Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
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 Tour Saint Christophe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2022 Tour Saint Christophe, 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. It bounds out of the glass with exuberant notions of baked blueberries, juicy black plums, and... boysenberry preserves, followed by suggestions of star anise, crushed rocks, and cardamom. The concentrated, full-bodied palate is jam packed with black and blue fruit preserves, framed by velvety tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and spicy."
93-95, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, www.thewineindependent.com
£176 / Case£29.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
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
2020 Clos La Gaffeliere, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"Bright plum, cranberry and cherry fruit, some easy-to-love freshness. Unfussy and appealing with a limestone kick and chalky finish. Second wine of Château la Gaffelière, made since 1985. Has its own separate wine cellar, with grapes that come from specific plots." 91 pts., Jane Anson, decanter.com
£87 / Case£14.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
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
2020 Chateau Angelus Premier Grand Cru Classe A, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
The wine displays a brilliant, dense, very dark, almost black colour with dark purple tones, mirroring the perfect ripeness of the grapes and their optimal pH level. The nose exhibits intense aromas... of juicy black fruits, such as wild cherries and blackberries. Elegant floral notes then come through, such as peony and violets. Refined tannins underpin a long-lasting, spherical, voluptuous structure on the palate, while the flavours linger long, bringing a sensation of freshness and harmony. This vintage displays a seldom-achieved degree of elegance, while the highest levels of purity and precision are reached with this blend of extraordinary Merlot and characterful Cabernet Franc.
£1,524 / Case£254 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2022 Chateau Angelus Premier Grand Cru Classe A, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"Purple-black hue. Dense, dark and spicy. Beautifully textured, the tannins ripe and smooth. Plenty of lift and no exaggeration. Firm, long and crunchy on the finish. Substantial but measured." 18.5 pts., James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
£2,150 / Case£358.33 / 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 Vieux Chateau Mazerat, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
“Coming from a single vineyard possessing vines planted in 1947 and composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon with 35% Cabernet Franc, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Vieux Chateau Mazerat opens with... expressive crème de cassis, dark chocolate, charcuterie and plum preserves with hints of incense, Indian spices and cigar box. The palate is big and rich with firm, grainy tannins and a touch of prune character, plus a lively backbone and long earth-laced finish.”
96+, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, www.robertparker.com
£500 / Case£83.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2015 Saintayme, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 12x75cl
£150 / Case£12.50 / 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
2019 Le Dragon de Quintus, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2019 Le Dragon de Quintus is lively and boisterous on the nose with plenty of brambly red fruit, briary and light rose petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with blackberry and red plummy fruit, a little "chunky" but very fresh with a surfeit of joie-de-vivre on the finish." 89-91 pts., Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£132 / Case£22 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2019 Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2019 Le Tertre Roteboeuf is a terrific success from the Mitjaville family. This amphitheatrical vineyard on the clay-limestone slopes of Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, planted with low,... cordon-trained vines, has delivered a striking wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of cassis, blackberries and cherries mingled with notions of violets, cigar box, sweet spices and loamy soil. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, velvety tannins and lively acids, it will richly reward a decade and more of bottle age. Interestingly, proprietor François Mitjaville contended that 2019's distribution of rainfall had tended to invert the usual stylistic distinction between Tertre Roteboeuf and Roc de Cambes, his wine from the Côtes de Bourg; yet, on the day of our tasting, geology trumped weather, because as usual the former was more sensual, the latter blockier and more structured." 97 pts., William Kelley, robertparker.com
£850 / Case£141.67 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Chateau Tour Saint Christophe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
Another top performance in the 2020 from this St-Emilion GC that can't help but get better with each vintage. Here is a merlot-led Right Bank claret of deep garnet-purple in color with powerful... scents of baked blackberries, stewed black plums and boysenberries bounding out of the glass, Then cedar, mocha, tar and lifted wafts of liquorice and cardamom. A rich, full-bodied palate densely packed with juicy black fruits, supported by velvety tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and luxuriously.
£138 / Case£23 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2021 Chateau Canon Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"Dark chocolate, perfume, violets, wild flowers and bramble berries on the nose, so much going on aromatically. Lovely succulence straight away, the bright acidity giving a mouthwatering effect and... really delivering in terms of vibrant and lively fruit forwardness but with these lovely edges of graphite, slate, bitter chocolate, cream and salinity. So elegant and so refined as well as super stylish. I also love the cooling menthol Cabernet aspects you get all the way through and on the long finish. This has real class, but also an effortless quality to it that is so remarkable. One of the most memorable wines of the vintage! 3.37pH. Both Canon, Rauzan-Segla and Berliquet are excellent achievements this year." 96 pts., Georgina Hindle, decanter.com
£540 / Case£90 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2021 Chateau La Gaffeliere Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2021 La Gaffelière was picked September 22 to October 15, and matured in 60% French new oak. There is a healthy 42% Cabernet Franc here. The nose is quite open with black cherry, blueberry and... touches of violet and peony; the oak is nicely integrated. In the mouth, this is medium-bodied with fine delineation, good focus and real midpalate weight. Conveying good intensity and vibrancy, this continues a strong run for this Saint-Émilion estate."
Drink 2028 - 2055 94-96, Neal Martin, vinous.com, (May 2022)
£288 / Case£48 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2021 Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
£258 / Case£43 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2021 Saintayme, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"Ripe, perfumed nose. Bright, almost sour cherry and strawberry fruit on the palate, seriously searing, with such fresh acidities - a sharp direction upwards that quickly gets enveloped by slate... minerality and such exacting graphite touches on the palate that sweep the tongue, and leave a real iodine flavour on the finish. I love the nature of this, no frills, really showing the terroir in the glass and such clarity of the elements. Linear and focused. 60,000 bottle production. Ageing 30% in new oak." 92 pts., Georgina Hindle, decanter.com
£67.50 / Case£11.25 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2018 Croix Canon, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2018 Croix Canon is a total pleasure to taste today. Sumptuous and inviting, with so much appeal, Croix Canon is a fabulous wine to drink now and over the next decade, maybe more. Soft curves,... silky tannins and pliant fruit give the 2018 so much charm. Dark plum, spice, new leather, rose petal and mint all wrap around the juicy finish. In a word: exquisite." 92 pts., Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
£150 / Case£25 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2021 Chateau Troplong Mondot Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2021 Troplong Mondot is shockingly raw and untamed, but in the very best sense of those terms. A wine of energy and pure power, the 2021 is going to need a number of years to be at its best, but... it is certainly very impressive in the early going. The 2021 clocks in at 13.5%, which has not been seen here since the 1990s. The 2021 is not an easy wine to taste at this stage, as it is not fully formed. I won't be surprised if the 2021 turns out even better than this note suggests. It is a dazzling wine by any measure, and a far cry from the wines of decade ago, when the malolactic fermentations were often not finished when en primeur samples were presented! Superb."
95-97 pts, Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
£426 / Case£71 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2018 Chateau Troplong Mondot Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"The 2018 Troplong Mondot is blended of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with 15% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, with considerable coaxing and swirling it slowly... emerges from the glass like a waking giant, building to a towering bouquet of preserved plums, blueberry pie and Morello cherries with gentler wafts of violets, star anise, fruitcake and cast-iron pan. The concentrated, full-bodied palate possesses impressive purity and brightness of fruit commingled with richer, riper elements and supported by firm, velvety tannins, finishing with lovely freshness and on a lingering ferrous note. It's a wine that's not just delicious, it's seriously interesting too."
96 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, www.robertparker.com
£424.98 / Case£70.83 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2021 Chateau Tour Saint Christophe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. 35 hl/ha. Cask sample.
Lively and fresh with red-berry notes. Tension and length on the palate but sufficient fruit to add a bit of flesh. Chalky, terroir finish but nothing tough or exaggerated. Pleasing medium-term drinking." 16 pts., James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
£138 / Case£23 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2021 Le Petit Cheval, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
"60% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc. 13% of production. Cask sample.
Dark-fruit aroma. Long and linear on the palate, the Cabernet Sauvignon marking the blend (first time this much in Petit Cheval). Crunchy fruit with a firm grain of tannin. Structure for a bit of age." 16 pts. James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
£780 / Case£130 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur