Jeb Dunnuck (94-96)

Pure crème de cassis, tobacco, black cherries, lead pencil, and a wonderful sense of minerality emerge from the 2020 Clos Du Marquis, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, elegant texture, plenty of ripe tannins, and the vibrant, focused, lengthy style of the vintage front and center. It's going to need 4-6 years of bottle age, possibly more, but the balance, purity, and precision are all brilliant. The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, raised in 40% new French oak. The technical information checks in with the alcohol at 13.57%, pH of 3.76, and an IPT of 84. This will be a long-lived Saint-Julien!

James Suckling (93-94)

This is very inky with lots of tar and iodine. Blackcurrants, too. Full-bodied. Very muscular for the vintage. Needs time to soften.

James Suckling (95-96)

Structured and fluffy with a blanket of fine tannins. Full-bodied yet agile and floating. Juicy at the end. Excellent finish. Lots of lead pencil and crushed stone at the end. 45.5% merlot, 44.5% cabernet sauvignon and 10% cabernet franc.

James Suckling (95-96)

Structured and fluffy with a blanket of fine tannins. Full-bodied yet agile and floating. Juicy at the end. Excellent finish. Lots of lead pencil and crushed stone at the end. 45.5% merlot, 44.5% cabernet sauvignon and 10% cabernet franc.

James Suckling (95-96)

This offers beautiful blackcurrants and blackberries with hints of chocolate and walnuts. Medium- to full-bodied with vivid acidity that adds tension and freshness to the mid-palate. It’s full of life and vibrancy, very fine and polished, and with nicely integrated tannins. Long finish. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 9% cabernet franc. What will be better between 2022 and 2023?

James Suckling (95-96)

This offers beautiful blackcurrants and blackberries with hints of chocolate and walnuts. Medium- to full-bodied with vivid acidity that adds tension and freshness to the mid-palate. It’s full of life and vibrancy, very fine and polished, and with nicely integrated tannins. Long finish. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 9% cabernet franc. What will be better between 2022 and 2023?

Wine Advocate (93)

This sexy, opulent 2000 St.-Emilion has reached full maturity. It possesses a dense purple color to the rim along with loads of mulberry, creme de cassis, kirsch, espresso, and smoky, toasty oak characteristics, a full-bodied, sumptuous/opulent texture, silky tannins, and abundant flavor complexity. Drink it over the next 8-10 years.

Wine Advocate (95)

Another inky, opaque, purple-colored wine with beautiful blackcurrant, black raspberry, licorice and earthy undertones, this full-bodied, opulent, dense, rich 2012 (90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 14.3% alcohol) is a tour de force in this vintage. This over-achieving estate has hit a home run, which is especially impressive in 2012. This wine ideally needs several years of bottle age and should drink well for 15 or more years.

The Wine Cellar Insider (93)

Chocolate and black raspberry notes in the nose pair well with the plush, soft, fresh black cherries on the palate. This wine is smooth with freshness in the fruit. From a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is the first vintage to include Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. The wine reached 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. 91-93 Pts

Immerse yourself in the sublime complexity of the N Floridene Reflets 2016. Created in Bordeaux's prestigious Graves region, this fine wine showcases the unrivalled winemaking expertise of renowned vintners Denis and Florance Dubourdieu. Crafted from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 25% Merlot grapes, this 2016 vintage also proudly bears the undeniable imprint of its gravelly terroir.

One sip of the N Floridene Reflets 2016 unveils a symphony of flavours, with a strong presence of dark fruits, complemented by subtle hints of spice and roasted coffee. This divine harmony of taste is the outcome of 12 to 14 months aging in French oak barrels, a testament to the winemakers' painstaking attention to detail. Densely structured and elegantly balanced, this wine offers boundless pleasures to the discerning palate. N Floridene Reflets 2016 is indeed an epitome of Bordeaux's rich viticultural heritage.

Wine Spectator (90-93)

Streamlined and fresh in feel, offering a polished beam of cherry and red currant notes laced with subtle tobacco and mineral hints. Sleek finish

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (89-91)

The 2020 Clos Floridène is a powerful, driving wine. Bright and punchy in the glass, the 2020 has plenty of energy, all propped up by a spine of tannin that lends energy. Floral and savory accents add perfume over time. It will be interesting to see if the 2020 softens with élevage.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (89-91)

The 2020 Clos Floridène is a powerful, driving wine. Bright and punchy in the glass, the 2020 has plenty of energy, all propped up by a spine of tannin that lends energy. Floral and savory accents add perfume over time. It will be interesting to see if the 2020 softens with élevage.

Vinous - Neal Martin (91-93)

The 2021 Clos Floridene has a perfumed, incense-tinged bouquet of light tobacco and undergrowth aromas and decent fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, pretty red fruit and a beautifully balanced, cohesive finish. This is how to do 2021 without having to push too hard.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (90-92)

The 2020 Clos Floridène Blanc is exquisite. Bright, creamy and perfumed, Clos Floridène is a winner. Gentle hints of apricot, spice, chamomile, spice and lemon confit all grace this impeccably balanced white from the Dubourdieu family.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (93)

This has grip and energy, striking gooseberry and citrus fruits, cold ash and white pepper spices giving focus on the finish. One of the best Clos Floridène whites for years, and what a pleasure to taste. 25% new oak and lees stirring.

Wine Advocate (98)

This magnificent wine, which is just beginning to come into full maturity, boasts an inky/purple color as well as copious notes of blackberries, licorice, violets, and a striking chalky minerality. Full-bodied, voluptuously textured and stunningly pure, this great Bordeaux is one of the vintage’s superstars. The finish lasts 40-45 seconds in this majestic, multidimensional St. Emilion. It should continue to drink well for 10-15 years, but why wait?

Vinous - Neal Martin (93)

The 2008 Clos Fourtet is perhaps one of the underrated vintages of that decade. Picked between October 9 and 20 at 28.5 hl/ha, it has a fragrant nose with black cherries, bergamot, black tea and cedar, all with impressive delineation. I do not find the bell pepper scent that I noted five years ago. The palate is medium-bodied with finely sculpted tannins and plenty of dark berry fruit mixed with tea leaf/bay leaf. There's impressive grip on the fresh, sapid finish. Superb. Tasted at the Clos Fourtet vertical in April 2023.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

Welcoming aromatics, fully melted tannins even on the opening beats coupled with fresh juicy plum fruits and a limestone bite. This is delicious, tobacco, baking spice, cinnamon, cumin, incense, rosebuds and blackberry fruits. High quality, and totally ready to sink right in. 80% new oak. Stephane Derenoncourt and Jean-Claude Berrouet consultants.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Offering up awesome notes of blackcurrants, darker cherries, truffle earth, smoke, and tobacco, the 2010 Château Clos Fourtet is a powerful, full-bodied Saint-Emilion that has flawless overall balance, building yet polished, integrated tannins, remarkable freshness, and a great finish. This concentrated yet seamless 2010 will continue to drink brilliantly over the coming 40+ years. While I still give the nod to the 2009, this is unquestionably a legendary Saint-Emilion, and I wish every reader could taste it. Drink 2025-2065.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Offering up awesome notes of blackcurrants, darker cherries, truffle earth, smoke, and tobacco, the 2010 Château Clos Fourtet is a powerful, full-bodied Saint-Emilion that has flawless overall balance, building yet polished, integrated tannins, remarkable freshness, and a great finish. This concentrated yet seamless 2010 will continue to drink brilliantly over the coming 40+ years. While I still give the nod to the 2009, this is unquestionably a legendary Saint-Emilion, and I wish every reader could taste it. Drink 2025-2065.

Wine Advocate (93)

This is another brilliant offering from Philippe Cuvelier, who has totally revolutionized the quality of this famous estate. The 2011 Clos Fourtet exhibits a dense blue/purple color as well as beautiful notes of creme de cassis, blueberries and raspberries, a complete as well as layered mid-palate, sweet tannin, good acidity and a charming personality. This is a highly successful effort for the vintage. Consume it over the next 10-12 years.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (91-93+)

The 2013 Clos Fourtet opens with beguiling aromatics. Smoke, slate and new leather meld into a core of dark fruit as this sumptuous St. Emilion opens up in the glass. One of the richer, more resonant wines of the vintage, the Clos Fourtet impresses for its volume and pure breadth. The perfumed, limestone-inflected finish is distinctly Burgundian in its essence. The 2013 finishes with notable sweetness and density for the year. There is a lot to like here. Sadly, production is down 50%. The blend is 88% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Tasted two times.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

An absolute blockbuster is the 2015 Clos Fourtet, which is a blend of 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. It offers a huge nose of black and blue fruits, loads of incense, violets, chocolate, and underbrush aromas, full body, a seductive, ethereal texture, lots of fine tannins, and a finish that just won’t quit. This is as classy, seamless, and elegant as it gets. Give bottle 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades.