Weine

James Suckling: "Wonderful aromas of crushed violets and wisteria as well as black-truffle undertones and blueberries. Medium- to full-bodied, this has a beautiful center palate and an endless finish. It’s so polished and refined with breathtaking length that caresses every inch of the finish. A masterpiece for the vintage. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Try after 2030 and beyond."

Jeb Dunnuck: "Cassis, graphite, smoky tobacco, violets, and a wonderful sense of minerality all emerge from the 2022 Château Léoville Barton, a riveting Saint-Julien that shows the style of this estate while bringing the richness and depth of the vintage. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, it has enough tannins to warrant a decade of cellaring and will have 30+ years of prime drinking. I’d put this up with the finest Léoville Barton I’ve tasted, as well as with the truly greats of the vintage."

James Suckling: "I am amazed by the freshness and blue fruits here in such a hot year. So much crunchy forest-fruit character like strawberries and raspberries with fantastic peaches and orange peel. Black olives and cloves. Full-bodied yet framed and formed with extremely silky tannins and great beauty. Superbalanced and incredible for the vintage. The ethereal quality of this wine is truly wonderful. Best after 2029."

The Wine Advocate: "Planted in 1999, the Ma Belle Fille Vineyard contains Peter Michael’s highest elevation Chardonnay vines, planted at 1,700 to 1,900 feet in elevation. The vineyard was hit hard by frost in April, and winemaker Robert Fiore says that some blocks in Ma Belle Fille yielded as little as 0.6 tons per acre. The resulting 2022 Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille is dynamic and expressive. Initial touches of vanilla, allspice and pie crust give way to scents of white peach, green guava and coriander seed as it airs in the glass. The palate offers highly concentrated flavors foiled by mouthwatering acidity, and it has a very long finish laced with tropical flower perfume and latent spicy undertones. It will gain savory complexity in the cellar over the next 10-15 years. 1,040 cases were made."

James Suckling: "Beautiful aromas of brambleberries, light chocolate, bark and nutmeg. Medium-bodied with fresh tannins and hints of terra-cotta and subtle coffee and chocolate undertones. So delicious and intense. Crushed stones add to the mineral, salty and ripe-fruit character that stays fresh. 57% merlot and 43% bouchet (cabernet franc). Drinkable but better in three or four years."

Jane Anson: "Vitality, freshness, grip and length, this is an unusual interpretation of the vintage, reflecting not only the limestone soils on this spot located in the Fronsac area (although not bottled under the AOC), but also the deft viticulture and winemaking that you find from the Guineaudeau family, and the high percentage of Cabernet Franc in the blend. The colour is still hitting the inky depths that you find everywhere in this year, but a blue fruit and steel character greets you on the opening, and the tannins are finely boned, leading to a saline signoff. Continues to prove that Les Perrières is one of the most interesting new ventures in the region. 33% new oak."

James Suckling: "A curious wine that offers lots of fruit character on the nose, beginning with blackberries and flowers that move to integrated tannins, proceeding to a firmness and a well-framed palate. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc. This needs four or five years but is lovely already."

The Wine Cellar Insider: "Truffle, flowers, dark chocolate, black cherries, licorice, and chocolate-drenched plums create a rich aromatic profile. The wine is deep, concentrated, lush, and abundant. Opulent, plummy, and sapid, it requires a few years in the bottle to fill out, soften, and develop its velvety characteristics. The wine blends 82% Merlot, 17.5% Cabernet Franc, and .05% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2029 to 2055."

Weinwisser: "100 % Merlot, 14.4 Vol.-%, pH 3.77, 29 hl/ha. Was für eine unglaubliche Intensität dieser Le Pin hat: frisch gepflückte Walderdbeere, Himbeermark, Schattenmorellensaft, betörender Irisduft, getrockneter Rosmarin und Oregano – wie eine Mille-feuille. Am sublimen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, kakaoartigem Tanningerüst, tänzerischer Rasse, mineralischem Kern sowie einem perfekt modellierten Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale explodiert der Pomerol und endet mit einem Korb von Herzkirschen, edler Cassiswürze und royaler feinkörniger Adstringenz. Gehört neben Trotanoy zu den besten Weinen aus der Appellation. Auf meine spitzbübische Frage, ob das hier der beste Le Pin sei, antwortet Jacques lächelnd: "Nein, ich bin nie zufrieden und möchte mich jedes Mal verbessern!" "

James Suckling: "Minerality is the word here. Crunchy and al dente, this has firm, juicy blue fruit and tannins on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Everything in its place. 55.5% cabernet sauvignon, 38.5% merlot and 6% cabernet franc. Give it two more years to let the complexity unwind, and it will become even longer in two to three years. Drink from 2028."

Decanter: "Hay, straw, lemon, green apple, and elderflower with a waxy, floral nuance. Incredibly zingy and electric on the palate, bursting with freshness and crystalline purity. Mouthwatering acidity, a touch of bitterness, and exhilarating intensity create a thrilling experience. Crisp green apple, pear, pineapple, and tropical fruit remain sharp, clean, and focused. The texture is flawless, keeping your attention from start to finish. So much verve, character, and precision - it’s simply captivating. A truly fabulous white with endless energy."

Weinwisser: "96 % Merlot, 4 % Cabernet Franc. Ungeheuer tiefgründiges, dicht verwobenes Bouquet, zarter Anflug von Wildkirsche, Graphit, Olivenpaste, Brasiltabak und rotem Johannisbeernektar. Am sehr komplexen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, kakaoartigem Tanningerüst, balancierter Rasse und muskulösem Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale eine Explosion schwarzbeeriger Konturen, dunkler Mineralik und königlicher Adstringenz. Ein Monument eines Weines, hier zücke ich ganz klar die Höchstnote."

Decanter: "Deep and evocative, this bursts with blackcurrants, milk chocolate and floral perfume. Instantly captivating, the palate is silky yet structured, with tannins seamlessly supporting vibrant red and black berries. Broad and powerful, yet it glides, showcasing Cabernet’s structure, Merlot’s generosity and cool spiced fruit. A mineral core adds complexity, with flint-like nuances. A masterclass in power and balance – and unmistakably Smith. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Organic."

The Wine Advocate: "The 2022 Troplong Mondot has turned out brilliantly in bottle. Wafting from the glass with aromas of mulberries and blackberries mingled with notions of licorice, rose petals, incense and pencil shavings, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with huge mid-palate volume, superb integration and an ineffable sense of completeness. This site always delivers power, but I've never tasted a Troplong that's simultaneously quite so powerful or quite so harmonious and suave. Concluding with a broad, violet-inflected finish, the 2022 represents the essence of this remarkable site."

James Suckling: "The sliced apples and pears with lemon blossoms and hints of dried pineapple and flint follow through to a medium body with brightness and energy. The finish is impressive with white pepper, crushed sea salt and spice. Really great finish here. All about energy. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon and 5% sauvignon gris. Better after 2028 but already a joy to taste."

Falstaff: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Ein Hauch von Weihrauch, feine dunkle Waldbeeren, Cassis, Heidelbeeren und Kirschen, tabakige Nuancen, ein Hauch von Mandarinenzesten. Saftig, elegant, und dabei sehr balanciert, finessenreicher Säurebogen, sehr feines, tragendes Tannin, mineralisch, ein Hauch von roten Früchten im Abgang, sehr typischer Margaux-Typus, lange anhaftend, sicheres Entwicklungspotenzial."

Falstaff: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zarte Edelholz-Kräuter-Würze, schwarze Waldbeeren, etwas Nougat, ein Hauch von Roten Ribiseln, kandierte Orangenzesten, einladendes Bukett. Saftig, elegant, feine Süße, reife Tannine, finessenreich strukturiert, bereits sehr gut entwickelt und sofort mit Genuss zu trinken, der Wein hat sich seit En Primeur, wo er noch deutlich straffer wirkte, wundervoll entwickelt, ist zugänglich und voll Charme, sicher ein Ausnahmewein."

The Wine Advocate: "The 2022 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has turned out even better in bottle than I anticipated, bursting from the glass with aromas of cassis and blackberries mingled with scents of licorice, violets and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it's suave, seamless and complete, with faultless precision, pristine integration of tannin, controlled sweetness and a long, expansive finish. The 2022 manages to unite the sensuality that's the estate's calling card and the ripeness of the vintage on the one hand, with a sense of Pauillac classicism on the other, threading the needle to deliver one of the finest wines of the vintage and a benchmark Pichon Comtesse. It's a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in barriques (three months more than was formerly the case), two-thirds of which were new. As I wrote en primeur, there's more than a hint of the 1982 about this wine, and like the 1982, the 2022 will offer an exceptionally wide drinking window."

Falstaff: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Feine Nuancen von kandierten Veilchen, schwarze Kirschen, ein Hauch von Cassis und Lakritze, einladende Frucht, ein Hauch von Nugat, Komplex, saftig, kühle Beerenfrucht, feine Süße im Kern, seidige Tannine, frischer Säurebogen, mineralisch und anhaltend, ungemein attraktiv im Abgang, harmonisch und fein, großes Reifepotenzial."

James Suckling: "A scented, fresh and polished Clos du Marquis that shows tension. Medium- to full-bodied, this has blueberries and red berries with attractive minerality. A hint of pencil shavings as well. The tannins are fresh and really chalky and dissolved. 45.5% merlot, 44.5% cabernet sauvignon and 10% cabernet franc. Superb balance makes it pure, almost a bit ethereal and already inviting, but this should be approached after 2028."