The Wine Independent (100)

Lafleur 2015 is a blend of 51% Merlot and 49% Cabernet Franc and has a medium to deep garnet color. It shoots from the glass with opulent scents of baked blackberries, warm plums, and tar with nuances of violets, licorice, dark chocolate, and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, featuring firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note.

The Wine Independent (100)

Lafleur 2016 is 45% Merlot and 55% Cabernet Franc giving a deep garnet color, with a touch of purple. It storms out of the glass with profound scents of plum preserves, dark chocolate, black cherry compote, and cast iron pan, leading to fragrant hints of mossy tree bark and lilacs. Full-bodied, the palate is so multi-layered and intense it is mind-blowing, delivering densely packed layers of black fruits, exotic spices and earthy elements, framed by super-firm, grained tannins and perfectly knit freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. WOW what a wine!

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

I tasted many superb 2017s, but only a few that are viscerally thrilling and emotional. The 2017 Lafleur is one of a handful of wines that ascends into the stratosphere. Rich and exotically beautiful, the 2017 possesses off-the-charts intensity, tremendous aromatic depth and an impossibly long finish. A rush of dark plum, licorice, leather and mocha leaves the last impression in a wine I can only describe as: eternal. The 2017 spent about nine months in oak, 30% new. It is a towering achievement from the Guinaudeau family and their trusted associate, Omri Ram. If you can find it, buy it. And please invite me over sometime to share it with you!

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

I tasted many superb 2017s, but only a few that are viscerally thrilling and emotional. The 2017 Lafleur is one of a handful of wines that ascends into the stratosphere. Rich and exotically beautiful, the 2017 possesses off-the-charts intensity, tremendous aromatic depth and an impossibly long finish. A rush of dark plum, licorice, leather and mocha leaves the last impression in a wine I can only describe as: eternal. The 2017 spent about nine months in oak, 30% new. It is a towering achievement from the Guinaudeau family and their trusted associate, Omri Ram. If you can find it, buy it. And please invite me over sometime to share it with you!

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

I tasted many superb 2017s, but only a few that are viscerally thrilling and emotional. The 2017 Lafleur is one of a handful of wines that ascends into the stratosphere. Rich and exotically beautiful, the 2017 possesses off-the-charts intensity, tremendous aromatic depth and an impossibly long finish. A rush of dark plum, licorice, leather and mocha leaves the last impression in a wine I can only describe as: eternal. The 2017 spent about nine months in oak, 30% new. It is a towering achievement from the Guinaudeau family and their trusted associate, Omri Ram. If you can find it, buy it. And please invite me over sometime to share it with you!

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

If tasting the 2019 Château Lafleur doesn't just blow you away, I'm not sure what will. A perfect wine, if such a thing exists, it offers such a complex, singular profile in its black raspberries, kirsch liqueur, licorice, exotic flowers, white truffles, and sandalwood. On the palate, it has serious structure, yet the tannins build with time in the glass, and the mid-palate density and balance are so flawlessly integrated, you have to actually hunt for the structure. Pure, sensationally rich, and at the same time elegant, with awesome depth of fruit, this is what wine dreams are made of. It might be the finest young wine to ever pass my lips. It needs a solid decade of bottle age, 15 years would be even better (it will still blow your mind any time over the coming decade), and it will evolve gracefully over the following 30-40 years.

Wine Advocate (99)

One of the wines of the vintage, but likely to prove slower evolving and more introverted than its 2019 counterpart, the 2020 Lafleur unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, raspberries, kirsch, black truffle, orange zest and vine smoke. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and concentrated, with a tightly wound core of fruit framed by rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. This is another magical bottle from an estate that just seems to do everything right.

James Suckling (95-96)

Absolutely beautiful with blackberry, walnut, crushed-stone and lavender character. It’s full-bodied and very layered with ultra fine tannins and an extremely long finish. Really well done for the vintage. Best in a long time.

The Latour a Pomerol 1988 is a prime example of viticultural excellence. Crafted in the esteemed Pomerol appellation on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, it truly embodies the terroir's distinctive character. This Merlot-dominated blend is richly complex and mature, boasting concentrated flavours of perfectly ripened dark fruits, truffle essence, and well-integrated oak.

The producer, Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, is renowned for meticulously harnessing the potential of each vineyard parcel during fermentation. Using traditional open-top oak vats, a careful assemblage of the separate lots ensures an ultimate expression of the vine's unique characteristics in the final blend.

The Latour a Pomerol 1988 delivers a formidable ageing potential that adds depth and nuance as the years go by, offering a captivating sipping experience for the discerning wine aficionado. This bottle truly symbolises the distinguished reputation of Pomerol wines.

Wine Advocate (95)

A beautiful wine from Dany and Michel Rolland, this 2005 is surprisingly concentrated and powerful – more so than usual. Deep ruby/purple, with plenty of black cherry and cassis fruit, licorice and a touch of caramel, this wine is still full, youthful, and set for another 15-20 years of longevity. This is a beauty and one of their strongest efforts in the first decade of the 21st century. For a terroir considered well below Pomerol’s superstars, this wine is a major overachiever.

James Suckling (96)

A perfumed nose of dark cherries, plums, mocha, tea leaves, cedar, hazelnuts and cigar box. Full-bodied with fine, creamy and supple tannins. Framed and balanced with a harmonious structure. The tannin backbone runs through the wine. Long and intense with wonderful purity of fruit. Drink from 2026.

Wine Enthusiast (93)

Here's a complex, rich wine that has fine acidity as well as ripe blackberry fruits. It's certainly firmly structured, but it has the flesh to support it.

James Suckling (97-98)

A tight and dense red with depth of fruit and polished tannins that really impress at this stage. It’s naturally refined and complex with so much dark-berry, chocolate, cedar and hazelnut character. Great wine.

James Suckling (98-99)

This is a young red with great intensity and vision that starts off slowly and builds with energy and verve. It’s so minerally with salty, chalky and spice undertones to the cool and vibrant, purple and subtle-fruit flavors. The tannins are wonderfully toned and polished and build on the palate to deliver something very special.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2015 Le Pin has a medium to deep garnet color and it needs a little swirling before it bursts into a spray of scents of beautiful black raspberries, warm plums, and Indian spices, followed by hints of rose oil, Ceylon tea, cast iron pan, and cardamom. Full-bodied, the palate is so very plush and decadent, delivering layer upon layer of black fruits and exotic spices with seamless acidity to enliven, finishing with persistent mineral and earth notes. It’s a bit more closed and tighter than many 2015s, developing oh-so-slowly, but will be well worth the wait.

Wine Spectator (98)

A river of ganache-coated raspberry pâte de fruit flavors courses through this version, flecked liberally with anise notes and underscored by warm earth accents. Shows terrific concentration for the vintage, brimming with energy as the fruit cascades through a sweet, tobacco-accented finish that is ridiculously long. This transcends the general vintage profile, delivering extra depth and drive to the fruit. A tannic spine matches the fresh acidity.

Wine Spectator (98)

A river of ganache-coated raspberry pâte de fruit flavors courses through this version, flecked liberally with anise notes and underscored by warm earth accents. Shows terrific concentration for the vintage, brimming with energy as the fruit cascades through a sweet, tobacco-accented finish that is ridiculously long. This transcends the general vintage profile, delivering extra depth and drive to the fruit. A tannic spine matches the fresh acidity.

Vinous - Neal Martin (91)

The NV Trilogie was a fantastic wine, a blend of three vintages of declassified fruit from Le Pin. There are two or three different blends, this one comprising 2013, 2014 and 2015. Again, served blind, I stupidly guessed Saint-Émilion! I know that Jacques Thienpont and Fiona Morrison dislike the speculation that shrouds Trilogie due to its connection. Affordability was their original intention, but you cannot fight market forces and the truth is that this is a delicious, surprisingly complex multi-vintage blend. As one of the only people that ever tasted the declassified 2013 Le Pin, serving as a guinea pig for Jacques on one visit, I can vouchsafe that he made far better use of the fruit that year.

