Wine Advocate (96)

A serious, more obviously structured effort than the suave 2019, the 2020 Gruaud Larose opens in the glass with aromas of blackcurrants and blackberries mingled with subtle hints of burning embers, pencil shavings and violets framed by a deft touch of classy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with rich, powdery tannins and vibrant fruit flavors, it concludes with an impressively penetrating finish. However, it appears likely to require patience.

Jeb Dunnuck (97+)

The 2022 Château Gruaud Larose is largely Cabernet Sauvignon yet includes 14% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in 95% new barrels. It's an inky-hued 2022 that has a killer nose of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, liquid violets, and a beautiful, crushed stone-like minerality. This powerful, full-bodied Gruaud La Rose has plenty of mid-palate depth, fine, polished tannins, and a great finish. It's probably best hidden in the back of the cellar for a decade if possible, but it should be incredibly long-lived. I think it's as good as the 2018 and one of the absolute classics from this château.

Decanter (97)

A complete knockout of a wine in 2023. Deep, vibrant purple in colour. Lots of milk chocolate, some exotic spices and black fruit touches on the nose, along with floral scents of roses and violets - smells gorgeous. Supple and filling, an immediate weight and texture on the palate, thick silk and ripe fruit, massy but then almost straight away quite clean and crisp. Forward and focussed, tannins RE supportive but so well integrated into the wine - almost a seamless expression - with plenty of underlying power. It’s delicious. Very drinkable, finessed and restrained, nothing overdone, no harshness. Everything feels in its place. Juicy and succulent cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry with high mouthwatering acidity. A great wine, I love it because it’s layered and lifted, you can feel the sculpting with muscles on show and it feels very ‘put together’. There’s lots of strict Cabernet, but this has a touch of plushness which you can't help but smile at. A top buy in 2023. 40% grand production, taken from 60% of the estate. 15% press wine.

The Haut Beychevelle Gloria 2016 is a stellar representation of Bordeaux's renowned craftsmanship. Produced by the sought-after Domaines Henri Martin, located in the region's heart, this elegant wine encapsulates the estate's commitment to quality. Fruit for the Haut Beychevelle Gloria 2016 is meticulously chosen from the finest Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines, marrying these rich varietals offers exquisite balance and complexity. Following rigorous harvesting, the yielded grapes undergo vinification in thermo-regulated stainless-steel vats, fostering a marriage of modern innovation with traditional winemaking.

The maturation in French oak barrels for a year provides Haut Beychevelle Gloria 2016 its distinct, powerful character. Expect a harmonious medley of ripe red fruits, accented by hints of spices and subtle oak nuances. On the palate, you will experience an unwavering tannic structure, punctuated with meritorious acidity, culminating in a persistent and refine finish. The Haut Beychevelle Gloria 2016 is indeed a Bordeaux masterpiece, deserving of your discerning palate.

Decanter (95)

So much purity and definition, this is a beautiful wine with clarity of flavour. Touches of grilled almond and rosemary, mocha, smoke and coffee bean, there is so much freshness, with juice rushing in between the muscles and a mint leaf finish. 3.78pH, 60% new oak. Yields were 25-30hl/ha. In a year where second wines in the Médoc have sometimes suffered from over-concentration, La Croix de Beaucaillou is a standout success.

James Suckling (96)

Loads of tension and form. It can be cellared for decades, but it’s balanced and beautiful already. Lots of blueberry, licorice and blackberry character. Try in 2018.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

A stunningly successful Lagrange, easily one of the best ever at the property, with complexity, density, and staying power. Combines the exuberant texture of the 2009 with precision and clarity of fruit. The conditions of the vintage meant the smallest size of beries in 35 years, and although the tannins are clearly present they are finessed and sappy. A very young wine, but balanced and seductive, with lush cassis and blackberry fruits. 3.47ph, 60% new oak - this is an upscore from my last tasting of this vintage, but it is really singing. Harvest October 3 to October 24 with a record (since Suntory purchase) 49% of production making it to the 1st wine. Eric Boissenot consultant.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

A stunningly successful Lagrange, easily one of the best ever at the property, with complexity, density, and staying power. Combines the exuberant texture of the 2009 with precision and clarity of fruit. The conditions of the vintage meant the smallest size of beries in 35 years, and although the tannins are clearly present they are finessed and sappy. A very young wine, but balanced and seductive, with lush cassis and blackberry fruits. 3.47ph, 60% new oak - this is an upscore from my last tasting of this vintage, but it is really singing. Harvest October 3 to October 24 with a record (since Suntory purchase) 49% of production making it to the 1st wine. Eric Boissenot consultant.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

A stunningly successful Lagrange, easily one of the best ever at the property, with complexity, density, and staying power. Combines the exuberant texture of the 2009 with precision and clarity of fruit. The conditions of the vintage meant the smallest size of beries in 35 years, and although the tannins are clearly present they are finessed and sappy. A very young wine, but balanced and seductive, with lush cassis and blackberry fruits. 3.47ph, 60% new oak - this is an upscore from my last tasting of this vintage, but it is really singing. Harvest October 3 to October 24 with a record (since Suntory purchase) 49% of production making it to the 1st wine. Eric Boissenot consultant.

Wine Advocate (93-95+)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lagrange opens a little closed and broody, slowly revealing cedar chest, tar, pencil shavings, camphor and fragrant earth scents with a baked plums and warm cassis core plus a hint of yeast extract. Full-bodied and jam-packed with black fruits and earthy accents, it has a solid frame of firm, chunky tannins and just enough freshness, finishing on a persistent mineral note.

Decanter (96)

Lovely deep red pink rim to the glass. Such freshness and floral lift on the nose, smells lively and welcoming with a cool blue fruit touch to the aromas alongside faint hints of liquorice. Amazing texture and mouthfeel - filling with a good density of chalky and textured tannins underpinning creamy red fruits with a juicy acidity that is so succulent and mouthwatering. Just giving everything - abundant, generous lively fruit, creamy velvet-textured tannins, bright acidity and gorgeous Cabernet aspects. Round and complete, excellent winemaking on show.

James Suckling (95-96)

Absolutely beautiful with blackberry, walnut, crushed-stone and lavender character. It’s full-bodied and very layered with ultra fine tannins and an extremely long finish. Really well done for the vintage. Best in a long time.

Jeb Dunnuck (93)

Showing better from bottle than barrels, the 2021 Château Lagrange has a healthy ruby/purple hue to go with a gorgeous nose of blackcurrants, violets, chalky minerality, and graphite. It's rich, medium-bodied, has a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It's a seriously impressive, layered, concentrated 2021 with tons to love. The blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 21 months in 50% new barrels. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 15+.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (96)

Continuing a run of exceptional vintages where everything seems to be going right at this property. High Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, and it comes across in the sleek black fruits and peony character, very much floral and finessed. Good stuff, this is impressive, enjoyable, very St Julien and very good. 50% new oak for ageing, Eric Boissenot consultant, Mathieu Bordes director since 2013.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

The 2010 Langoa-Barton has a very pure and quite intense bouquet with black cherries, blueberry and star anis aromas that are typically Langoa. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, impressive body and grip with a liquorice-tinged, saline finish that maybe just lacks a little flesh and needs more on the aftertaste. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

James Suckling (94)

Lovely aromas of chocolate and currants with bright cherries. Full body, tight and compacted tannins and a fresh and fruity finish. Crisp acidity. Linear and refined. Start drinking in 2021.

Decanter (97)

Langoa Barton’s gravelly vineyard plots are still owned by the Barton family, who founded the estate in 1722. A blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, fermented in thermo-regulated wooden vats for 7-10 days, and aged 16-18 months in barriques, 60% new. Georgie Hindle: Seductive, beguiling nose. Taut, defined, precise, detailed. Soft, exotic spices add texture and frame to the fruit with silky, almost imperceptible tannins. Energetic, but not showy at all. Vincenzo Arnese: Ripe and concentrated fruit aromas with blackcurrant and maraschino cherry. The palate opens up to chocolate and coffee. Intense and deep finish. Andy Howard MW: A wonderful combination of classic Bordeaux style with modern winemaking. Intense palate, with integrated oak and hints of menthol, graphite and spice. Effortlessly graceful.

James Suckling (95-96)

Very finely textured with pure blue fruit and lavender and violet undertones. It’s full-bodied with pure, focused fruit. Extremely long and refined. Clearly better than the 2018.

James Suckling (95-96)

Very finely textured with pure blue fruit and lavender and violet undertones. It’s full-bodied with pure, focused fruit. Extremely long and refined. Clearly better than the 2018.

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

The 2020 Langoa Barton has a wonderful, precise, mineral-driven bouquet with subtle marine scents (oyster shell and Crustacea) that emerge with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins. Stylistically, it's not unlike the Léoville Barton, though this has more control and tension toward the persuasive finish. Glorious—one of the finest releases in recent years and better than the showing just after bottling. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

The Drinks Business (93-95)

Langoa-Barton (St Julien; 61% Cabernet Sauvignon; 36% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting and at Lagrange with very similar notes). Another wine that is very true to its own style here. Nutty, with a pleasing ripe natural sweetness to the fruit; a little hint of the oak and a trace (but only that) of vanilla and of grated dark chocolate, almonds and frangipane, alongside the dark plump black cherry and bramble fruit – mulberries too. There is good depth and density to the fruit, which is very pure, though I find the mid-palate a little less defined and precise than with the leading handful of wines of the appellation. My second tasting suggests that’s just a little harsh (and I revise my score up a notch). A great mouthful – with sapid gobbets of fresh fruit. Full and rich, bright and tense. Promising in the context of any vintage and very fine indeed in the context of this one.

The Drinks Business (93-95)

Langoa-Barton (St Julien; 61% Cabernet Sauvignon; 36% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol; tasted at the UGCB press tasting and at Lagrange with very similar notes). Another wine that is very true to its own style here. Nutty, with a pleasing ripe natural sweetness to the fruit; a little hint of the oak and a trace (but only that) of vanilla and of grated dark chocolate, almonds and frangipane, alongside the dark plump black cherry and bramble fruit – mulberries too. There is good depth and density to the fruit, which is very pure, though I find the mid-palate a little less defined and precise than with the leading handful of wines of the appellation. My second tasting suggests that’s just a little harsh (and I revise my score up a notch). A great mouthful – with sapid gobbets of fresh fruit. Full and rich, bright and tense. Promising in the context of any vintage and very fine indeed in the context of this one.

James Suckling (96)

Quite a classic wine for this hot and dry year. Excellent depth but also freshness, with convincing ripeness and a very long finish. Just medium to full body, with gritty tannins at the end. The fruit sweetness here is restrained. 60% new oak. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (94+)

Notes of cassis, dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of pencil shavings introduce the 2023 Langoa Barton, a medium- to full-bodied, layered and fleshy wine with terrific depth at the core and classic structure rendered with contemporary polish. As readers will remember, the Barton family's new winery now permits for more precise, parcel-by-parcel winemaking as well as gentler handling of the fruit. It's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.