Greg Sherwood MW (96)

This certainly is a deep, broody exotic expression of Cabernet Sauvignon that is more reminiscent of a cool vintage Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon than anything from Bordeaux or the Cape. Opened and tasted over 4 to 5 hours, the wine hits its stride surprisingly quickly with plenty of perfumed purple flowers, violets, bruleed black berries, baked blueberry crumble, crème de cassis and a pleasing note of mocha and vanilla pod spice. Initial notes of kelp and maritime seashore salinity quickly give way to a more weighty, sensual melange of black berry compote nuances and hints of cherry kirsch liquor. While this wine certainly shows all the deft elegance and finesse we associate with the 2017 vintage, it also displays a certain extra gravitas, power and weight of fruit concentration combined with great poise, density and a seamlessly textured mineral graphite finish. This is a dark horse that will drink well on release and age deceptively well for 20+ years.

Vinous (95)

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 7% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc and spent 22 months in seasoned French oak. It has a classy bouquet of expressive red berry fruit, cedar and light undergrowth aromas that leans toward the Left Bank. The palate is medium-bodied with great sapidity right from the start. The tannins are extremely fine here, and the finish fans out gloriously with just enough bite to tempt you back for another sip. This is an outstanding Cabernet from winemaker Alex Starey.

Decanter (98)

An historical wine, Vin de Constance has been re-established in the last few years as one of the world’s finest sweet wines. Dried Muscat grapes are aged for three years before bottling, in French and Hungarian casks with a touch of acacia wood. Citrus, orange zest, rosewater and spice notes leap out of the glass. The palate has a laser-like focus with massive sweetness perfectly balanced by acidity and a mineral finish. As impressive as Château d’Yquem (and considerably better value).

Tim Atkin MW (98)

Increasingly celebrated as one of the great sweet wines of the world, not just the Cape, Vin de Constance is a delight to taste and review. Slightly drier than the 205 release at 165 grams of sugar, it has more in common with the Loire or Tokaji than it does with Sauternes in terms of freshness and structure.

Tim Atkin MW (98)

"Lighter and lighter" is the motto at Klein Constantia these days, according to Matt Day. The latest, world-class release of Vin de Constance certainly doesn’t lack sweetness at 165 grams or even concentration, but it has a freshness that's reminiscent of Vouvray or Barsac. Subtly wooded in 50% new barrels, it unfurls layers of citrus, toast and tarte tatin, with a drizzle of honey and vivid acidity and palate length. Bravo!

Matthew Jukes (19.5++)

I am informed by the top man at Klein Constantia that the price will be the same as last year’s superb 2017 and all of the likely candidates in the UK are likely to hold stock. It will require a little effort on Google and you will see that a large number of wine merchants will list 2018 Vin de Constance and while the prices swing around like no other wine I know, at £60 or so, for a half litre, it certainly makes sense to me and when you consider the sheer quality of this vintage, it is a bargain for this celestial experience. Stock is likely to arrive in September 2021, but do feel free to register your interest with your preferred wine merchant now. Vintage reports suggest that the build-up to the 2018 harvest brought the highest summer rainfall of the last six years and, combined with some of the coldest night-time temperatures on record, the vines were granted a very long and very slow growing season. These conditions have imbued extreme delicacy of perfume and flavour and also staggering concentration and length in this wine. It also means that the 2018 vintage has otherworldly characteristics and I cannot remember a young vintage tasting so refined and demure. Light bunches and tiny Muscat de Frontignan berries underline just how unusual this vintage was and with a harvest that was a fortnight later than average and crops down by about 15% all of these facts make sense when you taste this ethereal wine. Aged for three years in a combination of 50% new French oak barrels, a small number of acacia barrels, as well as large format foudres, this is both a sensual and also sensitive wine. For a start, the colour is incredibly pale – think a young Sancerre! But the viscosity is amazing when you pour a glass because the liquid moves ever so slightly slower and more deliberately into the glass. The lights come on and the brain fires up immediately and it takes you by surprise just how quickly your olfactory system senses that you are in the presence of greatness. I was in a state of heightened anticipation, long before I raised the glass to my lips and the reward is exquisite. The perfume and palate combine in an astral haze of delight with orange blossom, fig, lemon verbena, wild honey and acacia notes caressing your senses. The texture is super-smooth, incredibly long and unnervingly gentle. It certainly possesses the longest finish I can remember on a Vin de Constance and I have, very fortunately, a tasted huge number of vintages of this wine. If you have never tasted this wine before, please start with this vintage – it will blow your mind. If you have and you are a fan, this is a critical purchase for your collection. I cannot wait to add this wine to my cellar later in the year.

