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
2022 Chateau Laroque Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
""Clearly one of the new superstars in the appellation, Château Laroque is located on the cooler, eastern edge of Saint-Emilion and consists of pure, classic upper plateau limestone soils. The... estate covers a whopping 54 hectares, which gives director Davie Suire ample flexibility when putting together the Grand Vin. Looking at the 2022 Laroque, it's a blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc from healthy yields of 41 hectoliters per hectare, representing just 45% of the total production, and it will spend 16-18 months in 50% new French oak. This deep purple-hued beauty offers a classic Saint-Emilion bouquet of crème de cassis, graphite, tobacco, and a liquid rock-like sense of minerality. It’s medium to full-bodied, has incredible purity, and ultra-fine tannins. It’s unquestionably another beautiful vintage for this chateau that readers will love". 95-97 pts., Jeb Dunnuck
£147 / Case£24.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
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 Dominique Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2022 La Dominique is stellar. Rich, deep and beautifully layered, the 2022 impresses with its fine balance. Succulent red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and mocha all take shape in the glass. All the elements come together beautifully in a polished, notable La Dominique. Tasted two times."
93-95 pts, Antonio Galloni www.vinous.com
£220 / Case£36.67 / 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
2015 Clos de l’Oratoire Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 6x75cl
£165 / Case£27.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2000 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac-Leognan 12x75cl
£6,300 / Case£525 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2018 Chateau Laroque Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2018 Laroque fulfills the promise it showed from barrel last year. It has an irresistible bouquet of layered black cherry and blueberry fruit, fresh and lively with beautifully integrated oak.... The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity and a spicy, black-pepper-tinged finish that feels ever so slightly attenuated. Give this 3–4 years in bottle if you can." 92 pts., Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
Duty 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: En Primeur
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: Future Arrival