Médoc area
Château Rauzan-gassies 2012
Margaux 2ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is elegant, racy and offers complexity as well as a nice fine and powerful grain. The wine benefits from being decanted. The nose has morello cherry, ripe red berries, liquorice, violet, strawberry, a subtle hint of blackcurrant and a discreet touch of camphor and cardamom. The palate is mineral, balanced and offers freshness, a juicy/mineral structure, dynamism, good definition and quite ripe fruit. On the palate this wine expresses morello cherry, fairly ripe blackberry and slightly black plum notes combined with hints of fairly ripe/fresh berries, zan/ liquorice, hints of green cardamom, vanilla and hints of toast and sweet spice. The tannins are soft. A discreet, almost sticky touch on the finish. Some straightforwardness and dynamism.
Score : 16.75/20 (93-94/100)
Château Ferrière 2012
Margaux 3ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is fruity, elegant and offers a certain purity of fruit. There are notes of crunchy Morello cherry, crunchy strawberry and slightly blueberry combined with hints of violet as well as a fine touch of camphor, bergamot, eucalyptus and a subtle hint of pepper. The palate is fruity, juicy, balanced and offers good freshness, silkiness, minerality, and purity/cleanness. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fresh/pulpy cherry, crushed currant and slightly crushed blueberry combined with hints of fresh/juicy black berries, fine hints of blueberry, mocha, cardamom as well as a discreet hint of black tea and an imperceptible hint of Sichuan pepper (in the background). Good length. Subtle, almost roasted, hint of eucalyptus in the background/finish. A fine touch of positive bitterness on the finish.
Score : 16.5+/20 (93-94/100)
AOC SAINT-JULIEN
Château Talbot 2012
Saint-julien 4ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is fresh, powerful and offers a certain controlled intensity, controlled power and some powdery quality. There are notes of Morello cherry, blackcurrant and, more slightly, violets combined with touches of fairly ripe/crushed red fruits as well as fine nuances of camphor, incense, spices, a discreet hint of cardamom, pepper and an imperceptible touch of coffee. The palate is fresh, fruity, elegant, tense and offers minerality, roundness, gourmandise, juiciness, some fat, good definition and an acidic backbone. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackberry, fleshy Morello cherry and slightly crushed blackcurrant, combined with hints of blue berries, violet/lys, fine hints of liquorice, star anise, camphor and a subtle touch of cocoa, smoke and vanilla. The tannins are precise, fine and tight. Sapid on the finish. Score : 17/20 (94/100)
Château Beychevelle 2012
Saint-julien 4ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is powerful, elegant, precise and offers a nice controlled power, intensity, depth and concentration. There are notes of blackcurrant, Cuben pepper and, more slightly, violets, combined with hints of morello cherry, raspberry, fine points of pulpy violet plum, as well as a hint of lily, ash/incense, star anise and a discreet touch of fresh blond tobacco. The palate is fruity, elegant, delicate and offers depth, harmony, deliciousness, a nice maturity and tension. On the palate, this wine expresses fleshy/pulpy blackcurrant, fleshy/pulpy raspberry and, more slightly, fleshy/juicy berry notes combined with a hint of fleshy strawberry, blueberry, as well as hints of mocha, toast, cardamom and a very discreet touch of undergrowth. The tannins are precise, elegant, racy and finely mellow. Nice sapidity and gourmandise. An imperceptible hint of undergrowth and pepper on the finish. Score : 17.25+/20 (95/100)
Château Gruaud Larose 2012
Saint-julien 2ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is elegant and offers some intensity and depth. There are notes of pulpy wild blackcurrant, wild strawberry and, more slightly, vanilla combined with fine hints of spice as well as a touch of toast, vanilla and a discreet hint of almost cedar/eucalyptus. The palate is fruity, fresh, mineral, elegant, with finesse/ precision, and offers delicacy, gourmandise, definition, intensity, freshness, unctuousness, clarity and depth. A discreet restrained character. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy blackcurrant, crushed strawberry and, more slightly, wild berries, combined with touches of salinity, racy minerality and fine hints of chocolate and toasted hazelnut. Nice sapidity and gourmandise (brought by the sapidity). A discreet hint of cedar/eucalyptus in the background. What a delicacy! The wine needs time in the glass to fully open up.
Score : 17.5/20 (95/100)
Château Léoville Poyferré 2012
Saint-julien 2ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is elegant, fresh and offers some power and richness. There are notes of creamy blackberry, blueberry and, more slightly, liquorice combined with hints of crushed wild strawberry and fine blueberry fruit as well as hints of Cuben pepper and spice. The palate is fresh, mineral, elegant and offers a nice definition, acidity, tension, precision, dynamism, salinity and a nice energy and finesse. On the palate this wine expresses notes of creamy boysenberry, creamy wild strawberry and, more slightly, blueberry combined with hints of tonka bean, liquorice, saline minerality, fine hints of chocolate and a subtle touch of vanilla and sweet spice. The tannins are elegant and mellow.
Score : 17.5/20 (95/100)
Château Langoa-barton 2012
Saint-julien 3ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose offers creaminess and red fruits. The wine should be decanted. There are notes of crushed redcurrants, pulpy cherry and, more slightly, blackcurrant, combined with hints of violet, lily and a fine touch of vanilla and toast. The palate is fruity, balanced and offers minerality, good definition, smoothness, some fat, gourmandise, sapidity and a nice mineral backbone. On the palate this wine expresses crunchy/fresh strawberry, crunchy/fresh cherry and slightly fresh blackberry notes combined with hints of pulpy/fresh berries as well as fine pepper, saltiness, fresh nutmeg, a fine hint of Bourbon vanilla and a subtle hint of crushed almond. Good length. Nice sapidity and a discreet hint of positive bitterness in the background/on the finish. Good persistence.
Score : 17/20 (94/100)
Château Léoville-barton 2012
Saint-julien 2ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is fruity, fresh and offers some minerality and good definition. There are notes of crunchy blackberry, crushed strawberry and, more slightly, crushed raspberry combined with touches of blueberry, fine hints of liquorice, cardamom as well as discreet hints of vanilla and almost sweet blond tobacco. The palate is fruity, well-balanced, stretched out, precise and offers suppleness, good definition, a certain gourmandise, power with delicacy, harmony and an acidic structure. On the palate this wine expresses juicy/acidic blackberry, crunchy redcurrant and slightly fresh plum notes with a touch of fresh violet, fine vanilla/vanilla bean, zan and a subtle almost sappy edge (in the background) and a discreet hint of chocolate. Nice acidity and ripe/acidic, juicy fruit.
Score : 17.5/20 (95/100)
Château Branaire Ducru 2012
Saint-julien 4ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is fruity, elegant and offers complexity. The wine needs to be decanted. There are notes of crunchy blackcurrant, morello cherry and, more slightly, crushed red berries combined with fine points of racy minerality, flowers/violet, discrete cola notes and a subtle hint of nutmeg and vanilla. The palate is fresh, mineral, racy, elegant and offers a nice definition, elegance, purity, concentration and an acidic backbone. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fresh Morello cherry, fresh blackberry and, more slightly, crunchy wild berries combined with hints of blue berries, violet as well as hints of liquorice, camphor, a subtle varietal touch and a discreet hint of cardamom. Fine chewiness and hints of crushed/ toasted almond in the background. The tannins are precise, elegant and supple. Good length.
Score : 17/20 (94/100)
AOC PAUILLAC
Château Croizet-bages 2012
Margaux 5ème Grand Cru Classé
The nose is elegant, precise and offers a nice finesse of grain as well as power in finesse. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of blackberry, blue berries and, more slightly, blueberry, wild strawberry combined with fine touches of black pepper, racy minerality and a subtle hint of graphite and nutmeg. The palate is fresh, mineral, balanced and offers minerality, good definition and accuracy. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fresh/pulpy purple plum, blackcurrant and slightly graphite combined with hints of mocha, roast and fine vanilla and a subtle hint of toasted hazelnut. The tannins are mellow. A discreet hint of liquorice and caramelisation in the background.
Score : 17+/20 (94-95/100)