Bordeaux Wine

92 points Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Clos Des Lunes Lune D'Argent Blanc is a pure, balanced, medium to full-bodied white with clean citrus and floral aromatics, a good spine of acidity, and a clean, lengthy finish. It's a classy Bordeaux Blanc based largely on Sémillon.

70% Semillon 30% Sauvignon Blanc
The wine is aged 6 to 7 months in 25% oak barrels, and 75% in little vats.

Organic

The composition is 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is marked by a vibrant ruby/garnet color married to a richly spicy nose with hints of tobacco and coffee in the background; the flavors are dominated by red currant, cassis, and raspberry; the texture is silky and the wine is smooth and generous on the palate; the subtle tannins have grip but are graceful making this wine particularly welcoming over the near term.
The Pueyos follow traditional vinification techniques. After a 3 day cold maceration, fermentation takes place in both cement tanks and stainless steel tanks. Either way, temperatures are closely monitored so the fermentation proceeds at a controlled pace with maximum temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius. The “cuvaison” (fermentation + maceration) usually lasts between 15 and 20 days. Closely monitoring the temperature during fermentation helps avoid extracting the harsher, more bitter tannins that can appear if the temperature gets too high. Half of the wine is aged in barrels for 18 months following fermentation. Only 25% new barrels and 25% one-year-old barrels are used each year, to avoid overwhelming the fruit. The second part of the cuvée is aged in cement tanks. The two parts of the wine are ultimately blended, then fined with egg whites before bottling.

The 2017 vintage was tied for Third Place in PJ Wine's - Wine of the Year 2021 blind taste-off.

The Aubert family has lived in Saint-Émilion since 1750 and has a long and successful history as producers of some of Bordeaux’s finest wines. They own over 600 acres of vineyard property, making them one of the largest family producers on the Right Bank. Their estate centers around the old family home of Château de Ribebon, a magnificent 18th century building that was once a hunting lodge for King Louis XIV, beautifully preserved, on a terrace overlooking the Dordogne River. Chateau de Ribebon is a blend of 70% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.

This has an array of juicy, rich red-plum and berry aromas and flavors that make for a very impressively balanced wine that has good, persistent red-fruit flavor through the finish. Drink or hold

40% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon and 20% Muscadelle

The wine is aged on the lees for about 3 weeks, which accounts for its round, smooth, and remarkably fruity flavor.
Food Pairing: It is ideal as an aperitif, or with fish, seafood (a must with oysters), and cheese.
Aging Potential: Best enjoyed young (2 years).

Located southwest of Bordeaux in the commune of Haux, Château Lamothe has crafted estate-bottled wine since the 16th century. For four generations succession was passed down on the mother’s side and since 1956 the estate has been run by the Néel-Chombart family. Over the past 60 years the family has amassed prime vineyard land which now spans 80 hectares of clay and limestone slopes on the Right Bank. Additionally, they restored the distinctive façade of the historic chateau (now pictured on all Lamothe labels) and renovated the 17th century limestone quarries into underground cellars ideal for aging.

Vigneron Damien Chombart believes that sustainable farming is not only stewardship of the land, but also as a way to enhance the life of farmers, communities and society. It is a holistic challenge the connects economic success in agriculture with environmental and social responsibilities for all involved.

Winemaking Notes:
Traditional: skin contact and cold fermentation. Aged on the lees for about 3 weeks, which accounts for its smooth and fruity aromas.

Tasting Notes:
Color: gold
Bouquet: floral aromas and fruity aromas (hawthorn, grape fruit).
Palate: round and fresh, slightly pearly. Crisp and long final.

Food Pairing:
Best served at 8/10°C as an aperitif or with oysters, mussels, grilled fishes.

93-95 points Wine Independent
The 2022 Marjosse is a blend of 75% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Malbec. Owner Pierre Lurton commented, "We have a lot of chalk and clay at Marjosse, so we never have a problem with freshness. We recently bought a small plot of Cabernet Franc, which did very well. It was a long harvest starting on 5th September and ending at the beginning of October. We had to go very light on the extraction and we couldn't use any of the press juice because it was too powerful." The wine has a deep garnet-purple color and shoots from the glass with energetic notes of fresh, juicy blackberries, warm plums, and kirsch, followed by hints of cardamom, dusty soil, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is coated with bright, expressive black fruits, supported by a lively backbone and plush, velvety tannins, finishing long, with a spicy lift. Well placed to succeed in these hot, dry vintages and with a good proportion of very old vines, which tend to handle these climatic conditions very well, this is likely to be one of the best bargains of the vintage.

91 points Vinous
The 2022 Marjosse is a bright, nervy red. Floral notes, orange peel, mint and white pepper lend notable energy throughout. Readers will find an atypically vibrant wine for the year. More than anything else, the 2022 represents a pretty significant shift for Marjosse toward a style that focuses on greater freshness than in the past.

Organic / Biodynamic

92 points Vinous
The 2020 Les Plantes, the young vines bottling in this range, is packed with super-ripe dark red/black fruit, graphite, leather, tobacco and licorice. Powerful and heady, with exotic ripeness and tons of sheer allure, the Plantes is gorgeous. Ripeness is definitely pushed to the edge.

The 62-hectare estate, of which some 55 hectares are planted, has been directed by Gonzague Lurton since 1992 and farmed biodynamically since 2013. Soils are quaternary gravels, with a rather low percentage of clay when compared with the likes of Chateaux Margaux and Palmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend, delivering wines of perfume, intensity and concentration. Lurton finds that physiological maturity and analytical maturity are much more synchronized with the new farming methods, even if in a vintage such as 2018 he's suffered, producing a mere 6,000 bottles. Recent vintages have certainly been on a qualitative roll, and today Durfort Vivens (the winery's premier bottling) unquestionably lives up to its 1855 second growth status. Given the quality of the brilliant 2020, prices remain decidedly reasonable, and readers should take notice.

Chateau Durfort Vivens is no newcomer to Bordeaux, they have been around since the 1700s in one form or another. It is rumored that a bottle of Chateau Durfort Vivens in 1844 would have cost more than any other Margaux, other than Chateau Margaux itself. Also, America’s first wine connoisseur Thomas Jefferson ranked it just behind Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, and Chateau Margaux in his famous travel diaries. During the 1855 classification, Chateau Durfort Vivens was ranked a second growth of Margaux. Today I am sure the wines taste differently, however, this does show the pedigree and history of these vineyards.

Today the winery is owned by the renowned Lurton family. In 2009 they experimented with organic farming, loved the results, and fully converted all their vineyards to organic and biodynamic viticulture by 2013. They then received their Demeter certification making Chateau Durfort Vivens the first classified growth in Margaux to be fully certified 100% biodynamic.

91 points Wine Enthusiast
Soft and velvety in texture, this wine is full of ripe fruit. Cushioned by the texture, the tannins are dense enough to promise aging to this wine with potential. Drink from 2024.

100% Merlot aged one year in a combination of neutral oak and steel tank. Medium-bodied, easy drinking Bordeaux with mild tannins. The brambly fruit has a radiance that makes it a pleasure to drink. Truly amazing value and a pleasure to drink, with lovely supple fruit and fine gravelly notes to complete the profile. A baby Graves to drink every night!

Château Cantelaudette is part of the Bordeaux holdings of the Chatelier family, which also owns Château Chatelier (formerly known as Château Fantin). The estate, located in the appellation of Graves de Vayres, was established by the family in 1870. At the time, as was the custom, they planted a variety of crops including grapes.

Château Cantelaudette is set between the cities of Bordeaux and Libourne in the northern part of the Entre-Deux-Mers region on a plateau overlooking the Dordogne River. The proximity to both the river and the ocean brings a warming influence that helps to fully ripen the grapes.

Jean-Michel is committed to improving the impact of farming on the environment and has obtained the demanding Haute Valeur Environnementale certification, which reflects excellence in the areas of biodiversity, plant protection, management of fertilizer use and management of water.

A single-vineyard wine made by the winemaking team of Margaux estate Ch??teau Siran, this wine has structure, dense tannins and layer upon layer of black fruits. 2019 was an excellent vintage in Bordeaux.

80% Merlot, 10.5% Petit Verdot, and 9.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. From an eleven hectare single-vineyard plot on the Margaux border. 25 year-old vines planted in a sandy gravel subsoil with clay topsoil. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for twelve months in French oak, with two rackings.

"This outstanding property in Labarde in the southern part of the Margaux appellation is making consistently delicious, fragrant, deeply colored wines that are in quality on a par with the best Grands Bourgeois Exceptionnels." - Robert Parker, Bordeaux: The Definitive Guide For The Wines Produced Since 1961

Chateau Siran is a highly regarded Bordeaux producer vinifying wine in Margaux. We have had a vintage or two of their Margaux over the years, but we didn?????t know they produce a second wine named Saint Jaques De Siran. And it is this wine that recently knocked our socks off while tasting through an assortment of French wines. Saint Jacques de Siran is a throwback to the Bordeaux of yesteryear with its oak-influenced characteristics. This is not a new-aged, acid-driven Bordeaux all about upfront juicy fruit. No, this has all those classic notes that made Bordeaux popular in the first place, like cedar, saddle leather, tobacco leaf, and dried fruits. I had a flashback while tasting this that it was the early 2000s and I had Bordeau from the nineties in my glass!

Chateau Siran has long been recognized as one of the top estates in Margaux. The property has been in the Miailhe family for six generations????? a total of 160 years. Today, the property covers 88 hectares, with 38 hectares planted to vines. The other fifty hectares are left as woods and meadows, for their beauty and to promote biodiversity, a priority of the Siran team.

The majority of Chateau Siran?????s vines are planted in the commune of Margaux, but they also have a very special 11 hectare parcel on the border, which is classified as Bordeaux Superieur and bottled as ?????Saint-Jacques de Siran?????. The terroir here has clay topsoil over the famous Bordeaux sandy gravel subsoil. The vines are planted at a density of 5,000 vines per hectare and average 25 years old. The Miailhe family has practiced sustainable agriculture since 2000 and the vineyards have been certified sustainable, HVE3 since 2018. Only organic fertilizers are used and they work with grass cover and plowing to control weeds

Winemaker Notes:
"An intense nose, dominated by red fruit, with spices and some oak notes; a round and supple wine with well knit tannins on the palate."

PJ WIne - Best Buy!
Chateau Grimard is a small, three generation-old family estate located in the commune of Lugon, just outside the Fronsac region on the right-bank of Bordeaux. The vineyard lies on a south-east slope, which is ideal for attaining full ripeness. The vines have an average age of 25 years. Chateau Grimard is a classic Bordeaux, offering a deep red-purple color, a lush bouquet, and ripe plummy-cassis fruit with good structure. It is a wine with more definition and character than most other petite
chateaux, which is in part due to the excellent location of the property, where the Merlot grape thrives in the area’s clay soils. Chateau Grimard is vinified and matured in stainless steel tanks to ensure that it gives immediate pleasure at the table. It is a versatile, food-friendly wine that can be enjoyed with fowl and red meat dishes.

The wines are very fruity, round and balanced. Delicious on poultry and white meats. This former property of the Countesses of Rochefort covers an area of 10 hectares. The vines are on average around thirty years old. The soil is sandy-gravelly and the nearby Dordogne provides thermal regulation that is particularly conducive to the ripening of the grapes. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc aged in oak for 3 months

Winemaker's Notes:
Intense and brilliant red. Dense and elegant, the nose displays an aromatic complexity in which cherry notes harmoniously combine with fresh blackcurrant. The attack is full and lush, revealing attractively mature fruit underpinned by powerful tannins. The overall balance is remarkable. The slightly spicy finish, generous and pleasant, is sustained by lingering flavors.

#13 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2025

96 points Wine Spectator
This delivers an energetic tumble of blackberry, boysenberry and black currant paste flavors injected with bramble and apple wood and supported by a licorice snap accent. The strapping finish is laced with violet and iris notes, while a cast iron edge lends bass. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2027 through 2045.

96 points James Suckling
The aromas of blackcurrants and dried flowers with fresh herbs like basil and rosemary are extremely attractive. Medium- to full-bodied, this has firm and velvety tannins with a tension and focus that I have not seen for a while. Long and chewy finish. Solid. Drink after 2028 and beyond.

"Probably the best wine that has come from this estate, along with their 2005, the final blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot boasts Michel Rolland as the consulting oenologist. This organically farmed vineyard has turned out a deeply layered wine with a striking perfume of graphite, wet stones, red and black currants, tobacco leaf and underbrush. The compelling aromatics are followed by a medium-bodied but intensely concentrated wine with loads of ripe fruit, plenty of glycerin (14% natural alcohol) and a long, nuanced, impressively endowed finish. Accessible already, this wine should continue to drink well for 15 or more years." 92+pts WA

"Glorious aromas of freshly picked raspberries, with tiny hints of cream and minerals. Full-bodied, with superfine tannins and a long, long finish of berries and cherries. Super second wine from Margaux. Best Pavillon Rouge I have ever tasted. Best after 2010. 20,525 cases made." 94pts WS

100 points Jeb Dunnuck
Reminding me of the 2018 (as well as the 2009), if not slightly more concentrated, the 2022 Ch??teau L??oville Poyferr?? is one of the most opulent and flamboyant wines out of the M??doc in 2022, and it has incredible intensity while staying light on its feet and graceful. Its dense, glass-staining purple hue is followed by a sensational perfume of cr??me de cassis, graphite, darker chocolate, scorched earth, and flowers. Full-bodied on the palate, it brings extravagant levels of fruit as well as a seamless mouthfeel, beautifully integrated oak, tannins, and acidity, no hard edges, and a gorgeous finish. It shines even today, yet it has beautiful underlying structure and will evolve gracefully over the coming 30+ years. The 2022 is based on 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 18-20 months in 80% new oak.

99 points James Suckling
A mind-blowing Leoville Poyferre, probably one of the best for a long time. Huge depth and structure, showing a deep matrix of fruit full of fresh blackberries and a dash of ink and lead pencil. Such verticality on the full-bodied palate with beautiful balance and a clear finish that goes on and on for more than a minute. Great potential ahead. This was tasted at the UCGB tasting and was one of the best wines of the day. Drink after 2028. It should improve in the next 10 to 15 years.

Organic / Biodynamic

94 points Vinous
The 2022 Clos Puy Arnaud is a dense, extroverted wine. Inky dark fruit, licorice, menthol and cloves are all amplified. Usually Clos Puy Arnaud is more refined, but in 2022, the vintage dominates and speaks loudly. Even so, this is a compelling offering. I look forward to tasting it with bottle age.

95 points Jane Anson
Tasted at the Palmères de Castillon event, where I was a jury member, and this was one of the wines picked out blind. I checked it against a different bottle at home later, and suggest that it is given at least half an hour in a carafe, as it remains fairly closed, but once again this is proof of the quality of 2022, and it's a seriously impressive wine that offers wonderful value. I'm always a fan of Clos Puy Arnaud, and you get the deft precision of the winemaking here, coupled with ripe blueberry and raspberry fruits, liquorice, black tea, pomegranate and slate-scrape tannins. - Inside Bordeaux

70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Danielle Meunier of Château Haut Segottes is the winemaker. Chateau Haut-Segottes second wine provides a supple, beguiling counterpoint to the flagship cuvée’s muscular classicism. Comprised entirely of Merlot—partly from a one-hectare plot in the dark-sand soils of Corbin, and partly from a hectare in Fortin—Clos Petit-Corbin displays the sheer elegance the variety can achieve in this appellation. Florent and Danielle employ no new wood here, and a small portion of the wine remains in tank during the élévage, thereby further emphasizing its purity and drinkability. What strikes the drinker about this wine is its sense of grace: this is not Merlot forced into some caricature of voluptuousness or gym-pumped into an awkward imitation of Cabernet; rather, it revels comfortably in its lip-smacking red-fruited prettiness. It’s the kind of wine that can only be produced here, and only by growers who are able to fully trust noble Merlot to be its truest self.

92 points Decanter
Still fresh and youthful, with oaky vanilla, cool blueberry, tobacco and graphite. A lovely, silky Margaux that speaks of the vintage.

91 points James Suckling
The red fruit is very appealing here with a wealth of raspberries and mulberries, as well as redcurrant notes. The palate has attractively juicy and succulent red berries and a chalky, piercing finish. Second wine of Château Prieuré-Lichine. Try from 2023

The 2008 is as profound as the 2005. Approximately 33% of the crop made it into Ducru, which came in at 13.1% natural alcohol. This 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot blend reveals a dense opaque purple color as well as a gorgeously sweet bouquet of spring flowers, creme de cassis, blackberry liqueur, licorice, espresso roast, and spice. A testament to the density and richness of this wine is the fact that no oak is apparent in the aromas or flavors. The wine is unctuously textured, but analytically, it has a good level of total acid and sound pH. This fabulous offering will age effortlessly for 30-40+ years. - WA96-98

Organic / Biodynamic

94 points James Suckling
Very fine and fruity with a medium body. Juicy brightness with blackcurrant, fresh rose stem and crushed stone undertones. Precise and focused. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.

