2eme Cru Classe
2018 Chateau Pichon Baron 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
"Suave and sophisticated, the 2018 Pichon Boron is a real heod-turner. Silky, polished tannins wrap oround a core of inky dark red/purplish berry fruit. More than anything else, the 2018 impresses... for its exceptionol balance. All the elements are so impeccably balanced. That will make the 2018 eosy to drink relatively early, olthough my preference would be to leave it in the cellor for the better part of the next decade. Rose petal, spice, blood orange and mint add brightness and perfume on the long, finely-knit finish." 97 pts., Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
£700.02 / Case£116.67 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2021 Chateau Leoville Barton 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
"A terrific success, the 2021 Léoville Barton unwinds in the glass with aromas of blackcurrant, wild berries and plums mingled with hints of pencil shavings, loamy soil and cigar wrapper. Medium to... full-bodied, deep and seamless, it's concentrated and tensile, with beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and all the class that an elevated percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon growing in deep gravel can provide. It's the first vintage vinified in the Barton family's new winery, and I suspect that contributes to the ultra-refined quality of tannin this year. The blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Tasted three times." 93-95 pts., William Kelley, robertparker.com
£333 / Case£55.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2015 Chateau Gruaud Larose 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
“Excellent depth and complexity of fruit on the attack, with just a touch of austerity as it travels through the palate. After a few minutes, the fleshy fruit aromatics break though. This is elegant and balanced, a classic, old-school St-Julien. 80% new oak.” 94 pts., Jane Anson, decanter.com
£350 / Case£58.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2021 Chateau Durfort-Vivens 2eme Cru Classe, Margaux 6x75cl
£260 / Case£43.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2021 Chateau Rauzan-Segla 2eme Cru Classe, Margaux 6x75cl
"A showstopper of a wine for me in 2021. Wonderful aromatic intensity on the nose filled with perfumed fruits, chocolate and wild flowers. Gorgeous clarity and precision, the tannins are fine and... powdery supporting the vibrant and energetic purple and black fruit; zingy blackcurrant, strawberry, cherry and plum with an overall creamy chalky texture and grip. Elegant and glamorous - so much styling on show, it feels polished and pristine with clear markings from the terroir but no harshness or austerity just great acidity and liveliness. Such mouthwatering salivation and lift at the end making you want another glass just to taste it again. Tasted twice and both times I loved it. Pure and precise with everything you want from a 2021." 96 pts., Georgina Hindle, decanter.com
£360 / Case£60 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
"Beautiful and beguiling nose, perfumed blackcurrants and dark fruits; damsons, plums, raspberries and rose petals. Lovely crunchy fruit, real bite and presence in the mouth. Excellent precision,... tannins are succulent and ripe they fill the mouth with a juicy, intense granular texture. There is such depth to this - perfume, tobacco, earth, violets and concentrated fruits that have a verticality to them with an unprecedented 98% of Cabernet Sauvignon providing the support and the backbone. There is a crystalline purity to the fruit giving tension to the overall frame, it’s focussed and driven all with excellent definition. This is not a wallflower of a wine - it’s charming and confident, strutting its stuff right now and giving you absolut St-Julien terroir and vintage markers in the glass with slate, graphite and liquorice salinity on show. Skilled winemaking on show." 96 pts., Georgina Hindle, decanter.com
£954 / Case£159 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2021 Chateau Pichon Baron 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
£660 / Case£110 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2021 Chateau Montrose 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe 6x75cl
"Beautiful perfume on the nose, really fragrant and seductive, deep and heady but beguiling too. You get chunky, chewy fruit here - this is round, plump and filling a consequence of the slightly more... Merlot in the blend than usual - opposed to more Cabernet seen elsewhere. It has a luscious appealing fruitiness then the austerity kicks in, with a vein of salinity and minerality, such a linear, quite strict middle where you get severity in the texture giving it some rigidity but you also have such great depth on the mid palate, the layers of fruit and spice that linger giving such a core of flavour. A sense of power, intensity and concentration but also with acidity keeping everything lifted. A stately wine with lots of potential." 95 pts., Georgina Hindle, decanter.com
£681 / Case£113.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2021 Chateau Leoville Las Cases 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
"A brilliant Las Cases in 2021. Quite a savoury nose - dark chocolate covered blackcurrants, like a Black Forest gâteau as well as such signature Cabernet markers - green pepper, black pepper and... mint. This is serious, not as immediately charming or expressive, but grows in stature, expanding slowly while still maintaining a tight, focussed core. Spiced on the tongue, quite marked with sharp fruit that has an almost sour tang to it. You get the Cabernet Franc spice for sure - the highest percentage ever at 15% - alongside structure, length and intention. Acidity is well balanced and the tannins are so fine. Such purity of grape characteristics and terroir markers. Classic in the absolute best sense, there’s no hiding with every detail on show and in time this will be brilliant." 95 pts., Georgina Hindle, decanter.com
£975 / Case£162.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2018 Chateau Leoville Barton 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
"The 2018 Léoville-Barton is a gorgeous, exotic wine. Crème de cassis, lavender, menthol, licorice and cloves race out of the glass. The 2018 marries the natural opulence of the year with a pretty... classic sense of structure, making for one of the more compelling wines of the year. I would give this a good decade in the cellar. There is much to look forward to. I especially admire the energy and poise here." 96 pts., Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
