The deep garnet-purple colored 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion is a blend of 58% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon. Youthfully mute with bright, youthful red currants, black raspberries, cassis and freshly crushed blackberries notions, it slowly unfurls to reveal an earthy/minerally undercurrent of damp soil, charcoal, iron ore and truffles plus a waft of violets. Medium to full-bodied, decadently fruited and yet wonderfully elegant with very ripe, very silky tannins, freshness that sits well in the background and an almost electric intensity of vibrant red and black fruit flavors, it finishes long and minerally. Just. Beautiful.

Country : France | Region : Pessac-Leognan

La Tour Haut Brion is a classic, elegant, thoroughbred Pessac. Its bouquet develops aromas of cigar boxes, undergrowth and blackberry jam. Beautifully direct, well-balanced and delicate in the mouth. A truly great wine, now incorporated into La Mission Haut-Brion.

Country : France | Region : Pessac-Leognan

Château La Tour Haut-Brion was a small property of 5 hectares tucked neatly next to La Mission Haut-Brion (and almost out of site). Its vines were originally planted in the 16th century by the noble Rostaing family – one of the very first non-clerical producers of quality wine in Bordeaux – and the estate was known as “La Tour de Rostaing and La Tour d’Esquivens”. It was not known as La Tour Haut-Brion until the 19th century. The estate passed through a series of owners until it found new owners in 1935, brothers, Fernand and Henri Woltner, the then owners of neighboring La Mission Haut-Brion and Laville Haut-Brion. In the 1953 during the Grave Classification, La Tour Haut-Brion was rated as a Cru Classé. It was eventually sold to Clarence Dillon, owners of both Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion in 1983. Prior to this time, it was considered the second wine of La Mission but was made in its own right. The 2005 vintage was the last to be made as it was decided that its grapes would be integrated into either La Chapelle Haut-Brion, La Mission’s second wine, or La Mission itself once the vines received a certain age or quality.

The 2004 has a smooth richness, coupled with a restrained delicacy that belies that the power of the dense tannins at the core. The aftertaste, though, is more soft and seductive.

Country: France | Origin: Pessac-Leognan

The classically styled 2012 exhibits attractive elegance, medium body and outstanding concentration, but not the complexity and depth or prodigious qualities of many other recent Lafites. It is a relatively soft. spicy effort displaying notes of crushed rocks, white chocolate, black currants and graphite. It should be drinkable in 5-8 years and last for two decades.

Charles Chevalier was candid in saying that the tropical heat wave, along with the poor flowering resulted in intense labor in the vineyard and during the harvest where triage was the operative word, and had to be done thoroughly and consistently. The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, was the result of a harvest that took place between September 28 and October 9 for the Merlot, October 9-16 for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The small amount of Cabernet Franc included in the Carruades de Lafite was harvested on October 11 – 12. Only 38% of the production made it into the grand vin. If the 2012 fills out completely it could turn out similar to the 1998 Lafite.

Country : France | Region : Bordeaux

The 2014 Lynch-Bages is just as powerful and dense from bottle as it was from barrel. Deep, powerful and bold, it possesses remarkable richness in all of its dimensions. Ripe red cherry, spice, leather, tobacco and rose petal all develop in the glass, but it is the wine’s sheer amplitude today that is quite remarkable. It will need quite a bit of cellaring to be at its best, and is clearly built to age. This is a terrific showing from the Cazes family. The blend is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Country : France | Region : Pauillac