Wine Spectator (97)

A Pomerol of a different color, relying heavily on dense muscle and dark charcoal notes, with a core of fig, blackberry paste and blueberry reduction waiting in reserve. Very solid through the finish, displaying a thick ganache coating and extra loam, black licorice and dark fig notes rolling through. Best from 2017 through 2037. -JM

James Suckling (100)

Stunning aromas of blackberries, black olives, brown sugar and dried flowers. Tar. Full-bodied, dense and layered. Superfine tannins, yet this is muscular and long. An amazing wine reminiscent of the great L’Evangiles of the 1950s. Straight track. Goes on and on. Truly great wine. Try in 2024. Just a baby.

Wine Spectator (92)

Delivers a gorgeous array of violet, plum sauce, melted black licorice and steeped blackberry fruit, lined with subtle ganache and fruitcake notes. Long and fleshy through the finish, with a lovely graphite accent carrying all the components. Very pure, with a lovely mouthfeel. Best from 2016 through 2024. 833 cases made. -JM

James Suckling (97-98)

This is very intense and mineral on the palate with so much salt and white pepper character. Full and powerful. A great and structured L’If.

James Suckling (96)

Fabulous nose of spice, mushrooms, blueberries and blackberries follows through to a full body, with firm tannins and a silky tannins. This is so savory and beautiful. Best second wine ever from La Mission. Give it until 2018 to open, but hard to wait.

Jeb Dunnuck (94-96)

The second wine of this great estate, the 2019 La Chapelle De La Mission Haut-Brion checks in as 50% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's a brilliant second wine, offering loads of ripe blackcurrants and blueberry fruits intermixed with Asian spice, chocolate, and dried flowers. It packs some muscle as well and has a rounded, opulent texture, full body, ripe tannins, and a great finish. You'd be excused for thinking this was another estate grand vin.

Jeb Dunnuck (92+)

Brought up in 30% new French oak and based on an 80/20 split of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Château La Chenade has a classy, beautiful nose of crème de cassis, dried tobacco, lead pencil, and earth. This carries to a vibrant, medium-bodied Lalande de Pomerol with fine yet present tannins, a solid spine of acidity, and a great finish. It's another release from Denis Durantou that's going to benefit from just short-term cellaring and cruise for a decade.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (96)

The 2017 Lafleur-Petrus is elegant, polished and wonderfully refined from start to finish. Everything just falls into place effortlessly. Aromatic, sculpted fruit gives the 2017 its sense of regal beauty and total finesse. Beautifully lifted and precise, it is framed by gentle, silky tannins. Small red berries, mint, blood orange, spice and licorice develop in the glass, but it is the wine's cashmere-like softness that impresses most. In 2017 Lafleur-Petrus is a real standout.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2005 La Mission Haut-Brion is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Effusive aromatics and bright, red-toned fruit make a strong first impression. A wine of vertical intensity and explosive energy, the 2005 is a towering masterpiece. Today it is just at the beginning of a long drinking window that will last another few decades. Red cherry, plum, leather, spice, gravel, smoke, blood orange and pomegranate infuse the palate staining finish. In 2005, La Mission is a wine that satisfies all the senses, from the intellectual to the hedonistic. Magnificent. Tasted two times.

James Suckling (100)

The purity in this wine is really mindblowing. So perfect. Licorice. Stone. Blackberry, blueberry. Full body. The power is amazing. But then it finishes etheral and so agile and beautiful. I am lost for words. This will rank with the best ever from here including 1975 and 1929. 58% merlot, 35% cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc.

Vinous - Neal Martin (99)

The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion was stunning from barrel, and now in bottle. It has a sublime bouquet of blackberries, briar and hints of dark chocolate and rose petals that gain intensity with aeration while maintaining ethereal delineation. It never steps on the accelerator too hard. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is still a veneer of new oak that will need to be assimilated over the coming years. This is a deep La Mission that caresses the mouth. Touches of graphite lingering on a finish that fans out gloriously. Is the 2016 up there with the 1955 or 1989? Nearly.

James Suckling (94-95)

This is the best La Patache I have tasted with a fantastic depth of fruit and a center palate that is solid and beautiful. Lots of dark-berry, dark-chocolate and hazelnut character. Very long and persistent palate.

James Suckling (93-94)

This is very tight and long for Petite Église with a very compact and focused palate. Medium-to full-bodied, compressed palate with ripe tannins that are firm and fresh.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 1998 la Tour Blanche is medium gold in color with quite an earthy, savory nose giving up perfumed notions of orange blossoms and honeysuckle over preserved apricots, apple pie and allspice hints. It's wonderfully elegant, sophisticated and beautifully balanced in the mouth, with oodles of layers and epic length.

Decanter (94)

This is intense with tons of tar and cloves against the well-defined cassis fruits and lovely vibrant violet edging. The silky texture and legs indicate generous alcohol, but this is balanced, if on the larger side. It takes its time in the glass, at first a little overpowering, but it settles into itself and has been well handled offering good ageing potential. There were new owners as of harvest 2018, as French entrepreneur Jérôme Pignard took over from American co-owners; the Gant, Ferenbach and Sachs families.

James Suckling (95)

A very elegant and polished Margaux with great structure and an attractive touch of herbal freshness, then a delicate touch of sweetness at the long, fine finish. A blend of 38 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 52 per cent merlot, six per cent cabernet franc and four per cent petit verdot.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)

The 2017 Labégorce is powerful yet nuanced, and wonderfully complete. Cedar, tobacco, mint, dried herbs and licorice grace this wine of tremendous complexity. While it is towering in its size, richness and intensity, the 2017 is also surprisingly elegant. Creamy, ample and flavorful, this is a very good wine with rather pretty floral notes that grace the exquisite finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (93-96)

Another winner from Margaux is the 2018 Château Labégorce, which is an interesting blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (although I was given slightly different blends for the two samples tasted). Aging in 40% new oak, this deeply colored effort offers a beautiful perfume of blueberries, raspberries, flowers, and spice. It’s medium to full-bodied, has remarkable purity, and fine tannins, and should be approachable right out of the gate. It’s worth mentioning this estate has been managed by Marjolaine de Coninck since 2009, and it’s a rocking value in the market today. Tasted twice.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

On another level and one of the greatest young Bordeaux I’ve ever tasted, the 2016 Lafite-Rothschild is composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot raised in new oak. It takes the classic elegance and class of Lafite and turns the dial up to 11, offering a massive, heavenly array of blackcurrants, cedar pencil, graphite, tobacco, and incense aromas and flavors that soar from the glass. Deep, full-bodied, and flawlessly constructed, with perfectly integrated fruit, acidity, and tannins, this is legendary stuff all the way. It will be drinkable in 7-8 years and keep for 50-75 years or more. Along with Mouton, it’s the wine of the vintage from the Médoc. Hats off to director Eric Kohler.

Beautiful colour and depth. Black berry and some sloe fruit. Svelte palate and thickly layered texture. Tightly wound but clearly exceptionally crafted. A fine Lafite that lives up to expectations, potentially outperforming its fellow First Growths.

Beautiful colour and depth. Black berry and some sloe fruit. Svelte palate and thickly layered texture. Tightly wound but clearly exceptionally crafted. A fine Lafite that lives up to expectations, potentially outperforming its fellow First Growths.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2018 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to unlock notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and crème de cassis, with touches of menthol, Indian spices and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling, spicy black fruits with velvety tannins and a long, energetic finish.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2018 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to unlock notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and crème de cassis, with touches of menthol, Indian spices and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling, spicy black fruits with velvety tannins and a long, energetic finish.