Chateau Beychevelle Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2016, 375ml

The 2016 Beychevelle is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc cropped at 45 hectoliters per hectare between 3 October and 18 October. It is matured in 50% new oak. Furthermore, it is the first vintage to be matured in the new chichi winery whose glass exterior overlooks the passing traffic on the D2. It has a very pure, fragrant bouquet with black cherries, cassis, cedar and wet limestone, extremely precise to the point where you might think it was from the Right Bank (logical given the proportion of Merlot in the blend). The palate is sensational: understated at first and bridled with ultra-fine tannin, it is a Beychevelle armed with a disarming sense of symmetry. It builds in the mouth towards a fabulously tensile finish that is so fresh and full of energy that the senses are almost overwhelmed. Frankly, it leaves all the other Beychevelles in recent years standing. This is an electrifying 2016 from winemaker Philippe Blanc and his right-hand man, technical director, Romain Ducolomb. Drink 2026 – 2060. – 96/98 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate

A barrel sample, the 2016 Bellevue Mondotte has a very deep purple-black color and comes bursting out of the glass with well-defined notes of crushed black plums, blackberry pie and chocolate-covered cherries plus hints of Indian spices, potpourri, roasted meats and wood smoke. The palate is very big, rich, full and built like a brick house with a firm frame of grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and layered. 2024 – 2055 – 95+ Wine Advocate

Stacks of cassis, graphite and smoke on the nose of this rather full-bodied St.-Julien with a ton of velvety tannins that drive the long finish that’s simultaneously sweet, fresh and powdery. Try in 2022. – 94 James Suckling, JamesSuckling