Grand Cru Classe
2020 Chateau Yon-Figeac Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
A moreish, merlot-led blend from this delightful, 24-hectare estate in Saint-Emilion whose grand vin for us, at £200/case of 12 (en primeur), is an absolute steal on Right Bank class and value.... Château Yon Figeac will also give you the uncommon opportunity to savour petit verdot when grown on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, a varietal otherwise found more exclusively in the Médoc. In fact, with 6% of their overall hectarage, here is the largest coverage of the varietal in Saint-Emilion. The result? Freshness, spice, aromatic complexity and a superb compliment to the cuvée’s assemblage of merlot and cabernet franc that makes for an elegant, unique, everyday-drinking St-Emilion claret that is hugely gratifying.
£100 / Case£16.67 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2019 Chateau Berliquet Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2019 Berliquet has a refined bouquet of lifted dried iris petal scents mingling with blackberry and wild strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins and fleshy red berry... fruit laced with tobacco and Chinese five-spice, and very well proportioned and detailed on the finish. Sophisticated. Tasted twice." 91 pts., Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£222 / Case£37 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Chateau Berliquet Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2020 Berliquet has an open, quite generous bouquet of high-toned, quite floral aromas (iris and violet petals) mixed with Dorset plum, bilberry and wild strawberry. The palate is medium-bodied... with a medicinal, menthol-tinged opening, ripe and again, generous. The candied finish just needs to show a little more restraint. Fine, but it will have to manifest more elegance and composure by the time of bottling. Perhaps it was unfair to pour this against the 2020 Canon, also owned by the Wertheimer family, but it highlighted the difference between their respective terroirs." 88-90 pts., Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£220 / Case£36.67 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2021 Chateau Laroque Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2021 Laroque is very promising indeed, and winemaker David Suire and I agree that it is likely to surpass the estate's 2018 vintage in quality. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet... berries, plums and cherries, framed by a discreet patina of new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and complete, with excellent concentration, lively acids and ripe, melting tannins. A blend of 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, it represents 45% of the estate's production and derives from vines more than 50 years old."
92-95 points
William Kelley, www.robertparker.com
£120 / Case£20 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2022 Chateau La Serre Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"Beguiling fresh cherry on the nose translates into a little kirsch on the palate, with a juicy, joyful core of fruit that is perfectly framed by a fine-grained, subtle structure. Good length, this is really lovely and should be perfect to start enjoying in 5 years or so, and for another 5 years hence. "
£272 / Case£45.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur