Reds
Outstanding
Ch Haut-Bailly GCC 97 (My Graves wine of the vintage, along with Haut-Brion’s red.) Structural, sensual and broad. 60% Cab Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and for the first time 4% Petit Verdot (young vines but already powerful). Incredible persistency. Has the potential to be upscored when in bottle. 2025-2042 Ch Haut-Brion GCC 97 (My Graves wine of the vintage, along with Haut-Bailly.) Approaching quality of 2010 but with softer tannins. Complete with great integrity of coffee and rich damson. 58% Merlot, 35% Cab Sauvignon, 7% Cab Franc, 78% new oak. May well be scored upwards when in bottle. 2026-2045 Ch La Mission Haut-Brion GCC 96 Taut and tense coffee, smoky almond and pulsing with energy. Beautiful tannic grip and drive, showing great ageing potential. Length of damson and loganberry fruits and fragrant heather and garden herbs. Lovely texture, structured and tannic hold. 78% new oak. 2026-2040 Ch Smith Haut Lafitte GCC 96 63% Cab Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cab Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 65% new oak. Organic. Great impact and rich, grippy tannins; freshness remains even though liquorice, cherry and cassis persists. SHL has clearly stopped chasing the ripest fruit, now going for aroma. 2025-2040 Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion 95 Highest proportion of Cab Franc (45%) on the Left Bank. Great concentration and light touch. 70% aged in new oak, 30% in clay amphora. Stéphane Derenoncourt oversees a move to biodynamic farming. One of the best ever wines produced here; an estate to watch. 2023-2038 Ch Pape Clément GCC 95 Clear reductive environment, saving the best nose for the consumer and not for en primeur. Lovely rich texture – velvety with gorgeous purity to the damson and black cherry fruits. 2025-2040 Domaine de Chevalier GCC 95 Sexy burnish of charcoal-grilled rich black cherry fruit with firm held tannins. High powered compared to some; this is one to cellar. 63% Cab Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cab Franc, 33% new oak. 2025-2038
Highly Recommended
Ch Carbonnieux GCC 93 Attractive dark red fruits, subtle liquorice and gently insistent tannins. One that will deliver pleasure earlier than some. There’s a silky approachability, but it should also develop well. 2023-2035 Ch Malartic-Lagravière GCC 93 Dark, rich, serious, well-extracted fruit with just the right drive. Continues a run of strong vintages here. 7% Petit Verdot, 53% Cab Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cab Franc, 80% new oak. 2025-2038 Ch Olivier GCC 93 Rich, muscular tannic frame. Continues a more serious expression of Olivier, begun with the inclusion of new Ch Bel Air plot that represents 30% of the blend. Also new in 2015 is 5% Petit Verdot. 2023-2038 Ch Brown 92 Silky but taut tannins – a superb example from this château. Vanilla bean oak spice and no trace of dryness; elegance and balance with a sexy flourish. 70% Cab Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. 2023-2036 Ch de Cruzeau 92 Black plum and roasted chestnut aromas and liquorice and damson palate. Cruzeau has excellent gravel terroir and should be a contender to join the GCCs if they ever did a new ranking. 2022-2033 Ch de Fieuzal GCC 92 High-toned kirsch aromas. Ambitious. Dark, tight-knit fruits with good hold from the charcoal and graphite tannins. Impact favoured over restraint, but a well-made, high-quality wine. 2025-2038 Ch La Tour Martillac GCC 92 Silky, sexy, rich damson fruits aged in 30% new oak. A beautiful example of this wine: very strong in an already good vintage. Tannins grip the fruit without strangling; lots of development potential. 2023-2038 Ch Le Pape 92 An easy recommendation; the third vintage under Haut-Bailly ownership. 75% Merlot, 25% Cab Sauvignon. Lovely depth, velvety tannins and dark fruits. Rich toffee finish helped by 30% new oak. 2023-2033 Ch Bouscaut GCC 91 Coffee over black cherry fruits – textbook smoky, chargrilled nose. Sexy, distinctive, damson and black cherry, just a little tight and oak-driven. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 6% Malbec. 2023-2032 Ch Couhins 91 Firm autumn fruit and cinnamon from 58% Cab Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Lovely progression in the glass: nice tight frame. 30% new oak. 2023-2035 Ch Couhins-Lurton 91 An estate only classified for its white, yet is worth following for its reds too. Aged in 40% new oak for 12 months, this is a full and rich expression of black fruits, ground coffee and charred oak. 2019-2032 Ch de Rouillac 91 Loganberry and redcurrant – a lighter, fresher spectrum than many. Rouillac has Eric Boissenot as consultant and he is clearly not looking to push the vintage. Fresh, vibrant drinking. 2021-2035 Ch Hannetot 91 Structured, lesser-known estate owned by Xavier Beaumartin of Ch Laroque in St-Emilion since 2006; Serge Charritte is winemaker. Relaxed fresh redcurrant fruit, a floral touch and nice salinity. 2023-2033 Ch Larrivet Haut-Brion 91 Dark chocolate and damson coulis nose – fruit over finesse. It’s a touch heavy with the ripe fruit but still very pleasurable. 62% Cab Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc. 2021-2033
Ch Le Thil (Comte Clary) 91 Bought by Smith Haut Lafitte in 2012. Vinified in stainless steel then aged in 15% to 20% new oak. More restraint and elegance than sister estate Cantelys but a bit austere right now. 2023-2035 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, Ch Haut-Brion 2L 91 More powerful than La Chapelle this year. 57% Merlot, 42% Cab Sauvignon, 1% Cab Franc. Excellent tannin structure and very good quality fruit of great length. One that is set to develop slowly. 2023-2033 Le Parde de Haut-Bailly, Ch Haut-Bailly 2L 91 60% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauvignon and 10% Cab Franc – the Sauvignon was so good that more was given to Haut-Bailly. Beautiful taut tannins. 2021-2032 Le Petit Haut de Smith, Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 2L 91 60% Cab Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. Some excellent barrels could have gone in the first wine, but were from young vines. Silky tannins, rich depth of fruit. One of best second wines from here. 2021-2032 Les Hauts de Smith, Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 2L 91 Well-ripened, firm dark summer fruits, with a lick of flashy grilled meat – no need to wait too long; lots to enjoy. 55% Merlot, 45% Cab Sauvignon. 2019-2028 Ch Cantelys 90 Buy in good vintages like 2015 as you get Fabien Teitgen and Daniel Cathiard’s winemaking at reasonable prices. Firm tannins and powerful dark cherry fruits. Just a touch short, but this may be the early oak influence. 2021-2035 Ch Ferran 90 Highly extracted bilberry and cassis with silky if bristling tannins. Good potential, a lovely sense of vibrancy and a coffee finish. 70% Merlot, 25% Cab Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 33% new oak. 2022-2032 Ch Gazin-Rocquencourt 90 Rich, juicy black fruit, enjoyable and easy, from 69% Cab Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 40% new oak. The 10th anniversary of the Bonnie family here and a testament to what it has done. Value. 2023-2035 Ch Haut-Nouchet 90 Stéphane Derenoncourt consults at this 15ha estate owned by the Briest family. 59% Cab Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 33% new oak. Ambitious and successful. 2021-2032 Ch Lespault-Martillac 90 Tight tannins, full extraction and very modern. Ripe coffee fruit and grippy tannins; plenty to enjoy. One of the bigger expressions of the vintage. 2022-2035 Ch Luchey-Halde 90 Plum fruit and violet. Dominant oak now but will soften. Promising fruit, tannins and acidity all in balance. The two Cabs, plus Merlot and Petit Verdot, aged in 50% new oak. A good-value pick. 2021-2032 Clos Marsalette 90 60% Cab Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc on gravel soils – organic. Has potential but closed now. 50% new oak. Part owned by Stephan von Neipperg (Canon-la-Gaffelière). 2023-2033 La Chapelle de la Mission, Ch La Mission Haut-Brion 2L 90 Tension and spice but tannins need time to soften. Always effortless confidence in this wine, though not up to 2009 or 2010. 45% Cab Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 25% Cab Franc, 35% new oak. 2021-2032
Recommended
■ Ch La Garde 89 ■ Ch Picque-Caillou 89 ■ Domaine de la Solitude 89 ■ Ch d’Eck 88 ■ Ch Haut-Bergey 88 ■ Ch La Louvière 88 ■ Ch Lafon Menaut 88 ■ Ch Léognan 88 ■ Ch Pontac-Monplaisir 88 ■ Ch Séguin 88 ■ Ch de Rochemorin 87 ■ Ch Haut-Bacalan 87 ■ Ch Le Sartre 87 ■ Domaine de Grandmaison 87 ■ Ch Baret 86 ■ Ch de France 86 ■ Ch HautLagrange 86