Delicious drinking Clarets...

95 Points - Robert Parker

One of the superstars of the vintage, this classic Montrose is not as showy or opulent as the 2010, 2009 or 2003, but it offers a dense purple color followed by gorgeously sweet black raspberry and black currant fruit intermixed with loamy, earthy, forest floor notes, a floral component and a long, full-bodied finish. The 2008 was fashioned from yields of 44 hectoliters per hectare which is slightly less than the 2010's 45 hectoliters per hectare. Forget it for 5-8 years and drink it over the following 20+.

94+ Points - Stuart McCloskey

Mature colour; delicate, rich and attractive bouquet. Soft with beautiful balance. On the palate; velvety, towering yet delicate, rich yet dry. A marvellous wine.

92 Points - Robert Parker

More oaky than most, but showing plenty of buttery, honeyed, complex melony and citrus notes, this wine is medium to full-bodied, tasty, fresh and impressive. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2035.

Tasting like a liqueur of rocks interwoven with crème de cassis, espresso roast, toasty oak, and enormous levels of tannin, it is neither out of balance nor astringent. It is a concentrated, backward, impeccably balanced St.-Emilion made with an uncompromising view of the craft of winemaking. It displays superb intensity, a fabulous texture, a foreboding, tannic overlay, incredibly ripe, pure fruit, and perfectly aligned acidity and tannin.

The Château Tour de Sarrail 2009 has a beautifully defined nose of blackberry, minerals and well integrated oak but it needs patience to unite in the glass. Medium-bodied, contained, focused, with well-integrated if prominent new oak towards its long finish. 

A superlative performance from Branaire Ducru, way above my previous appraisals for Mon. Maroutoux’s Saint Julien estate. On the nose: blackberry, damson, even a touch of marmalade developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, ripe tannins, very powerful and intense, toasty black fruit laced with tar and graphite with a tannic, bold finish - Excellent!

95 Points - James Suckling

Wow. Minerals, cedar, almost like warm stones in the heat. And then some spice. A wine that’s gorgeous, beautiful to taste now, but you know there’s so much more coming to it. Will be better in three to five years. But it’s already gorgeous – decant a couple hours in advance.

94 Points - Neal Martin

This is a superb performance from Langoa Barton. Here, the 2009 has a lifted, perfumed, Burgundy-inspired bouquet that is nicely defined but showing a little more unresolved oak than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit on the entry: strawberry, cedar and blackcurrant. This is strict and very linear, conservative but compelling. The class is here from start to finish and presently stands shoulder to shoulder with its “big bro”.

91 Points - Stuart McCloskey

Well-structured and concentrated with layers of fruit and an inner-core of minerality. Perhaps lacking the definition of the '99 but a delicious wine nonetheless. Drinking now.

92-94 Points - Neal Martin

The de Fieuzal Blanc has a lifted, perfumed bouquet with touches of dried orange peel and apricot blossom that are well defined and vigorous, perhaps leaning slightly to the New World (though there is nothing wrong with that.) The palate is well balanced with crisp green fruit, lemongrass and orange zest that builds to a vibrant, satisfying finish. This is a superb white from the estate.