Bordeaux Futures

The 2023 Beau-Séjour Bécot is fabulous. Vibrant and delineated, the 2023 is a gorgeous, statuesque beauty. The precision here is just unreal. Soaring aromatics, vibrant red-toned fruit and polished tannins convey... Read More

The 2023 Bellefont-Belcier is redolent of black cherry, graphite, chocolate, new leather, incense licorice and espresso. The 2023 offers a compelling mix of Saint-Emilion power and the more finessed tannins the estate is increasingly... Read More

The 2023 Beychevelle is a dark, brooding wine. Blackberry, gravel, dried herbs, chocolate, menthol and incense stain the palate. Time in the glass brings out the wine's freshness and energy, along wit a surprising amount of... Read More

The 2015 Branaire-Ducru has a refines bouquet with cranberry, redcurrant and a hint of tomato vine. This is understated compared to its peers but gains intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and nuanced, with fine... Read More

La Folie de Cantenac Brown is the third wine produced by the prestigious Château Cantenac Brown, an 1855 classified third-growth estate in the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux, France. Starting with the 2007 vintage, this... Read More

In the buttoned-up Bordeaux world of closed doors and oblique glances, there’s something refreshingly charming and old-world at the historical Left Bank estate of Château Charmail [shar-MAI]. The estate may date from... Read More

The 2010 Chasse-Spleen offers attractive blackberry, briary, cedar and pinecone aromas on the Pauillac inspired nose. Good intensity here. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, a fine bead of acidity with another graphite-infused,... Read More

The name of the estate comes from its geographical location on the hill of Cos and the name of François Labory, who was the first owner until 1845.

In 2023, Michel Reybier and his family open a new chapter of the history... Read More

The 2023 d'Armailhac has a delightful bouquet, beautifully defined with pure black fruit laced with graphite. The oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, laden with (again) graphite-infused... Read More

The 2023 Dauzac is a racy, heady wine. Although by no means the last word in complexity, Dauzac offers plenty of immediacy and overall appeal. Red/purplish-hued fruit, spice and floral notes open effortlessly. Dauzac is pretty... Read More

The 2023 Rayne-Vigneau seems to have closed up since I tasted it from barrel, scents of yellow plum, honey and beeswax reluctantly opening with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a mellifluous opening, quite effervescent... Read More

The 2022 Giscours has a more backward nose than I envisaged, which is not a bad thing at this early stage, unfolding with blackberry, blueberry and brine scents. There is real concentration here, but it feels like it's going... Read More

Tucked between châteaux Cos d'Estournel and Montrose, the vineyard covers 61 hectares (150 acres) and is planted with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Overlooking the Gironde estuary, it is... Read More

INSIDER SECRET: Made by the winemaking team of Chateau Cheval Blanc

The vineyard of Chateau La Tour du Pin was at one time, an important part of the massive, 200 hectares, St. Emilion estate, Chateau Figeac. For numerous reasons,... Read More

Tasting Note: Powerful, mineral, concentrated, lively, with a pure expression of fruit…

The 2023 Langoa Barton is all class. There's a bit more fruit density and mid-palate weight than in most vintages, but all the elements are so well balanced. Succulent red cherry/plum fruit, rose petal, pomegranate, mint and... Read More

The 2023 Laroque is classy, elegant and polished. A wine of total understatement and class, Laroque sizzles with all of the tension that is such a signature of the limestone parcels. In some recent vintages, Laroque has been more... Read More

Château Le Coteau is one of the only remaining family-owned properties in the Margaux appellation, a bellwether in biodiversity that produces a balanced, Cabernet-dominant grand vin. The Léglise family has owned this... Read More

The 2018 La Réserve de Léoville-Barton is effusive and boisterous right out of the gate. The estate's second wine offers tons of immediacy, with scents of blueberry, pencil shavings, lavender and menthol open... Read More

The 2023 Léoville-Poyferré is every bit as compelling as it was en primeur. Silky and aromatic, with gorgeous mid-weight balance, the 2023 impresses with class and understated finesse. Black cherry, lavender, menthol,... Read More

The 2023 Lynch-Bages is a super-classic Lynch Bages through and through. Deep, rich and plush, with soft contours and tons of energy, the 2023 is terrific. All it needs is time to come together. Floral, spice and pomegranate overtones... Read More

Tasting Note: When young, Château Magnol shows a brilliant rich ruby colour. On the nose it develops an elegant and fruity bouquet, favoured by the blackcurrant notes of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the redcurrant notes of... Read More

The 2016 Marquis d'Alesme Becker is going to need a few years to come into its own, but there is no question it has turned out beautifully. Espresso, savory herb, licorice, mint and raspberry jam build in a resonant, expressive... Read More

Like all the greatest wines of the appellation, Château Pédesclaux has the complexity that reflects the terroir it springs from. On this mosaic of soils, the clays convey power while the gravels express pure elegance.... Read More

The 2023 Pontet-Canet envelops the palate with silky tannins as hints of vibrant red-toned fruit, crushed flowers, spice and dried herbs fill out the layers. The 2023 is an exceptionally finessed Pontet-Canet. This is the first... Read More

Chateau Poujeaux has an interesting history that can be traced all the way back to the 16th Century. At the time, the owner of Chateau Latour in Pauillac, Gaston De L’Isle, owned the estate. He was also responsible for building... Read More

The 2017 Prieuré-Lichine is powerful and dense, with quite a bit more structure and tannic heft than it showed en primeur. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but there is no question the 2017 has developed into a pretty... Read More

Classified as a First Growth in 1855. Rieussec is one of the biggest estates of Sauternes with 227 acres of vines, situated on the “communes” of Sauternes and Fargues, high above the Garonne River, in a small area... Read More

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc-which Fabien Teitgen told me was not picked too early like other châteaux-has a very fine bouquet of mainly yellow fruit, Anjou pear and beeswax scents, as a fennel tincture gradually surfaces... Read More

The 2023 Sociando-Mallet has a more savoury, spicy nose with black fruit and a touch of saddle leather. Quite different, but attractive in its own way. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins, red and black fruit together... Read More

The estate took the name of Suduiraut in 1580 on the marriage of Nicole d'Allard to Léonard de Suduiraut. The château was plundered and burned down during the Fronde insurrection, then rebuilt in the XVII century.... Read More

Medium red-ruby. Roasted plum, iron and smoke on the nose, along with a faint herbaceous aspect; distinctly more evolved than the 'OO. Supple and sweet, with nice texture and balance but modest complexity. Still, this offers... Read More

Château Tronquoy-Lalande, situated in the heart of the appellation, is one of the oldest Saint-Estèphe wines. It takes its name from François Tronquoy, the estate’s first owner, and the place-name La... Read More

The 2021 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is a dense, powerful dry white. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2021 is going to need quite a bit of time to be at its best. Today, the wine's textural intensity and some oak are... Read More

The 2023 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is dense, powerful and quite substantial. Naturally, it needs time in bottle, as all vintages do at this address. Hints of marzipan, lemon confit, tangerine oil and white truffle begin to emerge... Read More

The 2018 Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is a powerful, muscular wine. Black cherry, gravel, dark spice, menthol, licorice and espresso add to an impression of brooding intensity. Saint-Pierre was so compelling from barrel. It is... Read More

This 17-hectare estate is run by the Guinaudeau family, who in recent years have decided to work here just as they do at Château Lafleur. In fact, Grand Village and Lafleur are synergistic: all Grand Village's vineyards... Read More