Bordeaux

Our Sauternes is a classic blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, made especially for us by the team at Ch. Climens. This delicate and refined wine shows notes of orange blossom, toast and honey on the nose, balanced by a tingling acidity and a beautifully complex, refreshing finish. It’s the perfect partner to tarte tatin or a piece of salty Roquefort.

{***}
{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color}White{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}

{ratings}{***}

Our Own Selection St Julien comes from the younger vines of Ch. Léoville Las Cases. You’ll find notes of cassis and menthol on the nose, with just a touch of oak and a deep and powerful palate that brings classic Cabernet and Merlot fruit flavours to the fore. This is a balanced wine, with a long, savoury finish – perfect with a prime rib of beef or a leg of British lamb.

{***}
{region}St Julien{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{***}

Our best-selling wine for many years, “GOC” continues to set the benchmark for dependably delicious Claret. The 2018 vintage produced glorious wines of real depth and body, as shown by this classic Bordeaux blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is rich with pure cassis and bramble fruit, mingled with warm, smoky oak aromas from barrel ageing. On the palate, the succulent blackcurrant fruit is framed by a fine, complex structure, while the finish is rounded, juicy and very moreish. Made for early drinking, it’s suitable for almost any occasion.

{***}
{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{ratings}

{ratings}
{***}

From the stellar 2018 vintage, our own-label Pomerol comes from the young vines and selected parcels of Château Feytit-Clinet. Owner Jérémy Chasseuil has crafted another wonderful wine for us, using predominately rich, ripe Merlot, with a dash of Cabernet Franc to add structure and complexity. Showing a gorgeous nose of morello cherries, kirsch and mocha, the wine expands on the palate with a wealth of opulent forest fruit to the fore. Duck and game are classic matches with Pomerol, but this would be superb with a deeply flavoured mushroom risotto.

{***}
{region}Pomerol{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{***}

Our best-selling wine for many decades, GOC, as it's known, brilliantly highlights the drinkability of modern red Bordeaux. Bright, medium ruby in colour it has a siren-like nose of black cherries, bramble fruit and wood smoke. The palate follows through with a long, velvety finish.

{***}
{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}
{ratings}
[]International Wine Challenge® 2019-Silver
{ratings}
{***}

For almost 20 years, “EOC” (as it is known) has come from the same single estate in the Graves, distributed by the Cazes family, one of the great names of Bordeaux. The 2018 vintage is a great one, and the wine perfectly captures the warmth of that summer. A 50-50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet, finished with careful oak maturation, this is full of ripe blackberry and cassis flavours. The result is a typically plump, rounded Claret, suitable for all occasions. A classic pairing would be roast lamb or pan-fried duck breast, but this delicious wine is versatile enough to match most savoury food.

{***}
{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{ratings}

{ratings}{***}

Once again, the fruit for our own-label 2017 Margaux comes from plots of younger vines at Château du Tertre. From the perfumed, elegant bouquet, to its charming, silky palate, this is quintessential Claret, made in an attractive, rounded style. Redcurrant and violets fill the nose, while darker, bramble fruit, cedar and spice follow on the palate. A touch of smoky oak frames the whole, and the finish is long, subtle and warming. Already drinking well now, this will cellar comfortably for a year or two.

{***}
{region}Margaux{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}
{ratings}{***}

This full-bodied blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon hit 14.5% natural alcohol. It is deep and rich, with loads of caramelized grapefruit, tropical fruit, subtle oak, wet stones and plenty of melons. Drink now-2035. - Wine Advocate

{***}{region}Pessac-Léognan{region}
{color} White {color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2010{vintage}
{ratings}
[] The Wine Advocate:: 93/100
[]  Wine Spectator:: 93/100
[] Jancis Robinson:: 16/20{ratings}{***}

(Comes in Gift Box)This is a powerful expression of this great vintage. Hugely rich, concentrated and with layers of black-plum fruits, the wine is dense and full of spice and balanced acidity. It is still a young wine, typical of the vintage at this stage. Drink this wine from 2021. 

{***}{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2010{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] Wine Enthusiast:: 94/100        
{ratings}    {***}

The 2014 Baron de Brane displays scents of brambly red berry fruit, mocha and hints of espresso on the well-defined nose. The medium-bodied palate offers fine tannin and a straightforward, tobacco-tinged and lightly spiced finish. The most elegant Baron de Brane in recent years. Fine. Tasted at the Brane-Cantenac vertical at the château.ed wine.

{***}
{region} Margaux{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2014{vintage}

{ratings}
 [] Vinous:: 87/100                
 [] Decanter:: 89/100{ratings}

{***}

This is almost as stylish as Coco Chanel herself. The ever frank John Kolasa has really worked wonders this vintage and it pushes Ch. Palmer and Ch. Margaux for top honors. Perfumed red currant fruit jumps straight out of the glass, with a darker earthier forest fruit edge following on. There is a grainy, floral lift that comes through and it really adds to the aromatic pyrotechnics here! Full, fresh and rounded with sweetness of fruit, you really feel the texture and fresh crunch in the mouth. This is considered and focused with great length. It is super impressive this year. 2017-2032.

{***}{region}Margaux{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                                {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}

{ratings}
 [] Wine Advocate:: 93/100        
 [] Wine Spectator:: 89-92/100          
{ratings}

{***}

Second Growth, Ch. Brane-Cantenac was perceived throughout much of the 1970s and ‘80s as an underperforming property. But, since Henri Lurton took over from his father, there has been extensive investment in the cuverie and chai, as well as vastly improved vineyard management techniques. Consequently, the wines now show more weight and concentration, although they still possess that haunting bouquet and quintessential elegance that characterise the wines of Margaux.

{***}
{region}Margaux{region}

{color}Red{color}            

     {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}

{vintage}2007{vintage}

{ratings}   
[]The Wine Advocate:: 90/100

{ratings}

{***}

Blackberry and currant aromas, with minerals and flowers. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and very fresh and fine tannins. Lasts a long time on the palate. Coming around now. This has always been excellent. One of the best values of the vintage. - Wine Spectator

{***}
{region}Margaux{region}

{color}Red{color}                                                                                                {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}

{vintage}1998{vintage}

{ratings}
[]Wine Spectator:: 91/100        
           
[]Robert Parker:: 88/100           
                                                                                                 
{ratings}

{***}

The 2008 Rauzan-Segla (62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot) was made from 45% of the production. It is a beautiful wine in this vintage, not nearly as powerful and structured as the 2010, but it has complex notes of sweet red and black fruits, unsmoked cigar tobacco, spice box and a hint of very subtle wood. The complex perfume is followed by a dark ruby/plum-colored wine with beautifully sweet tannins, a silky, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and a long finish. This outstanding Margaux should drink nicely for 15-20 years.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 02/05/2011

{***}{region}Margaux{region}
{color}Red{color}                 

  {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2008{vintage}

{ratings}
 [] Wine Advocate:: 90+/100        
 [] Robert Parker:: 90+/100          
{ratings}

{***}

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Chteau Rauzan-Sgla has a sous-bois and sandalwood-scented bouquet with a light mahogany bureau scent developing soon after. The nose is open and inviting. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and bestowed with greater fruit concentration than the nose suggests: blackberry, raspberry mixed with sage, cedar and a touch of sea salt. As usual, this Rauzan-Sglas has a surfeit of personality and while it might not be a contender for the longest-lived Margaux, it is the kind of Left Bank 2006 that you welcome at the dinner table. Tasted January 2016.
Neal Martin - 30/05/2016

{***}{region}Margaux{region}
{color}Red{color}                 

  {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2006{vintage}

{ratings}
 [] Wine Advocate:: 91/100        
         
{ratings}

{***}

{***}
{region}St Julien {region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2006{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 92/100   

[]Robert Parker:: 91/100   

{ratings} {***}

{***}
{region}Pauillac{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}laying-down{maturity}
{maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2006{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 91/100            
{ratings}  {***}

Deep garnet colored, the 2010 La Gaffeliere is quite closed to begin, slowly unfurling to give scents of baked raspberries, kirsch, dried mulberries and plum pudding plus nuances of pencil shavings and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate layers in the savory and earthy flavors with a firm frame of chewy tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing with an herbal lift. - Wine Advocate

{***}{region}St Emilion{region}
{color}Red{color}         {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2010{vintage}

{ratings}
 [] Wine Advocate:: 95/100

{ratings}

{***}

Simply irresistible. This is really sumptuous and pure. Hedonistic is not an adjective I have used often this year. Words like “firm”  “grip” “structure” “tannic pile-up” are more scattered over the 350 or so wines we tried. 

{***}{region}St Emilion{region}
{color} Red{color}                {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] The Wine Advocate:: 93/100        
{ratings}    {***}

The new cellar, winery and tasting room is now open at Les Carmes and it really is quite an astounding building. The 2015 is a pretty powerful wine, serious, complex and very interesting indeed. The floral bouquet is very pretty, layered with really ripe raspberries which are ever so attractive. My favourite aspect of the wine has to be the earthy, mineral character though, as well as the brilliant tannic structure.

The gravelly soils offer a lovely character and the wine has a sense of place, of terroir. Light in the mouth, the tobacco, sweet black fruits and creamy texture create a wonderful palate, but the savoury characteristics are what I enjoy most about this wine. It is another really promising wine for this up and coming estate.

Blend: 45% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon

{***}{region}Pessac-Léognan{region}
{color}Red{color}            {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}
{ratings}
[]James Suckling:: 96-97/100                 
[]Decanter:: 95/100           
[]The Wine Advocate:: 94+/100                                                                                                   
{ratings}

This tiny jewel of a property, situated close to La Mission-Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion, has turned out one of the stars of the 2011 vintage. A deep dark ruby/purple color is followed by hints of graphite, charcoal, creme de cassis and Christmas fruitcake. This medium-bodied Pessac-Leognan is gorgeously concentrated with impeccably well-integrated acidity, tannin, alcohol and oak. An authoritatively long finish adds to the class and nobility of this wine. Drink it over the next 15 years.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 30/04/2014

{***}{region}Pessac-Léognan{region}
{color}Red{color}            {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{ratings}
[]Wine Spectator:: 90-93/100                 
[]Robert Parker:: 87-89/100           
[]The Wine Advocate:: 92/100                                                                                                   
{ratings}

{***}
{region}Pomerol{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2003{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 88/100          
{ratings}  {***}

{***}
{region}St Estèphe{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}1989{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 100/100          
{ratings}  {***}

Whilst the 2011 might not show the ripeness of 2009 or the concentration of 2010, it shows the exquisite precision and purity that is the hallmark of this property.
Cassis and a hint of spice on the nose is followed by an intense, cool and lifted mouth that for me is pure St Estèphe. Stylistically this is the opposite of Cos, though equally impressive in its own, more elegantly classic style.

{***}
{region}St Estèphe{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{ratings}
[]Wine Advocate:: 90/100

[]Robert Parker:: 92-94/100 

{ratings} {***}

It boasts an opaque dense purple color in addition to a gorgeously sweet, expansive perfume of cedar wood, black currants, lead pencil, and minerals. What follows is a fat mid-palate, medium body, explosive fruit and richness, soft tannin, and a velvety texture. It is a beautiful, compelling Lafite-Rothschild that can be drunk young, yet promises to evolve for 15+ years. Although one of the most forward Lafites ever tasted, it is all the more captivating because of this characteristic. Don't miss it!  - Robert Parker, 2000

{***}
{region}Pauillac{region}
{color}Red{color}       {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}1997{vintage}
{ratings}
          
[]Robert Parker:: 92/100 

[]Jancis Robinson:: 18/20  

[]Stephen Tanzer:: 89-93/100                                                                                                    
{ratings}{***}

Ch. Potensac lies in the Northern Medoc, an area renowned for structured wines that reward time in the cellar, and this is an extremely reliable and popular claret from the Leoville-Lascases team that won't break the bank. In years like 2009 it has an extra punch, and the ripeness of the year shines through. This has typical blackberry fruit balanced by a fresh minerality and a well-defined structure around the sweet core. Ten years on this is now showing at its best.

{***}
{region}Médoc{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2009{vintage}

{ratings}
[]Vinous, Neal Martin :: 92/100

[]Jancis Robinson :: 17/20

[]The Wine Advocate :: 89/100

{ratings}{***}

{***}

{***}
{region}St Estèphe{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2012{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 93/100

[]Wine Spectator:: 90-93/100

[]Robert Parker:: 92-94/100 

[]Jancin Robinson:: 17.5+/20    

{ratings} {***}

Eight years on, the 2011 Ormes de Pez is starting to really open up. The nose is intensely spicy, with savoury cedar notes and brooding dark fruit. There’s an almost floral edge to its aromatic profile, with something that hints at eucalyptus (perhaps a nod to the coolness of the vintage). The palate is smooth and lush, its age – and time in oak (15 months) – tells, with layers of leather and spice joining the core of black fruit. The chalky tannins and mouth-watering acidity call for hard cheeses or roast lamb. Drink now to 2021.

{***}
{region}St Estèphe{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                                {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{ratings}
[]Wine Spectator:: 89-92/100        
[]Jancis Robsinson:: 16.5/20
{ratings}    {***}

Cantemerle tends to produce somewhat understated and restrained, but finesse-filled wines. The medium-bodied 2008 offers elegant notes of raspberries, red currants, crushed rocks and oak backed up by good concentration, sweet tannin and no hard edges. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. - May 2011, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 

{***}{region}Haut-Médoc{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2008{vintage}
{ratings}

[] The Wine Advocate:: 89-91/100{ratings} {***}

The 2009 made Moulin Riche’s new reputation; in my view, the ’10 is even better. The bouquet is confidently poised between adolescence and maturity; it contains the last of its primary blackcurrant fruit, with notes of tobacco and cedar beginning to insinuate. The palate is an object lesson in balance: mellow but still active tannins, creamy yet textured fruit and a cleansing finish. This is dead centre in its arc of maturity. It could be kept another five years but, with the elements so perfectly aligned, why would you wait? Drink now to 2026. - Mark Pardoe MW

{***}{region}St Julien{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                         

      {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2010{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] Wine Spectator:: 90-93/100        
           
 [] Tanzer:: 89/100{ratings}    {***}

Dark red with a purple hue, the nose is redolent of black fruit with some mocha and coffee notes. Fresh and full-bodied, there are crisp tannins with a finely tuned layer of spice giving way to a well-balanced, long finish.

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 62%, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 3%

{***}{region}Pauillac{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                         

{maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] The Wine Advocate:: 93/100

 [] Vinous:: 94/100  

[] Jancis Robinson:: 17/20  

[] James Suckling:: 95-96/100{ratings} {***}

It boasts an opaque dense purple color in addition to a gorgeously sweet, expansive perfume of cedar wood, black currants, lead pencil, and minerals. What follows is a fat mid-palate, medium body, explosive fruit and richness, soft tannin, and a velvety texture. It is a beautiful, compelling Lafite-Rothschild that can be drunk young, yet promises to evolve for 15+ years. Although one of the most forward Lafites ever tasted, it is all the more captivating because of this characteristic. Don't miss it!  - Robert Parker, 2000

{***}
{region}Pauillac{region}
{color}Red{color}       {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}1997{vintage}
{ratings}
          
[]Robert Parker:: 92/100 

[]Jancis Robinson:: 18/20  

[]Stephen Tanzer:: 89-93/100                                                                                                    
{ratings}{***}

This is the best La Parde we’ve ever tasted, it hails from one of the most exciting châteaux in Bordeaux. Ch. Haut-Bailly even considered upgrading this stunning wine to their Grand Vin in 2005. Complex, elegant and imbued with the beautifully feminine style of the Grand Vin, but at a fraction of the price. 

{***}{region}Pessac-Léognan{region}
{color}Red{color}                      {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2005{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 90/100        

{ratings}       {***}