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 (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.

The Bernard Dugat-Py Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2019 is an exceptional French white wine produced in the iconic Burgundy region. This esteemed producer, Bernard Dugat-Py, is revered for his traditional winemaking approach, using minimal intervention to allow the quality of the fruit to shine through. This Grand Cru wine is carefully crafted from hand-picked Chardonnay grapes grown on the south-west facing limestone slopes of the Corton-Charlemagne vineyard. Its maturation in French oak barrels contributes to the wine's elegance and complexity.

The Bernard Dugat-Py Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2019 boasts an intricate bouquet of apples and peaches, underlined by delicate notes of butter and toast. On the palate, it offers a harmonious balance of rich fruit flavours and refreshing mineral undertones, leading to a long and refined finish. An ideal companion for fine dining, it complements dishes with nuanced flavours, such as lobster or roasted poultry.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-97)

A low key lemon and lime colour. Clean fresh and classic on the nose. A very typical fresh stony palate, lightly washed in citrus, with enough flesh to provide the body necessary for ageing, and a fine, long, persistently mineral finish. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: November 2022

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.

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.

Wine Advocate (92)

The 2015 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a lovely bouquet: hints of grilled almond and pine nuts fusing with the citrus fruit, tight at first but opening nicely with aeration. The palate is very well balanced, tightly-bound at the moment, not a heavy or powerful Corton-Charlemagne, but sporting a very attractive, fresh and stony, slightly reserved finish. Nothing extraordinary or overly-ambitious, nevertheless, this is a well-made Corton-Charlemagne from the domaine.

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.

Decanter (96)

The Faiveley holdings add up to 0.87ha on variety of soil types and altitudes, but they are all comparatively cool. This was picked late as a result on September 4th and marries richness, weight and honeyed complexity with vibrant, mineral-edged acidity and scented oak. A textbook Corton-Charlemagne from a year that didn't lend itself to classic wines.

Vinous (91+)

Very ripe, lightly resiny aromas of apple, hay, nuts, ginger, minerals and exotic flowers. Youthfully disjointed on the palate, combining penetrating liquid minerality and strong, almost citrussy acidity; I wanted a bit more balancing fruit. Very chewy, salty, concentrated wine with a finishing suggestion of crab apple that suggests late harvesting. With its pronounced acid element, this is tough going today.

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.

James Suckling (96-97)

The black color indicates a solid and structured red with loads of blackberry and blueberry character. Full-bodied and very tight and tensioned. Savory tannins that are powerful and intense at the finish. Classically structured. Finely toned and formed young red.

Wine Advocate (95)

The most youthfully reserved wine in the cellar was the 2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, a promising bottling that opens up to reveal scents of citrus zest, dried white flowers, green apple and pastry cream. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with racy acids and prodigious levels of searingly chalky dry extract that lend this wine incredible structure.

Wine Advocate (95)

The most youthfully reserved wine in the cellar was the 2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, a promising bottling that opens up to reveal scents of citrus zest, dried white flowers, green apple and pastry cream. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with racy acids and prodigious levels of searingly chalky dry extract that lend this wine incredible structure.

Wine Advocate (95)

Produced from purchased grapes, the 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is serious and structured, enforcing a change of pace after the series of Puligny-Montrachet grands crus. Mingling notes of pear and citrus oil with hints of toasted bread, white flowers and praline, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and chalky, with palpable structuring dry extract and tangy balancing acids.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

The 2016 Corton Charlemagne came from a one-year-old barrel (there will also be a new and two-year-old barrel). It has a straightforward, brioche-tinged bouquet that opens nicely in the glass, with hints of peaches and cream, later gooseberry tart. The palate is well balanced, honeyed in texture with notes of dried apricot, frangipane and a hint of honey. It does not quite deliver the length, but this is undoubtedly a well crafted Corton-Charlemagne from Jean-Michel that will give immense pleasure over the next 10 to 15 years.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2019 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru comes from Charlemagne and the Pernand side of the hill, comprises two barrels from the domaine and three barrels from two other sources. It comes across surprisingly closed on the nose. Maybe just going through a dumb phase of élevage? The palate is medium-bodied and much more expressive, gorgeous yellow plum and pithy/peachy notes with a caressing finish. Once the aromatics awaken, this should be a very seductive "CC".