After tasting more than 900 Bordeaux 2022 en primeur samples, Georgie Hindle has given her full verdict on the new vintage.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for the top 120 Left Bank wines all with 93 points or above.
Producer
Appellation
Vintage
Score
Notes
Château Léoville-Las Cases
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
98-100
A luminous and utterly brilliant wine in 2022 that really sets itself apart. Hints of black bramble fruit, spicy peppercorns, violets, sweet cherries, crushed stones, ink and cocoa powder on the nose - all so very appealing. Tension and direction from the get go, this is sleek and slick, dense but such alluring coolness, with crushed stones and blueberries giving minerality as well as juicy acidity providing lift. It’s not out to shine right now, but there’s such confidence on show. Direct, slowly expanding effortlessly as it goes from start to finish, elongating the fine tannic structure that supports but doesn't overwhelm. So poised and refined, charming in a dark, utterly seductive way. Firm, but fruity, cool and calm, coming in waves. One of the wines of the vintage with striking power but delivered so perfectly with everything in balance. 3.80pH. 85 IPT. A yield of 36-37hl/ha.
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan
2022
98-100
An exceptional wine in 2022 by winemaker Guillaume Pouthier who has delivered a supremely drinkable, likeable and harmonious wine that perfectly balances fruit density, aromatic expressiveness, lively acidity and a less is more approach. Intensely fragrant on the nose, nuanced and expressive, open and beguiling with rose, jasmine, bramble fruit, red cherry, liquorice and slate. Tense and a touch strict on the palate, electric and thrilling with bright acidity and tannins that come in and give weight and texture to the frame. Crushed velvet, smooth and salty, not plump or overly plush, instead well defined, focussed and precise. Silky, elegant with crystalline purity. A beautiful style married to a philosophy that works in hot vintages using whole bunch fermentation to lower the alcohol and give freshness to the wine. A standout success and a wine we’re going to want to finish. 3.64ph. 70% whole cluster. Ageing 70% new barrels, 20% 18hl casks, 10% amphoras.
Château Mouton Rothschild
Pauillac (1er Cru Classé)
2022
98-100
One of my favourite 2022s, technically very brilliant but it’s the texture that wows, generous, fruity, sleek, supple, it gives stone and graphite touches putting the terroir in the glass and overall this just screams elegance and finesse and above all drinkability! Smooth and shiny, silky, sleek, delicious from the first sip. Mouthwatering acidity combined with tannins that have the perfect balance of flinty grip, fleshy fruit and cool minerality. Certainly not shouting, they haven't pushed too far at all, more restrained and refined while still delivering a gorgeous mouthful of wine. Classy and refreshing. Concentrated but clean, pure and vibrant. Wonderful, magical - giving the concentration of the hot vintage which is want you want, but this is moreish and so succulent. One you'll want to finish the glass and then have more immediately. 16.4% press - 4% above normal, usually at 12-13%. 49% grand vin. 3.89pH. 76 IPT. Aged 100% in new barrels.
Château Brane-Cantenac
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
98
One of the standouts of the year - a wonderful wine with so much to like. Coffee, tobacco, liquorice, dark chocolate, blackcurrants and floral scents on the nose. Smooth, succulent and velvety, this is amazing, juicy and so bright and vibrant. Pure and so effortless, tannins are filling but fine and delicate and this has excellent clarity and purity of fruit. They really didn't try too hard but have still delivered a powerful wine with concentration and intensity yet brightness and such generosity of fruit and acidity which makes this so joyful. Simply wonderful. Harvest 7 September-10 October. Yield of 31.5hl/ha. 3.61pH. 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenere complete the blend. 42% production. 15.8% press wine. Ageing 18 months, 100% new oak. 3.57pH.
Château Lafite Rothschild
Pauillac (1er Cru Classé)
2022
98
A wonderful example of restraint and delicacy in a year where it was easy to overdo. Sharp and straight, you feel the acidity as soon as this enters the mouth, alive, pulsing, bright and shining. Aromatically so expressive after a few minutes. Delicate almost, such a fine tapestry of tannins, present and at the fore but like taffeta or finely woven silk. It has power but you don't feel it, not instantly anyway, the focus is on the beautiful texture with edges of cool red and blue fruits, flint, graphite, liquorice and tobacco nuances with high acidity that all help build a layered and well constructed mid palate. The structure then focuses and narrows to a mineral, fresh finish. Has bite and succulence, gently muscular with tons of vibrancy. This is definitely one of the less showy wines that really grows on you. A delicious, defined, poised, refined and finessed Lafite. Calm, collected and incredibly charming already. Earliest harvest in over a century, 31 August to 24 September. 17.5% press wine. 3.8pH. 64IPT. 41% grand vin production.
Château Latour
Pauillac (1er Cru Classé)
2022
98
A compelling and refined Latour in 2022 that manages an impressive feat of delivering a serious, powerful and concentrated wine with crystalline purity, vibrant acidity and sense of Pauillac classicism despite the hot and dry conditions. Richly scented on the nose, violets combine with savoury earth notes, exotic spices, dark chocolate, blackcurrant, liquorice, vanilla, tobacco, sweet red berries and blood orange. Focussed and smooth, but also textured and layered with chalky tannins that have an iron-rich, salty tang with graphite, pencil led and liquorice. Small hints of sweetness give bounce and pep countering the overall tension. 75 IPT. 7.6% press wine. 38.8% production. Harvest 6 September - 24 September.
Château Margaux
Margaux (1er Cru Classé)
2022
98
A stunning Margaux in 2022 with a bright and vibrant core, deep and persistent, alive and bright with layers of silky but firm tannins that give a gentle grip, powerful and concentrated black fruit, with a clearly defined structure that supports and doesn't overwhelm. Despite the power this has a delicacy which I love, so pure and clearly charming. Opulent yet racy, really walking the line between heft and sleekness. The acidity really lifts the expression with spiced liquorice and wet stone nuances while staying cool and fresh. Generous, stylish, punchy and polished. An incredibly complex wine that really works. 3.6pH. 88IPT. 18% press wine. Ageing 18-20 months, 100% new oak. No Petit Verdot in the blend. Highest alcohol and tannin level for the grand vin.
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pauillac (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
98
One of my favourite wines from 2022, utterly seductive from the first sip, this is a stunning effort that shows the power of Pauillac in 2022 delivered with elegance and class. Heavily scented on the nose, full of dark fruits, savoury notes of salty chocolate and floral scents. Smooth and so appealing in the mouth, the texture stands out, deep and rich but soft and chalky, tannins have a subtle powderiness that spreads the mouth, cooling and refreshing giving the minerality while the cool black and blue fruits linger in layers expanding vertically. This is so refined and polished - it's serious no doubt, not super fun, but it doesn’t need to be, it’s rich and sumptuous with sweet blue fruits balanced by high acidity that keeps the focus and energy. Bright, bold, well worked, clean, crystalline and pure. Somehow delicate and punchy at the same time. A mind-blowing wine that you just have to marvel at with intensity, brightness and vibrancy, building as it goes. A long, clean finish leaves you wanting more, salivating for that next sip. 3.8pH. A potential 100-point wine. 3.8pH. 50% grand vin. Tasted twice.
Château Batailley
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
Vibrant and intense colour in the glass, richly scented, floral and perfumed, open and inviting. Intense and concentrated, the fruit is dark and ripe but there’s no hint of over ripeness here and instead you get cool blue fruits, chalky tannins and minty freshness with accents of liquorice, coffee, tobacco, cedar spice and clove. Tannins are clearly at the fore, giving the structure and the frame while the juicy acidity gives the energy and life. Still on the serious side, not tense so much as there’s good persistence, it’s lean and streamlined, but refined in a spiced and mineral way. Gorgeous terroir markers, lovely detail and precision, you can feel they haven't worked too much or tried too hard. It carries the signature of the estate in the serious structure, it’s a big wine, there’s such power here but so well controlled and delivered. Razor sharp, focussed and persistent. A gorgeous 2022, well executed and will be a clear success.
Château Branaire-Ducru
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
One of the standouts of the vintage that impressed equally on three different occasions. Fragrant and expressive on the nose, lovely scents and dark fruits. Smooth and crisp, silky but concentrated, such precision and detail straight away with succulent and juicy acidity. There’s concentration no doubt, it’s ripe and intense, the dark perfumed blackcurrants and black cherries give a serious backbone and tension to the wine, while the minty, stony freshness carries the flavour and gives the energy and definition. Excellently weighted on the palate, with structure and a mouthwatering sensation that comes in once the weight settles. So well constructed with a beautiful texture and overall integration of all the elements. Exceptional quality and drinkability on offer with a delicious salty, graphite and flint finish that puts you at the estate. Overlook this at your peril. 2.5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. Harvest 12 - 24 September. 60% grand vin production. A yield of 34hl/ha. Tasted three times. This vintage was the first to be made 100% in the new cellar with double the number of vats than were available in 2020 for more precise fermentations. HVE3 certified. Harvest 12 September - 24 September.
Château Cos d'Estournel
St-Estèphe (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
Fresh and vibrant blackcurrant aromas with milk chocolate, vanilla and floral scents - so aromatic and expressive. Juicy and alive, bright and vibrant on the palate with soft herbal scents surrounding the fruit. The flavours - blackcurrant, black cherry, damson and orange rind - settle vertically but the firm and textured tannins give the focus, structure and tension. It has liquorice and flint edges all the way giving a savoury touch and clear minerality as well as dark chocolate and clove spice. Refined and serious but also there’s such a delicious juicy undercurrent giving life and energy. Confident winemaking on show, this is a real success in delivering a complete and powerful wine with depth but no heaviness. Totally delicious and moreish. A wine you're going to finish! Potential upscore in bottle. Two-third grand vin production. 2.94 total acidity. 3.79pH. 90 IPT. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
Beautiful and beguiling nose, perfumed blackcurrants and dark fruits; damsons, plums, raspberries and rose petals. Lovely crunchy fruit, real bite and presence in the mouth. Excellent precision, tannins are succulent and ripe they fill the mouth with a juicy, intense granular texture. There is such depth to this - perfume, tobacco, earth, violets and concentrated fruits that have a verticality to them with an unprecedented 98% of Cabernet Sauvignon providing the support and the backbone. There is a crystalline purity to the fruit giving tension to the overall frame, it’s focused and driven all with excellent definition. This is not a wallflower of a wine - it’s charming and confident, strutting its stuff right now and giving you absolut St-Julien terroir and vintage markers in the glass with slate, graphite and liquorice salinity on show. Skilled winemaking on show.
Château Gruaud-Larose
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
Another excellently consistent wine from Gruaud in 2022 that gives terroir typicality with crystalline purity and such overall charm. Smooth and supple, silky but firm, generous but serious. Gorgeous acidity keeps the palate lifted and fresh while the concentrated fruit and quite present tannins give the structure and frame. I love the detail and purity, powerful and strong but refined. Direct with energy and juicy, vibrant acidity. Mineral, graphite and liquorice aspects grip the palate and linger on the finish with soft spices. Has a very moreish quality with approachability but the racy core and intense backbone suggests long ageing potential. 3.8pH. 3.45g/l total acidity. 40% production. 13% press wine (only Cabernet Sauvignon).
Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
97
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 focussed, no overt over ripeness or heaviness. Precise and elegant, juicy and alive. This has supreme charm. 4pH.
Château Lynch-Bages
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
Blackcurrant and bramble fruit with savoury herbal nuances on the nose, this smells rich and potent. Tense and focussed, compact from the get go, present tannins give grip and hold. This is definitely not out to charm, more serious, stern and focussed but there's such overall precision. This is in high definition, supremely controlled and well worked with mouthfilling ripe tannins. I like the chewy aspect and there’s balancing acidity, hidden now by the density, that will sustain the wine for decades to come. Floral notes and some minerality come through giving the nuance so it’s not all heft, but there’s clear muscle on show. A long finish gives the sense of structure and style. An impressive wine. 95 IPT. 3.71pH. Ageing 18 months, 75% new oak. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 4.1 g/L total acidity. Harvest 12 September - 24 September.
Château Montrose
St-Estèphe (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
A gorgeous richness straight away, you can feel the intensity and concentration but the texture is so sleek, almost silky yet weighty, juicy and intense. Supple but firm with crushed stones, liquorice, tobacco, dark chocolate, plums and blackcurrants. Tannins are firm and at the fore, but cool and crisp with bite and wet stone elements give an instant minerality. The fruit almost takes a back seat, ripe and black in nature, but quieter than the other elements and overall frame. Juicy and succulent, an appealing shot of acidity initially, mouthwatering and vibrant, then the chalky tannins come in and give this a sense of seriousness. This carries the strength of the vintage well, focused and precise with detail and a sense of energy that is so impactful. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Harvest 2-22 September. 58% grand vin - one of the biggest proportions. There was 53% grand vin in 2018. 3.8pH. 80 IPT. A yield of 31hl/ha.
Château Palmer
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
Sharp, energetic, racy and electric. The power and concentration is evident in the dark, rich, concentrated fruit with tannins that grip and take hold with a crushed stone texture, liquorice, graphite, tobacco and cool mint spice. The expression is exceptionally delineated with focus and push from start to finish. Quite bold and charged, but I love the succulence, the perfumed fruit, chalky sensation and overall sense of confidence. In high definition in terms of sharpness and tang to the fruit. A big wine but delivered with poise. 3.79pH. 13% press wine. Harvest took one month from 7 September to 5 October. 70% grand vin, 30% Alter Ego.
Château Pichon Baron
Pauillac (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
Beautiful fragrance, lots of fresh and ripe black and red bramble fruit - so alive and expressive on the nose with liquorice, wet stones and cedar spicing. Smooth, ample and full in the mouth, but not overly textured or plush, there’s a real refinement to the tannic structure, clearly giving the frame to the wine but detailed and precise with edges of liquorice, slate, dark chocolate, cedar and tobacco. It balances richness, intensity and concentration with sleekness, bright acidity and a real charm to the juicy fruit. Rich and tense, just giving a hint of it’s potential, clearly powerful but totally seductive too. Ageing 18 months in French oak, 70% new, 600% one wine.
Château Rauzan-Ségla
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
97
Gorgeously fragranced on the nose with perfumed black fruits and pink flowers - smells very Margaux. Clean and crisp, a beautiful precision from the start with ripe and rich fruit but cool fresh acidity and sleek, fine tannins. A little shy, still compact and tightly knitted, but lovely detail, so well worked, almost delicate but there's still quite fleshy, plush fruit. Excellent concentration but delivered with an easy sleight of hand, expanding with time in the glass. Glamorous, scented, inviting, deep and seductive. A brilliant and totally moreish wine. Yield of 30hl/ha. 3.7pH. 17% press wine. Harvest 2-28 September. Ageing in French oak for 14-16 months, 15% new. In organic conversion. Tasted twice.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
97
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;
Château Calon Ségur
St-Estèphe (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
Rich and vibrant on the nose, smells concentrated and alcoholic. Crisp and clean on the palate however with bite to the cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit alongside a hint of sweet strawberry and herbal raspberry on the mid palate that gives some instant energy before the clear concentration and heft of the wine shows through. Not so much in the texture but in the ripe flavours, cool minty and stone edged tannins and clear liquorice and clove spice. Still taught but detailed with elements of generosity. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. A yield of 26hl/ha. Ageing 17 months, 30% new oak.
Château Cantenac Brown
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
Juicy and lively, cool and crisp with concentrated but cool tannins that give the structure and density. It's massy, full, upfront, but retains a charm in that nothing is harsh or austere or too spiced. It's full but there's something very captivating about this, has excitement and vibrancy and will be totally delicious and moreish when the time is right. Lovely acidity, beautiful red fruits, crisp and tense yet layered and ripe, mineral too. Gives you the emotion! Harvest 7-27 September. Ageing in French oak, 60% new, 40% one year old.
Château d'Issan
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
Deep, heady, really quite seductive and aromatic on the nose, draws you in with bramble fruits, chocolate, exotic spices and perfumed floral nuances. Juicy and lively, pure and focussed, but such a vibrancy to this wine. Sweet and sour elements combine with really salty, chalky, powdery and quite filling tannins that give the nuance of flavour and texture. Bright yet serious, finessed yet layered. Lovely intensity of elements. On the more savoury side right now in terms of lingering flavour but there’s mouthwatering acidity giving the liveliness and sense of fun. I really like this, textured, upfront, forward, extremely drinkable and so approachable, but thrilling too. An exciting wine with great integration and finesse and still clear strength underneath. One of the most exciting wines this year. Stylish, potent and polished. I love it! A yield of 30hl/ha. Harvest 15 - 28 September. 1% PV planted in 1948, 12% press wine. 2% Malbet and 1% Petit Verdot complete the blend. Total acidity: 3.55. 50% new barrels. 3.67pH.
Château Durfort-Vivens
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
Lovely freshness and aromatic complexity on the nose; herbs, spices, flowers, bitterness, freshness. Juicy and alive, a brightness and liveliness straight away. The energy here is wonderful, so lean and clean, pure and precise, very pretty, fun and joyful with a salty tang underneath. Delicate almost with such well integrated tannins giving a soft push from start to finish. Really very compelling and drinkable, easy to approach with layers of freshness and the most gorgeous acidity. Not as dense or fleshy as others, but makes up for it in bite, energy and enjoyable minerality. Effortless winemaking. 3.65pH. 12% press. 85-90 IPT, but you wouldn’t tell, it’s so sleek, the power is channelled in a straight line from start to finish. Ageing: 18 months, 70% in new oak barrels and 30% in amphorae TAVA.
Château Giscours
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
A seriously impressive and beguiling Giscous in 2022 and one of the most elegant. A remarkable wine with gorgeous clarity and purity and just the most gentle seduction, even more so because it really doesn't feel as if it's trying too hard yet still delivering depth and complexity. Fresh and lifted, fragrant and so juicy but with textured tannins that give both the weight, structure and density to the quite bright, tangy, vibrant fruit. Nicely composed, feels quite powerful yet restrained and finessed offering lots of immediate drinking appeal but with a serious backbone that suggests long ageing too. Elegant, fineseed, subtle confidence with such cool minerality that gives freshness all the way through. It's not the most dense, or fleshy, but so refined. A compelling wine. Possible upscore in bottle. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.70pH. A yield of 27hl/ha, the lowest ever. No Sirene de Giscours this year. 100% grand vin. Ageing 17 months, 50% new oak. 10-15% press wine. Tasted twice.
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
Gorgeous vibrant purple colour in the glass, deep and darkly scented, black bramble fruits, flowers, cinnamon, dark chocolate and liquorice. Firm and forward, this is generous but sleek, so you get power and concentration but also juicy liveliness, great tension and energy. I really do like the ease of this, it's not trying too hard but delivered with poise, punch and purity. An excellent wine that really over delivers - so well presented, detailed, finessed and refined but still with the strength coming at the end in the wave of liquorice, dark chocolate and wet stone terroir markers. A brilliant wine with potential to deliver such excellent drinking pleasure. I love it. 3.57pH. A yield of 38hl/ha. 60% grand vin, 40% second wine. Eric Boissenot consultant. Harvest 7-23 September. Yield of 38hl/ha. Ageing in French oak, 75% new.
Château Haut-Bailly
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
96
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.
Château Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan (1er Cru Classé)
2022
96
Milk chocolate and blackcurrants on the nose, fragrant ripe black cherries and some floral notes. Sleek, supple, suave, really confident and shiny. This keeps the tension more than La Mission at this point with a vein of freshness and intensity. It’s not out to charm but it’s out to impress. Excellent construction, clean depth and power, tense, strict and streamlined, a touch of creaminess and saltiness. You get waves of flavour intensity with ripe, concentrated fruit, soft acidity and a clean stone freshness. Tannins fill the mouth with edges of both minerality and toasted spices. Calm and controlled, impressive with focus. 3.8pH. A yield of 35hl/ha.
Château Lagrange
Saint-Julien (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
Juicy and intensely ripe in terms of texture - tannins are fleshy but also really cool giving this a push-pull of bright acidity and actually quite serious mineral elements of flint and liquorice. Such an appealing weight in the mouth, layered and structured with expressive fruit and lively juiciness all combining to a stylish and inviting whole. So much going on but managed with finesse and elegance. A clear success in 2022. Harvest 8-30 September. Ageing 21 months in French oak, 60% new. Tasted twice.
Château Léoville Barton
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
Chewy, lively, bright, clean, intense, sleek, sharp and straight - this has it all. Excellent definition and poise, refined but still full of life and flavour. Appealing shots of milk chocolate, blackcurrant, black cherry and fragranced flowers. Not so dense or layered or plush, more lean, and straightforward but lovely detail and precision to the tannins balancing the density of fruit and energy of the lively acidity. Fun, serious, fruity, mineral - lots going on here. Simply gorgeous! I love it. Harvest 8-23 September. Yield of 30hl/ha.
Château Léoville Poyferré
St-Julien (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
96
Another excellent showcasse for this estate run by Sara Lecompte Cuvelier. Supple, lively, fresh and round, a nice controlled core of red and black fruit - blackcurrants, cherries and violets with juicy acidity and lean tannins that are fine and well integrated. This feels powerful and concentrated no doubt but the strength comes underneath the fruit and acidity, like a creeping tiger waiting to pounce. Lovely frame and execution, feels on the more opulent and potent side but the acidity and tannin definition is brilliant and this has a really drinkable and moreish quality. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.87pH. 9% press wine. A yield of 33.4hl/ha. 75% grand vin production. Julien Viaud consultant. Tasted three times and was impressed each time. Ageing 18-20 months in French oak barrels, 80% new, 20% second fill.
Château Malartic-Lagravière
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
96
Round, concentrated, vibrant and dynamic, a lovely burst of intense red and black fruits before quite serious tannins take hold in the mouth. Fine but full, they give the frame and the structure, setting the tone for a serious wine while the fruit and freshnes softly expand giving an aerial element to the finish. A lovely wine with intensity and detail, not the most demonstrative or juicy and appealing right now, but really well made and delivered. Supple, bright, chalky, chewy, this wine has intensity and precision. A little bit serious towards the end, the fruit just losing some focus, where it becomes more about the tannins and freshness but lots to like here with good potential. 1.5% Cabernet Franc. A yield 27hl/ha. HVE3 certified.
Château Angludet
Margaux
2022
95
Really fragrant, you can smell the Petit Verdot with milk chocolate and blackcurrant aromas - open, fresh, appealing, perfumed, generous and lifted. Clean and pure on the palate with a lovely delicacy of flavour and freshness. Black fruit has concentration but this keeps a sleek, focussed frame - so balanced, moreish and perfectly weighted in the mouth. Juicy, chewy, spiced - complete and long and leaves you wanting more. A complex and mouthwateringly fresh Margaux with tang and style. One to look out for! 3.8pH. A yield of 26hl/ha. Ageing 12 months; 30% amphora, 70% French oak (30% new). The first time in Angludet history that the blend has been finalised before ageing.
Château Belgrave
Haut-Médoc (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Juicy, forward, bright and vibrant this has a great energy straight away, crisp and tannic, but well integrated so you get almost a bouncy palate with flint edges giving minerality and acidity providing the lift. Feels detailed and precise, lovely definition to the overall frame and this carries to a long finish. Impressive, I like the strength and the focus and it doesn't feel overripe or too extracted. So much to like about this wine with subtle liquorice, mint and crushed stone aspects. This will be excellent. HVE3 certified. Ageing 12 months in 29% new oak barrels, 6 batches in amphora. Harvest 12 September - 1 October. Tasted twice.
Château Beychevelle
St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Supple, rich and velvety. Great delineation of tannins and fruit with creamy blueberries and cola touches alongside savoury elements of dark chocolate, liquorice and salt. Structured, fresh and well worked, this feels sophisticated, focussed and confident. It's missing a touch of acidity, but this has plenty of polish, seduction and potential to age. A yield of 36hl/ha.
Château Clerc Milon
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Fragrant, perfumed black berries and purple flowers. Smells intense and concentrated, deep, dark and rich. Bold and characterful from the first sip, supple and generous, a lovely shot of strawberry and red cherry fruit gives the tang and immediate excitement while the tannins, stoney and cool, enter and give the frame and focus for the finish. Really well made, great drive but plush at the same time, it’s silky yet well defined and also weighty and forward. A big mouthful that is just so juicy and fun, lively, expressive, well worked and so easy. A step-up from Pastourelle. Super accessible and really enjoyable with the sweet juicy tang that I adore and stony minerality on the finish that is moreish. Immediate pleasure on offer. 12.8% press wine. 1% Carmenere completes the blend. HVE3 certified. Ageing 18 months in French oak barrels, 55% new. 3.83pH.
Château d'Armailhac
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Strongly scented and perfumed on the nose, dark fruits, lively and lithe, supple and smooth on the palate, richly concentrated in terms of fruit density but sleek and stylish on the palate with a burst of bright and fresh blackcurrants and black cherries. Has a tang to it, the acidity and liveliness fills the mid palate before the stony tannins come in towards the end and give this bite and focus. More tense and streamlined than Clerc Milon, but so poised and finessed. This has bite and tension, the Cabernet speaks with liquorice, tobacco and clove subtly giving the spice at the end, but also a fresh mintiness. You can taste the gravel and the clay, putting the terroir in the glass. Really quite profound with concentrated fruit, juiciness and mouthwatering acidity. Fresh and lifted on the finish, you want more of this, but it will take some time to be more charming given its serious nature right now. One to wait for and be glad you did. 3.83pH. 11.3% press wine - usually at 7-8% maximum. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. HVE3 certified. Tasted twice. 50% new barrels.
Château de Rouillac
Pessac-Léognan
2022
95
Bright and shining, aromatically expressive with red and black fruits - cool and fresh. Lifted and so pure on the palate, lively red berry fruit is at the fore before the tannins come in giving a flint-edged grip to the palate which adds structure and focus. This is so generous but controlled and well presented with purpose and definition. It's not the most fleshy but wow it delivers on the pure enjoyment front with complexity and style. An absolute success in 2022. A joy to drink - I love it. Wet stones, flint and graphite leaves a moreish mineral aspect.
Château Ferrière
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Gorgeous fragrance of roses and milk chocolate, expressive, alive and inviting. Round and supple, generous flavours of blackcurrant, black cherry and strawberry. Compete and well textured, tannins are super fine and so well integrated, just giving a touch of grip and support to the fruit and high acidity. Well controlled, gentle, confident but not showy at all with a lovely energy and push from start to finish. Lovely texture and juiciness, pretty and so still with structure. Doesn’t have so much concentration and overt power but really delivers a gorgeous, sculpted, precise, refined glass of wine with so much energy and dynamism. Excellent, stony mineral finish too and such a long length. You could drink this today. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 75-80% grand vin production. 3.64pH. A yield of 24hl/ha. Ageing: 18 months, 35% in new oak barrels, 35% in barrels of one wine.
Château Haut-Bages Libéral
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Round and smooth, so pure, like silk, just so beautifully textured straight away with clear bite, bright fresh upfront fruit - tangy strawberries, raspberries and black cherries with powdery, chalky, and tense tannins giving both the frame but also a charming appeal. It’s intense but controlled and finessed. Maybe lacking a touch of fruity fleshiness right now but the Cabernet is at the fore, giving the backbone and the seriousness. So well executed -a shining star of an estate with such beautiful pure wines. The pH and alcohol is low with the acidity coming from the chalk and limestone terroir, all well integrated giving an elegant, very drinkable aspect while still having underlying power and direction. Crystalline with exceptional energy. 3.54pH. Ageing: 16 months, 40% in new oak barrels, 40% in barrels of one wine, 20% in amphorae.
Château Labégorce
Margaux
2022
95
Fairly tannic but super cool and fresh too with cola and blueberry nuanced. Chewy but really juicy, an approachable fun and easy wine still with bite, tang, juiciness and tannic density. Very appealing still with bite. Not as dense and weight as some, but wow there's a lot to like; gorgeous acidity, textured and well defined tannins, lovely punchy fruit and a long length. Delicious, still with a minty, graphite and clove lift on the finish. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.6pH. Ageing in 40% new oak. Harvest 12 September 12 - 5 October. Tasted twice and loved it both times.
Château Lafon-Rochet
St-Estèphe (4ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
An exceptional wine in 2022. Fresh and fragrant lovely strawberry and red cherry notes on the nose. Smooth and round, generous and deep, a lovely immediate intensity of flavour while keeping a sleek and tense expression. Gorgeous weight in the mouth, supple, and nicely fruited but with density and roundness. Feels really well worked, so defined and detailed, a lovely precision. Nothing feels out of place and it has a very drinkable and approachable quality, still with a dark liquorice and dark chocolate edge and some graphite touches. Extremely complete and well made with control and finesse. Total acidity: 3.35. 3.77pH.
Château Langoa Barton
Saint-Julien (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Supple and lively, this has energy and intensity from the start. Clean and precise, well worked, cool and fresh with tannins that do well to give the frame and structure without overwhelming the fruit. Really nice this year, good movement and liveliness, rich fruit but juicy and fun. Doesn't take itself too seriously and I really like it!! Harvest 8-23 September. Yield of 30hl/ha. Ageing in French oak, 60% new.
Château Lynch-Moussas
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Cool blue fruits on the nose, a little shy at this point. Intensely fruited, really rich and ripe but clean and clear, giving a depth of ripe blackcurrants but juicy, fresh and alive. Almost sharp, it’s intense with bite to the fruit and such lean tannins that give a firm but light grip to the mouth. I like the attack, it’s bold and confident but refined at the same time. Good fruit profile, balancing acidity and lovely lean, mineral tannins. Well structured, nothing too much or overdone with freshness throughout. Well worked with precision. Spicy, black pepper, cedar, tobacco, liquorice, a touch of coffee, but all giving nuance underneath the fruit, tannins and acidity. It’s concentrated no doubt, this has power, but is presented carefully with such a lifted, juicy finish. This will be a beauty.
Château Marquis d'Alesme
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Really quite expressive on the nose, rich blackcurrants, bramble fruits, perfumed violets and irises. Lovely supple texture, smooth and grippy, holds interest from the first sip, concentrated and intense, this has a great fully fruit forward aspect with ripe tannins that fill the mouth, chewy, lively, bright and fun. So fresh and friendly, I love this expression, more structured and serious - you can feel the depth and weight and sophistication, the Cabernet shines and I love the soft, salty dark chocolate and flint touches too. Sweet, sharp, great acidity, layered and forward. Long and still a bit lean which gives focus on the finish. Will be delicious and great to enjoy when ready. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.83pH.
Château Monbrison
Margaux
2022
95
Supple and succulent, really quite rich and dense in the mouth, lovely concentrated blackcurrant and fragrant black cherry fruit. Rich and full, with prominent tannins but they're so finely detailed and plump, giving a soft bounce and energy or the palate. Supremely well worked, a clear stand out, lovely delicacy yet really delivers the punch and power you want from this vintage. Excellent! Clean and crystalline, leaves such a moreish flavour. Harvest 14-29 September. Yield of 24hl/ha. Ageing in French oak for 18 months, 30% new. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Pape Clément
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
95
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.
Château Pédesclaux
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Floral and fragrant, really perfumed and scented, inviting, deep and cool. Sleek and silky, the fruit has gorgeous purity and cleanliness, with tannins that are filling and ripe but also have bite and grip. The wine has power but delivered so delicately with tannins that give a sculpted element to the profile with precision and definition. Feels extremely polished, on the tense and straight side, the Cabernet is not so expansive or plush but this feels like it has that Pauillac swagger with lots of life and energy. Very drinkable and impressive from director Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen. 16% press wine, usually 12-13%. New label as of 2022 celebrating organic certification. 3% completes the blend. Total acidity: 3.7. 65% new oak barrels. 3.86pH.
Château Phélan Ségur
St-Estèphe
2022
95
A delicious and well-constructed wine from the Phélan team in 2022. Polished, balanced and just so drinkable. A gorgeous texture straight away, clean and clear, juicy, vibrant and grippy with a chalky, flint and graphite element to the fine tannins. You really feel they've taken the best the vintage had to offer with precise definition to all the elements; ripe bramble and cherry fruit, high acidity with a wonderful spiced and mineral signature from the St-Estephe terroir. A combination of power and charm that builds in structure and intensity while keeping a mouthwatering energy from start to finish. A top buy - and could be upscored in bottle! Tasted three times. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.8pH. 96IPT. Harvest took 13 days in total, from 14 - 26 September whereas the last three years picking has started on the 24th September. A yield of 28hl/ha. 75% grand vin production. The team have also been working for the past few years on different yeasts for fermentation in order to get more precision and a stronger link to the vineyards. 50% of production in 2022 was vinified using natural yeasts - five strains taken from five plots and used to vinify grapes from each of their respective parcels.
Château Pontet-Canet
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
Vibrant, vivid purple colour in the glass, rich and deep. Smells bright, super fresh and expressive on the nose with freshly-picked blackcurrants and perfumed purple flowers - the Petit Verdot, really standing out. Clean and clear, creamy, powdery and softly chewy on the palate. The texture is lovely, you can tell they haven't over extracted but there’s still clear concentration with a gentle succulence provided by the acidity, cool freshness and appealing mineral touches alongside liquorice, clove, dried herbs and bitter chocolate. Enjoyable and well defined if still a little compact. 3.85pH. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 15% press wine used. Harvest 8 - 28 September, the earliest and longest ever. 20% lower yields than in 2021. The technical team used a clay sunscreen on the grapes to avoid burning. Tasted twice.
Château Talbot
St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé)
2022
95
A great effort in 2022 with such excellent precision and detail to the tannins and fruit. Cool blueberries, blackcurrants, cola, vanilla, tobacco and liquorice all give nuance and interest with fleshy tannins and bright acidity. Great balance of intensity and finesse with such energy from start to finish. Really quite approachable and enjoyable with impressive crystalline aspects and a lovely sense of place. Tasted twice. A yield of 40hl/ha. Ageing 16 months in barrels, 60% new. Harvest 9-28 September. 3.75pH.
Domaine de Chevalier
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
95
Lovely detail and precision with plump, ripe fruit, good concentration and intensity, mouthfilling tannins that have a lovely texture and overall length. Feels really well made, structured and vibrant , not taken too far with a really appealing flavour and texture. Just lovely, fresh, lifted, still concentrated with underlying power but delivered seamlessly. A brilliant compelling utterly moreish wine. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. A yield of 40hl/ha.
Château Arnauld
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2022
94
Clean, clear, smooth and juicy - a soft vibrancy runs through this with mouthwatering acidity and fully mouth-coating tannins, comforting and filling but with a soft powdery and fleshy aspect. Appealing structure and drive, excellent energy and intention, really delicious crunchy bright and easy drinking pleasure to be had here and the tannins are just perfect. Very impressive. HVE certified. 3.54ph. Harvest: 14 - 29 September.
Château Bouscaut
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
94
Juicy and vibrant, a real strawberry and raspberry tang to the palate with grippy, chalky, soft liquorice, chocolate and spiced tannins. Smooth and enjoyable, nicely presented with such ease of drinking - you don't feel they have overdone things at all. A lovely effort with succulence, grip, salty minerality, clearly ripe fruit but still with an appealing structure and tension. Great stuff.
Château Branas Grand Poujeaux
Moulis-en-Médoc
2022
94
Perfumed nose, smells rich and inviting. Juicy, supple and clean - this has bite and tang as well as clear depth and concentration. Excellent profile, it has weight but a lovely sleek texture, ripe fruit but cool freshness. It's serious no doubt, with concentration but really delivers a full, bright, juicy, intense and appealing glass of wine with nuance and detail. Great acidity, lovely tang, mineral salty stone notes and long length. Still tense, needs to soften, but this is excellent. Harvest 12-28 September. Yield of 38hl/ha.
Château Brown
Pessac-Léognan
2022
94
Soft fragrance on the nose, ripe and cool black fruits with perfumed scents and crushed stones. Full bodied, supple and concentrated but so lively and energetic. Really a vibrancy to the expression with life and focus on clean and pure strawberry fruit with black cherries and some herbal edges raspberries. More serious and tense than the second wine with definition and delicate grip to the tannins that gives the wine a sense of weight and direction. Fruit is perfectly ripe and the tannin integration is excellent. Lovely senses of style and character with mouthwatering acidity and the most delicious crushed stone aspects giving a salty finish. Refined, classy and concentrated with lots of energy. Fantastic, still with grip, intensity and such underlying power. A great wine! 3.73pH. No Petit Verdot in the blend. 80% grand vin production. Yield: 29hl/ha. Total acidity: 3.2%
Château Cantemerle
Haut-Médoc (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Clean and clear, immediately quite sleek and focused on the palate. Ripe and round but maintains direction from start to finish with succulence and supple fruit. Very lovely and very drinkable, clean and clear with balance and harmony. Dark fruit, cool freshness, mouthwatering acidity, slight graphite and flint touches and really well worked tannins. Impressive. Will be very enjoyable and easy to drink. Harvest 12-27 September. Ageing 12 months in French oak, 40% new, 40% one year old 20% two years old. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Clarke
Listrac-Médoc
2022
94
Sleek and straight, appealing definition from the start with a linearity and push of juicy, fresh, mouthwatering raspberry and red cherry from the start. Really well defined with bite and such nicely textured tannins giving weight but keeping the detail. I love the minerality and crushed stones on this, generous and energetic with style and lots of life thanks largely to the limestone and clay soils keeping freshness in the conditions. Still tannic but they're finely massy and stay the right side of being too chewy giving a cool freshness overall which nicely counters the strawberry and red berry flavours on the palate. Clean and clear with high acidity and such control that makes this accessible now with bite and tang but will also age. Tasted twice.
Château Cos d'Estournel, Les Pagodes de Cos
St-Estèphe
2022
94
Strong and heady nose, so aromatically expressive, smells quite potent. Supple and agile, generous and friendly, juicy and sweet with a sour tang and clean stoney texture. The tannins are super fine but supportive and softly gripping in al the right places. Sensuous, but fun - so much personality and style. I love the sweet core, the brightness and vibrancy. Electric but there’s depth and concentration too with a stony undercurrent that puts you squarely in St-Estephe. Absolutely stunning - a top buy! 3.05 total acidity. 3.72pH. 83 IPT. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Couhins-Lurton
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
94
Sharp and tangy, though bright and clean with toasted elements that detracts a little from the fruit. A sense of fun and fruitiness though, clean and sharp, layered with creamy and mineral touches that give nuance and spark. Still a little charged, but there's good potential here, nicely fragrant and detailed, feels finessed but still packing a punch in terms of fruit density, forward motion and precision. 3.45pH. Harvest 8 September-6 October. Yield of 36hl/ha. Ageing for 12 months French oak, 50% new.
Château Dauzac
Margaux (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Juicy and lean, fresh with high acidity giving life and energy. Feels sleek and really well worked. Concentrated but this has energy and focus, appealingly constructed with fragrance, freshness and lots of ripe fruit. Round and super enjoyable, even now. Sculpted and cool with an ease of drinkability to it. Tasted three times. Ageing in French oak; 75% new the rest one wine plus 3% amphora. Harvest 5 - 26 September.
Château de Pez
St-Estèphe
2022
94
Amazing colour, so dark and deep. Fragrant perfume and earthy notes on the nose, flint, ripe blackcurrant, plum and black cherry, milk and dark chocolate, liquorice, sweet cedar and tobacco. Bright and sleek, so smooth but grippy too, a combination of supple weight but then really quite firm and mineral-laced tannins that give the grip and the angles. Almost sharp but in a razor sharp not sour aspect, so clean, and precise. There’s weight, it's rich, dark and serious no doubt, and not entirely charming right now, it's full of muscle but also has juicy acidity and a mouthwatering mid palate. A nice buy with ageing potential and the sweet, sharp hit at the end just makes you think this is going to be great! 3.8pH. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. A yield of 26hl/ha. Tasted twice.
Château Desmirail
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Richly scented and evocative on the nose, crystalline and pure, with fragrant and floral blue fruits and cool stoney touches. Feels well worked, tannins are beautifully integrated, plump, plush, velvety giving a serious and well-built frame but with enough freshness and acidity to keep things moving and lifted. I like this a lot, especially the florality and the juicy core. Elegant and refined with a lovely minty finish. Clearly concentrated and powerful with richness and body but with focus and such a seductive flavour and texture. 5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Harvest 8-23 September.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Le Croix Ducru
St-Julien
2022
94
Bramble tones; fragrant and rich blackberry notes on the nose. A dark soul with depth and intensity, this has such richness and power, but restraint also. Concentrated with a directness and focus that drives it from start to finish aided by a linear vein of salinity, liquorice and blackcurrant. Tannins are robust and grippy, giving an impressive structure that is imposing in the mouth but retains a suave and endearing quality. Such charm and potential.
Château Duhart-Milon
Pauillac (4ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Ripe fruit on the nose, cherries, blackcurrants and plums, fresh, open and inviting. Sleek and smooth, this is intense but juicy giving tannic strength, just shy of chewy but appealingly chalky and fleshy giving a mouthfilling texture while the stony, saline, spiced edge to the tannins and cool blueberry and mint give the freshness. The tannins stand out here, present and at the fore, but well textured, crushed velvet but juicy with high acidity and a sharpness that counters the clear power underneath. Ageing will incorporate 40% of new oak plus up to 15% of amphora based on current trials. Harvest 31 August to 28 September.
Château Fonbadet
Pauillac
2022
94
Sleek, straight and smooth - there's such a confidence about this all while giving a sense that it's not trying too hard. Nothing feels overdone, not too acidic or tannic or plush, just complete, round and nicely weighted on the palate with ripe red fruits and cooling minerality of liquorice, slate and pencil lead. Quite charming and seductive overall, deep but smooth and easy, much more so than some. Excellent definition and Pauillac strength while remaining calm and controlled. Rolland & Associés consultants.
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Ripe and filling, the blackcurrant and black cherry fruit is ripe and fleshy, a nice chewy sensation on the palate as well as cool blue fruit and chalky, minty, liquorice laced edges with fresh mint and crushed stones which give the minerality and the sense of gravel. I like the powerful undertone here, this has structure and backbone and a real drive as well as a sense of stateliness. Quiet, less overtly lively than some, more strict but also more serious in a good way. Tasted twice.
Château Kirwan
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Sleek and crunchy, the bright almost high-toned red fruit take centre stage backed by crisp, fine and firm tannins with soft blueberry elements and crushed stones. Feels relatively delicate overall despite the concentration - keeps a linear frame, everything well worked, all in its place with detail and definition. This will be very delicious and true to form. Tasted twice. Harvest 5-22 September. Yield of 27hl/ha. 3.55pH. 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château La Lagune
Haut-Médoc (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Fragrant and floral on the nose. Juicy and vibrant, this has a lovely weight and depth on the palate while remaining cool and fresh. Generous mineral hints add to black cherry, plum and raspberry fruit while liquorice, graphite and wet stone give crisp edges with bite. Feels well constructed, not pushed too hard at all, but still offering a generous and appealing wine with mouthwatering acidity and fruit purity. Compact, but beautifully textured. Really just so appealing and inviting. Impressive and good potential. Tasted twice. Harvest 9-26 September.
Château La Louvière
Pessac-Léognan
2022
94
Juicy and clean, a lovely purity of fruit - blackcurrant, black cherry and creamy blueberries. Straight frame and sleek texture, tannins are slightly textured giving a soft, chalky grip to the palate, mouth coating tannins but gives a nice weight to the overall expression. Mouthwatering acidity keeps the freshness, overall this is quite a delicate, light style. Very easy drinking with some appealing herbal bramble fruit, salinity and soft dark chocolate touches. Really fresh, and grippy with a powdery dry touch to the finish. A yield of 47hl/ha. Tasted twice.
Château Lafite Rothschild, Carruades des Lafite
Pauillac
2022
94
Plums, blackcurrants, dark chocolate and perfumed aromas on the nose. Smooth and bright, silky, sharp, intense but so likeable, a shot of high acidity really sets the tone, this is zinging with energy, bite and power. It's a look at me wine with a strawberry and red cherry sweetness as well as herbal savouriness that hits the mid palate creating a mouthwatering juiciness and sense of structure. The power comes in after a few minutes, alongside minerality and wet stone touches to the fine but present tannins. Streamlined, focussed and confident. Cleverly constructed with lots to like, will age well and has lovely Pauillac touches. 64IPT. 3.75pH. Harvest 31 August to 24 September. 16% press. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan
2022
94
Nicely aromatic on the nose, fresh black fruits and perfumed elements. Really juicy and supple with bite to the blue fruits and a grape skin texture that is nicely filling and not harsh or austere. Acidity is there but cool and fresh so you get a liveliness but it's controlled and not sharp. A complete wine with lots going on. Beautiful depth and persistence, I like the mouthfilling nature with energy and focus. Clean and precise, characterful and supremely enjoyable. Harvest 19 September - 10 October. Ageing 14-16 months. 80% barrels, 20% large barrels. Derenoncourt consultants.
Château Latour, Les Forts de Latour
Pauillac
2022
94
Vibrant purple colour in the glass, sweet and fruity with blackcurrant and plum aromas on the nose, smells forward and open, generous with subtle hints of savoury spice. Smooth but firm, thick but lively, a good weight and balance in the mouth with supple fruit, agile and energetic with crunch and crispness countered by bouncy and softly chewy tannins. Clean and pure, focussed and structured - intense but so sleek and stylish overall. 80 IPT. 4.2% press wine. 40.8% production. Harvest 6 September - 24 September.
Château Le Boscq
St-Estèphe
2022
94
Smells fresh and fragranced, bright and clear. Crystalline fruit purity on the palate, such energy and focus too with bite and a cool blue fruit and graphite charm to this. Quite compact and tannic right now, through beautifully textured and controlled, just a little pent up, lovely confidence and concentration, the fruit is ripe and fleshy and you really do get the gravel terroir in the glass. Gorgeous frame and succulence, lovely refinement, and supreme drinkability. Great. 2% Cabernet Franc completed the blend. Ageing 12 months in oak barrels, 37% new, 4 batches in amphora. Harvest 9 September - 3 October. HVE certified.
Château Léoville-Las Cases, Le Petit Lion du Marquis de Las Cases
St-Julien
2022
94
Fragranced and scented, so appealing, rich, vibrant, alive on the nose, black and blue fruits with purple flowers. Juicy and alive in the mouth, straight away the acidity makes the mark, clean and clear, with bite and tang, so thrilling, energetic and racy but then the tannins come in, slightly chalky, grippy and firm giving the texture - serious but with a touch of sweetness that gives a playful aspect. Well constructed, precise but weighty, intense and concentrated. A great wine that gives depth, complexity and persistence but with such great drinkability - and grand vin quality.
Château Malescot St Exupéry
Margaux (3ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Intensely perfumed and fragrant on the nose, supple and succulent, really quite juicy and highly acidic with both a dark blackcurrant and red cherry juiciness, tannins are nicely present, filling but with a great texture and this has a nice overall brightness and vibrancy that some don't have. I really like this, feels elegant and nicely detailed, soft, really not trying too hard. Will be for easier drinking than some but nice. A yield of 30hl/ha. Harvest 19 September - 5 October. Ageing in French oak for 12- 14 months, 70% new.
Château Margaux, Pavillon Rouge
Margaux
2022
94
Beautiful vivid colour, bright and intense. Dark chocolate, cherries and subtle perfume on the nose. Bright and lively thought also lean and straight on the palate. A generous weight and intense grip to the tannins. It’s on the tense side, focussed with extreme precision to the fruit profile with racy acidity unpinning the tannins which are at the fore. Feels refined and elegant, more serious than some other second wines in its construction but is classy, juicy, sculpted and softly plush. The fruit has bite and tang, with liquorice and graphite edges and spiced accents giving angles but all enjoyable and really building to the whole. Great freshness and length. 7% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.61pH. 84 IPT - highest IPT, highest before was 2018 which was 82. 15% press wine. 31% production.
Château Marquis de Terme
Margaux (4ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Sumptuous and svelte, this has a nice sleek core with a smooth texture - clean fruit offset by present, grippy and fleshy tannins that coat the whole mouth. Fruit feels ripe and well worked and this has shots of cool freshness and nice balancing acidity. Clean and stylish with purity, length and lots to like and where the ample tannins combine with serious juiciness that gives energy and focus. A great wine from Margaux and consistently good quality from this estate run by Ludovic David. Julien Viaud consultant. Merlot harvest 13-20 September, Cabernet Sauvignon 22-29, Petit Verdot 21 September. HVE3 certified. Ageing 16 months in French oak barrels, 50% new. Rolland & Associés consultants.
Château Mouton Rothschild, Pavillon Rouge
Pauillac
2022
94
Darkly scented nose, liquorice, dark chocolate and black bramble fruits, smells rich, intense and fragrant. Smooth and supple, clean, clear and crisp, a nice purity to this with clear minerality and bite. A touch lean, some austerity here though balanced by juiciness and corresponding acidity, nicely bright but serious at the same time given the dark fruits and spiced edges. Tannins are well integrated, this is just a little sharp and straight, not yet softening and expanding but such great potential. Good grip and intensity, this is a powerful wine, focussed with persistence. A great stand out with lots of promise. 11.3% press wine - usually at 7-8% maximum. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.86pH. 80 IPT. Aged 60% in new barrels.
Château Saint-Pierre
St-Julien (4ème Cru Classé)
2022
94
Smells dark and deep; dark chocolate, savoury liquorice spice and ripe fruit. Joyously fruity and juicy on the palate with a salty tang that really carries the freshness and sense of minerality. I love the frame and the flavour with intensely grippy tannins but it works, excellently presented with flow and movement, direction and finesse. Cool and classic with great mineral markers of salt, liquorice and crushed stones. Feels sophisticated and really compelling, a great surprise and top buy. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Harvest 12-26 September. Yield of 34hl/ha.
Château Siran
Margaux
2022
94
A delightful Siran in 2022 that manages to give the density of the vintage while remaining joyful and extremely drinkable. Textured tannins make the first impact, coating the mouth and giving a touch of seriousness to the profile before a mouthwatering succulence comes in, lifting the strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant fruit. The soft fleshiness gives structure but this remains polished and quite sleek. A lovely Margaux to look out for with detail and drive.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte
Pessac-Léognan
2022
94
Beautiful nose, blackcurrant, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, tobacco, cherries, crushed stones, blue fruit and bramble fruits. Sleek and straight, nice acidity, but this is quite linear with the Cabernet really giving the backbone, length and overall structure. Feels a bit tense, but it does have texture too so it’s not austere or harsh, just strong. Really well built, delivering power no doubt, but keeping a soft juiciness underneath. Very medicinal - clove, liquorice, unmistakable Cabernet speaking here, but feels clean and well worked. Nothing sticking out too much with body, plushness and cool freshness. Good potential, really impressively constructed. 3.7p. Ageing 30% new oak.
Château Haut-Batailley
Pauillac (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
93
Ripe, dark bramble fruits, concentrated and intense on the nose and on the palate but with such juicy acidity. This is quite serious though, the fine but filling tannins have tension and give a sense of strictness to the palate which is nicely countered by the generous, fruity, juicy fruit profile. Well made, almost chewy but still cool and refreshing with blueberries, graphite, liquorice and tobacco edges. Nice and easy, but still intense with depth and cool minerality on the finish. 92 IPT. 3.73pH. Ageing 16 months, 65% new oak.
Château Carbonnieux
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
93
Plump and nicely juice, though quite serious too with the liquorice and clove spiced tannins coming in fairly quickly but they do give the structure and intensity that is so appealing in 2022 still with a sleek frame. Dense and ripe, but still with cool blue fruit and overall refreshing aspects. Just a little knitted down and compact right now but good potential here. The tannins are great, really juicy, powdery and fleshy with some spiced edges on the finish. This is enjoyable. 5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Chasse-Spleen
Moulis-en-Médoc
2022
93
Cool and crisp, a little sombre at first, the dense tannins and liquorice, blue fruit and soft herbal aspects at the fore but there is juiciness here, good depth and lovely precision where you feel the edges to the frame and the quality of the tannins, even though they're full and mouthcoting. Nice potential with cool freshness. Calm and confident, still with enough acidity to keep the life and energy, but a touch more serious than some others. Lots to like here and will age well. Yield of 34hl/ha. Harvest 17 September - 6 October. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Couhins
Pessac-Léognan
2022
93
Chewy and fleshy but cool and bright too, the acidity is lifted with tannins that have a crushed velvet texture - they fill the mouth and do most of the talking right now but there's a controlled sense with excellent movement and direction. Still compact, and intense, but well handled and not too much. Focussed and firm yet offset by fleshy moments and cool, cola and tobacco minerality that is so appealing and gives nuance. Shows promise. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Harvest 7 September - 5 October. Ageing 16 months; 33% new barrels, 58% one wine, 9% two wine. In organic conversion. Derenoncourt consultants.
Château de Malleret
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2022
93
Gorgeous intense aromatics on the nose, rich and scented. Vivid and vibrant, but sleekly textured, smooth and supple with bite and a gentle fleshiness alongside some toasted spice, clove, cinnamon and liquorice. Ripe and focused with nice precision to the tannins, firm grip and spiced edges. A little compact right now, but excellent purity with cool blueberry and strawberry fruit and underlying strength with persistence from start to finish. Strict but charming nonetheless, well made and very impressive. This has clear concentration and power but reigned in and focussed. HVE certified. In organic conversion. Tasted twice. 3.82pH. Harvest: 8 September - 11 October.
Château de Rochemorin
Pessac-Léognan
2022
93
Lovely cocoa, ripe black fruit and floral nuances, smells like sweet chocolate which is so appealing. Sleek and suave, lovely finesse to this but still with bite and concentration that gives a focussed, pure and concentrated texture with slightly sweet blackcurrant and black cherries. Tannins are mouthfilling but cool and fresh with some saltiness and soft bitterness that gives a slight tang. Really well worked, a lovely gentle delicate frame, lots of life and energy here. Something so delicious and creamy about this. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château du Tertre
Margaux (5ème Cru Classé)
2022
93
Bright and vibrant, lightly textured, more streamlined and linear than plush but the fruit has concentration and this has lovely freshness from start to finish. Some tension gives it the strictness but also the definition and detail. Well made but the softer acidity means it's missing a little persistence, there's no faulting the precision and focus throughout however. Harvest 8 September - 19 October. 3.6pH. Ageing in French oak, 60% new, 40% one year old. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Château Fleur La Mothe
Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
2022
93
Supple and lively, this has bite and tang, a gorgeous push of chalky, powdery tannins with both ripe strawberry and red cherry fruit and minty freshness giving a wide expanse in the mouth while keeping the detail and definition. A really nice, cool, style with precision, juice and so much appeal. Still tense right now, but this will be extremely pleasurable. Very impressive. HVE certified. 3.7pH. Harvest: 7 September - 5 October.
Château Fonréaud
Listrac-Médoc
2022
93
Smells potent on the nose. Supple and juicy, quite direct, clean and lean with salty but also ripe and concentrated blackcurrants and bramble fruits. The tannins are at the fore with a crushed stone and chalky powdery texture. Rich and quietly powerful, with persistence from start to finish. Mouthwatering acidity nicely counters the ripe fruit while giving an appealing lift on the finish. Highly charged, bold and generous but still retains a certain charm and moreish quality. HVE certified. A yield of 38hl/ha.
Château Giscours, Haut-Médoc de Giscours
Haut-Médoc
2022
93
Another delicious and great-value Haut-Médoc from the Giscours team. Perfumed and scented on the nose with liquorice and blackcurrants. Juicy and alive, supple and smooth on the palate. Lots of life and energy with a sleek, silky frame and such purity of expression. Crystalline, bright and so appealing. Very easy to drink with cool blue fruit touches, mouthwatering acidity and a minty, crushed stone freshness. A beautiful, delicate and finessed expression with such succulence and nuance. 3.70pH. A yield of 27hl/ha. Ageing 12 months, in barrels.
Château Gloria
St-Julien
2022
93
Juicy and alive, energetic from the start, bright and vibrant with juicy, well-integrated tannins plumped up concentrated dark fruit giving the strength and richness. Broad and full with lots to offer, appealing and easy to enjoy with a sweet succulence at the end that lifts the whole palate and makes you want to try it again. Some salty, mineral touches on the finish too gives a nice lingering mineral flavour. Tasted twice. 6% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. A yield of 34hl/ha. Harvest 12-26 September
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Lacoste-Borie
Pauillac
2022
93
Deep vibrant nose, aromatic and scented with floral notes and soft hints of liquorice, earth, blackcurrants, black cherries and herbal-edged raspberries. Succulent and sharp, zingy and tangy straight away. Lovely purity and focus, smooth but fine-grained tannins make the impact and give the delicate but so appealing structure. Lovely precision and generosity here, feels elegant and lively with good fruit persistence, mouthwatering acidity and liveliness. Intense but pure, layered but almost light, with an undercurrent of wet stone and graphite giving the mineral touches alongside subtle spice. Well made and so easy to enjoy. 3.65pH. A yield of 38hl/ha. 60% grand vin, 40% second wine. Eric Boissenot consultant.
Château Haut-Bages Monpelou
Pauillac
2022
93
Perfumed and nicely fragrant on the nose, quite floral from the Cabernet Franc with blackcurrants and black cherries. Supple and succulent, crisp with bite, this is lean and straight, not tense so much as there’s energy, but still quite direct and focussed with taut and firm tannins that give the frame. I like the cool blue fruit touches and the wet stone nuances that linger on the tongue. Feels clean and nicely balanced, more intense with less acidity at the fore, giving this some seriousness but it remains stylish and so appealing. Easy to drink and enjoy with Pauillac typicality, power and control. A clear success.
Château Haut-Marbuzet
St-Estèphe
2022
93
Seriously tannic and quite liquorice where you instantly get the tight coiled nature from the concentrated Cabernet and the terroir. Strongly muscled and confident - this has precision and detail with lots of savoury dark chocolate and clove elements edging the ripe, plush tannins underpinned by juicy blackcurrants with a lean salty tang. This has excellent potential. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Rolland & Associés consultants.
Château La Garde
Pessac-Léognan
2022
93
Gorgeous blue fruits, cola, vanilla and blackcurrants on the nose. Sleek and fruity, a silky smooth texture initially before the crushed stone, liquorice and blueberry tannins come into play covering the entire mouth in a fine layer of chalk and powder. The fruit loses some push but the acidity is there giving life and freshness and the structure is clearly imposing, giving an impressive form overall. Lovely mineralit on the finish. Aged 12 months in oak barrels, 37% new, 6 batches in amphora. Harvest 8 September - 28 September. HVE certified.
Château La Mission Haut-Brion, La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion
Pessac-Léognan
2022
93
Super aromatic and fragrant, dark black berries and perfumed touches with minty freshness and chocolate. Supple and generous, really quite fruity and lively but also quite tannic. A nicely weighted palate with concentrated blackcurrant and strawberry fruits with freshly picked mint, liquorice spice and clove. You can feel the heat of the vintage in the depth and concentration of the fruit but there’s no overt heaviness and nothing harsh here. Tannins are nicely supportive and fleshy giving some bounce and fun to the palate. Juicy and bright, mouthwatering but cool and crunchy too. Really lovely texture and intensity. Maybe not so refined and delicate, but wow this gives a lot of flavour and punch while keeping the juiciness. 3.9pH.
Château La Tour de By
Médoc
2022
93
Generous and easy, a lovely delicacy to the smooth silky tannins with ripe juicy blackcurrant and black cherry flavours. Massy but really fun and lively, almost sweet strawberry fruit, picked just at the right time, with succulence and liveliness. Lovely. HVE3 certified. A yield of 50hl/ha.
Château Lamothe Bergeron
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
2022
93
Bright, lifted, so clean and smooth, silky almost but creamy too with a nice weight and texture to the fine, softly powdery tannins. Generous and well controlled with some savoury liquorice and wet stone tang that gives accent and nuance. Lovely acidity and just an excellent expression with delicacy, control and appeal. Really very drinkable, floral, fruity with a gentle salty, savoury undercurrent. A top buy. HVE4 certified. 3.75pH. Harvest: 12 - 30 September.
Château Larose-Trintaudon
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois Supérieur)
2022
93
Lively and bright, focussed and clean with a delicious intensity and persistence of flavour from start to finish. Plump, fleshy blackcurrants, strawberries and red cherries with a mouthwatering mid palate that gives brightness and freshness. Lifted and lively still with structure and tannic grip. Feels really well made with intensity and focus, definition and refinement. Great stuff, joyous and so approachable. Will be delicious to drink. HVE certified. 3.57pH. Harvest: 19 September - 3 October.
Château Lascombes
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
93
Perfumed and aromatic on the nose. Rich and concentrated on the palate, juicy but also there's a richness and power that focuses the black cherry and blackcurrant fruit and acidity and makes it quite serious. Tannins are grippy giving plenty of texture and structure, but this lacks a little energy and finesse. It's certainly stylish though with liquorice, dark chocolate, wet stone and tobacco notes. Tasted twice. The estate has new owners as of November 2022 with the acquisition by Lawrence Wine Estates, (also owners of Napa wineries: Heitz Cellar, Burgess Cellars and Stony Hill). The group was established by the Lawrence family, led by US entrepreneur Gaylon Lawrence, alongside managing partner and Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy Jr MS. 2022 is the last vintage by winemaker Dominique Befve with ex-Ornellaia winemaker Axel Heinz taking over as of the 2023 vintage. Harvest 7-27 September. Yield of 36hl/ha. Ageing in French oak, 60% new.
Château Latour-Martillac
Pessac-Léognan (Cru Classé de Graves)
2022
93
Juicy and rich, this is quit concentrated and intense, with dark ripe fruits. I like the intensity here, it's dark and ripe but remains clean and crystalline with lovely purity of fruit despite being dense. Less immediately appealing than some, but this is so slick and charming, creamy, well built with freshness and a sense of definition that is lovely. Still quite compact with liquorice tang but it's good, juicy, serious. Mineral too. Slightly lean, but the tannins really work here and there is such concentration in the fruit that you know they haven't over extracted. A yield of 42hl/ha.
Château Léoville-Las Cases, Clos de Marquis
St-Julien
2022
93
Dark bramble fruit on the nose with touches of graphite, violets, pencil shaving, liquorice, ink, dark chocolate and mocha. Forward and open, rich and opulent, such intensity of dark fruits giving power, concentration and forward motion but so sleek and sensuous. This is confident but serious in that it expands vertically growing in complexity and gaining more density and velvety texture. Acidity is there but not so pronounced putting the emphasis more on the construction. Feels extremely well made with precision and long length. 3.70pH. 84IPT. A yield of 33hl/ha.
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, C des Carmes
Pessac-Léognan
2022
93
Smells beautifully fragranced, overt, clean and clear, freshly picked purple flowers, irises and blue fruits, fresh and perfumed, not ripe so much. Crisp and clean on the palate, a lovely purity and liveliness, sleek and slender although still quite tannic, but more mineral laced - salty and powdery rather than harsh or astringent. Very sapid, a lovely sense of direction and energy, weighty and full in the mouth but also very streamlined. Salty stones on the finish. Nicely constructed, you feel the weight - not plump, but textured, vibrant with direction. Still compact but charming and quietly compelling. Juicy too, so much that you want another glass straight away. 3.60pH. Ageing; 20% new barrels, 70% 30hl casks, 10% amphoras. Harvest 12 September - 5 October.
Château Lespault-Martillac
Pessac-Léognan
2022
93
Cool and fresh, a lovely minty creamy blue fruit aspect to this, concentrated and deep, there's an element of power to this which is clear from the start but because of the coolness it stops it from becoming too much. I love the sheer confidence here, plus the sleek texture, precise and on point. Tannic still, and not so concentrated fruit, not exuberant, more light, but really enjoyable. Harvest 13-27 September. Ageing in French oak for 14 months, 33% new.
Château Lilian Ladouys
St-Estèphe (Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel)
2022
93
Gorgeous intensity on the nose, vivid and expressive. Rich and well textured on the palate, a lovely succulence and gentle expression with super fine tannins and dark fruit elements alongside mineral notes of salt, liquorice, iodine and crushed stones. Structured and well worked, a little tense and compact still but lovely expression with density and strength. 3.95pH. Total acidity 3.1g/l. 33% new oak barrels. HVE certified. In organic conversion. Harvest: Merlot 13 September, Cabernets 19 September.
Château Liversan
Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
2022
93
Smooth and ripe, a lovely weight to this straight away, filling and nicely fresh but also seriously tannic with a bold structure. Feels well worked, I love the structure and the intensity here, focussed and a touch tense but nice power and definition and feels like it'll age well. Really quite compelling with a dark fruit profile, soft liquorice, cola and vanilla accents with mouthwatering acidity. Controlled and so charming with cool creamy freshness all the way through. Complete - dark and serious but great! HVE certified. 3.75pH. Harvest: 20 September - 16 October.
Château Lynch-Bages, Echo de Lynch Bages
Pauillac
2022
93
Blue fruits, subtle perfume, a juicy blackcurrant and stony minerality on the nose. Supple and juicy, a real sense of fun with detail to the fine tannins. Well balanced, gorgeous texture, depth and characterful. A great second wine still with terroir markers, a salty finish, chalky texture and grippy tannins. Still concentrated and serious, there’s an intensity to the fruit but really well delivered. Will be a beauty. 91 IPT. 3.69pH. Ageing 14 months, new and one year old oak barrels. 3.9 g/L total acidity. 91 IPT.
Château Ormes de Pez
St-Estèphe
2022
93
Dark plums and blackcurrants, ripe and fragranced on the nose, aromatic and open. High, juicy acidity is balanced by fine but chalky tannins and a flint undertone giving the minerality and tension. Powerful and massy, strong but well contained, focussed and all in one line. Good weight and balance, quite a serious and spiced edge but with lots of freshness throughout. A little strict and herbal, with the wood showing through, but lovely fruit purity. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.88pH. Ageing 16 months, 45% new oak. Tasted twice. Harvest 19 September - 28 September.
Château Palmer, Alter Ego
Margaux
2022
93
Gorgeous fragrance, so expressive and open, scented with red cherries, strawberries and floral notes, violets, irises and roses. Powerful on the palate, clearly ripe black berry fruit but encased in lacy tannins with such appealing juiciness. Playful and so enjoyable, clean, pure, energetic with lively acidity, chalky edges and spicing throughout. Classy and well constructed with refinement. Really quite moreish even now but still delivering power and the Margaux charm. 3.73pH. 15% press wine. Harvest took one month from 7 September to 5 October. 70% grand vin, 30% Alter Ego.
Château Patache d'Aux
Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
2022
93
Smooth and supple, gorgeous bright and vibrant blackcurrants and strawberries on the palate, with a really lovely cool, powdery chalkiness that coats the mouth, the tannins present but nicely supporting the fruit. Gentle - nothing here feels overworked or too much, with lovely saline markers and fresh mint on the finish. Charming with a lovely juiciness, concentration and licks of liquorice, salt and wet stone on the finish which gives this a moreish appeal. A top buy. HVE3 certified since 2017. 58ha on clay-limestone soils on deep limestone rock, heavy clay and sandy-loam gravel. Stêphane Derenoncourt consultants. HVE certified. 3.72pH. Harvest: 14 September - 14 October.
Château Pichon Baron, Les Griffons de Longueville
Pauillac
2022
93
Smells heady and very aromatically expressive, rich with black fruits but also inky touches, pencil led and flint. Smooth and supple, the tannins have bite and grip to them, a stoniness as well as liquorice tang to the blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, but also cool mint and blueberry touches that keep the freshness. Clear strength, this is not a simple or necessarily charming wine, it has a serious side with tension and a streamlined nature. Lots of precision and structure but also fruit purity, balancing acidity and generosity. Ageing 18 months in French oak, 40% new, 60% one wine.
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Reserve de Comtesse
Pauillac
2022
93
Gorgeous aromatics, vibrant but deep too. Tannins make the impact straight away, there’s good density here, clear concentration this is carrying some heft in the really quite potent dark fruit flavours, spiced edges and sense of heat that comes through the underneath. Broad but focussed, definitely more streamlined than wide and plush, with almost chewy tannins but that have a pure cool blue fruit, liquorice and slate grip to them giving them edges and creating the linear focus. Feels well constructed, still on the tense nervous side but it has an appealing juicy grip too. 3.8pH. 50% grand vin, 50% second wine. 3.8pH. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Château Potensac
Médoc
2022
93
Fragranced, black bramble fruit, so scented and aromatic. Crystalline pure fruit, blackcurrants, cherries and plums, with grippy, but super fine and fresh tannins and balanced acidity. You get the structure - wide, firm, so refined in terms of tannic impression, they're at the fore but so discerning and integrated, really supportive and help to focus the wine from start to finish. Precise and sleek, agile yet concentrated with a lovely cool and juicy core alongside graphite and pencil lead touches. Powerful but polished and ageable. A great buy. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.64pH. 82 IPT.
Château Prieuré-Lichine
Margaux (4ème Cru Classé)
2022
93
Fragrant and concentrated, a lovely perfume on the nose. Easy, cool, almost light fruit on the palate, doesn't have the density of some, but it's sleek and taught - streamlined and keeps the focus. Tannins are fine and well integrated and this is a slick, quite suave - if not quite exciting- take on the vintage. Well made, nice concentration and tannic impact. Tasted twice.
Château Rauzan-Gassies
Margaux (2ème Cru Classé)
2022
93
Juicy and clean, this has a lovely soft elegance, lighter in terms of fruit density than some, but still super tannic, they're fleshy but cool and really fill the mouth. This keeps the precision though, a full and dense wine, but stays the right side in all the areas - acidity, fruit, tannins, freshness and length. Nice potential here for a really enjoyable easy drinking wine still with flavour and structure. Tasted twice. Harvest 9-26 September. Yield of 29hl/ha. Ageing in French oak for 18 months.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith
Pessac-Léognan
2022
93
Floral and aromatic, nicely fragrant, really inviting on the nose. Smooth and supple, agile but also quite massy and full, although this keeps a fresh, cool blue fruit flavour with crushed stones. Slightly powdery but there's juicy acidity too so you get a sense of seriousness and charm at the same time. Deep and pure with mouth coating fine tannins. Great freshness and cool minty touches the whole way through. Well built. 30% new barrels.
Château Tronquoy
St-Estèphe
2022
93
Dark and subtly fragrant, ripe blackcurrant and black cherries and black plums. Crisp with serious bite but such succulent and juicy fruit flavours that you get an immediate push-pull of intensity, power, tension and softness. The wine turns serious quickly with a core of bramble fruits, dark chocolate, liquorice and slate intensely lingering on the mid palate, with some soft caramel and toast elements around the edges. Lovely frame and direction, keeps the streamlined nature offset by mouthwatering acidity. Lots of power but comes across in a refined way. Feels well worked, maybe not giving the instant joy but compact, precise and driven. Great quality and ageing potential. Harvest 7-23 September. 3.8pH. 89 IPT. A yield of 35hl/ha. Tasted twice.
Franc de Pied
Margaux
2022
93
Smells fresh and lively, herbal and aromatic with black bramble fruits, perfumed touches and liquorice. Sweet and sour, vibrant and so delicately textured, well-integrated tannins have a juicy, fleshy, stoniness that coats the entire mouth but gently and satisfyingly. Super easy to drink. Tannins are sweet and supple, but have grip and bite, really a fun interplay between structure and concentration and extreme freshness as the finish is minty and lifted. Interesting, clean and fresh with bite and grip at the end reminding you it’s a serious Cabernet! Very original and not necessarily very ‘Bordeaux’ but extremely tasty and well made. Aged only in amphora.
