Dark-fruited, this Gloria feels has an enticing, brooding quality. The intensity here builds through the palate, cassis fruit etched with graphite flowing with great control. Freshness and layers of violets lift from the glass. This is a wine with structure but seamlessly coated with ripe bramble fruit leading to a long gravelly finish.

This is a fabulous modern Clinet, rich and almost exotic with notes of incense and cocoa. Dark cherry and plum fruit clothes the firm, supple tannin. This year new oak is cut down to 60% and there is a fine sense of balance here with brilliant aromatic definition.

A classic Poyferre with a rounded, caressing and creamy feel to the fruit. Wonderfully proportioned with no edges at all. Violets, layers of liquorice, and savoury spice accenting the bright purple fruit. A modern wine, full of charm and approachability yet intense and quite serious all the same.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1.5% Petit Verdot, and 0.5% Cabernet Franc. This wine demonstrates the strength of this vintage, with the ripe, caressing fruit of this warmer summer yet with the freshness and energy from the cooler nights and well-timed rain. Aromatically intriguing with notes of bay leaf, lavender, cherry blossom, cocoa, sandalwood, iris root - layers of complexity. The wine really builds on the palate with drama and energy. Fluid and focused there is a lovely tapenade edge on the finish.

Quite dazzling this year, there is a seamless elegance to Canon this year. Opening with subtle cedar spice, there is a feeling of limestone tension underpinning the wine. Showing both verticality and breadth on the palate, there is amplitude of ripe hedgerow fruit counterbalanced with supple, fine-grained tannins imbued with violets and inky liquorice. Beautiful and enticing, this has an intensity that really captures attention.

This is a brilliant Beychevlle that charts the right balance between flamboyant and focus. There is a fleshy and modern character with plenty of charm. A bright line of freshness and salinity underpins the rich cassis fruit, with hints of tobacco, iris, and cocoa on the finish.

This is quite fleshy and modern style of Phelan. Notes of spice, incense and cocoa lift with quite powerful, rich fruit behind. There is definition and class here.

Beautiful aromatics to this Cantenac Brown with violets, cherry blossom, very fine wild cherry notes. Really fluid, seamless and charming in style it also has a serious side, with a more savoury and mineral edge. There is a tension and intensity here with a lovely lift and freshness to the finish.

This wine has even higher levels of tannins than the 2022 yet they are so seamlessly integrated. There is brilliant aromatic clarity on the nose with notes of juniper, wild herbs, dark cherry and gravel. There is flesh and the charm of ripe bramble fruit on the mid-palate but the wine then coils up with super tension through the finish. Fine and sinewy tannins from the fruit, but it is only on the finish you notice the true power here. Brilliant.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc and Carmenère. This is a standout wine from Brane this year. A wine of finesse and intensity it opens with sandalwood, incense, crushed rocks, and graphite. Dark cherry fruit floods the palate while the drive of Cabernet flashes through the palate. Confident, fluid, and very impressive this is an impeccable Brane that will develop into one of the most exciting releases of the campaign.

With a full 98% Cabernet Sauvignon this year, this is an exercise in both power and control. Dense blackcurrant fruit floods the palate with firm, fleshy tannin. Serious and brooding, the wine offers layer after layer of savoury complexity with notes of botanicals mingling with sinewy and chiselled Pauillac character. Bold and poised, this really builds through the palate, showing drama and energy.

The Petit Verdot performed very well this year so it represents 4% of the final blend of the Grand Vin, the rest comprises of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. There is tension and rather chiselled profile here. Classic, not overstated, there is some flesh but also a brightness and energy. Very fine grain here, there is richness that amplifies with dark berry fruit, gravel, sandalwood and real poise on the finish.

A very classy, seductive La Mission with flows over the palate with a velvety charm and intensity. Violets, crushed rocks, sandalwood and soy. There is a seamless form that floats over the palate with a real mineral accent that wraps around the fruit. Superbly long, sapid, this is a wine of great definition, tension and elegance.

There is a lot to love about this wine. It opens with restraint showing notes of black tea, iris root and violets. The huge intensity is evident from the moment it touches the palate. Tight knit tannin which feels velvety and seamless, refined and balanced. Absolute elegance here there is so much charm but a latent power. Flesh and power combined. Remarkable elegance behind gravelly intensity.

A very elegant Giscours this year with wonderful aromatics offering notes of wild herbs, juniper, and ripe cassis fruit. There is a tension and energy running through the wine which feels quite coiled for now. This is very supple and tender with ripe tannin coated with generous fruit etched with a line of refreshness. The finish is long and full of violets, iris root and a little mineral accent.

The first vintage in the new cellar and the definition here is clear to see. There are beautifully defined aromatics of cedar and cocoa at first which melt into the gravelly cassis fruit. Charged with a mineral energy, this is a tension and vibrant wine that reflects the gravelly terroir of Pauillac so purely. Sinewy, sculpted tannin with plenty of flesh, this is going to be a long distance runner.

A striking perfume here with notes of blue fruits, violets, and lavender. The tannins feel fine-grained, compact and polished. This Branaire has both flesh and density with a pure Cabernet character that comes forward. Sinewy a profile, this is a wine with excellent detail and definition.

A benchmark Gaffeliere, the Cabernet Franc speaks quite strongly here with notes of wild herbs, dark cherry and a hint of white pepper. Fine-grained and supple, the wine gains in momentum on the palate with a bright, vibrant and violet tinged finish. One of the best wines from this estate in recent years.

Fonbel is routinely a value pick, but this year it is work paying attention to in particular. Effortlessly delicious, there is plenty of mouthcoating dark berry fruit, the Carmenere that is specific to Fonbel did so well this year. Excellent freshness and balance, every sip if great fun.

Always a more fleshy style, the 2025 Ormes de Pez is quite simply delicious. Silky and creamy in texture there is both finesse and elegance here. Lifted and well-defined aromatics of violets and dark cherry fruit, there is a sapidity and chiselled tension that remains bright to the finish.

Classic Lynch Bages, the 2025 is brooding, inky, and dripping with violets, cassis, tobacco, pencil shavings. A wine of huge potential, this marries a muscular profile with finesse and definition. There is an athletic energy here with a pure Pauillac profile of gravelly intensity. A wine of excellent balance this will number among the best recent vintages from this estate.

This year the wine has a full 50% of Cabernet Franc in the blend, higher than usual. It is a bright, focused and brilliant Angelus this year with captivating aromatics of violets, juniper and wild herbs. Tense, vibrant and coiled through the palate, there is a scultped and seamless feel to the tannins. There is an understated intensity that builds through the palate to a vivid and sophisticated finish.

A benchmark Gaffeliere, the Cabernet Franc speaks quite strongly here with notes of wild herbs, dark cherry and a hint of white pepper. Fine-grained and supple, the wine gains in momentum on the palate with a bright, vibrant and violet tinged finish. One of the best wines from this estate in recent years.

This vintage of Talbot has dark, brooding fruit with gravelly notes of graphite and iris root. There is a seriousness here with a supple, driven feel on the palate that leads to a juicy, and fleshy bramble finish.

Another triumph for the Bartons but yields are low this year. Dark berry fruit, savoury spice, dense and very fine tannins. This Langoa is quite powerful and assertive yet with a sinewy, supple feel. Grows in power in the palate with a dazzling and super elegant finish. Lots of detail and poise here.

This is all class. A rich, powerful wine with a cool mineral undertone. Iodine, violets, crushed rocks, a lot of graphite this is wine that seems etched with mineral and cassis. An exercise in controlled power, this is a bold and aristocratic wine, with regal confidence. Compelling tension on the finish.

A vibrant and energetic style with a dazzling purity of fruit. Violets, peony and a little cocoa-dusted cherry fruit lead to the finely crafted, sinewy finish.

Clocking in at just 12.5% alcohol, this is a contemporary classic. Showing excellent definition with so much intensity, notes of graphite and sandalwood spice gently waft from the glass. There is a fluid quality to the wine, that flows across the palate from start to finish with a levity and focus. Saline and pure with a fine, yet unrelenting web of tannins like cashmere over the dark berry fruit. A true modern classic, this is full of elegant, noble, silky Pauillac intensity that almost catches you off guard with its finesse.Sinewy, elegant power, this is irresistible.

This is modern style of Armailhac that is full of Pauillac character. Spiced notes lead on the nose with flavours of wild herbs, sandalwood with a subtle graphite tinge. Sinewy and bright there is plenty of fleshy cassis fruit and a vibrant line of acidity. Full of floral lift, there is compelling tension and elgance through the scultped finish.

Quite a serious wine this year, there is a restrained power at the core of the wine. Cooler, dark fruited in style, there is both tension and drama that floods the palate. Sinewy and tension, there is a fine-grained feel to the tannin with a tinge of iodine, graphite and iris root. There is a quiet power that expands on the finish, with notes of cedar and violet.

A wine to celebrate the 300th year anniversary of the estate, and what a wine it is. Deep and inky in colour with savoury tobacco spice and gravelly, pencil shaving notes. There is richness and density here but never too much. Fine, ripe and well-integrated tannin with lift and energy to the fruit. This is clearly a wine with a long ageing potential, and will turn into a truly classic St Julien.

Tight and coiled, this has lovely energy pulsing through the wine behind a veil of ripe dark berry fruit. Notes of plums and cherry fruit, liquorice accented with mineral notes of graphite and gravel. This is delicious showing both lots of flesh and charm yet with a restraint and serious focus to match.

The 2025 Cos D’Estournel is a true success this year. Pin-sharp aromatics this open with spiced notes of incense and wild herbs. There is plenty of flesh and substance here but also a brightness and focus. There is a wonderful sense of tension that builds here coating the mouth with bright bramble fruit, hints of iris root and violets. There is intensity here yet also so much charm and finesse that carries through. One of the real standouts from the estate in recent years.

The 2025 vintage for Suduiraut is clearly an exceptional on. Coming in at 158g/l this is an intense and concentrated wine but on the palate it dances with lift, tension and refreshment. Notes of grilled pineapple, saffron, honeydew melon and orange peel unfurl, and there is a delicate, savoury spice that emerges – a wine with real layers of complexity that will age for years to come.

The 2025 vintage for Suduiraut is clearly an exceptional on. Coming in at 158g/l this is an intense and concentrated wine but on the palate it dances with lift, tension and refreshment. Notes of grilled pineapple, saffron, honeydew melon and orange peel unfurl, and there is a delicate, savoury spice that emerges – a wine with real layers of complexity that will age for years to come.

A fine, gravelly character here the wine has both power and poise. It opens with notes of sandalwood, a little soy, dark berry fruit which shows a silky and rounded character. A big step up for this wine, this is both bold and tense. Seamless, gravelly, with mineral inflections. Certainly the best Haut Batailley to date.

An elegant and finessed style of Duhart offering notes of tobacco leaf, graphite, cocoa and espresso. There is brightness here with lots of cherry fruit with scultpted, fine, sinewy tannin. Stony with a Pauillac gravelly focus it is a wine of freshness and energy, with a caressing and flowing feel to the finish.

A blend of 86% merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a classic Pomerol with rich, dark spiced fruits. There is flesh with with a well-defined and sculpted profile with refreshing lift of floral notes. Fragrant and quite finessed, there is tension and some drama here. A little drop of hedonism on the finish, there is something quite charming to this modern Evangile that has plenty of life to it.

The red, is a classically framed, sculpted Pessac full of gravelly, cassis-edged intensity. At only 12.5% alcohol, this has a bright, vibrant profile yet with waves of intensity. A blend of 30% Merlot, 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot, there is a beautiful tension and drama to the wine.

A flinty, zesty and tense white this year which is a blend of 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. Vibrant and crystalline with notes of lime blossom, hints of ginger and sourdough crumb this will come together well and is one of the great whites of this vintage.

Explosive aromatics of violets and peony, this is a wonderfully stylish Laroque this year. Coating the palate with al dente cherry fruit, there is a silky and saline flow here. Notes of iodine, kelp and liquorice add nuance. Approachable young, this will age beautifully with super tension and elegance.

Explosive aromatics of violets and peony, this is a wonderfully stylish Laroque this year. Coating the palate with al dente cherry fruit, there is a silky and saline flow here. Notes of iodine, kelp and liquorice add nuance. Approachable young, this will age beautifully with super tension and elegance.

Rich cassis fruit with cocoa and dark chocolate spice. This is a brilliantly balanced Batailley showing the flesh and mid-palate fruit of the warm summer while maintaining freshness and poise through the finish. Layers of violets, spice, creamy oak, and gravelly Pauillac minerality build on the palate to a long and cohesive finish. Great value this year.

Rich cassis fruit with cocoa and dark chocolate spice. This is a brilliantly balanced Batailley showing the flesh and mid-palate fruit of the warm summer while maintaining freshness and poise through the finish. Layers of violets, spice, creamy oak, and gravelly Pauillac minerality build on the palate to a long and cohesive finish. Great value this year.

Rich cassis fruit with cocoa and dark chocolate spice. This is a brilliantly balanced Batailley showing the flesh and mid-palate fruit of the warm summer while maintaining freshness and poise through the finish. Layers of violets, spice, creamy oak, and gravelly Pauillac minerality build on the palate to a long and cohesive finish. Great value this year.

Rich cassis fruit with cocoa and dark chocolate spice. This is a brilliantly balanced Batailley showing the flesh and mid-palate fruit of the warm summer while maintaining freshness and poise through the finish. Layers of violets, spice, creamy oak, and gravelly Pauillac minerality build on the palate to a long and cohesive finish. Great value this year.

Rich cassis fruit with cocoa and dark chocolate spice. This is a brilliantly balanced Batailley showing the flesh and mid-palate fruit of the warm summer while maintaining freshness and poise through the finish. Layers of violets, spice, creamy oak, and gravelly Pauillac minerality build on the palate to a long and cohesive finish. Great value this year.

The 2025 Pontet Canet offers quite explosive aromatics with notes of blue fruits, black tea, and lavender. Rounded almost creamy merlot character of plum and red cherry coat the mid-palate with a bright line of acidity as a counterbalance. Showing a sinewy and supple tannic architecture, this finishes with a subtle earthy note of iris root and liquorice.