French

"For my money (and I have some in the cellar), the 1998 Haut-Brion is the finest vintage from this estate between 1989 and 2000, surpassing the 199...

"Deep plum, currant, and mineral notes emerge from the concentrated, beautifully balanced, pure 1999 Haut Brion. It seems to be cut from the same m...

"A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, this wine represents only 34% of Lafite's total harvest. In a less than perfect Medoc vintage, i...

"Freshly picked blackberries turn into minty dark chocolate and oozing caramel with domineering eucalyptus on the nose. It becomes yet more complex...

"In a vintage known to be much better for red wine, than white, there was plenty to like about this beauty. Still fresh, and focused on the orange ...

"Another rather warm year, but with more rain. The harvest began on the 4th of October after 4 weeks of wet weather that unfortunately had a negati...

"A spell-binding example of the most, consistently stunning wine from the legendary 82 vintage. Everything here is on target, in-place and balanced...

"The explosive nose display an incredible range of spices, including cinnamon, clove, soy and hoisin followed by extremely rich, round, supple flav...

"How to describe greatness? This is profound, ripe and rich, but shows restraint and elegance, too. As silky as it gets in this vintage, with a thr...

"Boasts layers of flavor, a saturated deep ruby/purple color, a huge attack, considerable tannin and muscle, as well as an inner sweetness. This wi...

"This is thrilling to swirl, sniff and sip from the moment the wine hits your glass. Elegant, concentrated, long, rich and refined, the smoky, eart...

"Deep rust red colour. Pungent, rich, so long. Yes there was a great deal of sweetness – and gaminess – but the finish really zipped it up and kept...

"No decanting needed, just pop, pour and enjoy all the layers, of rich, supple textured, spicy, peppery red fruits, wet earth, and garrigue with to...

"Intense blackberry and graphite character coming out of the glass, together with dried violets, ink and some asphalt. Full-bodied with wonderfully...

"Produced from seriously old vines with an average age of 56 years, DRC’s headline act does not remotely disappoint. Aromatic fireworks of ripe red...

"A remarkably sweet impression on the nose, sweet red fruits, violets, cocoa, sugared almonds and tobacco. It's open, complex and ready to go. Roun...

"The wine of the vintage. Compelling in every sense of the word, the wine is incredibly dark in color. The aromatics kick off with an amazing displ...

"Unbelievable nose of black truffle, meat and blackberry. Breathtaking. Full-bodied and very tight, with superpolished tannins and a finish that go...

"The 1990 La Conseillante is fully mature, and totally brilliant. Its medium ruby color is followed by a perfumed, complex bouquet of sandalwood, c...

"This is finally coming around with such fine tannins and beautiful fruit after all these years. Full and balanced. Historical. And so long. Beauti...

"The 1990 Château Margaux is really beginning to hit its stride at age 31, soaring from the glass with aromas of blackberries and cassis mingled wi...

"Tight and unyielding at the moment, but with great pedigree, great texture and definition, this has lots of life to come. Poised and impactful, wi...

"Shows beautiful aromas of crushed berries and currants, with hints of mineral. Full-bodied, with lovely currant, licorice and mint. Long and cares...

"This impeccably run, biodynamically farmed estate of Alfred Tesseron goes from strength to strength. The 2012 triumphs once again with its notes o...

"Unquestionably one of the gems in the vintage is the 2008 Pontet-Canet, which reminds me of the 2005 with its concentrated, deep, powerful style. ...

" In 2008 the blend for Pichon Lalande was 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. It has a deep garnet-brick c...

"Awesome, richly textured, powerful still with its ripe yet now-savoury red fruits on display, the sweetness edged out by truffles and spice. A gre...

"More masculine, backwards and concentrated, the 2005 Côte-Rotie Chäteau d’Ampuis is a full-bodied, structured effort that’s just barely starting t...

"This wine goes from strength to strength, and is developing even better than I initially expected. More backward than most of the big, Cabernet Sa...

"A marvelous Lafleur, full-bodied, with supple tannins, offering lovely mineral, earth and black fruit character. Smooth and ripe from start to fin...

"Jean-Louis, the son of Gérard Chave, is now in charge of the family business, as well as being president of the Hermitage wine producers. He is co...

"Jean-Louis, the son of Gérard Chave, is now in charge of the family business, as well as being president of the Hermitage wine producers. He is co...

"The 1983 Ducru-Beaucaillou is one of the finest wines of the vintage on either bank of the Gironde and it is now just starting to drink at its apo...

"Chimere is a joint venture in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, in France’s southern Rhone Valley, between Manfred Krankl, the brothers Vincent and Pascal Maur...

"This is more restrained still though aggressive swirling eventually coaxes the gorgeously broad-ranging and pure nose to reveal a more floral and ...

This family estate possesses stunning vineyard plots in Gevrey village, notably featuring premier cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques, along with grand crus M...

"A demure yet confident beauty, the 1982 Lafite is in its prime and will delight anyone privy to an audience. Scents of tobacco, sandalwood and spi...

"The best examples of this are simply great. Elegant, floral, refined, and packed with sweet, spicy, red fruits. cigar wrappers, currants, and cher...

"Slightly superior to the sensational 1992 Haut-Brion-Blanc, the 1993 exhibits a flattering nose of oily, mineral-scented, ripe, honeyed fruit, ful...

"Although the colour of the wine is now bricking at the rim, the core still has a deep, tawny/garnet hue. The aromas here are significantly mature,...

"CS Deep crimson. Very, very full and broad and expressive. Broad and rich and full and much better than at J&B. Soft and round." Jancis Robinson

"Aromatically demure, reluctantly revealing a sweet, black mass, the dense, hugely concentrated 2002 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Pruliers is a big, bold,...

"An impressive Certan de May, the 1995 exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, and a moderately intense nose of black olives, cedar, raspberries, and c...

"Very dense crimson. Sweet, sophisticated and covers all the bases. Medium weight for a Petrus but quite velvety for an 81. A very successful 1981 ...

"A charming, lush, round, generous Lynch Bages, the 1999 offers plenty of sweet black currant fruit, damp earth, licorice, cedarwood and spicy herb...

"A gem from the Left Bank is the 2008 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, which comes from just one-third of the total production and is 85% Cabernet Sauvig...

"I think we can officially declare 25+ years as being the sweet spot for Léoville Las Cases - at least in slow-ageing vintages such as 1996, which ...