James Suckling (94-95)

Very solid and powerful with dried mushroom and wet earth aromas and flavors. Complex. Full and chewy yet so polished and long. Spicy, meat and gorgeous. Most serious Alter Ego ever. More inner Ego now!. 52% merlot, 41% cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot 6%.

Jancis Robinson (17+)

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. Cask sample. Very much in the Alter Ego mould – lively, fruit-driven with that vineyard-fresh feel but with a little more structure than previous years. Pure and appetising but will age. (JL) 13.7%

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Corvées Pagets, one of Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux's emblematic wines, wafts from the glass with a complex bouquet of plums, candied peel, violets and raspberries. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and complete, with a deep core of fruit, crystalline purity, and fine-grained but chalky tannins. Structurally, this is classic Premeaux.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2017 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Corvées Pagets 1er Cru is 100% whole bunches. It has a very intense bouquet of brambly red fruit, briar, wild heather and light crushed rock aromas; more tertiary scents (damp moss?) emerge with time. The medium-bodied palate features supple tannin and just a slight lactic tincture on the entry, layers of tart red fruit infused with minerals and even a cheeky hint of Turkish Delight on the finish. This feels very long and tender.

Jancis Robinson (16.5)

1.42 ha from seven lieux-dits in the north of the appellation. 100% whole bunch. Lightish cherry red but greyish rather than crimson. A little more savoury than the Bourgogne and a very slight stemmy herbal note but it's subtle. A little bit peppery. More tension here than in the Bourgogne, a little lighter in obvious fruit and a little more tannic but barely so. Super-fresh. Dry and lingering. So elegant.

Wine Advocate (94+)

A deep, brooding and rather powerful wine by the standards of this estate, the 2010 Bel Air Marquis d'Aligre unwinds in the glass with aromas of black cherries, wild berries, licorice, asphalt and cardamom. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's rich and concentrated, with an ample core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins. From my cellar, this is still the better part of a decade away from its peak, and if approached today, it benefits from several hours in a decanter.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (96)

The 2015 Brane-Cantenac is powerful, structured and explosive in feel. A deep, resonant wine, the 2015 boasts off the charts ripeness allied to formidable structure and tannic heft. I imagine the 2015 is going to need a number of years to become approachable and more than that to be at its best. The dark stone fruit, smoke, tobacco, spice and leather flavors pack a huge punch, but it is the wine's balance that places it among the elite on the Left Bank in 2015. Brane-Cantenac is a total pleasure bomb. I can't wait to taste it with a little bottle age.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

The 2016 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenere picked from 22 September until 17 October (the tiny parcel of Carmenere picked three days later). The yields came in at 51 hectoliters per hectare and it is matured in 75% new oak and 25% one-year-old barrels, the final alcohol level 13.3%. It has a beautifully defined, very detailed bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit laced with cedar and graphite notes, living up to its nom de plume as the Pauillac of Margaux. The palate is simply the best that I have ever tasted at the estate, without question. This has presence, but also weightlessness, filigree tannin and perfectly pitched acidity, with real intensity and drive. The tension here is outstanding and the persistence is incredibly long. It is not the showiest of all the 2016s by a long stretch, and yet it is everything you could possibly want from a Margaux. Like Beychevelle this year, the 2016 Brane-Cantenac puts recent vintages in the shade, thanks not only to the growing season, but also a new punching down system in their gravity-fed winery that was completed in 2015. The 2016 is a benchmark against which future vintages will be compared.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

The 2016 Brane-Cantenac is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenere picked from 22 September until 17 October (the tiny parcel of Carmenere picked three days later). The yields came in at 51 hectoliters per hectare and it is matured in 75% new oak and 25% one-year-old barrels, the final alcohol level 13.3%. It has a beautifully defined, very detailed bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit laced with cedar and graphite notes, living up to its nom de plume as the Pauillac of Margaux. The palate is simply the best that I have ever tasted at the estate, without question. This has presence, but also weightlessness, filigree tannin and perfectly pitched acidity, with real intensity and drive. The tension here is outstanding and the persistence is incredibly long. It is not the showiest of all the 2016s by a long stretch, and yet it is everything you could possibly want from a Margaux. Like Beychevelle this year, the 2016 Brane-Cantenac puts recent vintages in the shade, thanks not only to the growing season, but also a new punching down system in their gravity-fed winery that was completed in 2015. The 2016 is a benchmark against which future vintages will be compared.

Wine Advocate (97)

Derived exclusively from the château's holdings on the deep gravel soils of the plateau of Brane, the 2019 Brane-Cantenac has turned out brilliantly and merits a special effort to seek out. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, pencil shavings, violets, sweet loamy soil and cardamon, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a beautifully seamless, perfumed profile. Retaining all the estate's signature elegance but with an extra dimension of depth and intensity, it's the finest Brane-Cantenac of the modern era and one of the great successes of the 2019 vintage.

Wine Spectator (93-96)

Fresh berry and currant, with mint and spices. Full-bodied, with supervelvety tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Toasted oak, ripe fruit, everything. A beauty. Best ever. Score range: 93-96 -JS

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

José Sanfins has overseen a 2019 Cantenac Brown that will give immense pleasure in coming years. The bouquet has tightened up since I tasted the barrel sample (also at the château, in summer 2021): blackberry, raspberry and cedar are now accompanied by just a touch of peppermint. The palate is medium-bodied, taut and fresh, with sappy red fruit, fine acidity and a vibrant, harmonious finish. This Margaux brims with confidence and should give 30 to 40 years of drinking pleasure. The insiders' Margaux of choice.

James Suckling (96-97)

Fantastic depth of fruit with layers of firm, chewy tannins that are medium-grained and long in the mouth. Full and dynamic. One of the best ever.

James Suckling (96-97)

This is a very pure expression of cabernet sauvignon with blackcurrants, blackberries and tar. Wet earth, too. It’s full-bodied, yet very tight and reserved. Extremely racy, intense finish. This is super precise. Classical.

James Suckling (96-97)

This is a very pure expression of cabernet sauvignon with blackcurrants, blackberries and tar. Wet earth, too. It’s full-bodied, yet very tight and reserved. Extremely racy, intense finish. This is super precise. Classical.

James Suckling (97-98)

Extremely floral and fruity with currants and blackberries. It’s full-bodied and very layered with delicious, dense character. Full-bodied with dusty, layered tannins. Rich, but not heavy. Long and chewy on the finish. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot and 1% malbec.

James Suckling (94)

Blackberry, blueberry and sweet-tobacco aromas. Full-bodied, dense and layered with ripe tannins and a chewy yet polished, tannic finish. A young Bordeaux with plenty of structure and focus. A blend of 71 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 29 per cent merlot. Try after 2022.

Expertly crafted by renowned vigneron David Duband, the exquisite David Duband Nuits-Saint-Georges Rouge 2018 embodies the distinct characteristics of its terroir. Hailing from high-quality, biodynamically farmed vineyards in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy, France, this red wine is a paragon of pinot noir excellence.

Meticulously harvested and performed whole-cluster fermentation, this wine showcases Duband's minimalist approach. Each Berry underwent a cold soak before fermentation to extract the right tannins and colour and is naturally fermented, without any additional yeasts. The wine aged for 14 months in French oak barrels and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Nuanced layers of ripe red fruits, spice, and earthy undertones are elegantly woven together in the David Duband Nuits-Saint-Georges Rouge 2018, rendering a mouth-watering acidity and a refined finish. Truly, this vintage stands as a testament to David Duband's mastery and commitment to authenticity.

Vinous - Neal Martin (93)

The 2010 du Tertre soars out of the glass with blackberry, sous-bois and light mint aromas. Good definition here and nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with supple but quite firm tannins, a welcome sprinkling of cracked black pepper and an off-dry finish that feels long and persistent. Superb. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

James Suckling (96-97)

This is a crazy wine. Everything was done by hand, without electricity, because it was made in seven-hectoliter amphora. The grapes were hand-sorted. It’s full-bodied with tannins that are integrated so well into the wine, which gives it tension and freshness. Blackberries. Lavender. 10 hectoliters. Best Dufort ever?

Scoring double 96 points from the Wine Advocate's William Kelley and Decanter alongside double 95 points from Jane Anson of Inside Bordeaux and Vinous's Antonio Galloni, this blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot wowed Hindle so much that she 'immediately wanted another glass'. The palate is 'deep and concentrated' (WA) but with this being countered by 'so much clarity and freshness' (DC), it is 'hard not to be impressed by the balance on display here' (JA). A Margaux with serious agebility, this 2019 vintage has a drinking window up to 2065.

 

This Durfort-Vivens 2019 really is a 'brilliant Margaux' (WA). As William Kelley states, 'anyone who isn’t aware of just how good Gonzague Lurton’s wines are these days should taste a bottle' of this.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

Aromas of cassis, plums, orange rind and spicy new oak preface Faiveley's 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes, a medium to full-bodied, deep and lively wine with a concentrated core of fruit, framed by powdery tannins. Concluding with a long, mineral finish, it's another fine bottling from this cool, high-altitude and northeast-exposed site.

Decanter (95)

The 0.81ha vineyard for these grapes is at the top of the hill, resulting in very cool conditions for the vines. This terroir produces a spicy, vivacious wine with notes of cassis and mulberry, accented with smoke and new leather. The 2020 vintage was aged half in new casks and half in two-year-old barrels to give a wine with plenty of finesse and high-toned elegance, yet one that in no way lacks solid ‘Nuits’ character.

Vinous (91-93)

Bright ruby-red. Captivating violet and lavender lift to the aromas of black cherry, menthol and bitter chocolate. Juicy, energetic and sharply delineated, showing terrific thrust to its dark fruit, licorice and spice flavors. I would have picked this blind as a 2013. This will require at least several years of bottle aging.

Wine Advocate (90-92)

The 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges Village is a fine follow-up to the excellent 2018 rendition, bursting from the glass with notes of wild berries, orange rind, warm spices and rich soil tones. Medium-bodied, lively and precise, it's deep and concentrated, with a seamless profile and beautifully powdery tannins. Cropped at a modest 30 hectoliters per hectare, it's a cuvée that seems to go from strength to strength as yields fall.

Vinous (87-89)

The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Village, which contains 60% whole bunch, perhaps does not quite display the cohesion of the Vosne-Romanée at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a high-toned floral entry, exuberant and quite showy, though without the same breeding as the aforementioned.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90-92)

Made from two-thirds Chaillots to one-third Lavières. 10% whole bunch. A full purple. The nose is a little less expressive than the Vosne Romanée but very typical of the appellation, plums and red berries together. There is a good depth of fruit behind, deepening further back on the palate, then a fresh finish with lively tannins and good acidity. Drink from 2026-2031. Tasted: December 2022

James Suckling (95)

This is a beautiful Giscours with tension and finesse. It's full-bodied and shows plenty of berry and spice character, not to mention a long, silky-textured finish. It seduces you with each sip. Why wait?

James Suckling (96)

Plenty of violets and dark berries on offer here. This has a striking sense of purity as well as an energetic, regal palate. The structure is impressively groomed with effortless depth and length. A standout wine. Try from 2022.