Pauillac
2022 Chateau Duhart-Milon 4eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 3x75cl
"The 2022 Duhart-Milon underwent a short 15- to 18-day maceration and is raised in 50% new oak and the rest one-year-old barrels. It has a very graphite/mint-scented nose that is Pauillac through and... through. The palate is fresh and vibrant with fine tannins. This is beautifully sculpted with a vibrant pencil lead-tinged finish reminiscent of Grand Puy Lacoste. The 2022 is a fabulous Duhart-Milon that should give 30 to 40 years of drinking pleasure. It's a Pauillac a bit like the late Steven Spurrier insofar that it's a Pauillac always conservatively dressed in a pin-striped suit, but that's the essence of Duhart. 2030-2060"
93-95 pts, Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£189 / Case£63 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2020 Chateau Batailley 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
"The 2020 Batailley is quintessential Pauillac on the nose of very focused black fruit infused with cedar and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grippy tannins and a fine bead of... acidity. Classic in style, this is lightly spiced, showing impressive depth toward the finish. This estate has enjoyed a good run of form in recent years and this 2020 continues that trend. If you love the style of Batailley, you will love this." 93-95 pts., Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£169 / Case£28.17 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
Purity and precision have been the hallmarks of this estate under François-Xavier Borie’s stewardship, and the 2020 is no exception. Expressive, delicate yet beguilingly layered and concentrated... on the nose, it follows on the palate with impressive concentration and power, superb depth of juicy black fruit and oh-so-smooth, fruit-coated grippy tannins bringing pinpoint-perfect balance and structure to the whole. The lively acidity brings lifted red fruit notes and carries through on the long finish. Class shines through here, and it is almost surprisingly moreish already at this early stage – though the structure will see it through for many, many years to come.
£304 / Case£50.67 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 3x75cl
Purity and precision have been the hallmarks of this estate under François-Xavier Borie’s stewardship, and the 2020 is no exception. Expressive, delicate yet beguilingly layered and concentrated... on the nose, it follows on the palate with impressive concentration and power, superb depth of juicy black fruit and oh-so-smooth, fruit-coated grippy tannins bringing pinpoint-perfect balance and structure to the whole. The lively acidity brings lifted red fruit notes and carries through on the long finish. Class shines through here, and it is almost surprisingly moreish already at this early stage – though the structure will see it through for many, many years to come.
£152 / Case£50.67 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2022 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
"The 2022 Grand Puy Lacoste was picked from 7 to 23 September and contains more Merlot due to the high quality of the fruit, matured in 75% new oak. There is 14.2% alcohol. Therefore, this lends this... GPL a little more precocity and sensuality compared to other vintages, not cut from the some "classical" cloth as, say, the 2019 or 2020. Underlying this velvety veneer are enticing traits of freshly-rolled tobacco and undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-sculpted tannins. Silky smooth in texture, so much so that it belies that backbone underneath. There is a peacock's tail of mineral-rich, quite peppery black fruit on the finish, completing a Pauillac endowed with huge potential." 96-98 pts., Neal Martin, vinous.com
£357 / Case£59.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2020 Lacoste-Borie, Pauillac 6x75cl
5th-growth, Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste describes 2020 as a more “classical in style” than 2018 and 2019, where, instead of the flamboyance evident in the preceding two vintages, here we're back to... classical lines, structure and finesse. The great Pauillac estate's second label is ever-charming with plenty of beautifully pitched, fragrant sweet red fruit. Classic, correct, and with enough weight to promise much pleasurable, early drinking. Mr.Wheeler Tasting Note
£112 / Case£18.67 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Chateau d’Armailhac 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
"Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 D'Armailhac strides confidently out of the glass with classic scents of cassis, warm plums and cedar chest, plus wafts of pencil lead, bay leaves and... kirsch. The medium-bodied palate has a sturdy frame of chewy tannins and plenty of freshness to support the crunchy black and red fruits, finishing savory. The blend this year is 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, with an alcohol of 13.3%." 90-92 pts., Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com
£198 / Case£33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Echo de Lynch Bages, Pauillac 6x75cl
Produced from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the 2020 this superb value second wine of Chateau Lynch Bages has a firm spine of red fruit with an impressive freshness, intensity and lots of leafy cassis. Plenty of energy, here making for a good early drinking, affordable Pauillac.
£173 / Case£28.83 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Chateau Duhart-Milon 4eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 3x75cl
A lovely earthiness with nuances of cigar and tobacco leaf, forest floor, pepper corn and sweet red currant. Medium-bodied, elegant, silky and fresh, with a beautiful symmetry and balance, along with... freshness, length and purity in the fruits, this is a top vintage for the chateau. 2020 Duhart-Milon is a blend of 72% cabernet sauvignon and 28% merlot, and the first vintage made in the new cellars, which for the first time allow for parcel by parcel vinification.
£171 / Case£57 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2003 Chateau Batailley 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 12x75cl
"Tasted at the Batailley vertical tasting at the château, the 2003 Batailley continues to be one of the better Left Banks of the vintage. On the nose, ripe black cherries mixed with cassis are all... nicely defined and holding on to their freshness. It manifests spicy aromas, almost Moroccan-inspired, as it gradually opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with dense black fruit, a little tarry in texture with firm tannin considering that it is now 12 years old. You could broach this Pauillac now, but it should give another 10-12 years of pleasure without too much difficulty. Tasted April 2016." 91 pts, Neal Martin, www.robertparker.com
£595 / Case£49.58 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Chateau Batailley 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 3x150cl
"The 2020 Batailley is quintessential Pauillac on the nose of very focused black fruit infused with cedar and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grippy tannins and a fine bead of... acidity. Classic in style, this is lightly spiced, showing impressive depth toward the finish. This estate has enjoyed a good run of form in recent years and this 2020 continues that trend. If you love the style of Batailley, you will love this." 93-95 pts., Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£175 / Case£58.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Reserve de la Comtesse, Pauillac 6x75cl
The very popular second wine from famous Pauillac producer Château Pichon Lalande. The 2020 vintage is made from 47% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, offering plenty of rich, warm... dark fruit led by fresh, leafy blackberry on the nose with light menthol nuances and graphite minerality on the palate. Beautifully structured, long, clean, generous. In a word, delicious; in two, very impressive.
£200 / Case£33.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, Pauillac 6x75cl
This second wine of Pauillac's Pichon Baron de Longeville is an elegant and easy drinking cuvée blended with 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot with delightful black fruit flavours on the palate... and ripe, unobtrusive tannins to balance. Though produced primarily for early drinking, it retains all the substance and structure to see it through a good twenty more years of graceful ageing.
£173 / Case£28.83 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2019 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
£955 / Case£159.17 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
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
2019 Echo de Lynch Bages, Pauillac 6x75cl
"The 2019 Echo Lynch Bages is an absolutely joyous second wine. Ripe, plummy and wonderfully forward, the 2019 Echo is all pleasure. The signature of the house style comes through loud and clear. Hints of spice, tobacco and cedar round out the creamy, inviting finish." 92 pts., Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
£135 / Case£22.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2009 Chateau La Fleur Peyrabon, Pauillac 12x75cl
£530 / Case£44.17 / BottleDuty Status: Duty PaidAvailability: Immediate
2018 Chateau Batailley 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
The 2018 Batailley, matured in 60% new oak, is almost identical on the nose as I found it in barrel, decked out with attractive black cherries and cassis notes, the cedar element a little heightened... and freshly rolled tobacco notes developing with aeration. Very fine delineation here, and the oak is well integrated. The balanced palate offers fine tannins that frame the blackberry and bilberry fruit. The salinity comes through nicely on the finish, which is less silky than before, but it waves adieu with a long spicy aftertaste. Very fine and very Batailley. 93 pts., Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£202.50 / Case£33.75 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2001 Chateau Clerc Milon 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 12x75cl
"The 2001 Clerc Milon has a lovely bouquet that puts the 2000 in its place with exuberant black cherry and bilberry fruit, estuarine scents and hints of orange blossom and iodine. Wonderful! The... medium-bodied palate offers succulent tannins and vibrant red berry fruit laced with white pepper and cedar. Very harmonious, with impressive weight toward the finish. This is cruising at its peak, and given this showing, it will continue to offer great pleasure. One to seek out." 92 pts., Neal Martin, vinous.com
£900 / Case£75 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2018 Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
"The 2018 Haut-Bages Libéral is super-impressive right out of the gate. It shows all the depth and intensity I saw from barrel, with maybe a bit more tannic impact. Ripe red cherry, plum, orange... peel, cedar and sweet spice all build in the glass. The 2018 is going to need a few years to come into its own, but it is a gorgeous Pauillac." 94+ pts., Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
£168 / Case£28 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2015 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, Pauillac 12x75cl
"Deep, thick crimson. Fresher than Les Tourelles. Racy and lively and a bit inky and polished. Lots of structure." 17 pts., Jancis Robinson
£365 / Case£30.42 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2019 Echo de Lynch Bages, Pauillac 6x75cl
"The 2019 Echo Lynch Bages is an absolutely joyous second wine. Ripe, plummy and wonderfully forward, the 2019 Echo is all pleasure. The signature of the house style comes through loud and clear. Hints of spice, tobacco and cedar round out the creamy, inviting finish." 92 pts., Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
£135 / Case£22.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2021 Chateau Lynch Bages 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
"The second vintage vinified in the Caze family's new winery, the 2021 Lynch-Bages unwinds in the glass with aromas of minty cassis, sweet berries, loamy soil, black truffle and cigar wrapper, framed... by nicely integrated new oak. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and muscular, it's a serious, layered, powerful, youthfully structured wine that will come together beautifully with maturation in barrel." 93-95 pts., William Kelley, robertparker.com
£510 / Case£85 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2018 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
"The 2018 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fabulous, just as it was from barrel. Strong Cabernet inflections soar out of the glass, giving the wine a compelling aromatic profile laced with the essence of... graphite, dried herbs, menthol and dark fruit. One of the most classic (for lack of a better word) wines in the Left Bank in 2018, Grand-Puy-Lacoste is super-impressive right out of the gate. Grand-Puy-Lacoste is ultimately a wine of tremendous class that remains restrained and aristocratic in breeding. Don't miss it." 96 pts., Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
£335 / Case£55.83 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate