Graves & Pessac-Léognan

The 2017 Lespault-Martillac is a gorgeous, understated wine, just as it was en primeur. Bright, floral and understated, the 2017 is impeccable from start to finish. Once again, the purity of the red-toned fruit is really...(read more)

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion was made with 28% whole-bunch fermentation and has a pH of 3.7. It rolls effortlessly out of the glass with open sce...(read more)

Slighter in volume than some, but this is a good thing, since it avoids the solid dryness of some of the Graves. Domaine de Chevalier's trademark, marginally herby fruit at this stage, in a fine dry structure. A wine of...(read more)

Dark crimson to black. Good nose of fresh dark fruit with hints of smoke and spice. Entry is crisp and suave, an immediate (and continued) sense of real vineyard balance. Good concentration and density through the mid-pa...(read more)

The 1996 La Mission Haut-Brion is an improvement on the previous vintage, though it remains a couple of steps behind the high point of the decade, which came two years later. This is quintessential 1996 Pessac, featuring...(read more)

59% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc. 14.3°. Fabulous scent on the nose, great purity, slight sweetness of expression, dry, driven, lively and expansive. Lots of layers, really fine damson and sloe f...(read more)