Reds

Winemaker Description

The history of the vineyards of Lafite is quite old. In a field that was already planted with vines, Jacques de Ségur structured the vineyards in the late seventeenth century and the reputation of this wine was already well established. His son Alexandre expanded the field in 1695 by marrying the heiress of Latour. Nicolas-Alexander was born from this union. He is the one who built in the early eighteenth century the prestige and reputation of Lafite, the wine is already acclaimed in Versailles and also in the British Kingdom.

Upon the death of the latter, Lafite knows a succession of owners, it will be auctioned after the Revolution, but the quality will be maintained at the highest level thanks to the care of its commissioners, the family of Joseph Goudal. Chateau Lafite will be classified 1er Grand Cru Classé in 1855.

Expert Reviews 

Wine Advocate: 98 Points | Wafting from the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of dark wild berries, cassis, wilted rose petals, blood orange, exotic spices, licorice and coniferous forest floor, the 2017 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is full-bodied, satiny textured and multidimensional. It's just as powerful as this year's La Tâche but even more elegantly framed by filigree structure, concluding with an intensely sapid and penetratingly fragrant finish. Pristinely balanced, this young Romanée-Conti possesses huge reserves for the long haul despite its deceptively supple youthful appeal, and it will reward extended bottle age.

Decanter: 98 Points | This has gained in weight and intensity since I tasted it from barrel in October 2018, but it’s still innately graceful: a string quartet rather than a full orchestra perhaps. On the nose, aromas of incense, fresh tobacco and forest floor are complemented by sweet spices and stylish new oak. The palate is layered, refined and savoury, gaining in intensity on the tongue and finishing clean, bright and refreshing with the promise of greater things to come. Stunning.

Burghound: 97 Points | Once again there is evident restraint to the almost taciturn but still kaleidoscopically broad-ranging nose of wonderfully pure and fresh and spicy aromas that include plenty of floral influences on the red currant, cherry, sandalwood and rose petal. The silky and equally pure middle weight flavors possess excellent punch and a similar level of minerality on the focused, powerful, linear and impressively persistent finish that slowly fans out as it sits on the palate. In contrast to the flash of the La Tâche, this is Zen-like in its sense of harmony and focus.

Winemaker Description

The 2017 La Tâche Grand Cru soars from the glass with a captivating and beautifully integrated bouquet of exotic spices, rose petals, raspberries, cherries and blood orange mingled with notions of cinnamon and coniferous forest floor. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a deep and tightly coiled core that marks it out as the most muscular wine in the cellar, displaying considerable concentration and largely concealed structure. While this is a dramatic young La Tâche, there's evidently plenty held in reserve, too, and it simply has appreciably more presence than any of the other wines that preceded it in this tasting. Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description

Bordeaux's most intensely concentrated, richly flavored and unique red wine. An incredible power, depth and richness yet a remarkable balance with penetrating aromas of ripe mulberry, black currant and fruit and spicy vanilla oak, setting it apart from all Bordeaux's finest wines. 

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 96 points | Reserved right now, but there is a well of blackberry, boysenberry and plum coulis flavors in reserve here, infused with black tea, anise and singed spice elements. Remarkably silky, elegant and extremely long, this unfurls ever so slowly in the glass, beguiling with texture and fruit purity. Best from 2022 through 2042.

Wine Enthusiast 100 points  | This is like drinking liquid black currants and blackberries. The wine has great intensity and richness from the superbly generous Merlot. The wood aging is still there as a hint in the background although the fruit and acidity dominate. Drink from 2026. 

Wine Advocate 100 points | Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Petrus (bottled in mid-July 2017) opens in its own time to reveal crushed black cherries, warm plums, mulberries and cedar chest suggestions with touches of anise, lavender, beef drippings and wild thyme plus a waft of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with generous, exuberant, wonderfully layered red, black and perfumed blue fruits contrasted beautifully by very ripe, very fine-grained and very firm tannins plus an ethereal line of seamless acid, finishing long and minerally. Olivier Berrouet and his team have knocked it out of the park in 2015. Look for this Pétrus to build and unfold over the next 20 years and confidently cellar this legend for 40+ years.

Decanter 100 points | There is so much going on with Petrus in 2015 that you should just pull up a chair and relax, don't expect to be going anywhere soon. Aromatic persistency keeps reaching in, pulling you further alongside. There is a soft quality to the tannins that allows the black fruit to be both juicy and sweet. High alcohol is balanced by freshness - a pH of 3.5 is relatively rare on these sticky clay soils - unleashing waves of flavour, including bergamot, smoky tea, black olives and rich cherry. The persistency is crazy - I had to get my notes back out two or three times to take down additional flavours because it just kept giving something more. And it makes you smile! What more do you want? Bottled in June, but will not be sent out to customers until April 2018. 50% new oak.

Jeb Dunnuck 99 points | The 2015 Petrus is undoubtedly one of the gems in the vintage and will probably merit a perfect score in another decade. Even so, it has the sexy, exotic nature of the vintage front and center and offers a huge perfume of black currants, kirsch liqueur, Asian spices, and incense. As always, this beauty is 100% Merlot that was brought up in 50% new wood in 2015. A wine that opens up beautifully with time in the glass, it has beautiful mid-palate depth, sweet, sweet tannins, and voluptuous yet weightless texture that needs to be tasted to be believed. Hide bottles for 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 3-4 decades.James Suckling 100 points The aromas to this are a reference for Pomerol with truffles, black olives, black licorice and dark fruit. Even brown sugar. Full-bodied, layered and multi-dimensional. Chocolate underlines the character above. The perfect tannin texture, length and balance make you think you're dreaming. All about harmony and beauty. Love to taste it now but needs at least five or six years.

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Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 91 points | Elegant and gorgeous to drink now. Peaked. Ruby red color with an amber edge. Lovely aromas of plum, berry and mint. Full-bodied, with currant, dried herb character. Medium finish.--Latour vertical. Drink now.

Wine Advocate 96 points | Tasted at dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. The Latour ’70 can be such a variable beast. This is certainly one of the better, more representative bottles. Deep garnet in colour, nice limpidity in the glass. It has a beautiful nose that to be honest, sweeps aside the respectable Domaine de Chevalier ’70 poured alongside, like a lord dismissing his servant with a swish of his hand. Graphite, wild black fruit, freshly rolled tobacco and a faint hint of truffle. The palate is medium-bodied and after forty years, still quite austere but the balance is nailed. Masculine and foursquare, a Latour with a lot of horsepower…but not necessarily revving in top gear…at least not after four decades. Lovely cedar and mint on the long, long finish. Wonderful. I do not think this wine will get any better, but a divine vinous experience now. (NM)  (11/2010)

James Suckling 94 points | Soft, round and wonderful with currants, licorice and delicate berries with a stony, wet earth undertone. Full and velvety texture.   (3/2012)Vinous 94 points A flight of 1970s that followed (all from magnums) was special, to say the least. The 1970 Chateau Latour was incredibly fresh in its generous expression of fruit, with a full-bodied, intense personality.

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Expert Review

Burghound  | The dark color a bit now with a ruby ​​heart. A nose of caramel and smoke that has a slightly weird lactic aroma that has never led to completely dispel the rich, but good, very mature flavors and a little round, supple, very detailed finish. There is a certain rusticity in the finish. Still, I loved it but it is more for those who appreciate very mature Burgundy.

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Winemaker Description 

95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc Average age of vines is 42-45 years. 30 acres producing 4,000 cases. 

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Expert Review

Wine Spectator 91 Points | Surprisingly tannic for such an old wine, but a lovely drink allthe same, with smoky aromas and concentrated blackberry flavors. Will the tannins soften? Try around 1995.--Mouton-Rothschild vertical.   –PM 

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Winemaker Description

Initial dark fruit, spice and baking aromas in the 2015 Opus One are interwoven with seductive notes of violet, black tea, and sage. The entry is vibrant with ripe dark fruit flavors of plum, blackberry and blueberry followed by hints of vanilla and cocoa.

Silky, fine-grained tannins provide structure and a creamy texture. The wine finishes with fresh acidity and a rich, lingering finish that promises longevity in the cellar.

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 81%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Merlot 6%, Petit Verdot 4%, Malbec 2%

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Pure, rich dark berry, plum and gravelly earth flavors are framed by spicy, cedary oak notes, ending long, clean and elegant, with just the right touch of tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec.

Wine Advocate 97 Points | “This wine was too much—too much like a caricature for me,” winemaker Michael Silacci confessed to me while tasting the 2015 Opus One together again recently. “So, when we took it out of barrel to prepare for bottling we added a few more components.” Medium to deep garnet-purple color, it bursts from the glass with beautiful violets, lavender, rose hip tea and chocolate-covered cherries scents over a core of crushed blackberries, black cherries, cassis and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully bright and crunchy, with bags of fresh black and red berries and a wonderfully plush, finely grained texture, finishing long and fragrant.

James Suckling 98 Points |  Purity and brilliance on the nose with so much currant and flower character. Roses, currant bush and fresh leaves, too. Brightness is the word that comes to mind. Full-bodied and broad-shouldered. Juicy and so gorgeous now. Balance is so wonderful here. All about harmonious fruit and tannin balance. I like it slightly better than the excellent 2014. 81% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit verdot, 7% cabernet franc, 6% merlot and 2% malbec.

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Expert Reviews 

Wine Spectator 92 Points | The 1966 is just about at its peak. Medium red color with an amber hue. Shows plum, iodine, tobacco and mint aromas. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and plenty of sweet plum, it goes on and on at the finish.--Latour vertical. Drink now.

Wine Advocate 96 Points | The 1966 Latour remains an exemplar of the vintage, certainly one of the best, if not the best Left Bank wine of the vintage. Here, served blind, its quality was a beacon, quintessentially Pauillac with that trademark graphite seam through the intense black fruit, cold stone and a touch of tobacco. It remains undimmed by its age (though this was served from a magnum of impeccable provenance). The palate is medium-bodied and that graphite theme continues unabated, flanked by beautiful, precise and pure vestiges of black fruit. 'Pure class' are the final two words of my tasting note and at 50 years old, they sum up this immensely impressive Château Latour. (NM)   (10/2016)

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Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 89 Points | Pale garnet; cedary nose, with vanilla nuances; very concentrated; shows elegant, stylish cassis and tea flavors, but lacks the density and vigor of Mouton and Latour; also not up to the Imperial bottle tasted earlier.

Wine Advocate 90 Points | Tasted at the 'First Growth' lunch in London. Nice clear colour. The bouquet definitely has more vigour then previous bottles encountered, with sandalwood, cigar box and cedar to the fore. Not a complex nose, but nicely defined and unashamedly 'classic' in style. The palate is medium-bodied and well-balanced, good level of ripeness, elegant; harmonious but aloof. The second half is conservative but still fresh with just a touch of piquancy right on the finish. This Lafite is not going to go anywhere, but this shows that good bottles can still be pleasurable. 

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Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (commonly referred to as Pichon Lalande or Pichon Comtesse) is a winery in the Pauillac appellationof the Bordeaux region of France. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

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Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 94 Points  | The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru wafts from the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with peonies, orange rind and exotic spices. Full-bodied, rich and muscular, it's deep and powerful, with imposing reserves of concentration, while remaining vibrant, even fine-boned despite its substance and plenitude.

Burghound 95 Points | Markedly floral-suffused aromas are comprised by notes of more distinctly spiced and earthier plum and black cherry where a hint of the sauvage lurks in the background. The equally sleek though notably more voluminous and powerful if less mineral-driven flavors coat the palate with dry extract while offering excellent depth and persistence on the beautifully balanced finale. This is one of the best Mugnier Bonnes Mares in recent memory. 

Expert Reviews 

Wine Advocate 95 Points | The 2020 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is no less impressive. Exhibiting aromas of plums, red berries and cassis mingled with orange rind, cinnamon, vanilla pod and spices, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and a long, rose-inflected finish.

Barrel Sample: 95-97 Burghound 94 Points | This is aromatically similar to the Clos St. Denis but even more floral. Here too there is a wonderfully attractive mouthfeel on the powerful, muscular and dense broad-shouldered flavors that are also blessed with an abundance of dry extract that buffers the massively persistent finale. This terrific effort is a blend of power and refinement and a wine that should age accordingly. A "wow" wine and on the better wines of the vintage.

Barrel Sample: 94-97Decanter 97 Points | Complex and aromatically nuanced, showing well-developed plummy fruit, with accents of earth, leather, smoke and spice. The initial feel on the palate is tannic and concentrated, but the wine is still approachable and supple, with a lovely, long line to the lingering finish. Superb wine. Dujac owns nearly 2ha here, scattered across six parcels and five of the different lieux-dits, including the original Clos de la Roche, Les Froichots, Les Fremières, Monts Luisants and Les Chabiots, giving a balanced view of this grand cru. 

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Winemaker Description

Our 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant representation of Napa Valley Cabernet from a cool vintage. It presents an opaque garnet hue in the glass and reveals aromas of sandalwood and roasted meats.

Flavors of vanilla, coffee beans and raspberries are buttressed by dusty tannins, firm acidity and a mouth-coating texture. Given proper cellaring, this wine should provide drinking pleasure through 2029.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 93 Points | Notes of red berries and plums mingle with hints of rose petals, peonies, grilled meats and forest floor in an inviting bouquet, introducing Rousseau's 2019 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Clos des Ruchottes, a medium to full-bodied, bright and lively wine that's ethereal and perfumed, with a pretty core of fruit and a long, saline finish. Barrel Sample: 93-95

Burghound 95 Points | An elegant combination is comprised by notes of various red berries, especially essence of cherry, along with anise, the sauvage and a pretty dollop of spice elements, all of which is trimmed in enough wood to notice. The energetic and beautifully well-detailed and tautly muscular yet elegant flavors brim with an abundance of dry extract and minerality while concluding in a decidedly sleek and stunningly long finish that evidences a hint of youthful austerity. This markedly firm effort is gorgeous and possesses the wherewithal to age and improve for two to three decades.

Vinous 96 Points | The 2019 Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes Grand Cru has a thrilling bouquet struck through with mineral-rich red berry fruit that teasingly takes time to unfurl in the glass; you can sense the limestone, and hints of graphite emerge later. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, quite piquant in style, leading to an edgy, slightly chalky finish that bristles with energy. This has great potential as a poised Ruchottes. Barrel Sample: 96-98 

Winemaker Description

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Average age of the vines is 44 years. Replanting of these vines takes place in lots. 222 acres producing 22,000-30,000 cases.

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 97 Points | Rather tight, with an alluring whiff of cocoa that lures you in before disappearing into the core of steeped plum, roasted fig and blackberry coulis notes. Sandalwood, black tea and loam elements fill in on the long and expansive finish. This seems to be lying in wait for what could be a very long time in the cellar before unfurling fully. Best from 2018 through 2045. 15,833 cases made.

Wine Enthusiast 100 points | Almost black in color, this stunning wine is gorgeous, rich and dense. It s grand and powerful, with a strong sense of its own importance. The beautiful tannins and the fragrant black currant fruits are palpable. It s a great wine, with huge potential.

Wine Advocate 98 Points | The 2010 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot (a 3% difference from the barrel sample shown two years ago), achieved relatively high alcohol of 13.32%, according to administrator Charles Chevalier. The wine is very impressive, not as fleshy, flamboyant and massive as the 2009, but nevertheless, a big, rich, full-throttle Lafite-Rothschild meant to age a half century or more. Deep purple, with notes of white chocolate, mocha, cedar and charcoal as well as hints of vanillin and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied yet has that ethereal lightness that makes it a Lafite. Rich, with good acidity, precision and freshness, this is a slightly zestier version of the 2009 as well as more restrained and structured than that particular vintage. It will need at least 10-12 years of cellaring and keep for 50+ years.

Expert Reviews

Burghound 93 Points | A brooding and densely fruited nose grudgingly reveals its array of dark berries, poached plum, warm earth and a soupçon of wood. The supple but mouth coating and velvet-textured larger scaled flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract while delivering excellent persistence on the youthfully austere, powerful and balanced finale. This excellent effort is very firm and should age accordingly; indeed two decades is not out of the question.

