Saint Julien

The 2018 La Réserve de Léoville-Barton is effusive and boisterous right out of the gate. The estate's second wine offers tons of immediacy, with scents of blueberry, pencil shavings, lavender and menthol op...(read more)

Lovely Langoa. Soft, supple attack. Nice easy strawberry and gentle plum fruit. Touch of mince-pie. Really attractive and easy style. Good rounded tannins and a lick of acidity give a more serious finish. Lovely for drin...(read more)

Branaire has done a great job here with their 2020. Owner François-Xavier Maroteaux explained, as we tasted over zoom, how wonderfully aromatic the Merlot was for them - unusual but very welcome - and it has worke...(read more)

The sunburn effect meant a loss of 20-25% of the Cabernet, so a lower proportion than they have been aiming for in recent years. 62% Cabernet 32% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Rich, serious, full-bodied. Very dark expression,...(read more)

Lovely nose, expressive and complex. A very classical profile, flowing and fresh, the usual richness of spice and savour, complex and interesting, tannic finale. Although this is mostly from defined vineyards, it does al...(read more)

65 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc. 13.6%. Quiet nose. Quite tight and herbal. Palate is ample, cool Cabernet, round and with finesse and purity. Very classically structured. Very dense and bruising...(read more)

Classic, signature Langoa, evident sandalwood and cedar smoke on the nose, coupled with violet, peony and rose petals flowers, fresh acidites from juicy blackberry and raspberry fruits, still has plenty of grip that sugg...(read more)

Darker fruit profile that the Gloria (I'm guessing a much higher proportion of Cabernet here). Such deep fruit on the nose - a glorious layered richness from floral precision to juicy ripe blackberry. Supple and cool fre...(read more)

One of the more discreet St Juliens, undergoing a great resurgence right now, and this stands out for its quality and value. Tobacco leaf, baked earth, crushed rocks, crayon and mint leaf set against blueberry and cassis...(read more)

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. Ruby rather than black, a breezy freshness - supple and lithe and elegant. There's a rose petal freshness and delicacy, but no lack of drive and pow...(read more)

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. Ruby rather than black, a breezy freshness - supple and lithe and elegant. There's a rose petal freshness and delicacy, but no lack of drive and pow...(read more)

75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot. (The highest percentage of Petit Verdot for 10 years, it was preferred to the Merlot) Only 35% of the total from the property, after new manager/winemaker Matthieu Bor...(read more)