Saint Estèphe

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 15% Petit Verdot. Plenty of Cabernet dominance on the nose. Deep, rich dark fruit with a savoury edge. On the palate the dark fruit is joined by well integrated oak. High pitched acidi...(read more)

67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc. Tasted at a general tasting of Saint Estèphes, this doesn't quite have the plushness or the complexity of Calon which preceded it but then yo...(read more)

Basile Tesseron introduces this with the comment that it is 'the best Lafon Rochet ever made', and frankly it is hard to disagree. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Dark, with black fruit and graphite...(read more)

Very deep colour, very pure cassis character to the fruit, fine texture and good concentration and length. It all comes together into the warmest, ripest-charactered most generous Lafon-Rochet, with good mouthfilling smo...(read more)

Very purple-blue. Restrained balanced nose with oak and fruit in tune. Soft, chalky feel. Voluminous but again reserved, despite the billowy softness of the feel. Initially hard to know what to make of it, with all this...(read more)

Very deep colour. Inviting nose of deep black fruit. Liquid, fresh and flowing, not massive but no lack of mouthfilling volume. Cassis and spice, fresh berries, black fruit, blueberries. Brilliant definition, lots of len...(read more)

There has been a change of régime here, the Charmolüés having sold Montrose to the Louis Roederer Champagne group. The winemaker has also changed, and the new team is led by M. Glumineau, with addition...(read more)

75% Cabernet Sauvignon. Good deep colour, spiced red and black fruit on the nose. Pure and mid-weight, an oakiness evident (100% new wood) which is very different to the high-toast flashiness on Cos, but just as attracti...(read more)

The 'Grand Vin' represents 77% of the harvest here. Given the astonishing quality of the second wine, it really shows what a consistently excellent terroir Montrose has. Even darker fruit expression than the Dame, this i...(read more)

Tasted after the ‘Dame’, which was excellent (and rated 89) - to watch out for when released in a year’s time- the ‘Château’ was more closed, less obviously fruity on the nose, quiet and full, and on the palate too...(read more)

The 2019 Lilian Ladouys offers ripe red berry fruit laced with pencil shavings and tobacco on the nose, but it feels just a little one-dimensional. The palate is better with ripe tannins, plenty of crisp black fruit, cha...(read more)

The 2019 de Pez has gained tremendously in weight, power and substance. A wine of breadth and pure power, Pez possesses tremendous resonance and intensity, right out of the gate. Scorched earth, incense, plum, menthol an...(read more)