consistently brilliant wine from one of St.-Emilion’s smallest vineyards (adjacent to the cemetery of all places). It always reeks of crushed rocks/powdered chalk, sweet black cherries,...
99 JS / 99 WCI / 98+ JD / 98 DE / 97 WA / 96 VM / 17.5 JR #44 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018 An immaculate wine with pristine blackberries and dark plums as well as fresh, earthy nuances and dark crushed violets...
95-97 WA / 95 VM / 95 WE / 95 JS / 95 WCI / 95 DE / 18 JR In time, the profound 2008 Cheval Blanc will rank alongside this estate's great successes of 2005, 2000, and 1998. A harvest that began at the end of September and...
Loading... Please wait...