90-92 points Wine Enthusiast
Barrel sample. A ripe, smoky wine, this hasfine tannins and a texture that is soft and juicy. The black fruits, from a vineyard in the heart of Margaux are rounded while keeping structure.

91 points Vinous
The 2022 La Gurgue offers an intriguing mix of dense, pliant fruit and lifted aromatics that add notable flair. Crushed flowers, mint, spice, blood orange and white pepper are all lifted in the glass. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 17% Petit Verdot, with the high amount of Petit Verdot lending palpable aromatic presence and an exotic quality. La Gurgue is super distinctive in 2022. I would give this a good bit of aeration, as there is a bit of reduction today. This was raised in once-used barrels, concrete ovals, new oak and amphorae.

This Bordeaux blanc is definitely past its prime but wine drinkers with an interest and enthusiasm for whites with age may find it enjoyable. The wine has turned golden in color and has a mild nose of burnt caramel. The palate coats and is textural with nuttiness and more caramel. It finishes like a dry sherry. It might be good with aged Gouda. With this forewarning we will only sell the bottle on a no return basis.

100 points Jeb Dunnuck
The wine of the vintage in Saint-Julien, if not all of the Medoc, the 2019 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou is based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, aged in 100% new French oak, that hit a natural alcohol of 14.2% with a monster IPT (number of tannins) of 88. It's certainly one of the most concentrated Saint-Juliens, revealing a dense purple hue to go with a stacked bouquet of creme de cassis, freshly sharpened pencils, damp clay, tobacco, and hints of spring flowers. Concentrated, full-bodied, and powerful, it has incredible tannins, flawless balance, and a gorgeous finish. While most estates today are playing it safe and producing more ethereal, elegant wines that drink well right out of the gate, thankfully, this estate continues to make concentrated, powerful, age-worthy wines, and this heavenly beauty is as good as it gets! It will need a decade of bottle age to hit the early stages of maturity and will evolve for 50 years or more. Bravo to Bruno Borie! (4/2022)

98 points Vinous
The 2019 Ducru Beaucaillou, which was matured in 100% new oak for 12 months, has a glorious bouquet of cigar humidor, cedar, black fruit and a touch of black truffle, very complex and quite compelling. The palate is still very Pauillac-inspired in style, and finely proportioned, with chiseled tannins. Displaying superb clarity and salinity on the finish, this feels very persistent and utterly charming. It will repay a decade in bottle and then last several more. I believe this will outperform the 2018 in the long run. Neal Martin (2/2022)

96+ points Wine Advocate
Powerful and muscular, the 2019 Ducru-Beaucaillou offers up aromas of cassis, raspberries and cherries mingled with notions of violets and iris, framed by a generous application of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, it's rich but lively, with a deep core of fruit and an ample endowment of ripe, powdery tannins. Fuller maturity and a more rigorous selection over the last two decades have brought what proprietor Bruno Borie characterizes as additional "punch" to this wine, in the form of unprecedented levels of anthocyanins and tannins, but all that substance and structure will require some patience before we'll see if Ducru is still Saint-Julien's most elegant wine. (4/2022)

Organic

65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc from 40+ year old vines planted in clay and gravel. This 5th generation Bordeaux house makes classically rendered, dusty, balanced, thoroughly delicious baby claret.

An Eric Asimov of The New York Times recommendation. This great-value Bordeaux comes from the Borderie family, which has made wine outside of St.-Emilion for five generations. It's a juicy but structured wine, primarily merlot, blended with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Try it with rich, fatty meats like lamb chops to alleviate the firm tannins.

Wine Advocate, 96pts. - "Pale to medium gold colored, the 2009 Coutet leaps from the glass with warm apple pie, dried mango, fresh straw, lemongrass, ginger and cr?me caramel notes. The rich, concentrated, unctuous flavors are lifted by amazing freshness, finishing epically long, layered and with a tantalizing nuttiness."

Decanter, 96pts. - "On clay over limestone soils, relatively cool compared to Sauternes, this has a purity and freshness that is striking . . . Full of the quince, candied orange, truffle, apricot and lemon curd that you hope for in a quality sweet Bordeaux, coupled with lime blossom, ginger and citrus zest adding poise and character."