2011 | WE 90
"More restrained, with redcurrant, plum, cocoa, and cedar. Critics generally rated it around 89–90 points, making it a lighter, earlier-drinking vintage."
2014 | JD 92
"Balanced and elegant, with black fruit and silky tannins. Scores around 91 points reflect solid quality but not a blockbuster."
2015 | JS 97
"A standout modern vintage, with 97 points from James Suckling and 95 from Jeb Dunnuck. Rich, concentrated, with cassis, graphite, and forest floor notes. Excellent aging potential."
About Winery
The Chateau Gazin vineyards cover 64.2 acres in a single lot, with 56.8 acres under vines, located on the renowned clay-gravel plateau of Pomerol. The estate can produce up to 100,000 bottles a year. A second AOC Pomerol wine "l’Hospitalet de Gazin", was created in 1986 in order to reserve the best of the harvest for Chateau Gazin.
The grapes are fermented in small cement vats. The wine is aged for 18 months in oak barrels (50% new) according to the Bordeaux tradition: malolactic fermentation in casks, rackings to separate the fine wine from the lees, fining with egg whites and, if necessary, light filtration.
2012 | JS 92
Pure and precise aromas of dark fruits and currants with hints of stones follow through to a full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Harmonious and very elegant.
2018 | JS 94
Purity of blueberry, blackcurrant and chocolate character here. Shell and iodine. It’s full-bodied, chewy and structured with lots of cool tannins that lead long through the center of the wine. Second wine of La Mission.
About Winery
Produced in small quantities, this second wine is a gateway to the world of Château La Mission Haut-Brion. Its name is a nod to the chapel of La Mission Haut-Brion, built by Lazarist priests in 1698.
2006 | RP 96
Solid but less celebrated vintage; powerful, structured, slightly less balanced
2015 | JD 100
Universally acclaimed; considered one of Haut-Brion’s greatest modern vintages
2018 | JD 98
Deep, complex, full-bodied; praised for balance and longevity
2019 | JS 100
Another exceptional year; rich, structured, with perfect score from JS
About Winery
Château Haut-Brion's history spans five centuries, starting with Jean de Pontac's acquisition of the domain in 1521. He defined the estate's vineyards and built the château in 1549. The property was further developed by his descendants, and its wines gained renown among British aristocrats and authors, including Samuel Pepys, who wrote about them in 1663. Thomas Jefferson also visited and praised the estate's wines. In the 1930s, the property was acquired by the Dillon family, and is still managed by the Dillon family today.
Winemaker Notes
Rich and fine but closed, new wood and stoniness and blackberry sweet, cassis fruit; beautifully balanced wine with a superb concentration of core of fruit, a vital acidity and marked, but very refined, velvety textured tannins; long and energetic to taste, great complexity and thoroughbred feel, superb fruit presence, great fruit core length. This appears to have even more of everything than the fine 2009, above all terrific freshness, tenacity and persistence. A great Poyferré, the best since 1961? Great matter, but entirely without excess or asperity. Very complete! Long term class and splendor. 2024-40+
About Winery
With origins dating back to 1638, Léoville was the largest vineyard in the Médoc region at the time of the French Revolution. Léoville Poyferré springs from various divisions and successions in 1840. Its outstanding quality wines gained early recognition when it was ranked 2nd Growth in the 1855 classification. Château Léoville Poyferré was acquired in 1920 by the Cuvelier family. Château Léoville Poyferré was the Léoville that got left in the starting blocks in terms of reputation and in the quality of its wines. Léoville Poyferré has been owned by the Cuvelier family (who also own Château Le Crock) since 1921, yet it was not until the 1970s, when Didier Cuvelier took control at the château, that quality began to improve. In the last 20 years, Didier, with the assistance of Michel Rolland since 1995, has turned Léoville-Poyferré into one of StJulien's finest estates. Now up with the best of the St-Juliens but still selling at nonscary prices. Léoville Poyferré is classified as a 2ème Cru Classé
Winemaker Notes
Dense and profound color. Nose still shut with scents of red berries and currants, morello. Long, full, potent on the palate, offering up aromas of morello, raspberry, strawberry,and liquorice. Nice mid-palate followed by a beautiful finish with neat and tight tannins. Great wine, very structured with a very good ageing potential.
About Winery
Second growth classified in 1855. With its terroir of big gravels located by the river Gironde, its classic and powerful style, Montrose is often called the Latour of Saint Estephe. Montrose needs time to express its incomparable delicacy. In the first decade, its fantastic potential is hidden behind a certain austerity. In the second decade, the wines open themselves. In the third decade, they explode, and the terroir expresses itself. In the hands of the family Charmolle from 1896 to 2006, it is now run by Martin and Olivier Bouygues.
Winemaker Notes
The vineyard is located in the heart of the terroir of St Julien. On one of the most beautiful hilltops of Garonne gravel, facing the Gironde, the clay-gravelly subsoil makes it possible to perfectly regulate the vagaries of the weather throughout the year. Plowing is traditional, without weeding or herbicide. The vines are mainly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (74%), Merlot (23%) and Cabernet Franc (3%).
About Winery
In 1826, Hugh Barton, already proprietor of Chateau Langoa, purchased part of the big Leoville estate. His part then became known as Léoville Barton. Six generations of Bartons have since followed, and continued to preserve the quality of the wine, classified as a Second Growth in 1855.
In 1983, Anthony Barton, the present owner, was given the property by his uncle Ronald Barton who had himself inherited it in 1929. Anthony Barton's daughter Lilian Barton Sartorius now helps her father in managing the estate. Together, they maintain the traditional methods of winemaking, producing a typical Saint-Julien of elegance and distinction. The Château Léoville Barton is the property of the Barton’s family and Lilian Barton Sartorius manages it with her two children, Mélanie and Damien.
Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Château Figeac showcases a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, and 29% Merlot. The wine is deep garnet-purple in color and offers aromas of redcurrants, black raspberries, and mulberries, with hints of iron ore, violets, and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied, with ripe tannins, bright red fruit, and mineral layers, finishing long and ferrous.
About Winery
Figeac is a very ancient property. In the 2nd century, the Figeacus family gave its name to the estate. Traces of this Gallo-Roman villa still exist today. In the 15th century, FIGEAC was one of five noble houses in Saint-Emilion and passed from the Lescours family, who at that time also owned Ausone, into the hands of the Cazes family, who transmitted it through marriage to the Carles in the 17th century. After the Manoncourt family acquired the property in 1892, FIGEAC was mainly managed by agricultural engineers.
However, in 1943, the year in which Thierry Manoncourt made his first vintage, a period of resurgencebegan for Figeac. Thierry Manoncourt realised in that year the huge potential of FIGEAC’s terroir and urged his mother, a Parisian, to hold on to the estate. In 1955 CHATEAU-FIGEAC became a First Great Classified Growth.
Today, Madame Manoncourt and her daughters are ably supported by highly skilled wine-growing teams and are as eager as ever to guarantee the long-term continuity of FIGEAC.
