Jeb Dunnuck (94)

Coming from the Moueix team, the 2018 Clos La Madeleine checks in as 76% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc from a tiny vineyard (2.3 hectares) on the hillsides of Saint-Emilion, near Belair-Monange. This vineyard was purchased by the Moueix family in 2017, and the 2018 saw malolactic fermentation in barrel and was raised in 40% new French oak. It has classic Saint-Emilion minerality as well as a great nose of blackcurrants, black cherries, chocolate, crushed stone, and graphite. This carries to a powerful, medium to full-bodied 2018 with chalky tannins, terrific mid-palate depth, and a juicy, lively, complex style that keeps you coming back to the glass. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following 15-20 years. It's the finest vintage of this cuvée I've tasted, and I expect the best is still to come.

Discover the Clos La Madeleine 2020, a masterpiece originating from Saint Emilion, perfect for the discerning wine connoisseur. Clos La Madeleine is a distinguished producer, renowned for the remarkable quality achieved from its small vineyard plots. With 2019 marking a shift towards entirely organic practices, they consistently achieve excellence in every bottle. Clos La Madeleine 2020, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, exhibits exquisite structure and enticing bouquet. Its nuanced layers unfold with tantalising hints of ripe fruit, specifically black plum and blackberry, interlaced with subtle hints of cocoa and fine tobacco undertones grounded with classic forest floor notes.

This vintage offers a remarkable level of finesse that is undeniably spellbinding. The Clos La Madeleine 2020, with its expertly crafted balance and nuanced varietal expression, is a shining testament to the exceptional terroir of Saint Emilion. An absolute must for any connoisseur in search of an illustrious Bordeaux experience.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (89)

(80% merlot and 10% each cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon): Fresh red-ruby color. Cassis, blackberry, plum and a whiff of herbs on the nose. Lush, moderately sweet and fine-grained; at once round and vinous thanks to harmonious acidity. Hints of spices and vanilla on the aftertaste, with broad tannins that spread out to coat the palate.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (89)

The 2014 Clos Lunelles has come along nicely over the last two years. Aromatic, nuanced and medium in body, the 2014 nicely captures the fresh, focused style of the vintage. Dark red and purplish stone fruit, lavender and sweet spices add aromatic top notes in this expressive Merlot-based wine. The slightly burly tannins the 2014 showed in its youth remain.

Jeb Dunnuck (93)

Coming from the incredible team at Pavie, the 2019 Clos Lunelles boasts a big, ripe, incredibly sexy and mouth-filling style as well as notes of black plums, black cherries, tobacco, and Asian spices. It brings serious fruit and opulence and is full-bodied, has a round, expansive mouthfeel, sweet tannins, and some obvious underlying minerality. It's already drinking beautifully and should deliver the goods over the coming 10-15 years. While it leads with its fruit, I expect it to show more classic limestone character as it sheds some baby fat.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (91-93)

The 2020 Clos Lunelles is plush, sensual and wonderfully inviting. Inky dark fruit, licorice, lavender and spice envelop the palate. Forward and juicy right out of the bottle. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this gem. The 2020 has an extra kick of vibrancy that works balances the natural intensity of the year.

Jeb Dunnuck (92)

A wine that just screams limestone, the 2021 Clos Lunelles has vivid ruby/purple hue as well as brilliant notes of black raspberries, cassis, white flowers, chalky minerality, and graphite. It's medium-bodied, has a layered, ripe mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, and outstanding length. Give it just a few years and enjoy over the following decade. The blend is 80% Merlot and 10% each of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, raised in 50% new barrels.

Wine Advocate (93+)

From ancient and predominantly ungrafted vines, Clos Manou's 2021 Cuvée 1850 Vignes Prephylloxeriques was matured in equal parts new oak and glass wine globes. Unwinding in the glass with notes of minty berries, violets, rose petals and lilac, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered and concentrated mid-palate, ripe tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, pure finish. In a blind tasting, this could cause serious problems for more than a few top-classified growths, but that's hardly surprising when one has seen Dief's impeccable vineyard work and spotlessly maintained winery.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 2022 Clos Manou has a well-defined and succinct bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow, blue fruit and crushed stone aromas unfurling with aeration. This is heads above other Médoc wines that I tasted from this flight. The palate is medium-bodied, detailed and very harmonious, with seamlessly integrated oak, a fluidity that marks this out and exquisite mineralité on the finish. This is brilliant.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 2022 Clos Manou has a well-defined and succinct bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow, blue fruit and crushed stone aromas unfurling with aeration. This is heads above other Médoc wines that I tasted from this flight. The palate is medium-bodied, detailed and very harmonious, with seamlessly integrated oak, a fluidity that marks this out and exquisite mineralité on the finish. This is brilliant.

Bask in the exquisite richness of Clos Marie Pic-Saint-Loup Glorieuses 2000, a gem crafted in the renowned Pic Saint Loup appellation of Languedoc, France. The result of organic viticulture and meticulous craftsmanship, this vintage red wine mirrors its creators, Christophe Peyrus and Françoise Julien, known for their commitment to authenticity and reverence for the terroir.

A harmonious blend of Grenache and Syrah, this 2000 vintage epitomises the producer's dedication to sustainable agriculture, hand-harvesting, and non-interventionist winemaking. With a seductive, powerful bouquet of black and red fruits, interlaced with spicy nuances, the Clos Marie Pic-Saint-Loup Glorieuses 2000 exhibits structured tannins leading to a delectably complex finish. Maturation for twelve months in oak casks confers refinement and texture to this garnet-hued potion.

Destined to impress, the Clos Marie Pic-Saint-Loup Glorieuses 2000 has been heralded as a pinnacle of the Peyrus-Julien legacy, capturing the essence of a remarkable vintage.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (91)

The 2017 Clos Marsalette is ripe, bold and juicy, with quite a bit of raciness and more overt ripeness than I remember seeing en primeur. At the same time, there is plenty of floral and savory lift from the Cabernets. Sweet red plum, mint, sage, tobacco and cedar are all laced together in this super-expressive, inviting, mid-weight Pessac-Léognan Graves from Stephan von Neipperg. This is such a pretty wine. Tasted two times.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (89-91)

The 2018 Clos Marsalette is quite bold and racy in this vintage and yet there is a good bit of underlying structure as well. Inky blue/purplish berry fruit, licorice and spice are all given an extra kick of juiciness. I really like the wine's extroverted personality. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (89-91)

The 2018 Clos Marsalette is quite bold and racy in this vintage and yet there is a good bit of underlying structure as well. Inky blue/purplish berry fruit, licorice and spice are all given an extra kick of juiciness. I really like the wine's extroverted personality. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (90-92)

The 2020 Clos Marsalette opens with a blast of dark cherry fruit, smoke, gravel, licorice and incense. A big, broad wine Clos Marsalette offers tremendous intensity from start to finish. I imagine it will require at least a few years in bottle to fully come together as the tannins are pretty incisive at this stage. Even so, Clos Marsalette is a super-expressive Pessac Léognan with a good deal of potential.