Bordeaux 2022

Tasted April 2024. One of the best Haut Medoc wines we tasted this vintage, with fragrant perfume and tension. There's dark plum, cherry, amaro herbs on the nose and palate, with fine tannins and a dense feel on the palate suggesting it will age well. Fresh with mineral complexity on the finish. Basile Tesseron is taking this humble estate to new heights.

Tasted April 2024. 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot. Pure and stony on the nose, with blackberry fruit and some aromatic plum. Grippy on the palate with fine tannin, and more blackberry.

Tasted April 2024. 60% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Violets, ripe blackcurrant and blackberry with peppery spice. Silky tannins and elegant structure. The finish is long and spicy.

Tasted April 2024. 89% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Spicy with black berry fruit and black cherry on the nose and palate. Silky, with savoury notes and medium-bodied.

Tasted April 2024. Bright and pretty on the nose, with dark plum, cherry and bramble fruit on the palate. Layers of complexity already with spice, balsamic and subtle truffle. Savoury and appetising on the finish.

Tasted April 2024. 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc. Fragrant, with good concentration on the palate of dark berry fruit and some aromatic raspberry. Supple, densely packed tannins and a refreshing finish.

Tasted April 2024. Saint-Pierre is likely the smallest Grand Cru Classé, and has the same owners as Chateau Gloria. This vintage is fresh and precise with black fruit, graphite, gravelly notes and dried herbs. The tannins are fine and delineated, and it finishes with charming blackcurrant flavours and refreshing acidity.

Tasted April 2024. Pure and aromatic bramble fruit, with savoury spice. Appetising mineral notes and refreshing acidity. Medium-weight and gourmand in style.

Pierre Lurton and the team at Château Marjosse place aromatic purity and the expression of fruit at the heart of their winemaking. The team eschews the use of new oak, instead preferring used 400 litre barrels that allow the aromatic, floral, cherry-fruited nature of the wine to take centre stage. In 2023, the quality of the Cabernets was excellent and forms a higher part of the blend (40%) than in previous vintages. This is always friendly, delicious, and one of Bordeaux’s great values.

Tasted April 2024. The 2023 vintage marks a new era at Chateau La Garde, with a significant reduction in production of this, their first wine. It concentrates on Cabernet from the highest terrace, with deep gravel. Concentrated and pure with blackcurrant, plum, and a broad feel to the tannins on the palate that are ripe and grippy. Refreshing and gourmand on the palate with savoury notes towards the finish and subtle herbal notes.

Tasted April 2024. 64% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Carmenere. Dark, ripe fruit and a vertical feel on the palate, due to a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon. The tannins also have a Cabernet shape, long and mouth-coating, and that structure is balanced by refreshing acidity.

Tasted April 2024. Rich and structured, with incredible complexity. Wild rosemary, sage, truffle, clove and mocha. Dense plum and cherry fruit. Impressive depth on the palate.

Tasted April 2024. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Fresh on the nose with blackcurrant, plum and fresh mint. Similar on the palate with some delicate spice. Well balanced, with a savoury finish and ripe tannins.

Tasted April 2024. Classic Margaux with satin-like tannins, delicate spice and medium body. There's some refreshing crunchy red fruit in addition to denser blackberry fruit and mocha richnes, and it has a classy, elegant finish.

Tasted April 2024. Understated and stony on the nose, with black berry fruit, earth and graphite. Fine tannins, with a bright, fresh, red-fruited finish.

Tasted April 2024. 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. Pure aromatics, with red berry fruit and spicy.

Tasted April 2024. Ripe black and purple fruit on the nose with licorice. Powerful on the palate with velvet tannins and a lot of ripe black fruit. A minty lift at the end of the palate, with mineral notes on the long finish.

Tasted April 2024. 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. Aromatic on the nose with damson, blackcurrant, licorice root and woody herbs. On the palate there's juicy bramble fruit, crunchy red berries and fresh mint. Pure, with intensity and drive on the palate. It finishes long and savoury.

Tasted April 2024. 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc. 13.8% ABV. Grand Mayne flies under the radar, but has been making consistently impressive wines under third generation owners Jean-Antoine and Damien Nony. Their 2023 has a lovely mix of fresh bramble and Haribo berry gummy sweets on the nose, with licorice and dried rosemary creating savoury complexity. On the palate there's black cherry and raspberry jelly, with a mineral, saline note running through, combining with refreshing acidity on the long appetising finish.

Tasted April 2024. Ripe black fruit, tobacco and earthy notes. Broad on the palate with savoury notes and ripe tannins.

Tasted April 2024. Made in an impressive and imposing new cellar in the heart of St-Emilion. Polished, elegant and chalky on the palate with medium-bodied dark fruit. Pure and effortless, singing of its limestone origins.

Tasted April 2024. Refined and elegant in style with lots of floral character and fresh red fruit. Detailed on the palate with herbal complexity, saline notes and a long fine, appetising finish.

Dense dark fruit on the nose and palate, with complex mocha, floral and spicy notes. Dried herbs and a chalky note on the finish.

Tasted April 2024. Blackberry and woody herbs on the nose. Juicy on the palate with fresh blackberry and black cherry. Refreshing acidity, mineral and appetising on the palate.

Tasted April 2024. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot. 13.3% ABV and 50% new barrels, with the Merlot matured in terracotta amphorae. Larrivet Haut-Brion remains one of our hot tips in Bordeaux, seriously puching above its weight. Dense, crushed, juicy black fruit, licorice, sweet spice. More raspberry and cranberry on the palate, with floral, aromatic notes balancing the concentation. Refreshing acidity and a long, silky finish with saline notes.

Tasted April 2024. Ripe, soft blackberry fruit, with some floral notes and minerals. Similar on the palate with silky, long, fine tannins and lovely purity of aromatic black fruit. A very impressive effort, and the first made in their state of the art new cellar.

Tasted April 2024. 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Aromatic on the nose with bramble, soft black plum and blackcurrant on the palate. Expressive, perfumed and pure, with smooth tannins. Approachable now but has plenty of concentration to age.

Tasted April 2024. 55% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV and 45% new barrels. Powerful and opulent, with lots of sweet spice on the nose and woody herbs on the palate. An especially concentrated iteration of Ormes de Pez that punches above its weight.

Tasted April 2024. Quality at this estate is rising and never more so than in 2023. There's power on the palate with bold tannins, and in equal measure the fruit is restrained and fresh. Tight and very youthful, with lots of concentration and structure for long ageing.

Tasted April 2024. Montaiguillon in 2023 is classic Bordeaux at its best, and remains one of our easiest recommendations. There’s lots of fresh bramble fruit and spiced plum, with graphite and subtle truffle as it opens in the glass. Balanced and proportioned, it has lots of smooth tannin and a refreshing, appetising finish.

Tasted April 2024. Generous black fruit on the nose, with subtle dry spice. Linear on the palate with cassis, graphite, licorice, and some minty, herbal notes. Long, Cabernet tannins. It has the structure of a classic left bank wine, with a modern, refreshing feel to the fruit.

Tasted April 2024. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, a higher proportion than in previous vintages, with 15% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV and 50% new barrels. Lovely depth and concentration on the palate, in a classic style with structure and freshness. There's plenty of dense black berry fruit with bright fresh mint on the nose and creamy, toasty notes from high quality oak. Appetising and saline on the finish.

Tasted April 2024. 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc. 13.4% ABV. 20% new oak. This vintage has majority Cabernet Sauvignon which is happening more and more at Potensac, and cassis aromas dominate the nose and palate, and along with influence of their limestone terroir the Cabernet gives a firm, ageworthy feel to the tannins. Fresh and lively towards the finish with chalky notes and juicy red berry fruit.