Trilogie is a secretive project that Château Le Pin has been pursuing for a number of years. Produced in only miniscule amounts, the current edition is a blend of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Château Le Pin - all excellent vintages, and available at a fraction of the price of a regular Le Pin!

Vinous (93+)

Good bright medium red. Aromas of raspberry, rose petal, minerals and crushed stone convey a very sexy, slightly high-toned liqueur-like quality. Dense, fine-grained and taut, displaying piquant mineral energy and mouthwatering acidity to its flavors of raspberry, cherry and blood orange. Really compelling inner-mouth tension here. This firmly tannic, classic 2014 finishes with lovely rising floral length. I would not be at all surprised if a decade of cellaring brought an even higher score.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Cask sample. Bright mid crimson. Pale rim. Really quite heady and distinctive on the nose. Attractive savoury cut on the palate but quite full bodied. This does immediately taste like grand cru weight. Masses of fruit and a little bit of bitter cherry on the end. Lightly muscular in a good way. Clean and brisk and long.

Tim Atkin MW (95)

This is the most brooding of the four of five Clos Saint Jacques tasted for this report. It is singularly concentrated with tightly coiled black fruits: blackberries, sloe and black currants. The tannins are slightly coarse but not drying and will nicely melt into this boisterous wine in due time. The fresh current of acidity draws out the finale that shows some herbal uplift. 2025-38

Jancis Robinson (18)

Cask sample. Bright mid garnet. Sweet, jewelly, bright-fruited nose. Superior density and great fragrance. Real impact on the palate. Great persistence. Refined but not scrawny. Lifted and elegant on the nose with real breadth on the palate. Just gorgeous already even though one knows that it will just go on getting better and better.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Cask sample. Deep garnet. Intense ferny undergrowth on the nose and pretty exciting vivacity on the palate. More concentrated than most. Closer perhaps to the traditional view of red burgundy. There is so much fruit that you could, with murder in mind, drink this even sooner. GV (relatively).

Tim Atkin MW (95)

This wine smells like where it comes from: high on the hills of Gevrey, tucked in near to the forest. Forest floor and fresh mushrooms mingle with bramble and blackberries. Nicely ripe and less crunchy than it often is, the full body is surrounded by spicy tannins and generous acidity. 2024-35

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Danish pastries and roasted plums on the nose, very sweet and spicy. Fleshy and opulent on the palate, with great intensity of fruit. The tannins build and offer depth, structure and savour. Long and expansive on the finish.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has an exquisite bouquet of crystalline red berry fruit laced with minerals, wonderfully delineated and focused. The palate is smooth and sensual on the entry, and very cohesive, with a perfect line of acidity. Pure and ravishing, armed with a satin-textured finish, this is going to be very difficult to resist once in bottle. Superb.

Burghound (88)

Here too the wood toast is sufficiently present to warrant pointing out on the cool, pretty and airy red berry fruit aromas where background hints of just turned earth and violet add breadth. I very much like the mid-palate texture of the medium-bodied flavors that contrast somewhat with the mildly edgy if still persistent and slightly firmer finish. This may better harmonize with a few years of keeping but for the moment, it's not quite as well-balanced.

Experience the divine balance of fruit and ground in the Marc Roy Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice 2018. Elegantly hailing from the heart of France's renowned Burgundy region, this dignified, single-vineyard Pinot Noir exhibits the expertise of fourth-generation vigneron, Alexandrine Roy. Her passion for minimalistic, traditional methods reflects in this wine — a testament to the purity that Gevrey-Chambertin is renowned for.

The Marc Roy Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice 2018 exhibits a stunning ruby-red colour, hinting at the delicate aromas of raspberry and spices. A sip hints of firm yet supple tannins, underlined by nuances of red fruit and earthy notes. Each bottle proudly stands testament to the meticulous hand harvesting and diligent, indigenous yeast fermenting process employed by the estate. For enthusiasts of well-structured Burgundian wines, this nuanced creation offers both complexity and finesse. Enjoy this exquisite wine today, or allow it to age gracefully, unveiling its full potential in the years to come.