£384 / Case£64 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2017 Chateau Leoville Barton 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
"Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Léoville Barton charges out of the gate with bold notions of baked plums, crème de cassis and blueberry preserves plus wafts of pencil shavings, fragrant earth... and cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black fruit preserves with compelling herbal sparks and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and lively." 95 pts., Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com
£326.64 / Case£54.44 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2020 Chateau Gruaud Larose 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
"79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Highest percentage yet of Cabernet in the blend. Fruit-driven and structured. Plenty of drive from the word go. Builds on the... palate in persistent fashion, the refined tannins giving a long linear flow. Lovely fruit. Delicious now but has ageing potential." 17.5 pts., James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
£347.50 / Case£57.92 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2020 Chateau Doisy Daene 2eme Cru Classe, Barsac 6x75cl
"Pale lemon-gold in color, the 2020 Doisy Daëne shoots from the glass with vibrant scents of lime cordial, orange blossoms and preserved ginger, plus suggestions of wild mushrooms, honey-drizzled... pears and nutmeg. The palate is seductively rich and viscous with a beautifully balanced backbone of acidity and loads of earth and spice accents complementing the preserved citrus flavors, finishing long, lifted and lively. A very impressive achievement!" 94-96 pts., Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com
£144 / Case£24 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2018 Chateau Brane-Cantenac 2eme Cru Classe, Margaux 12x75cl
"The 2018 Brane-Cantenac opens with a super-classic bouquet of dried herbs, pencil shavings, licorice and mint. Medium in body and wonderfully nuanced, Brane-Cantenac marries the natural richness of... the year with a classic structural feel. This is one of the most elegant, restrained 2018s readers will come across. I loved it." 95 pts., Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£588 / Case£49 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2020 Chateau Leoville Poyferre 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
Ever known for its plush, ripe, pure and concentrated signature style, the 2020 upholds Poyferré’s consistency in producing one outstanding vintage after another: polished, silky, luscious, with... layers of textured fruit that follow an intoxicating nose of incense, smoked berry, cassis and tobacco leaf. Its finish is as seamless as it is intense, with an expanding freshness across the palate.
With 2021 completing 20 exemplary years under the expertise of the Cuvelier family, the 2020 vintage marks the occasion with a gold-etched, commemorative label. An exclusive bottle to enhance a special collection.
£432 / Case£72 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
The en primeur release of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou today marks nearly twenty flourishing years of expertise and excellence under the stewardship of Bruno Borie, and a 2020 vintage of remarkable... purity and elegance. Supple and concentrated, it is somewhat lighter on its feet than the 2019 yet possesses a length, refinement and grace reaffirming why Ducru-Beaucaillou, has remained over these twenty years such an attractive proposition for collectors. Though not all critics were able to sample the 2020, plaudits from the The Wine Advocate suggest a similar attraction with 95-97 points awarded.
Collectors will also note this year’s special label design to mark this estate’s tercentenary vintage, which Borie describes as ‘an event in itself’ and one ‘capturing the brilliance, perspectives and energy of the 2020 vintage’.
£960 / Case£160 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2020 Chateau Leoville Las Cases 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
As one of the commune’s oldest and largest classified growths, Las Cases is also considered by many to be its leading estate - one which high critics’ scores tend to follow. Both Neal Martin and... The Wine Advocate have awarded the 2020 vintage a potential 96-98 points with 96 from Decanter and Jancis Robinson, 17.5+ from.
This year’s Las Cases shows real finesse and a pronounced minerality underlying sumptuous, full-bodied layers of black cherry and currant fruit; it is dense, concentrated and focused with a firm tannic structure that will see it through many decades to come.
£1,188 / Case£198 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2018 Chateau Gruaud Larose 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
"Composed of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Gruaud Larose has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It comes barreling out of the glass with powerful scents of... blackberry preserves, baked plums and crème de cassis plus hints of fruitcake, Indian spices and tobacco leaf. The medium to full-bodied palate offers bags of baked berries flavors and a chewy texture with just enough freshness, finishing spicy. Judging by the slightly rustic tannins and suggestions of dried berry characters, I'm guessing the heat and drought had an impact this year. This said, the wine is very well crafted and delicious right now, although a good 3-4 years in bottle should soften the tannins and bring out further nuances." 92 pts., Lisa Perrotti-Brown, www.robertparker.com
£330 / Case£55 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 1995 Chateau Leoville Las Cases 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
The 1995 and 1996 Las-Cases are both monumental wines and the former does not disappoint here. It has a spellbinding nose of blackberry, cassis, melted tar and sous-bois with so much vibrancy and... vivacity. The palate is full-bodied with succulent, rounded tannins, enormous depth and power. The finish is beautifully poised and minerally, much more feminine than the ’96. This is a Las-Cases with guile and grace, but it deserves at least 2 hours decanting to open up. Tasted February 2011. 96 pts., Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
£1,250 / Case£208.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur