Wine Advocate (96)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Marquis d'Alesme Becker leaps from the glass with gregarious notions of plum preserves, crème de cassis and Black Forest cake with hints of potpourri, star anise, menthol and tapenade. Full, rich, firm and grainy, with fantastic freshness lifting the densely packed palate, it has a long, beautifully fragrant finish.

Wine Advocate (96)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Marquis d'Alesme Becker leaps from the glass with gregarious notions of plum preserves, crème de cassis and Black Forest cake with hints of potpourri, star anise, menthol and tapenade. Full, rich, firm and grainy, with fantastic freshness lifting the densely packed palate, it has a long, beautifully fragrant finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

A rock star Margaux that should be snatched up by readers, the 2018 Château Marquis D'Alesme reveals a dense purple hue as well as ripe, sexy notes of blackcurrants, spicy oak, tobacco leaf, earth, and cedar. Deep, full-bodied, and gorgeously concentrated, it has velvety tannins, a layered, mouthcoating texture, and a great finish. It's a baby, but wow, what a wine. Hide bottle for 5-7 years if you can (you'll be forgiven for opening a bottle early) and it's going to evolve for 30-40 years.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2009 Volnay Caillerets is one of the subtler polished wines in this lineup. A model of weightless elegance, it presents hints of rose petals, sweet red cherries, licorice and minerals, all wrapped up in a sensual package that is impossible to resist. The wine’s understated finesse and inner sense of energy are both remarkable. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029.

Vinous (96)

Good medium red. Captivating aromas of black cherry, dark raspberry, minerals and flowers have shed the reductive character that made this wine difficult to taste shortly after the bottling. Juicy, penetrating and wonderfully elegant, delivering outstanding flavor intensity without any impression of heaviness. Red berry, red cherry and flowers dominate the middle palate, with an element of saline minerality expanding with air. Really stains the palate and titillates the salivary glands on the very long, rising finish. This wine is so well-balanced that it's delicious right now, but it has the solidity, sappiness and tannic structure for a slow and graceful evolution in the cellar. A transcendent premier cru. (14.1% alcohol; September 23 harvest; 3.5 pH; a major attack of oidium in Clos des Ducs in August resulted in a crop level of just 19 hectoliters per hectare, according to Angerville, who noted that the younger vines in the upper part of the vineyard were particularly affected)

Wine Enthusiast (94)

This is a beautiful wine. Stylish and elegant, it has structure while at the same time impressive fruitiness. The velvety tannins go with the crisp black-currant fruits. It will certainly age well and should be drinkable from 2026.

Wine Advocate (96)

The flagship 2018 Clos Martinet is the wine that started it all and is still a blend of Garnacha (Tinta and Peluda), Syrah, Cariñena, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell as it was since the beginning but now with a restrained 13.5% alcohol and higher acidity. Clos Martinet is a single five-hectare terraced vineyard planted with clonal material in 1986 on decomposed llicorella slate, iron and big rocks in the soil. The varieties are co-fermented depending on the date picked—at three different ripening times—in two concrete vats and 200-liter oak vats with indigenous yeast and whole clusters. The beginning and end of the élevage was in concrete, and in between they used 2,000- and 4,100-liter oak vats and some 20% in glass demijohn and amphorae. The wine is subtle and a bit shy, insinuating rather than in your face. There is a lot less ripeness than in the past. It's medium-bodied and fluid, fresh and balanced. This is a very elegant Clos Martinet. 11,070 bottles and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in June 2020.

Wine Advocate (95)

Their flagship 2019 Clos Martinet, one of the wines produced in the first vintage of the new Priorat in 1989 by the father of Sara Pérez, is still a blend of Garnacha (Tinta and Peluda), Syrah, Cariñena, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell. The nose is dark despite the lowish alcohol (13.5%) and has an earthy touch, with hints of fountain pen ink and abundant grainy tannins. 14,000 bottles produced.

Wine Advocate (94)

Aromas of cherries and berries mingle with notions of licorice, spices and sweet soil tones to introduce the 2019 Morgon Côte du Py, a medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated wine that's seamless and complete, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a long, sapid finish. Serious and compelling, it's a terrific effort from Mee Godard.

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

Tasted blind. Very dark crimson. Intense Indian ink on the nose. Give me my calligraphy pen! Rich and round. Very glamorous. So much effort has gone into every drop of this …. VGV

Vinous (93)

Pale bright yellow. Pear, apple and stone on the nose. Juicy and intense on the palate, showing lovely energy and minerality. A major step up in intensity and length from the Charmes, displaying lovely definition and a saline quality. Offers a rather refined texture, with its harmonious acidity well supported by flesh. Finishes with good lingering fruit and stone flavors.

Matthew Jukes (20)

I tasted this wine for the very first time on the 31st of January and it moved me so much that I wanted to write it up on the spot. It was clear to me that this bottle was a once in a lifetime Sauvignon Blanc experience. I was told I couldn’t review it because it was a preview sample and it was not due into the UK until later in the year. Since first tasting this wine I have been playing a game of trying to think of a finer wine made from this oft-derided and seemingly out-of-fashion-with-the-cognoscenti grape. From the hundreds of labels made by the acknowledged Sauvignon Blanc masters of the universe, I cannot think of a single wine which combines all of the epic SB attributes in one single wine. Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux, Haut Brion Blanc (ok, this has Semillon on board), Gembrook Hill, early Cloudy Bays, countless Chavignols from Cotat, Redde’s own wines, Cantine Terlano, Colterenzio, Reverdy, Spottswoode, Casa Marín, Dagueneau, Dog Point, Jackson Estate, The Berrio, Iona, Viña Leyda, Dry Creek Vineyards, Larry Cherubino’s epic 2017, The Lane Vineyard’s Gathering (again with Semillon loitering with intent), Shaw Smith, Cape Point Vineyards, Duckhorn, Greywacke, Boulay, Pellé and on and on, are all fantastic Sauvignons, but they are not as complete nor as enchanting at 2017 Barre à Mine. We can all circumnavigate the globe and pick any one of a hundred talented Sauvignon Blanc wizards’ creations and while their wines are undoubtedly delicious, impactful and worthy of admiration, I cannot remember a bottle which has the cosmic balance or the inescapable magic that this one does. I tasted it again last night and came to the conclusion that this is a wine which cannot be improved so, while I never thought that this day would come, I am overjoyed to give a Sauvignon Blanc a perfect 20/20 in my tasting notes. Barre à Mine translates as ‘Crowbar’. Never has such a blunt instrument inspired such an exquisite flavour.

Vinous (93)

Produced from a flint site that needed to be blown up to make the terroir and made from relatively young vines, this is initially a tender and supple style with a whiff of gunsmoke/flint, a taut line of precision that runs through its core, a mere hint of green herbs reminding you that Pouilly is a Sauvignon producer and even a hint of white pepper. It's a powerful style that has an attractive sense of bitterness holding it together. At just 13%, this is wonderfully balanced, aromatic and driven in this vintage. You may even feel this sense of spice that warms the palate, almost like you've had a warming Indian curry - it's not the alcohol but something else - maybe it's the lint. Unique and intriguing.

James Suckling (97)

Dried strawberries, orange peel, roses and other flowers, such as orange blossom. It’s full-bodied with layers of fruit and beautiful density to the palate. Exceptional finish. It’s the super fine texture that really pleases both your mind and your palate. Drink or hold.

Jeb Dunnuck (94)

The second wine of Troplong Mondot and 100% Merlot, the 2016 Mondot reveals a deep, saturated purple color as well as a rocking nose of black cherries, graphite, chocolate, and scorched earth. Ripe, deep, and sexy, with sweet tannins, it’s a rocking entry-level wine to drink over the coming 10-15 years. There are under 2,000 cases.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (94)

This is an excellent vintage of Montlandrie, with smoked coffee and cocoa bean, a ton of salinity, powerful blue and red fruits, super juicy on the finish. Enticing curled woodsmoke as it comes out of the glass, slate finish with a scrape of minerality. 40% new oak. Harvest September 30 to October 10.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2010 Montrose is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to bring out notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, warm cassis, and licorice, followed by hints of mocha, tapenade, crushed rocks, and cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate has a formidable structure of very firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the voluptuous black fruit and mineral layers, finishing long, long, long.

