Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Tasted at the chateau. This 1988 has an attractive nose, certainly not as austere as other Saint Julien wines from the vintage, with aromas of leather, dried blood, sloe and fig. It does not quite have the delineation of a truly great ’88. The palate is medium-bodied, well balanced with good acidity, very supple on the entry with wild strawberry and raspberry fruit inflected with a little tobacco leading to a very natural and elegant second half. A very graceful, classic Gruaud Larose that is drinking damn perfectly now. Very fine. (NM)

The de Fargues ’95 has a ripe, generous, quintessential de Fargues nose with tangy marmalade, Seville orange and quince jus, though it does not quite have the razor-sharp delineation of a top-flight wine from the estate. The palate is medium-bodied with a citrus lemon, orange peel and fresh apricot. Like the nose, it would benefit from more tension and animation towards the finish, yet it is certainly generous and should drink well over the next two decades (NM)

After a scorching summer, the 1990 de Fargues harvest began early (on September 18) and the fruit was picked over 4 tries until October 10 – the earliest harvest on record. It is the most powerful of the trilogy. Delivering 130 grams-per-liter residual sugar at 13.6% alcohol, it has a prodigious bouquet of over-ripe oranges, toffee apple, chlorophyll and even a faint hint of chocolate.

A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (very similar to the 2019), the 2022 Vieux Château Certan is a magical wine of exemplary harmony and balance. Offering up complex aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, licorice, iris, violets and loamy soil, it's full-bodied, supple and seamless, its sweet structuring tannins entirely concealed by a multidimensional core of pure, vibrant fruit. This sensual, perfumed Pomerol is likely to rank alongside the 2019 and 2016 in the pantheon of recent Vieux Château Certan vintages. (WK)

The 2001 Clos de Tart is aging beautifully and is maturing into one of Sylvain Pitiot’s finest wines. Replicating its performance in 2010, it has a very expressive bouquet of vivacious red berry fruit: wild strawberry and raspberry, laced with minerals and dried rose petals. The palate is very well-balanced and full of succulent brambly red fruit. Perhaps it is moving into its secondary phase less slowly than I anticipated, with nuanced undergrowth notes developing toward the finish, which remains very fruit-driven and tense.

Here is another life-affirming bottle of 1993 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques from Rousseau. This example showed a little more maturity in colour, but the nose is entrancing and develops beautiful raspberry preserve, pomegranate, cool stone and bay leaf scents that are quite intoxicating. The palate is fresh, crisp and brilliantly focused. It is still a feminine Clos Saint Jacques, the tannin so fine and now abraded by time. Yes, it has a nonchalant, easygoing personality that almost distracts you from its innate complexity. This remains a wonderful wine. (NM)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate offers up intense notes of warm cassis, chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry preserves and wild blueberries with hints of smoked meats, cast iron pan, Indian spices and mossy tree bark in the undercurrent. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and tightly wound, featuring muscular black fruits and a very firm, grainy texture, finishing long and mineral laced. (LPB)

The 2011 Pinot Noir Clos Platt is dazzling. Sweet, perfumed red berries and dried rose petals all waft in the glass. This is a decidedly elegant, polished wine considering it is made from the Calera clones, which tends to yield much bigger wines. A subtle, intense perfumed Pinot, the Platt is simply stunning. All the elements are nicely balanced in this harmonious, textured wine.

A monumental wine in the making, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of those wines that presents such an over the top array of aromas and flavors that it’s hard to figure out what you think about it with just a quick glance. It’s only with the second or third sip that you really start to see how special this effort truly is.

The 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot is sensual and charming, offering up aromas of peach, hazelnuts, white flowers, baking spices and iodine. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and suave, with a fleshy core of fruits racy acids and a saline finish, this will offer a broad drinking window. (WK)