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Raymond Chan Wine RevieWine Spectator: 18/20Pts 

Crafted from organically-grown grapes

Robert Parker: 100Pts; Falstaff: 100Pts; The Wine Cellar Insider: 100Pts; Wine Spectator: 97Pts; James Suckling: 97Pts

The 2017 Haut-Batailley was cropped at 50hl/ha according to Jean-Charles Cazes since they escaped frost damage. It is the first vintage that the Cazes family have full responsibility for (incidentally, the 2016 remains unsold at time of writing). Matured for 18 months in 60% new oak, it has developed nicely since I last tasted it: blackberry, bilberry, graphite and mint aromas stride out of the glass, veins of blue fruit emerging after a couple of minutes of aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, quite cohesive and dense with good grip towards the finish. There is suppleness here, but there is backbone too.

This blend of Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc offers a very bright color with green reflections; Fresh, floral and expresses white fruits such as peaches and pears Elegant attack, round and fresh with a hint of minerality. Good finish on white fruits with a beautiful acidity.

Deeply rooted in the Levant, the Johnny R. Saade family translates its passion for vines through the creation of Chateau Marsyas in the southern part of the Bekaa valley. Renowned for its wine culture, this ancient land reveals itself to be an exceptional place for the creation of a great wine in line with the highest quality standards. Located at an altitude of 900 meters, Chateau Marsyas is a family initiative founded on the search for excellence.

Crafted from organically-grown grapes

Deep, dense colour with glints of violet. Very expressive nose with black fruit and subtle notes of toast. On the palate, the attack is powerful, dense and structured. The mid-palate is full-bodied, with a fine, well-balanced tannic structure. The finish has plenty of volume with superbly ripened tannins, while remaining elegant and refined, thanks to the quality of the grapes of this exceptional vintage.

Made from 84% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Franc brought up in plenty of new oak, its ruby/plum color is followed by an awesome bouquet of blackberry jam, smoked meats, licorice, truffle, and hints of chocolate. Thick, opulent, super ripe, and decadent, with a full-bodied mouthfeel that needs to be tasted to be believed, it still stays balanced and fresh on the palate and is already impossible to resist. It’s going to keep for 3+ decades.

The deep garnet colored 2009 Montrose features beautiful Black Forest cake, licorice, creme de cassis and warm blueberries scents with hints of charcoal, truffles, tapenade and menthol plus a waft of star anise. The palate is full-bodied, rich, super concentrated and yet superbly harmonious with a firm backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. 

The 2016 Lascombes has a decadent, but pure bouquet with layers of black cherry and blueberry fruit, the new oak conspicuous and (as usual) quite glossy and extroverted in style. The palate is very ripe with saturated tannin, bold and extravagant with a voluminous middle of blackberry, graphite and blue fruit. There is a powerful and heady finish; what it just lacks is finesse and that sense of personality.

A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Palmer gives a very serious nose of pronounced blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and blackberry preserves with hints of cedar chest, pencil shavings, violets, dark chocolate and star anise plus exotic wafts of sandalwood and cassia. Medium-bodied, the palate features fantastically vibrant, crunchy black fruits with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced. It will need a good 5-7 years to really blossom with all those tightly wound nuances, but it should be a stunner! 

The 2016 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, plus 1% of Petit Verdot, representing 28% of the total production. Lucid in color, it has a detailed and precise bouquet with mineral-rich blackberry, raspberry coulis and limestone scents. It feels very perfumed, though not powerful like many Grand Vins in 2016. The palate is a different creature to the aromatics. Here is the intensity of the vintage with shimmering black fruit laced with spice, a killer line of acidity and an irresistible crescendo on the finish. Then, graphite lingering on the aftertaste, a nod to Pauillac perhaps. The aftertaste is so long you could probably write a letter to your friend enthusing about this wine before the aftertaste fades. Doubtless it is destined to be compared to the magnificent 2015 Chateau Margaux and to be truthful, there’s a hair’s breadth between them. In a worDecanter: crystalline. Drink 2026-2070.

The 2016 Figeac, crafteed with 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, was bottled at the end of July 2018, since Frederic Faye wanted to give the wine more time in barrel to develop more harmony. The stunning 24-carat bouquet rivets you to the spot with brilliant delineation and mineral-rich red fruit that articulates its terroir as well as any Right Bank you will find. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannin, perfect acidity, wonderfully integrated new oak and enormous depth toward the fresh, pencil-box- and cedar-infused finish. This is a classic Figeac, up there with the 1947 and 1949, both recently re-tasted and testifying to a wine that genuinely belongs among the elite Saint-Emilions. Faye believes it is the best Figeac he has ever made.

Modest but sure of its presence, Clinet lies at one of the highest points upon the renowned plateau at the heart of Pomerol – instantly recognisable by its red shutters and beautiful roses. It is home to one of the oldest vineyards in the appellation, with traces of the vineyard’s existence dating back to 1595. This vineyard is equally famed for offering wine with an incomparable character and quality. 

Clinet has been on a hot streak lately and the 2009 appears to be the greatest wine ever made at the estate, surpassing even the late Jean-Michel Arcaute’s monumental 1989. A blend of 85% Merlot and tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc (12%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (3%), this big Pomerol boasts an opaque, moonless night inky/blue/purple color in addition to a gorgeous perfume of blueberry pie, incense, truffles, black raspberries, licorice and wood smoke. Viscous and multi-dimensional with silky, sweet tannin, massive fruit concentration and full-bodied power, there are nearly 4,000 cases of this thick, juicy, perfect Clinet. It should drink well in 3-5 years and keep for 25-30 years.

The 2017 Chateau L’Evangile is 100% Merlot, and 2017 is the first time this cuvee has not included some other variety. Aged 16 months in 75% new barrels, it’s a ripe, powerful L’Evangile loaded with chocolate-laced black fruits, mocha, toasted spice, and subtle oak. These carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has plenty of oomph and power, yet stays flawlessly balanced and even elegant. It’s a stunning example from the vintage that’s going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades.

No57 of Wine Spectator Top 100 wines of 2020

The 2016 Angelus is composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 to 22 months in new barrels and foudres. Deep garnet-purple colored, it drifts effortlessly out of the glass with sensuous notes of lavender, candied violets, garrigue, Ceylon tea and iron ore with a core of warm black cherries, mulberries, ripe plums and aniseed plus wafts of cedar chest and cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the perfumed fruit whispers of great intensity and depth, with the vivacious fruit well knit into the plush, seductive frame of velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. Still very tightly wound with amazing tension at this stage, it truly needs a good 6-8 more years in bottle to deliver the fully expressed layers that this soft-spoken, profound beauty promises.

Modest but sure of its presence, Clinet lies at one of the highest points upon the renowned plateau at the heart of Pomerol – instantly recognisable by its red shutters and beautiful roses. It is home to one of the oldest vineyards in the appellation, with traces of the vineyard’s existence dating back to 1595. This vineyard is equally famed for offering wine with an incomparable character and quality.

The blend for 2010 is largely dominated by 85% Merlot, with some Cabernet Sauvignon and a small amount of Cabernet Franc also included. Inky/purple-colored, the wine has an exceptionally full-bodied, layered, moderately tannic mouthfeel and impressive power. Loads of melted chocolate/fudge and black fruits galore along with some coffee bean, mocha, as well as some background oak are all present in this big, formidably endowed, masculine style of Pomerol that will take longer to shed its tannin than the 2009. I would give this wine 5-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 30+ years.