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Chateau Croizet-Bages 2000’s deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by creamy, black currant, cedar, and toast aromas, excellent purity, a rich, medium-bodied style, and sweet tannin in the moderately long finish. This lovely effort offers loads of fruit, sweet tannin, medium body, admirable delineation as well as purity, and surprising length.

Wine Enthusiast: 94Pts; James Suckling: 93 Pts; Robert Parker: 92 Pts; Wine Spectator: 91 Pts

This is the great wine of the Castello Nipozzano, from the vineyard Mormoreto planted in 1976. The first vintage was from the 1983 harvest, and since then has been produced only in the most favourable years. It was not produced from the harvests of 1984, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1998 or 2002. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot have, over time, formed an intimate bond with this terroir and now bring out all of its unique qualities. It is a wine of great depth, opulent and refined, that you can cellar for many years.

A deep ruby announces Mormoreto, almost opaque in its concentration. The nose is ultra-complex, delivering inebriating draughts of wild blackberry, raspberry, redcurrant, dried plum, dates, and wild red berry fruit, delicately lifted by floral impressions of sweetbriar and violets. Gradually emerging to deepen the rich bouquet even further are spicier nuances of vanilla, cocoa powder, tobacco leaf, and roast espresso bean, which act as a delicious foil to pungent notes of balsam and chlorophyll. A crisp, nervy acidity complements a suite of silky tannins, and both contribute to a palate that is notable for its warmth and roundedness. A finely-balanced, leisurely progression culminates in a lengthy, subtly-aromatic finish.

James Suckling: 94Pts; Falstaff 93Pts; Robert Parker: 91Pts; Wine Enthusiast: 90Pts

Crafted from substainably-grown grapes, certified by Agriqualita

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. 

An amazing wine in every sense, this classic, full-bodied Pauillac is the quintessential Pontet Canet from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, who continues to reduce yields and farms his vineyards biodynamically a rarity in Bordeaux. Black as a moonless night, the 2009 Pontet Canet offers up notes of incense, graphite, smoke, licorice, creme de cassis and blackberries.

A wine of irrefutable purity, laser-like precision, colossal weight and richness, and sensational freshness, this is a tour de force in winemaking that is capable of lasting 50 or more years. The tannins are elevated, but they are sweet and beautifully integrated as are the acidity, wood and alcohol (which must be in excess of 14%). This vineyard, which is situated on the high plateau of Pauillac adjacent to Mouton Rothschild, appears to have done everything perfectly in 2009. This cuvee should shut down in the cellar and re-open in a decade or more.

The wines of Chateau Pontet-Canet obtained organic certification from Ecocert and biodynamic certification from Biodyvin in 2010 and from Demeter in 2014.

The Tenuta di Castiglioni, the Frescobaldi family’s oldest estate, brought forth, in 1999, Giramonte, a rare and exclusive Cru, based on Merlot blended the the local Sangioveses. The qualities of its soil, an ideal microclimate, and rigorous selection of the fruit ensure, year after year, extraordinary consistency of quality.

The result is a wine of great richness and intensity, silk-smooth, and with an almost endless progression and finish. Giramonte is a lovely red with purple highlights, intense and impenetrable. The nose is fruity with blueberry, cherry and spicy notes of anise and black pepper. Hints of forest undergrowth: mushrooms and truffe accompanied by cocoa beans and coconut. Pronounced notes of coffee and fresh notes of sweet mint. The palate is very warm. Smooth, intense, with lovely and elegant tannins blended into the body. Powerful and persistent , the retro-olfaction is characterized by nuances of ripe fruit.

James Suckling: 94Pts, Robert Parker: 91Pts

Crafted from substainably-grown grapes, certified by Agriqualita

Medium to full-bodied, the palate has jaw-dropping elegance and depth, offering up layer upon layer of fragrant red and black fruits plus an extraordinary array of mineral sparks, supported by a rock-solid grainy texture, finishing with epic persistence and an edifying perfume. This is a very different style from the rich, opulently hedonic 2015, yet this wonderfully fragrant, beautifully poised and intellectually compelling 2016 is equally extraordinary.

The 2017 Haut-Brion was picked from 31 August to 29 September, the longest harvest ever, matured in 69% new oak. It has a more generous bouquet than the La Mission Haut-Brion at this point: black cherries, blueberry, a little confit fruit, hints of warm gravel and clove. It is much more restrained than the previous vintages – cooler and linear. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, nicely structured with more grip in the mouth than the La Mission. What it has in common with the aforementioned is a sense of symmetry. It feels very persistent with a light marine/oyster shell influence on the finish. This probably has the edge over the La Mission Haut-Brion at the moment, but intra-family competitiveness aside, it boils down to a great follow-up to the brilliant 2015 and 2016.  Drink from 2022 to  2050.

Sena 2020 is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 7% Petit Verdot, aged for 22 months in 90% French oak barrels (78% new) and 10% Foudres.  With a deep and beautiful garnet-red colour with violet hues, it presents complexity on the nose with multiple layers of fresh red-fruit aromas such as cherries and raspberries accompanied by violets and pleasing touches of dill and rosemary, all framed by light notes of sweet spices.  The palate shows young fruits, more sweet spices, and smooth balsamic tones. It is fresh and juicy with elegant  ne-grained tannins that create to a silky and pleasing sensation.  The 2020 vintage of Seña shows elegance and balance with an ample and profound finish.

Falstaff: 97Pts; Descorchados: 97Pts; Robert Parker: 97Pts; Tim Atkin: 96Pts; Wine Enthusiast: 95Pts

Crafted from organically-grown grapes

2005 was an exceptional vintage, and Chateau Croizet-Bages display its great potential. The wine has a dark ruby color, with aromas of ripe blackcurrant and some notes of spice on the nose. Good volume in the mouth, excellent material, rich, with beautiful tannins.

Rating: Wine Enthusiast: 90 Pts

Deep and beautiful ruby red in colour with a bright violet glimmer. The nose offers gorgeous aromas of blueberries, cherries, and violets framed by light notes of nuts, fine pastry, and a lingering touch of truffle that lends elegance. The palate is in perfect agreement with the nose while adding delicate notes of rose petals. It is fresh and juicy and full of life, with elegant, fine-grained tannins that are both firm yet delicate and speak of a wine with tremendous ageing potential.

Crafted from organically-grown grapes

Savoury and red fruited with sweet plum, blackberry and blackcurrant, dark cherry, sage, clove and cola nut. Medium weighted and fine boned with soft cedary tannins and bright acidity. Undertones of leather and dry tobacco leaf emerge subtly through the finish.

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 label dedicated to Maurizio Zanella is the perfect synthesis of the Cantina’s history, its values of excellence and the vocation of the Franciacorta territory to produce also great reds for ageing. A Bordeaux blend with a strong personality and character, among the most interesting Italian expressions of this type of wine. In the glass, it has an intense ruby-red colour. The bouquet expresses the aromas of small berries, blackberry and blueberry jam, spices, and woody and balsamic hints. The palate has an important structure with deep aromas, a tannic texture well integrated with the body of the wine and pleasant freshness.

Veronelli :94Pts; xtraWine: 93Pts
Crafted from organically-grown grapes

The wine has fresh, vibrant, lifted and pure aromas and flavors, with attractive cassis, pepper and licorice on the nose with a hint of nutty spice. The flavors explode with blackcurrant, plums and cinnamon layering over silky tannin and superb length. Bright, lifted and aromatic, with raspberry and chocolate mint characters. Full flavored and elegant, with dark fruit flavors of plum and blackberry, complemented by dark chocolate, licorice and white pepper spice.

The 2016 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, crafted with 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.5% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, is just as captivating from bottle as it was from barrel. Fresh, silky and inviting, the Chapelle is all class. Floral notes lead into a core of expressive red cherry and plum fruit. Medium in body, silky and exquisite in its balance, the 2016 has so much to recommend it. I would prefer to give the wine a few years in bottle to allow a broader range of aromas and flavors to develop, but even today, the Chapelle is gorgeous. The 21% Cabernet Franc in the blend adds striking brightness and perfume throughout.

Wine Advocate: 94Pts; James Suckling: 94Pts; Jeb Dunnuck: 94Pts; Wine Enthusiast: 93Pts; Wine Spectator: 93Pts; Vinous: 92Pts

Rocas is a blend of 38% Malbec, 25% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Grenache, 8% Petit Verdot, aged for 22 months, in French oak barrels (65% new).  The 2020 vintage of Rocas de Seña has a beautiful purple colour. Subtle aromas of coffee and Asian spices with a touch of mocha from the oak create a very deep and complex nose.  The palate is vibrant and tense with good density and shows multiple layers of fresh fruits, spices, and balsamic notes with a hint of smoke. It displays great freshness and a smooth texture with a long and juicy finish.  This is a very elegant and splendidly youthful wine.  

Descorchados: 95Pts; Wine Enthusiast: 94Pts; Falstaff: 94Pts; Tim Atkin: 93Pts; WinesCritic.com: 92Pts

Crafted from organically-grown grapes

Bright ruby color. Fragrances of rose petal mixed with aromas of ripe strawberry and strawberry jam on a hint of vanilla. Well-balanced and complex. Dense and crunchy texture. Well-crafted tannins. Long and generous finish.   Enjoy with red or white meat, poulty and local cheeses (Citeaux, Langres, Epoisses, Brillat-Savarin).