The Wine Independent (100)

A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Montrose is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes tearing out of the glass with rambunctious scents of creme de cassis, juicy blackberries, and blueberry pie, leading to hints of menthol, dark chocolate, licorice, and tree bark with a touch of crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is chock full of bright black fruits with loads of spicy sparks and a firm, wonderfully velvety texture, finishing long and energetic.

The Wine Cellar Insider (98)

Deep and shiny in color, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, pencil shavings and dark fruits appear with no effort at all. Full bodied, lively, vibrant and juicy fruits, this wine is long and intrepid with a strong tannic backbone. The tannins are perfectly polished and there is an established purity of fruit and a structure to age for decades. Like all the top vintages of Montrose, you will need to allow it time in the cellar, at least 10 to15 years, which in the world of Montrose is almost forward. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. The Grand Vin was made from 37% of the harvest, which took place September 12 to September 29.

The Wine Cellar Insider (98)

Deep and shiny in color, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, pencil shavings and dark fruits appear with no effort at all. Full bodied, lively, vibrant and juicy fruits, this wine is long and intrepid with a strong tannic backbone. The tannins are perfectly polished and there is an established purity of fruit and a structure to age for decades. Like all the top vintages of Montrose, you will need to allow it time in the cellar, at least 10 to15 years, which in the world of Montrose is almost forward. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. The Grand Vin was made from 37% of the harvest, which took place September 12 to September 29.

James Suckling (92-93)

This is crazy stuff with a super lively acidity and then plenty of fruit and alcohol. Minerally and fruity at the same time. Excellent purity. One of the best ever from here.

Decanter (94)

So full of deeply-drawn berry fruit, fresh and juicy with touches of liquorice bud and rosemary, thirst quenching and yet thirst inducing in that amazing way that limestone can both refresh and make you thirst for more at the same time. An excellent Moulin St Georges, and such a step up from the more sandy soils that you find at Fonbel and the two Simard estates in this year's range of Vauthier-owned wines that this alone can help you understand how to navigate 2020.

Vinous (95)

Starting to take on a deep golden hue, the 1997 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon is a sensuous sweet wine (92g/L of residual sugar) that offers ripe and concentrated flavors of apricot jam, cooked oranges botrytis-derived spices (60% of the fruit was affected by botrytis, a high proportion for this wine). It is intense, rich and honeyed, coating the palate with its sucrosity. There's just enough acidity here to keep things going but it does not have the vivacious refreshment of cooler years, providing a weightier, fully charged expression. The finish is lengthy and fragrant.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Incredible in every sense of the word, this has everything you could want in a Pauillac and from Mouton Rothschild. Just as good, but different in style from the opulence found in the 2009, here you find incredible levels of intensity, density, richness, vibrancy and lift. The wall of fruit is perfectly ripe, expressing its purity along with crushed rocks, flowers, spice box, lead pencil, currants, cassis, blackberries, and Cuban cigars. The racy finish is seamless and crosses the 60-second mark with ease. This is not a wine for today. This is for the future. Your children can enjoy it at maturity.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Incredible in every sense of the word, this has everything you could want in a Pauillac and from Mouton Rothschild. Just as good, but different in style from the opulence found in the 2009, here you find incredible levels of intensity, density, richness, vibrancy and lift. The wall of fruit is perfectly ripe, expressing its purity along with crushed rocks, flowers, spice box, lead pencil, currants, cassis, blackberries, and Cuban cigars. The racy finish is seamless and crosses the 60-second mark with ease. This is not a wine for today. This is for the future. Your children can enjoy it at maturity.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

#23 in top 100 wines of 2015 This is a beautifully opulent wine, great Mouton in its richness and succulent fruits. It's combines structure and obvious new-wood aging with hugely ripe black plum and currant flavors. While it is a pleasure to taste now, there is a great tannic structure in the background to give the sense of power and aging potential. Drink from 2024.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

#23 in top 100 wines of 2015 This is a beautifully opulent wine, great Mouton in its richness and succulent fruits. It's combines structure and obvious new-wood aging with hugely ripe black plum and currant flavors. While it is a pleasure to taste now, there is a great tannic structure in the background to give the sense of power and aging potential. Drink from 2024.