Decanter 94 Points | Flamboyantly fruity and very approachable, the wine has an expressive cherry and rose petal fruit, with a hint of exotic spice. The texture is powerful, yet fresh enough to retain a compelling vivacity. Grivot owns a large parcel of 1.86ha in Quatorze Journaux along the bottom of the Route Nationale. The quality of the wine belies the received wisdom about this location. The grapes are destemmed and gently fermented, with the must lightly pumped over after a few initial punch-downs before ageing. (CC) 

Vinous 92 Points | The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru came across a little backward and surly on the nose compared the the Vosne-Romanées despite coaxing. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine definition, taut and fresh with a well-defined finish. Here, I actually find more in the mouth than on the nose, at least at the moment. Hopefully the aromatics will kick on during élevage. (NM)  

Expert Reviews

Burghound 96 Points | Here the equally expressive nose is quite similar to the regular cuvée except it's a bit spicier. The succulent, round and caressing but powerful and slightly bigger flavors coat the palate with dry extract before culminating in a more robust and somewhat more structured finish that delivers equally superb length. Patience strongly advised.

Vinous 94 Points | The 2020 La Grande Rue is similar to the bottle tasted at the Grands Jours; ample red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, fine minerality, quite "air" considering the growing season. The palate is medium bodied with supple tannins, fine depth, quite strict on the finish where one find a pinch of sour cherry and brown spices. Just needs a little more sustain on the aftertaste.

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Winemaker Description

Second Classified Growth in 1855, located in the prestigious appellation of Saint-Julien.

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Expert Review

Wine Spectator 90 Points | One of the insider favorites of the vintage, this bottle was firm, smooth and polished, a beautifully balanced Calon that layers its spice, tobacco, black cherry and earthy-cedary notes on the finish. Might be losing it somewhat, but still graceful.--1945 horizontal.

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Winemaker Description

It’s quite a serious, savoury Opus which will need a few years in the cellar to unwind,’ said Kelley of the 2014 vintage, advising a drinking window of 2020 to 2037. 

Expert Reviews

97 Points James Suckling | Mesmerizing aromas of flowers, bark, currants and blackberries. So perfumed. You just want to smell it. Exquisite tension and finesse with an almost Burgundian texture, yet it’s Napa in its soul with ripe fruit, stones, spices and Chinese tea leaf flavors. Savory and delicious. Drinkable but better in 2020.

96 Points Robert Parker | Deep garnet colored, the 2014 Opus One opens with youthful notes of warm blackberries, chocolate-covered cherries, redcurrant jelly and blackcurrant pastilles with hints of bay leaves, tobacco leaf and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy with a lively backbone and tightly wound black and red berry layers, it finishes with a compelling herbal lift.

93 Points Wine Spectator | Youthfully packed, featuring currant and cherry paste notes balled up at the core, while savory, menthol and sage flavors stay buried in the background. Offers a singed alder frame, with a telltale cast iron bolt emerging at the very end. This still has a ways to go before peaking. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Non-blind Opus One vertical. Best from 2027 through 2036. 27,000 cases made.

93 Points Decanter | A cool bouquet of fruit compote and wild plum mingles with notes of clove, incense and lilac. On the palate the wine is youthfully taut, with a good line of acidity and fine but assertive tannins. It's quite a serious, savoury Opus which will need a few years in the cellar to unwind.

Winemaker Description

This vineyard lies in Morey-Saint-Denis and is the only appellation in the Domain which is not part of the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin. The wines are mineral and vibrant; long, firm and very consistent. 

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 93 Points | The 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru opens in the glass with rich aromas of berry fruit, loamy soil, peonies, dark chocolate and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegantly muscular, it's generous and enveloping, with velvety tannins and fine depth at the core. Bright and lively, it's another wine that marries maturity with freshness. Cyrielle Rousseau told me that she began picking on September 12, with yields averaging out at around 35 hectoliters per hectare, and that this is the second vintage to deliver maturities sufficiently elevated that the domaine didn't chaptalize a single cuvée. While Rousseau is never one to show all her cards, she did admit to liking 2019, saying that "they're wines that evoke emotions—more so than 2018." Deep, vibrant and concentrated, with ethereal bouquets and seamless structure, I'm inclined to think that—taken as a whole—this is in fact Rousseau's finest vintage since 2012 or even 2010, though of course the most successful cuvées in 2016 and 2015 might be cited to challenge that assertion in detail. In any case, it's a superb set of wines that will be worth tracking down even in today's overheated Burgundy market.

Burghound 92 Points | Here too there is just enough wood to remark upon surrounding the well-layered blend of red and blue pinot fruit, earth and a plenitude of spice and floral elements. The wonderfully energetic, sleek and equally muscular larger-scaled flavors also brim with minerality on the refined, focused, balanced and even more persistent finish. This is terrific and a wine that should easily repay two decades of cellaring if you have the patience.

Decanter 95 Points | Produced from three parcels: two in the original Clos de la Roche vineyard and almost 1ha in Les Fremières. Aged in used casks like the producer's Charmes, this has a very different character, with dark, plummy fruit alongside an earthy note on the nose, and a texture that is less firm perhaps, but broader and more full-bodied. Very solid.
Charles Curtis, MW

Vinous 93 Points | The 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is highly perfumed on the nose, presenting an irresistible mixture of red and subtle blue fruit, very harmonious and exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. A feminine and very elegant Clos de la Roche that may well be earlier-drinking than others but feels very poised, with a touch of spice on the finish. Excellent. 

Wine Spectator 97 Points | Beautifully rendered, with a lush and seamless flow of cassis, steeped cherry, warmed raspberry and gently mulled blackberry fruit flavors gliding through. Light lilac, savory, mesquite and mineral accents underline the finish, adding additional texture and length. Deep and long, with sublime definition and gorgeous fruit. Best from 2024 through 2040.

Wine Enthusiast 99 Points | With a rare 94% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, this wine is packed both with black-currant flavors and impressive tannins and acidity. It moves Château Margaux into a new dimension with its dense, dry core of tannins that will power the wine into a seriously long-term future. Best after 2025. Cellar Selection.

Wine Advocate 99 points | Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Château Margaux (blended of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot) sashays out of the glass with glamorous red currants, candied violets, kirsch and crushed blackcurrants scents followed by notions of tilled black soil, forest floor, cast iron pan and cigar box with subtle wafts of lavender and oolong tea. Medium-bodied, mineral laced accents hover over the palate with an ethereal sensation of weightlessness, yet it is super intense with layers of red and black flavors supported by a firm texture of silt-fine tannins, finishing wonderfully fragrant and incredibly long.

Decanter 98 Points | This is a serious Margaux, hugely Cabernet dominant on both nose and palate as you would expect with 94% of the blend. It has an extremely fine, elongated tannic structure, just barely there and so classy, focussing on the gentle elasticity. There are more blue than black fruits here, wonderfully spun out and softened with crushed tobacco. It has the expansive aromatic structure of Margaux, the floral and mineral aspects clear, as is the tension that lifts the palate up and out. It's reminiscent of the 2005, though with less evident tannins. It's not as hefty as the 2010 or as staggering as the 2015, but is still a joyful expression of the estate. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points | The grand vin 2016 Château Margaux is a beauty and tastes like the essence of Margaux. Thrilling notes of blueberries, cassis, crushed violets, flowery incense, and spice notes all give way to a full-bodied 2016 that strikes an incredible balance between richness and elegance. A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot brought up in new barrels, it’s more focused and elegant than the 2015, yet I suspect it’s just as concentrated, and readers are going have a blast comparing these two magical vintages over the coming 4-5 decades.

James Suckling 99 Points | It’s very friendly and warm on the nose showing flowers and red fruit. But then on the palate, it lets you know how serious it is. Full-bodied, yet reserved, extremely tight and well-formed with super polished tannins that go on for minutes. A solid and typical Margaux with all the personality and beauty in strength. Try after 2027.

Winemaker Description

The weather in 1953 was very favourable to vine growth and the crop was both plentiful and of excellent quality.

The growing season began with a warm, wet April, followed by a very warm, but dry month of May.  June and July were cool and rainy, whereas August and September were dry and slightly warmer than average.

Flowering went very well in May because it did not rain very much. Even though June and July were cool, which slowed down the growth cycle somewhat, the harvest was able to begin on the 21st of September. The grapes were excellent because August and September we very dry and hot.  Yields were high, but 1953 Cheval Blanc shows that quantity and quality are not incompatible.
Degree of alcohol: 12°.

This is a great vintage for Cheval Blanc. The wine is very well-balanced and still elicits enormous praise.