Pessac-Léognan/Graves - 2009 Bordeaux Futures List - VINTAGES

Pessac-Léognan/Graves - Red Wine

BOUSCAUT
Cru Classé

197483 (XD) 750 mL

$39 per btl $117 per 3-btl. lot

DEC: **** WS: 88-91 JR: 16 WE: 89-91 GD: 15 TJW: 9.1

TASTING NOTE: Black licorice and mineral on the nose. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a fruity finish. Balanced and silky. But turns just a tad chewy. Score: 88-91 (WS)

BRANON

200410 (XD) 750 mL

$175 per btl $525 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 96-98+ DEC: *** WS: 92-95 JR: 15.5

TASTING NOTE: Having just had the 2000 Branon, which performed unbelievably well, this is definitely a wine for connoisseurs to seek out. The problem is that just under 500 cases were made, all from relatively old vines planted in the early sixties. This blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc is from a parcel of the Branon vineyard sandwiched between Haut-Bailly and Malartic Lagraviere in the heart of Leognan. The 2009 reveals smoky, earthy, barbecue notes intermixed with creme de cassis, blackberry liqueur, charcoal, and graphite. This hugely concentrated, intense, dense, full-bodied powerhouse possesses silky tannins, plenty of glycerin, an over the top, extravagantly rich mouthfeel, and a finish that lasts nearly 60 seconds. A potential legend in the making, this wine should drink well for 30+ years. (Tasted once.) Drink: 2010-2040. Score: 96-98+ (RP)

CARBONNIEUX
Cru Classé

196527 (XD) 750 mL

$49 per btl $147 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 89-92* DEC: **** WS: 87-90 JR: 17 GD: 16 TJW: 9.2

TASTING NOTE: Soft, silky, incredibly sexy notes of licorice, tobacco leaf, cigar tobacco, cassis, and cherries soar from the glass of this full-bodied Carbonnieux, which seems to have a few extra layers of fruit, glycerin, and depth than usual. The wine has great fruit, purity, and lots of personality. Give it a couple of years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25+ years. (Tasted twice.) Score: 89-92* (RP)

CLOS FLORIDÈNE

189365 (XD) 750 mL

$24 per btl $72 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 88-90* WS: 88-91 JR: 15.5 TJW: 9.0

TASTING NOTE: The finest red wine I have ever tasted from this estate (I have long loved their whites), this sleeper of the vintage offers terrific fruit intensity, plenty of cassis, black cherry, loamy soil, graphite, and spice box notes, a fleshy, dense, unctuous style, and a long, heady finish with no hard edges. It should drink well for a decade. (Tasted once.) Drink: 2010-2020. Score: 88-90* (RP)

CLOS MARSALETTE

193292 (XD) 750 mL

$39 per btl $117 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92* DEC: *** WS: 91-94 JR: 17 GD: 16 TJW: 9.1

TASTING NOTE: Beautiful dark fruits, with blackberry and mineral. Full-bodied, with gorgeous blueberry flavors and a long, silky finish. Really long. Score: 91-94 (WS)

DE FIEUZAL
Cru Classé

201392 (XD) 750 mL

$57 per btl $171 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 91-93+* DEC: **** WS: 93-96 JR: 15.5 WE: 92-94 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Intense blueberry, coffee bean and toasted oak character follows through to a full body, with supervelvety tannins and a long, long finish. This is really excellent. Best Fieuzal in years. Score: 93-96 (WS)

DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER
Cru Classé

201350 (XD) 750 mL

$109 per btl $327 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 94-96* DEC: **** WS: 93-96 JR: 17.5+ WE: 93-95 GD: 17 TJW: 9.5

TASTING NOTE: The finest wine I have tasted from this estate in my 30+ year career, the 2009 (64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot) from this hallowed vineyard in Leognan was cropped at 45 hectoliters per hectare and came in at 13% alcohol. It reveals an extraordinary, intense, pure, quintessential Domaine de Chevalier style, including silky tannin, dense plum, black currant, black cherry, floral, and graphite notes, terrific acidity, sweet tannin, and a full-bodied mouthfeel with no weight, but admirable precision and freshness. Consultant Stephane Derenoncourt has coaxed out all the elegance and complexity at this great site. A future legend in the making, this could be the best Domaine de Chevalier produced over the last half century. It should drink well for 35-40 years. (Tasted four times.) Drink: 2010-2050. Score: 94-96* (RP)

FERRAN

191189 (XD) 750 mL

$24 per btl $72 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 88-90* WS: 88-91 JR: 15

TASTING NOTE: A sleeper of the vintage, this estate had some slight hail damage in May from the ferocious storms that swept across parts of the northern Graves region. The hail insured that Ferran had very tiny yields (35 hectoliters per hectare) in 2009, resulting in the finest wine I have yet tasted from this property. It exhibits an intense black cherry and graphite character with subtle spice box and earth in the background. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy, and succulent with lots of glycerin as well as excellent purity, it should be drunk over the next decade or more. (Tasted once.) Drink: 2010-2020. Score: 88-90* (RP)

GAZIN ROCQUENCOURT

199596 (XD) 750 mL

$39 per btl $117 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 88-91* DEC: *** WS: 87-90 JR: 16 TJW: 9.1+

TASTING NOTE: Another “best ever” effort in my professional career, the 2009 Gazin-Rocquencourt possesses a deep ruby/purple color as well as a beautifully scented bouquet of cedar wood, forest floor, black cherries, and cassis, sweet tannins, a plump, full-bodied mouthfeel, and a nicely textured palate that builds incrementally without any heaviness. This wine should drink well for 10-15 years. (Tasted once.) Drink: 2010-2025. Score: 88-91* (RP)

HAUT-BAILLY
Cru Classé

201343 (XD) 750 mL

$179 per btl $537 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 96-98+* DEC: ***** WS: 95-98 JR: 16.5 WE: 94-96 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.6

TASTING NOTE: The greatest Haut-Bailly ever made? One can’t speak enough of the job Veronique Sanders has done in 2009, allied with the owner, the American banker Robert Wilmers, who has given her carte blanche authority. Tiny yields have resulted in the most concentrated Haut-Bailly I have ever tasted. Eclipsing even the 2005, the 2009 (a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc) possesses 13.9% natural alcohol. Dense purple to the rim, it exhibits a precise, nuanced nose of mulberries, black cherries, black currants, graphite, and a singular floral component. A wine of profound intensity and full-bodied power, yet stunningly elegant, and never heavy or massive, it builds incrementally on the palate, and the finish lasts over 45 seconds. Remarkably, there is not a hard edge to be found in this beauty. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were harvested between October 7 and 14, which explains their phenolic maturity. The wine’s extraordinary freshness, elegance, and precision are nearly surreal. This tour de force should age brilliantly for 40+ years. (Tasted two times.) Drink: 2010-2050. Score: 96-98+* (RP)

HAUT-BERGEY

194563 (XD) 750 mL

$49 per btl $147 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 92-94 DEC: *** WS: 90-93 JR: 16 WE: 87-89

TASTING NOTE: One of the best over-achieving, value-priced wines in Pessac-Leognan, Haut-Bergey’s vineyard enjoys a superb location near Malartic-Lagraviere and Domaine de Chevalier. Composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Cabernet Franc and a dollop of Petit Verdot, the opaque purple-hued 2009 reveals a big, exuberant nose of charcoal, black currants, sweet cherries, and graphite. Dense and full-bodied, with beautiful purity, texture, and length, it should drink well for 20+ years. (Tasted two times.) P.S. I also tasted the brilliant 2000 Haut-Bergey in March, 2010, and it was still a youngster in terms of its development. Drink: 2010-2030. Score: 92-94 (RP)

HAUT-BRION
1^er Cru

202176 (XD) 750 mL

$1,395 per btl $4,185 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 98-100 DEC: ***** WS: 97-100 JR: 19 WE: 95-97 GD: 19 TJW: 9.8

TASTING NOTE: There are 10,500 cases of the 2009 Haut-Brion, from a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 14% Cabernet Franc. For technicians, the highest ever natural alcohol, 14.3%, was achieved, with a pH of 3.9, which is about the same as the 1989 and 1990, as well as 1959. This is the kind of wine to send chills even up my spine, and I have been tasting here for nearly 30 years. An extraordinary nose of plum, blueberry, raspberry, crushed rock, and that intriguing floral as well as unsmoked cigar tobacco note (a classic sign of this terroir) is followed by a wine of creamy unctuosity reminiscent of 1989, but there is a freshness, vibrancy and precision that is historic and possibly unprecedented. Some graphite emerges as the wine sits in the glass, but the wine is very thick while at the same time precise and elegant. This is the quintessential expression of one of the greatest wine terroirs of the world. To reiterate, the good news is that there are going to be 10,500 cases of Haut-Brion in 2009, which is about 1,500 more cases than the 9,000 produced in 2005. This wine will probably need 7-8 years of cellaring when released and evolve as well as the 1959 has (which is still a perfect wine today), so we’re realistically talking 50-75 years when stored in a cool cellar. (Tasted once.) Score: 98-100 (RP)

LA CHAPELLE DE LA MISSION HAUT BRION
2nd Wine of Ch. La Mission Haut-Brion

202762 (XD) 750 mL

$145 per btl $435 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 91-94* DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 17.5 GD: 17 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: There are approximately 2,000 cases of the 2009 La Chapelle de La Mission, the best one I have ever tasted. A blend of nearly equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Cabernet Franc added in, it achieved 14.2% natural alcohol. The wine is a remarkable effort, with amazing density, extraordinary fruit quality, dense purple color with meaty notes alongside subtle barbecue smoke, camphor, black currant, sweet cherry, and blackberry. It has a lush, opulent texture, loads of glycerin, and admirable purity and length. I could have drunk a bottle or two just tasting it from the barrel! It should evolve for 10-15 or more years. (Tasted two times.) Score: 91-94* (RP)

LE CLARENCE DE HAUT-BRION
2nd Wine of Ch. Haut-Brion

202705 (XD) 750 mL

$209 per btl $627 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-93* DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 17+ WE: 89-91 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.4

TASTING NOTE: The second wine, which used to be called Bahans Haut-Brion, is now Le Clarence Haut-Brion. The 2009 is a 7,000-case cuvee made of 46% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and a tiny dosage of Petit Verdot. The wine has a fabulous nose of incense, burning embers, forest floor, and black cherry liqueur. Fleshy, rich, full-bodied, but not over the top as the minerality and structure move in, this is a super-duper effort, and the greatest second wine made at Haut-Brion since the 1989 Bahans Haut-Brion. It should drink well for 20-25 years. Drink: 2010-2035. (Tasted once.) Score: 90-93* (RP)

LA GARDE

191163 (XD) 750 mL

$32 per btl $96 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 88-90* DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 16 WE: 90-92 GD: 16 TJW: 9.1+

TASTING NOTE: Mineral, spice, stone and fruit aromas follow through to a full body, with soft, velvety tannins and a pretty finish. Score: 90-93 (WS)

LA MISSION HAUT-BRION
Cru Classé

201772 (XD) 750 mL

$1,249 per btl $3,747 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 98-100 DEC: ***** WS: 94-97 JR: 18 WE: 95-97 GD: 17.5 TJW: 9.6

TASTING NOTE: La Mission Haut-Brion has made so many great wines over the last 100 years, it would be stupid to say the 2009 somehow exceeds this estate's great classics, such as 1929, 1945, 1949, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000, or 2005. Certainly it will take its place in the pantheon of all the great La Mission Haut-Brions ever made. There are 6,000 cases of it, made from a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. The natural alcohol hit 14.7%, which far exceeds the perfect wines of 1982, 1989 and 1990. Opaque purple in color, with an extraordinary nose of blueberry liqueur intermixed with camphor, charcoal, hints of burning embers and truffles, and loads of black berry and black currant fruit, the wine has sublime concentration and purity, a finish that goes well past 60 seconds, and not a hard edge to be found in this sumptuous, almost over-the-top, full-bodied wine of enormous power and massive density and richness. An immortal effort, it should drink well for 50-100 years! (Tasted once.) Score: 98-100 (RP)

LA PARDE DE HAUT-BAILLY
2nd Wine of Ch. Haut-Bailly

199422 (XD) 750 mL

$45 per btl $135 per 3-btl. lot

LARRIVET HAUT-BRION

194472 (XD) 750 mL

$49 per btl $147 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 91-93* DEC: *** WS: 90-93 JR: 15.5 WE: 93-95 GD: 16 TJW: 9.1

TASTING NOTE: Open, opulent, generous wine, kept in check with spicy wood and acidity. The wine is ripe with delicious yellow fruit flavors. Score: 93-95 (WE)

LATOUR MARTILLAC
Cru Classé

197467 (XD) 750 mL

$47 per btl $141 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92* WS: 90-93 JR: 14.5 WE: 88-90 GD: 16 TJW: 9.2

TASTING NOTE: The best wine I have ever tasted from this estate, the oak seems to have been subdued, or maybe it is just that the fruit level is kicked up so high that the oak is not noticeable. That is certainly a characteristic of 2009. Dense purple in color, with hints of graphite, cigar box, creme de cassis, and subtle barbecue smoke, the wine is loaded, rich, opulent, medium to full-bodied, and a beautiful model of a wine that makes a few concessions to the modern style of Bordeaux but retains its Graves personality totally intact. It should drink well for 20-25 years. (Tasted two times.) Score: 90-92* (RP)

LE CLARENCE DE HAUT-BRION
2nd Wine of Ch. Haut-Brion

202705 (XD) 750 mL

$209 per btl $627 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-93* DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 17+ WE: 89-91 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.4

LE THIL COMTE CLARY

193946 (XD) 750 mL

$26 per btl $78 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 87-89 WS: 89-92 JR: 14.5

TASTING NOTE: Blackberry and licorice aromas, with hints of tar. Medium- to full-bodied, with ripe fruit and a slightly hot finish. Chewy. Interesting. Score: 89-92 (WS)

LES CARMES HAUT-BRION

197566 (XD) 750 mL

$95 per btl $285 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92 DEC: **** WS: 93-96 JR: 17.5 WE: 92-94 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: This is gorgeous, with blackberry and licorice and spice. Full and silky-textured tannins turn chewy, but finishes with class. Best ever? So impressive. Score: 93-96 (WS)

MALARTIC-LAGRAVIÈRE
Cru Classé

201087 (XD) 750 mL

$85 per btl $255 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 93-95+* DEC: **** WS: 89-92 JR: 16 WE: 93-95 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.4

TASTING NOTE: Progress has been ongoing at this vineyard, but proprietor Alexandre Bonnie has hit the proverbial home runs in 2009 with both his red and white wines. The best Malartic Lagraviere I have ever tasted, the 2009 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Cropped at a low 32 hectoliters per hectare, with a modest (by the standards of this vintage) 13.5% alcohol, the wine’s opaque purple color is accompanied by an unctuous texture, extraordinary elegance, lots of licorice, graphite, blueberry, black raspberry, and cherry characteristics, full body, terrific purity and length, and good acidity. This 2009 should easily evolve for 25-30+ years. Bravo! Drink: 2010-2040. (Tasted four times.) Score: 93-95+* (RP)

PAPE CLÉMENT
Cru Classé

202309 (XD) 750 mL

$225 per btl $675 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 95-97+ DEC: ***** WS: 94-97 JR: 17 WE: 92-94 GD: 17 TJW: 9.6

TASTING NOTE: A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2009 Pape Clement is not as dense or provocative as the 2005, but it is a worthy competitor. Tighter and more muscular than the 2005, the 2009 reveals an opaque purple color along with notes of graphite, blueberries, and blackberries, stunning richness, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and tremendous length and intensity. Some patience will be required, and I do not believe this effort will achieve the near perfection of the 2005, but it is another winner in this extraordinary vintage. Yields were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine finished around 13.5% alcohol. (Tasted four times.) Score: 95-97+ (RP)

SMITH HAUT LAFITTE
Cru Classé

201400 (XD) 750 mL

$149 per btl $447 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 96-98+* DEC: **** WS: 95-98 JR: 16+ WE: 93-95 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.6

TASTING NOTE: One can’t say enough about what proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard have accomplished at this estate since 1990. Regrettably, I am old enough to remember how horrible the wines were before the Cathiards purchased the property. They have fashioned one of the most consistently outstanding wines, both white and red, over the last two decades, and their 2009 probably eclipses any previous performance. An opaque purple color is followed by an explosive nose of graphite, black currants, licorice, incense, and a hint of black tea. The wine hits the palate with extraordinary density, unctuosity, and richness, yet it never comes across as heavy or overbearing. Deep and full-bodied with sensational concentration as well as remarkable purity and precision, this brilliant wine possesses the high, but sweet tannins that are a hallmark of the vintage, and exceptional delicacy allied to massive power and richness ... a rare combination indeed. This prodigious effort should drink well for 30-40 years. Bravo! Drink: 2010-2050. (Tasted five times.) Score: 96-98+* (RP)

Pessac-Léognan/Graves - White Wine

BOUSCAUT BLANC
Cru Classé

197491 (XD) 750 mL

$52 per btl $156 per 3-btl. lot

WS: 88-91 JR: 17

TASTING NOTE: Ripe and round, with plenty of good apple pie and lemon aromas and flavors. Full and straightforward. Score: 88-91 (WS)

BROWN BLANC

194480 (XD) 750 mL

$45 per btl $135 per 3-btl. lot

DEC: *** JR: 16 TJW: 9.1+

TASTING NOTE: Very fat and rich. Flattering and apparently with lots of Sémillon weight. Sweet start but lots of structure and density. Great cheese wine! Drink: 2011-2015. Score: 16 (JR)

CARBONNIEUX BLANC
Cru Classé

207704 (XD) 750 mL
$49 per btl $147 per 3-btl. lot

JR: 16+ WE: 90-92 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.2+

TASTING NOTE: Very tight green flavors with lively fresh fruits, restrained into a taut, mineral jacket. Score: 90-92 (WE)

CLOS FLORIDÈNE BLANC

189266 (XD) 750 mL

$29 per btl $87 per 3-btl. lot

JR: 16.5 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Very precise, well sculpted, mineral and exciting. Drink 2012-2016. Score: 16.5 (JR)

CLOS MARSALETTE BLANC

193284 (XD) 750 mL

$38 per btl $114 per 3-btl. lot

DEC: *** WS: 87-90 JR: 14.5 GD: 16

TASTING NOTE: Very lemony, with dried citrus fruit and pineapple. Hints of cream. Full-bodied, with plenty of good fruit and a medium finish. Score: 87-90 (WS)

DE FIEUZAL BLANC

201384 (XD) 750 mL

$67 per btl $201 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 92-94 DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 17+ WE: 92-94 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Bright, crisp wine, plenty of vivacious herbal and lemon characters. Very fresh, with delicious apple skin texture. Score: 92-94 (WE)

DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER BLANC
Cru Classé

201368 (XD) 750 mL

$145 per btl $435 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 96-98 DEC: ***** WS: 95-98 JR: 17.5 WE: 94-96 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.6

TASTING NOTE: This is fabulous, long and superintense, with dried pineapple and sliced apples. Dense and powerful, with a great backbone of acidity and a long, long finish. Wonderful structure in this baby white. Score: 95-98 (WS)

HAUT-BERGEY BLANC

194613 (XD) 750 mL

$54 per btl $162 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 89-91 DEC: **** JR: 17 WE: 89-90

TASTING NOTE: Bright gold. Interesting sulphidey twist on the usual Pessac-Léognan recipe. Very fresh and zesty. Good balance and probably quite a long life. One definitely for the table. Attractive dryness on the finish. Drink: 2012-2018. Score: 17 (JR)

HAUT-BRION BLANC
1^er Cru

202283 (XD) 750 mL

$1,395 per btl $4,185 per 3-btl. lot

WS: 94-97 JR: 17 WE: 95-97 GD: 17 TJW: 9.7

TASTING NOTE: Shows exotic tropical fruit such as lychee and mango, with citrus undertones and cream. Full-bodied, offering loads of intense fruit on the palate. Bright acidity and a minerally, flinty undertone. Impressive finish. Not the 2007, but very good indeed. Score: 94-97 (WS)

LA GARDE BLANC

194001 (XD) 750 mL

$36 per btl $108 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92 DEC: *** WS: 88-91 WE: 90-92 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.1

TASTING NOTE: Fresh, full in-the-mouth wine, a bright Sauvignon character, rounded and with a pear fruit character. Just touched by wood. Score: 90-92 (WE)

LARRIVET HAUT-BRION BLANC

194530 (XD) 750 mL

$59 per btl $177 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92 DEC: **** JR: 16 WE: 93-95 GD: 16

TASTING NOTE: Open, opulent, generous wine, kept in check with spicy wood and acidity. The wine is ripe with delicious yellow fruit flavors. Score: 93-95 (WE)

LATOUR-MARTILLAC BLANC
Cru Classé

197459 (XD) 750 mL

$49 per btl $147 per 3-btl. lot

WS: 88-91 JR: 15.5 WE: 91-93 GD: 16

TASTING NOTE: Spice and lemon freshness combine into a delicious, bright wine, just a touch of Sauvignon grassiness. Score: 91-93 (WE)

LE THIL COMTE CLARY BLANC

193953 (XD) 750 mL

$30 per btl $90 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-93

Parker tasted and scored this wine, however no tasting note was given. "Because of both time and space constraints, I am not able to provide tasting notes for the 2009 dry white Bordeaux, but it is an extremely strong vintage … They are fascinating dry white wines." Score: 90-93 (RP)

LESPAULT MARTILLAC BLANC

195230 (XD) 750 mL

$42 per btl $126 per 3-btl. lot

WS: 90-93 JR: 15.5

TASTING NOTE: Blackberry with mineral and fresh flowers on the nose. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a delicious finish. Lovely core of fruit. A new winery of 20 acres of mostly 50-year-old Merlot from the owners of Domaine de Chevalier. Score: 90-93 (WS)

MALARTIC-LAGRAVIÈRE BLANC
Cru Classé

201079 (XD) 750 mL

$109 per btl $327 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 95-98 DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 16.5 WE: 93-95 GD: 16 TJW: 9.5

TASTING NOTE: Balanced between ripe white fruits, with a hint of peach and a full texture of pear skins. The wine is powerful, the structure solid, but the freshness is delicious. Score: 93-95 (WE)

OLIVIER BLANC
Cru Classé

197236 (XD) 750 mL

$45 per btl $135 per 3-btl. lot

DEC: **** WS: 89-92 JR: 17

TASTING NOTE: Not clarified. Smoky/catty nose. Grapefruit flavours and high acid on the finish. Pure minerality on the mid palate with attractive juiciness. Bone dry finish. Very appetising - complete contrast stylistically with Malartic Lagravière, for example. Drink: 2015-2022. Score: 17 (JR)

PAPE CLÉMENT BLANC
Cru Classé

202796 (XD) 750 mL

$225 per btl $675 per 3-btl. lot

DEC: **** WS: 92-95 JR: 16 WE: 92-94 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.5+

TASTING NOTE: Attractive celery and sliced apple character. Lemon rind. Full-bodied, with good acidity and a clean finish. Long and complex. Score: 92-95 (WS)

SMITH HAUT LAFITTE BLANC
Cru Classé

201418 (XD) 750 mL

$135 per btl $405 per 3-btl. lot

DEC: **** WS: 93-96 JR: 17 WE: 93-95 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.5

TASTING NOTE: Rich yet balanced with pineapple, sliced green apple and hints of citrus fruit with delicate cream undertones. Full, balanced and beautiful. Aniseed character as well, and fresh. Score: 93-96 (WS)

Pessac-Léognan/Graves - Red Wine

Pessac-Léognan/Graves - White Wine

Scores: