Saint Julien

Release date: 6/6/2024

The 2023 Sarget de Gruaud Larose is a pretty serious second wine. Succulent dark cherry, plum, licorice, spice and mocha are all front and center. The presence of the fruit here is alluring. Soft,The 2023 Sarget de Gruaud Larose is a pretty serious second wine. Succulent dark cherry, plum, licorice, spice and mocha are all front and center. The presence of the fruit here is alluring. Soft, plush contours wrap it all together in style. I very much like the depth here. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

Release date: 6/6/2024

The 2023 Gruaud Larose is a powerhouse. Rich and ample, with striking depth, the 2023 offers notable resonance from start to finish. Black cherry, blackberry, licorice and spice fill out the layersThe 2023 Gruaud Larose is a powerhouse. Rich and ample, with striking depth, the 2023 offers notable resonance from start to finish. Black cherry, blackberry, licorice and spice fill out the layers nicely. The 2023 is a big, potent Gruaud Larose that will need a number of years to be at its best. This is a terrific example of the vintage at its finest. Drinking range: 2033 - 2063 Rating: 94-96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

Release date: 3/6/2024

The 2023 Branaire Ducru was picked from September 12, on the same day as last year, albeit with a longer harvest, as they finished on October 4. Yields were 53hL/ha, and the blend is almost the sameThe 2023 Branaire Ducru was picked from September 12, on the same day as last year, albeit with a longer harvest, as they finished on October 4. Yields were 53hL/ha, and the blend is almost the same as the 2022. This is the second vintage made in the new winery. My sample came from a new-oak barrel, but the final blend will include 60%. Lucid purple in color, it has a charming, very pure bouquet, perhaps less opulent than some of its Saint-Julien peers, yet precise. Delicate floral scents permeate the predominant red fruit, never bursting from the glass but unfurling with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly edgy tannins that impart tension, veering slightly more to black fruit on the mid-palate. This is certainly one of the most elegant Branaire-Ducru vintages to date, but it has more weight on the finish (something that has been addressed in recent years.) Understated and sapid, it should be open for business a little earlier than others, but it will age well over 20 to 25 years. Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

Release date: 23/5/2024

This is tight but has creamy, round tannins and a juicy character. Blackberries, chocolate and spices on the medium-bodied palate. Chewy and polished.This is tight but has creamy, round tannins and a juicy character. Blackberries, chocolate and spices on the medium-bodied palate. Chewy and polished. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)

Release date: 23/5/2024

This is very much in the character of Lagrange over the past few years, showing precision and confidence in its construction, finessed and elegant, with St Julien balance and reserved power. WillThis is very much in the character of Lagrange over the past few years, showing precision and confidence in its construction, finessed and elegant, with St Julien balance and reserved power. Will absolutely deliver for fans of classical Left Bank Bordeaux with its slate tannins, savoury Cabernet black and blue fruits, fresh leaf tea, tobacco, raspberry leaf, spiced sage and lusicous mouthwatering signoff. 51hl/ha yield. Drinking range: 2027 - 2037 Rating: 89 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)

Release date: 22/5/2024

The blend of the 2023 from Léoville-Poyferré is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, picked at a yield of 52.78 hl/ha (this is the figure across all theThe blend of the 2023 from Léoville-Poyferré is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, picked at a yield of 52.78 hl/ha (this is the figure across all the Cuvelier’s St Julien vineyards) from September 14th, nearly a week later than some, to October 5th. A very dark hue, the aromatics here are delightful, with seams of dark and fragrant fruits, roses, violets and dark chocolate, the cohesion and delineation putting this streets ahead of Pavillon, Moulin Riche and Le Crock, all tasted alongside. The palate is fresh, pure and bright, with beautifully dark and savoury fruits, blackcurrants, olives, blackberries, dark chocolate and roses, underneath which there is a wealth of ripe, polished, richly knit tannins, which support the sinewy and bright structure of the palate, as well as the fresh black fruits. A delicious St Julien, with a long and gripped finish, and fine potential. Tasted three times. The alcohol on analysis is 13.1%. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

Release date: 21/5/2024

Plummy red fruits, fresh acidities, sculpted tannic architure, this has balance and finesse, white pepper, capsicum spice, black tea, cigar box, liqourice root, rose petals, fine tannins, St JulienPlummy red fruits, fresh acidities, sculpted tannic architure, this has balance and finesse, white pepper, capsicum spice, black tea, cigar box, liqourice root, rose petals, fine tannins, St Julien balance with a kick of smoked oak on the finish. Drinking range: 2029 - 2044 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)

Release date: 17/5/2024

The 2023 Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is packed with blackberry jam, gravel, lavender, dried herbs, spice and crushed rocks. There’s a ton of character here. Incisive tannins and bright acids pull itThe 2023 Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is packed with blackberry jam, gravel, lavender, dried herbs, spice and crushed rocks. There’s a ton of character here. Incisive tannins and bright acids pull it all together in style. Give this at least a few years to soften. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2030 - 2045 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

Release date: 15/5/2024

85 Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 Merlot: 100% new oak – matured for 18 months: 13% alc: 3.7 pH: 89 IPT: Harvested from 8 September - 3 October It was fabulous to see Bruno Borie up and about after all85 Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 Merlot: 100% new oak – matured for 18 months: 13% alc: 3.7 pH: 89 IPT: Harvested from 8 September - 3 October It was fabulous to see Bruno Borie up and about after all manner of new joints have been fitted – he is Saint-Julien’s Bionic Man. It was even more exciting to walk through the portfolio at a leisurely pace with Tracey Dobbin MW, the font of all Ducru knowledge and one of the most open and interesting people I met up with on my tour. In common with other estates, bud break was spot-on, and frost barely troubled the scorers, with only mild issues on the plateau. Flowering was super-abundant (an expression I heard a few times). They left 12 buds per plant and then ended up with 5-8, which was a 50% reduction in the crop. It was costly but critical, and if you cast your eyes down the page, it proved well worth it, too! Interestingly, mildew was less of a problem here than expected. Tracey described this as “a fight that was always winnable” because of lessons learned in 2021. They brought up 50 people from the harvesting team, nice and early, and they dropped fruit and carried out a trie sanitaire: removing partial bunches, cleaning and a little leaf thinning. Tracey noted that cover crops worked nicely, and ‘spot-captures’, which send spores off to a lab coupled with mini-weather-station data, give them a lot of data so they can be incredibly accurate with their treatments. Yields remained healthy, and with nicely aerated canopies, the August heatwave had little effect, but the hot temperatures in early September made everything a little more unpredictable. They started harvesting Merlot on the 8th of September, and the plateau was finished in a couple of days. The rains came on the 21st and 22nd of September, but it was much less than predicted. With no sign of botrytis, they gambled and harvested later despite a slight dilution from around 130 to 110g; they carried out a small amount of bleeding and maintained spectacular fruit quality. Selection-wise, everything was hand-harvested and hand-sorted, and every berry went through a trie optique (even on Madame). The installation of smaller conical-shaped cuves gives rich but soft tannins, and there, a vast collection of seriously intense wines, was made at this property. What strikes me so clearly about this wine is that all these efforts and attention to detail are evident in the glass. Ducru is as fit and supple as I have ever seen it. It is not a big wine but a street dancer: elegant, immensely strong, agile, decorous, and mesmerising. On the surface, this finely tuned Cabernet is the model of decorum, but the explosive perfume and palate crackle with visceral energy and the tasting experience from start to finish minutes later is extraordinarily involving. As the wine moves towards you, you must react, push as it pulls you, and activate the taste buds in differing sequences to onboard all the information held within this cache of flavour. Behind the surface notes, there is a discreet but unrelenting crackle of energy, dark purple, intense, cool, and thrilling. This wine is nothing short of a contemporary version of a great wine from the past. I kept seeing similarities between some shapes and colours that the phenomenal 1961 vintage has left on my flavour memory, but this wine could never have been made 60 years ago. It is a wine of its time, and it is entirely captivating. 19.5+/20 Rating: 19.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)

Release date: 15/5/2024

The purity of fruit is so beautiful here with blackcurrants and violets, as well as freshly shaved lead pencil. It’s medium-bodied with refined tannins that are wonderfully polished and give plentyThe purity of fruit is so beautiful here with blackcurrants and violets, as well as freshly shaved lead pencil. It’s medium-bodied with refined tannins that are wonderfully polished and give plenty of texture. Goes on for minutes. Second wine of Ducru. 58% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 2% petit verdot. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)

Release date: 15/5/2024

72 Merlot, 24 Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 Petit Verdot: 13.7% alc: 3.73 pH: 89 IPT: Harvested between 8 September – 3 October Gosh, there is some clear DNA in this wine trickling down from the Grand Vin72 Merlot, 24 Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 Petit Verdot: 13.7% alc: 3.73 pH: 89 IPT: Harvested between 8 September – 3 October Gosh, there is some clear DNA in this wine trickling down from the Grand Vin and La Croix here, and while this is a third wine, and it sits lowest on the ladder, it lacks nothing in flair and deliciousness. There is admirable complexity and a long, even finish, and the tannins are well-drilled and respectful. Granted, you can crack on after three or four years and have some classic Ducru fun, but it has an engine to live until 2035 with ease, making this Petit an authentic candidate for this moniker and the finest Little Ducru to date. 17+/20 Rating: 17+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)

Release date: 14/5/2024

The 2023 Gloria presents a deep purple hue. It has a succinct bouquet with black cherries, red plum and pronounced floral aromas that emanate from the Petit Verdot. The palate is medium-bodied withThe 2023 Gloria presents a deep purple hue. It has a succinct bouquet with black cherries, red plum and pronounced floral aromas that emanate from the Petit Verdot. The palate is medium-bodied with bright blackberry and raspberry fruit, quite a minerally Gloria with a more linear, stricter finish than the 2022, as you would expect. There’s also fine salinity here. This is a classy Gloria that just misses the panache of recent vintages (and of the 2023 Saint-Pierre). Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

Release date: 13/5/2024

87 Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 Merlot, 3 Cabernet Franc: 60% new oak: 13% alc: Harvested 12 September – 2 October. I must admit to creating a mental picture, a sort of flavour diagram, in my head as I87 Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 Merlot, 3 Cabernet Franc: 60% new oak: 13% alc: Harvested 12 September – 2 October. I must admit to creating a mental picture, a sort of flavour diagram, in my head as I approach every wine detailed in this report. It layers the vintage conditions with the ‘character’ of the Château. In this respect, I was supremely confident that Léoville Barton would have nailed this wine because the shape of the vintage is almost identical to that of this wine’s indelible personality. It is even more uplifting to report that not only is Léoville Barton a success, but it is also a benchmark example of why this label is so reliable and why it is adored by so many. There is a flourish of spice and oak on the nose that adds drama and detail to the erudite core of cassis fruit, and there is a silkiness here that is cut in two by the super-bright, cooling, crystalline tannins. This wine and the beautiful 2022 vintage will stand side by side for decades, with 2022 looking a little plusher and showy and this delicious 2023 erring on the more classical, debonair side of the fence. 18.5+ Rating: 18.5+/20 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)

Release date: 13/5/2024

There’s depth of fruit here with blackberries, blackcurrants and hints of cedar and tobacco. The tannins are very solid and polished with juiciness and depth. Pristine. Bright acidity. 60% cabernetThere’s depth of fruit here with blackberries, blackcurrants and hints of cedar and tobacco. The tannins are very solid and polished with juiciness and depth. Pristine. Bright acidity. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot and 3% cabernet franc. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)

Release date: 3/5/2024

A strong effort, the 2023 Connetable de Talbot reveals aromas of plums, berries, dark chocolate and pipe tobacco, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and mouth-filling palate. It will offer aA strong effort, the 2023 Connetable de Talbot reveals aromas of plums, berries, dark chocolate and pipe tobacco, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and mouth-filling palate. It will offer a broad and satisfying drinking window. Rating: 89-91 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)

Release date: 3/5/2024

Jean-Michel Laporte has tweaked the blend this year to give the best vintage expression he could - with about half the usual Petit Verdot quota and Chateau Talbot's highest ever amount of CabernetJean-Michel Laporte has tweaked the blend this year to give the best vintage expression he could - with about half the usual Petit Verdot quota and Chateau Talbot's highest ever amount of Cabernet Sauvignon making up 77% of the blend. This makes perfect sense when you taste, as the Cabernet is just of such a high quality. This is super, with a classic feel and fresh impact early on. Crunch to the dark berries and then a supple depth in the mid-palate where the fruit becomes brighter and more red-centric, with violets and a fresh minty herb note. Really elegant yet - satisfyingly dense feel to the middle. The lovely poised fruit is firm and deep. Lively too with a juicy fresh line to the finish. 13% alcohol. Jean-Michel has really found his stride here now and this Talbot is a great testament to that and a reminder of why the estate's reputation is so strong. A wine that should be in your cellar. 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.L&S (Apr 2024)

Release date: 2/5/2024

Great quality, and likely to be great value, wine, combining unfussy and fully ripe fruit with supple tannins and a dash of gourmet grilled cocoa bean edging. One to look out for. 3.7ph, IsabelleGreat quality, and likely to be great value, wine, combining unfussy and fully ripe fruit with supple tannins and a dash of gourmet grilled cocoa bean edging. One to look out for. 3.7ph, Isabelle Danvin winemaker, Julien Viaud consultant, cellar master Didier Thormann. 52hl/h yields, biggest since 2004. Drinking range: 2025 - 2032 Rating: 93-100 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)

Release date: 30/4/2024

This cuvée from the Delon stable is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, picked at a yield of 44 hl/ha, from 38.8 hectares. The blend includes 5.4% press wine. A dark, sweet andThis cuvée from the Delon stable is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, picked at a yield of 44 hl/ha, from 38.8 hectares. The blend includes 5.4% press wine. A dark, sweet and convincing character on the nose, sweet blackberries swirled with rose petals, verbena and crushed stone. The palate has a modest sense of conviction, showing plenty of sinewy and juicy fruit to the fore, wrapped around a core of nicely knit tannins, along with the fresh acidity of the vintage. This feel classically composed, with compact structure and a charming upper layer of fruit. A wine with conviction and structure, with lingering tannins in the finish. This should develop well. The alcohol on analysis is 13.5%. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

Release date: 30/4/2024

This is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot, picked at a yield of 43 hl/ha from 43.5 hectares. This is one of the lowest percentages of Merlot in the blend in many years. ItThis is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot, picked at a yield of 43 hl/ha from 43.5 hectares. This is one of the lowest percentages of Merlot in the blend in many years. It includes 6.6% press wine. Aromatically this feels classic for the St Julien appellation and the estate, with an upper layer of sweet blackcurrant, griottes, violets, salted liquorice and gorse flowers. The palate does its best to follow this lead, with a juicy and substantial core of fruit, with ribbons of fine, tightly knit tannins, although the overall style feel integrated, juicy and balanced. It finishes correct, spiced and has a little length, although not too much. This is a delicious Las-Cases which will not challenge the great vintages, but which will still give a huge amount of pleasure given time. The alcohol on analysis is 13.1%. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)