Saint-Émilion: tasting notes

Detailed tasting notes (from over 200 wines tasted) Château Angélus (Saint-Émilion; 60% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Franc; this is Hubert de Boüard’s 40^th vintage and it is marked on the label; a final yield of 38 hl/ha; pH 3.55; 13.8% with no chaptalisation; tasted at Angélus with Benjamin Laforet). A gloriously frank (Cabernet) franc nose. So obviously Angélus, though it could almost be Hommage à Elizabeth Bouchet (the 100 per cent Cabernet Franc micro-cuvée)! Violet. Peony blooms. Grated dark single estate chocolate. Fruits of the forest. Damson. Black cherry. Blueberry and confit blueberry. A hint of frangipane. Cedar. Graphite. This is succulent and svelte on the layered entry – we move here from Carillon’s layers of silk to the grand vin’s pillows of velvet. Lots of depth and a wide and ample frame too, with gravitas coming from the chalky tannins that pull the bottom layers downwards and in the space that creates release both menthol and a wondrous juicy sapidity. This grows and grows in the mouth. Very precise and intensely detailed. Long and subtle, beautifully balanced and always fresh. 95-97. No. 3 d’Angélus (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; pH 3.55; 13.5% alcohol, with just 2 vats chaptalized; tasted at Angélus with Benjamin Laforet). Sandalwood. Blueberry and raspberry, a little loganberry and mulberry. Very plush and precise, pixilated and crystalline. Quite ample in frame for No. 3 with lovely, thin, silky – yet glassy/glossy – sheets of silk layered one on top of another with the chalky tannins entering between the layers and dusting the edges. A little touch. Fluid and aerial, ethereal and lifted, very stylish and elegant. Not, of course, the density of recent vintages but excellent texturally and beautifully tactile. Fresh and pure. 90-92+. Carillon d’Angélus (Saint-Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 45 hl/ha; pH 3.55; 13.5% alcohol, with no chaptalisation; tasted at Angélus with Benjamin Laforet). Graphite and cedar, a much darker more intense berry fruit than No. 3 and considerably more concentration, depth and gravitas. A very delicate touch of vanilla and sweet spice – but perfectly moderated. This is tense and taut yet beautifully balanced. There’s a hint already from the aromatics of the dusty chalky character of the tannins (even if the parcels include grapes from non-calcaire terroirs such as the plots next to Figeac). Lush, plush and with quite an ample frame. Here the silken layers are thicker and the fruits more concentrated at each level than with No. 3, but still with the calcaire tannins entering between each layer and reinforcing the impression of vertical depth as well as horizontal reach. Crystalline, pure, precise, focussed and glassy. Very long too. 92-94+. Arômes de Pavie (Saint-Émilion; from dedicated parcels; 50% Merlot; 50% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 22.2 hl/ha; pH 3.55; 13.7% alcohol; tasted at Pavie). Lifted, delicate in its way but with a disguised richness and puissance. Creamy. Cedar, graphite and pencil shavings, damsons and blueberries – from all of that glorious Cabernet Franc. There’s a gentle dark petally florality too. And black forest gateau – very much a Pavie note. I find this supple and soft and elegant on the attack, again with dark cherry and berry fruits, and with a little dark chocolate enrobing the deep, dense spherical core. And it’s long and rippling on the finish, as the chalky tannins engage. An impressive wine, very close in quality to where the grand vin used to be! 92-94+. Les Astéries (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.55; 13.5% alcohol; from Jonathan Maltus). Always a fascinating wine to taste in any vintage and in 2024 I really like this. It’s redder berry fruited than usual, with a little red and darker cherry too. There’s a lovely dollop of graphite and a trickle of walnut oil. Less imposing on the attack than it often is, but we are still very much in the realm of astéries limestone tannins, imparting a chiselled, structural verticality to this. Over the less ample frame of the 2024 that works really well. I like too the clarity of the mid-palate and the crystalline and limpid texture. Some might crave more volume in the mouth, but I’m happy to trade that for the detail and delineation that is more evident here. Finely-balanced and well-judged. 91-93+. Château Ausone (Saint-Émilion; 65% Cabernet Franc; 35% Merlot; tasted at Ausone with Constance and Camille Vauthier). Spiritual. Much more expressive than La Chapelle with the Merlot setting the frame for the gloriously radiant Cabernet Franc to express itself. Damsons, damson skin, blueberries, brambles and a little mulberry. Graphite and a suggestion of gentle sweet spice from the oak. That very Ausone roasted walnut note too. Peony and a hint of wisteria. Maybe a rose petal or two. This has a gracious natural sweetness, the fruit just al dente. More red berries than usual here, a little less cherry. The grip of the tannins pinches and releases the sapidity gently sculpting and constructing the architecture of the wine. Intensely sapid in the mid-palate. Gracious, elegant with great finesse and fabuloulys chewy crumbly limestone tannins on the finish. 94-96+. Chapelle d’Ausone (Saint-Émilion; 85% Cabernet Franc; 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; tasted at Ausone with Constance and Camille Vauthier). This is pure Cabernet, as in 2021. And it’s sublime. A little closed and introspective at first but really enticing – with a lovely leafiness to the cassis, bramble and black berry fruits. Cedar wafts through the fruits with or without aeration after the passage of time. There’s iris, a touch of lily of the valley, saffron too. So pure and gracious, with just the optimal degree of freshness – bringing considerable precision and focus to the fruits. This is pixilated and detailed and delineated, like a mirror held up to the perfection of the fruit. Gracious and lithe, limpid and sapid. A different style of Chapelle that is very respectful of the vintage. It is light and aerial but it fills out with aeration. 92-94. Château Badette (Saint-Émilion; 67% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 3% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 45hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; re-tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Fresh, bright and lifted. Grated coconut, lily of the valley and a blend of blackberry and blackcurrant, a hint of spice. Generous on the attack and then brought almost abruptly back to the spine by the grippy tannins. A nice expression of its terroir and quite juicy in the mid-palate, the tannins are perhaps just a little abrasive on the finish. 90-92. Clos Badon Thunevin (Saint-Émilion; 60% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Franc; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Intensely floral, with lovely lilac and peony notes, a little suggestion of violet too and wild lavender. Crunchy black currants and black berries, all very fresh and finely detailed, with cassis coming through with aeration in the mouth – along with a little graphite and cedar. A great success in the vintage and showing a lot of technical prowess. 91-93+. Château Balestard La Tonnelle (Saint-Émilion; 56% Merlot; 17% Cabernet Franc; 27% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 39 hl/ha after the all-important densimetric sorting; pH 3.46; 13.5% alcohol; Jean-Philippe Fort is the consultant here). Bright and quite floral, with crushed petals alongside the black raspberry and loganberry fruit, the florality reinforced by subtle support from the oak. I find this impressively lithe and limpid in the mid-palate and very sapid and juicy on the finish. There’s quite a volume of tannin, but the grain is fine and this should age very gracefully. In the context of the vintage, the strongest Balestard La Tonnelle that I have tasted. There’s a pleasing natural sweetness on the finish. 91-93. Château Beauséjour (Saint-Émilion; 72% Merlot; 28% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 28 hl/ha after selecting just ‘the caviar’ from the bunches; 13% alcohol; tasted at the property with Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse; a little bit of vin de presse, but only around 7%; Axel Marchal & Julien Viaud are the consultants here). This is shy and a little closed at first. Walnut and walnut oil; black cherry; brambles; blueberries; peony; wisteria; violet; blood orange. So gorgeously beguiling on the palate. Not a massively ample frame, lozenge-shaped in the mouth with crumbly chalky tannins at the edges breaking into the core and releasing little plumes of freshness that seem to radiate out from the centre. A pleasing viscosity. This is a superb wine that really respects the vintage fantastically well. It’s brilliantly lifted, with aeration in the mouth seemingly releasing an upwardly pointed firehose of fresh sapid, juicy fruits. There’s a lovely nuttiness on the finish and, eventually, the cedar that is always just on the verge of breaking through and that wraps itself around and enrobes the fresh blueberries and black cherries like a dear friend. This will age gracefully and it might shut down a little before it really expresses itself. But it’s going to be fabulous! 95-97. Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot (Saint-Émilion; 78% Merlot; 22% Cabernet Franc, after recent replanting to increase the proportion with young massal-selection Cabernet Franc; a final yield reduced by densimetric sorting – from 42 hl/ha on picking to 32 hl/ha after sorting; pH 3.42; 13.1% alcohol; tasted at the property with Julien Barthe). The hydric stress at the end of the summer here was actually higher even than in 2020. The phenolic maturity was present early (by early September), but what was delayed was the aromatic ripeness – which came later, accelerating towards the picking date. Late harvested, even with the risk of botrytis, hence the need for drastic selection. This is very true to its style and very much on the qualitative plateau set by recent vintages. Tension, freshness and minerality. This is creamy, rich and quite broad-framed for this vintage on the plateau. Black berry and bramble. Blackcurrant and white current leaf, a hint of blueberry too from the Cabernet Franc. Sage and bay leaf. Maybe a little thyme. This is lovely texturally, with quite a dense spherical core whose perimeters are set and outlined like the pencil strokes of an artist by the crumbly tannins. There’s lots of salinity, even a touch of oyster shell, on the finish. 92-94+. Chatea Bélair-Monange (Saint-Émilion; 98% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 35 hl/ha after a combination of optimetric and densimetric sorting; 13% alcohol; tasted in the architectural splendour of the Herzog & de Meuron winery with Edouard Moueix). Brilliant in its shimmering fruit purity. A very pure cassis fruit. Very lifted and aerial, the signature of its limestone terroir and sous-sol. A vertical seam of black currant encrusted in graphite with a little cedar and that beautiful wisteria and peony florality that is one of the signatures of the plateau in this vintage. With aeration, there is also an iris bulb note to the florality (the potential of the blooms to come), rose petals and rosewater. Walnut. So gracious, elegant and beautifully expressive of the vintage. There’s a touch of leafiness from the Cabernet Franc that teases delightfully. Tight, taut yet crystalline, pure and very precise – the pixilation achieved here by the work of the granular and beady chalky tannins and resembling the beautifully sculpted walls of the interior of the chai and tasting room. With air the palate fills out, revealing more depth and considerable layering (it’s as if one starts to see the profundity of the limestone that forms the essence of this wine) – and the cedar engages too. This has, for me, the most beautiful aromatic profile of the vintage as well as a gorgeously succulent and tender mouthfeel that sings so eloquently of its terroir. Definitively one of the wines of the vintage. It’ll be fascinating to see how this evolves – I sense that it might close down before it really blossoms. Highly accessible for now but a wine for the ages. 96-98. Château Bellefont-Belcier (Saint-Émilion; from a natural amphitheatre of 14 hectares on clay-limestone and Molasses de Fronsadais next to Larcis-Ducasse on the Côte Pavie; 70% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 35 hl/ha; pH 3.25; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault and then at Bellefont-Belcier with Emmanuelle Fulchi and Jean-Christophe Meyrou). Big, broad, bold and charged with assorted fresh red and darker berry and stone fruits. Sandalwood. With aeration it’s the gracious cherry and cassis notes that come through. This is very layered and has much more density than many of its peers – but like some of its terroir neighbours, Larcis Ducasse above all (note to self – try to taste these side-by-side from bottle!). I love the ample frame and the silky sense of layering together with the crystalline purity of each layer. Highly stratified and architectural with lovely grip from the crumbly chalky tannins from below. Accessible already but with considerable aging potential, this is one of the stars of the vintage and a reflection both of the path towards the summit of this property and of its great terroir. 93-95+. Château Berliquet (Saint-Émilion; 60% Merlot; 39% Cabernet Franc; 1% Malbec – for the first time; a final yield of 43 hl/ha with a little loss from mildew and a strict selection before anything went into the vats; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and then at Château Canon on the final day of the week of the primeurs). Impressive. Creamy, full and quite rich and highly expressive aromatically with lovely iris and violet florality alongside the dark stone and berry fruits. Cassis with aeration. The creaminess is even more evident when tasted alongside Canon at the property. It’s subtle at first and a little introvert. It’s as if it needs the time to prepare us for the gorgeous, but again cool and subtle, intensity over a narrow frame of the palate. Incense and candlewax. Not a colossus at all, but delightfully lifted and crystalline. I like this a lot, above all those tactile, pixilating calcaire tannins. 92-94+. Château Boutisse (Saint-Émilion; 92% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 3% Carménère; 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; a super terroir on the argilo-calcaire plateau; 13.5% alcohol). Rather lovely, with the powdery limestone minerality that one picks up on the palate already very evident even from the aromatics – predominantly intense dark berry fruits, with a little cherry stone. There’s a lovely leafiness to the Cabernet Franc which rises through the more lush Merlot core. There’s a pleasingly natural sweetness to this too, rare in the vintage. Quite narrow on the attack, but very shapely – indeed, sinuous. The fruit glides graciously along a well-defined back bone revealing in the process those tactile fine-grained limestone tannins. A very eloquent expression of its terroir and a great success. This is a property that is now on a steep upward ascent. 91-93+. Château Cadet Bon (Saint-Émilion; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). This probably gets the prize for the wackiest new label (and this is only day 2 of my en primeur tastings)! Intensely floral, almost to the point of caricature. But I quite like that. We’re definitely in the parfumier’s workshop cooking up an essence or two – here of violets and lavender, rosemary and peony bulb. Plush, pulpy and charged with dark cherry and assorted other stone fruits. This is ambitious and whilst I really like the clarity of the attack and mid-palate, it does turn a little dry on the finish. Very distinctive. 90-92. Château de Candale (Saint-Émilion). I quite like this. It’s simple and accessible, the extraction very well managed, achieving both a sense of depth and layering on the one hand but without any trace of dryness or astringency on the finish. This is quite classical if with no great complexity. But it’s certainly been well made. 88-90+. Château Canon (Saint-Émilion; 78% Merlot; 22% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 44 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin, re-tasted at Château Canon). A little fuller and a little more herbal and darker berry fruited than Berliquet but cut at least from the same stylistic cloth. The fruit profile is more expansive – ranging from loganberry and raspberry, in finely pixilated detail, to bramble and a little cassis and even damson. More ample in frame and even more crystalline in the mid-palate than Berliquet. Gracious. Elegant. Hyper-stylish and charged with a lovely racy acidity and that cool cedar touch. A lovely menthol note too on the finish interweaving with the cassis. Even fuller and richer when re-tasted a week on. Quite chewy on the finish indicating the significant aging potential here. 93-95+. Château Canon La Gaffelière (Saint-Émilion; 43% Merlot; 43% Cabernet Franc; 14% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 42 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin; re-tasted at the property with Stephan and Ludovic von Neipperg). Iron rich in its minerality – or that is the impression – this is characterised aromatically by a dark and more plummy fruit, the darker berries coming through more in the background and with aeration. A little wild sage and oregano is picked up when re-tasted at the property. As that suggests, this is a complex wine, more than most, and it evolves and opens in the glass. Lithe and succulent, quite energetic and dynamic in the mid-palate. Not the sustained intensity of recent great vintages, but well-managed. Fuller and richer when re-tasted at the property, this is nicely mouth filling – pushing at the cheeks with generous cashmere layers. Linear on the finish but never strict. 92-94. Clos Cantenac (Saint-Émilion; 100% Merlot; 13.3% alcohol; around 6000 bottles, just a third of the total production). A brutal selection here has produced an impressive wine in the context of the vintage. Refined and quite delicate aromatically, with graphite-inflected dark and lighter berry fruits, a hint of sweet spice to bring additional interest and a sprig of thyme. On the palate this is nicely shaped, the tannins fine-grained and gently sculpting the wine through the mid-palate. At this stage the finish is a little more shapeless and there is a slight suggestion of dryness too but I think this will resolve itself during the élévage. If it does so this might well merit an upgrade. 89-91. Château Cap de Mourlin (Saint-Émilion; 79% Merlot; 16% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; pH 3.57; 13.5% alcohol; Jean-Philippe Fort is the consultant here; tasted three times, the second time at the UGC press tasting, the third at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Graphite, cedar and a very classical cassis and black berry fruit tell us immediately where this comes from. The palate is soft and engaging, the tannins ripe and yet agile and tactile, pulling and pushing the fruit along the spine and elongating the finish in the process. Not at the level of the 2020 or 2022, but a very creditable showing in this vintage – better still when re-tasted at the UGB press tasting. 91-93+. Chapelle de Labrie (Saint-Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; 13.5% alcohol; certified organic and biodynamic; tasted at the property with Pierre Courdurié). Already nice and ripe with lovely raspberry fruit, a little cassis too and bramble. Nice purity and precision. Clean and quite crystalline. Lumineux. Nice graphite. Cool at the centre, spherical with impressive concentration and density for a second selection. Tender and chewy, sapid and fresh on the finish. Crumbly tannins. A lovely signature of calcaire tannins. Lovely. 89-91. Château Chauvin (Saint-Émilion; 68% Merlot; 32% Cabernet Franc – the highest in the estate’s history; re-tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Very true to its recent identity and with all that Cabernet Franc, this is elegant and lithe in its florality and it feels pure, lifted and aerial. That impression is conveyed to the palate which has a lovely glassy crystalline purity to it. Quite a delicate, light touch but that is massively rewarded in a vintage like this. 91-93. Château Cheval Blanc (Saint-Émilion; 46% Merlot; 48% Cabernet Franc; 6% Cabernet Sauvignon; a vineyard yield of 39 hl/ha, reduced to 28 hl/ha in the tanks after strict densimetric sorting; tasted at the property with Pierre Olivier Clouet). “A vintage from the 1970s vinified with 21^st century techniques”, says Pierre Olivier Clouet – as ever, he’s right! Gorgeous aromatically. Lifted, plump, plush, succulent, very classical in a way – cedar, graphite, pencil-shavings, dark berry and stone fruits. Black cherry, bramble and blackberry, a little cassis and blueberry, above all with just a little aeration in the mouth. Much more ample than Petit Cheval and with a gorgeous natural sweetness. Walnut, almost frangipane and a little gentle toasted note. Very gathered on the finish. Very fresh, above all with a gently lift towards the fantail that forms the finish and releases the sapidity. Vivid but also classical and stylish in its elegance – but not a manufactured elegance. Poised, coiled and very promising. 95-97+. La Closerie de Fourtet (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc, rather more than normal; pH 3.56; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted at Clos Fourtet with Mathieu Cuvelier). From the more clay-rich of the parcels. I love the floral note here. It’s very distinctive and already hints at what we will find in the grand vin. Gentle on the attack with the most fine-grained and delicate of tannins. Refined, elegant, lifted and with an excellent signature of the property. Supple and succulent, juicy and fresh. 89-91. Château La Clotte (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; final yields of 22 hl/ha; tasted at Ausone with Constance Vauthier). A little more closed aromatically that Moulin St Georges (tasted just before). Walnut oil. Kalamata olives and tapenade. Damsons and plums, a little bramble and black berry. Redcurrant and cranberry. Moderate concentration and a lovely shape in the mouth. A certain creaminess but less than in the sunnier of the more recent vintages. Chewy on the finish. Very fine, but not at the level of the 2020 or 2022. 91-93. Château La Commanderie (Saint-Émilion; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Another excellent wine from the Decoster stable, this is lithe and quite open-textured, with plenty of amplitude on the attack and the sensation of layering, with the beady, grainy tannins doing the work of delineating each stratum. A bright and crisp berry and stone fruit and lots of character. 90-92. Château Corbin (Saint-Émilion; predominantly Merlot with a little Cabernet Franc; very low yields due to slow veraison leading to coulure and millerandage which necessitated densimetric sorting to eliminate unripe fruit and botrytised grapes; the final assemblage was easy; aging in a combination of oak barrels, concrete vats and wine globes; 13.25% alcohol; tasted with Annabelle Cruse Bardinet at the property). A lovely viscosity and an enticing deep purple in the glass. Articulate and eloquent and so fresh aromatically, with wild thyme and a little touch of wisteria alongside the beautiful dark cherries and damsons that immediate project themselves from the glass. A delicate note of cedar too. In the mouth this is soft, lithe, limpid and quite plush and plump. It has a nice ample frame, cashmere texture and a little dusting of tannin around the edge. A pleasing ripeness, a vivacious freshness and a delicate and subtle harmony. Overall this has great elegance and I find it very true to the recent style of this wine that is not as well-known as It should be. Very gracious. Tactile tannins pixilate the finish. 92-94. Château Côte de Baleau (Saint-Émilion; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 32 hl/ha; pH 3.7; 13.5% alcohol; the sandy terroir did not make the grade for the final assemblagement; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Quite delicate with a subtle floral note that is enticing. Gentle and soft, with quite a sweet berry fruit, a little cherry too, nicely detailed if more and more fresh towards the finish. Crumbly tannins, but just a little hint of dryness. Overall, nicely managed if a little slender in frame. 88-90. Château La Couspaude (Saint-Émilion; 75% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin; re-tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Very floral in its aromatic profile – with lovely violet and parfumier’s essence of violet and rose notes richly enrobing the dark cherry and blueberry fruits. Very enticing. Lovely cedary notes too. A trace of walnut shell and a hint of espresso bean. Succulent and broad-shouldered on the attack and crystalline in the mid-palate. The only issue here is that, just on the finish, we pick up a slightly dry grain from the tannin. But this is still an excellent showing. 91-93+. Couvent des Jacobins (Saint-Émilion; 78% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 7% Petit Verdot; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). This is very impressive and consolidates the upward path this property has been charting over recent vintages, consulted by Thomas Duclos. Quite rich and supple for the vintage, with a lovely sweetly-scented damson, black cherry and dark berry fruit. Much less chunky and foursquare than one it was, with gracious soft and ultra-fine grained tannins, still with that calcaire grip, imparting shape to the wine and pulling the fruit back to the spine. Architectural and with lovely fresh sapidity on the finish. This uses the natural acidity of the vintage so very well. When set in the context of the vintage, this is the best I’ve tasted from here. 91-93+. Croix de Beauséjour (Saint-Émilion; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 28 hl/ha; 3% vin de presse; 13% alcohol). Very punk pink at the rim. Blue/purple at the core. Subtle, elegant, lightly floral with lots of rose petal and some fleurs de vigne; blue and purple fruits. Blueberries and damsons, a little herbal element too. The leafy Cabernet is very delicate and expressive. Glassy in texture, the mid-palate composed of fine sheets of silk, quite ample in the frame and multiply-layered. A little touch of crumbly chalky limestone tannins. Fresh and croquant on the finish. A great introduction to the grand vin. 91-93. Croix Canon (Saint-Émilion; 59% Cabernet Franc; 41% Merlot; 13% alcohol). From parcels on the coteaux and lower plateau around Mazerat just before the chapel. Fresh and pure with dark berries and raspberry, a hint of sandalwood and acacia. Lifted, quite aerial but with a nice density nonetheless, reinforced by the rather less ample frame. Tight and tense, tender and remaining fresh and linear on the finish. 90-92. Château Croix Cardinale (Saint-Émilion; from the 3.75 hectares of the southern-facing slopes of the Fleur Cardinale estate and made by the same team; 50% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Franc; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 37 hl/ha; 13% alcohol). This is very lifted, aerial and pretty aromatically – with delicate but at the same time intense radiant floral notes – lily, lilac and peony, a little violet too. And it’s the violet that we pick up on the palate. It seems to intermingle with the intensely dark purple berry fruits. So pure and precise with that lovely touch of tactile limestone tannin. A great terroir expression. The first vintage of this that really and truly convinces me. 92-94. Château Croix de Labrie (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon – massal selection; 10% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 22 hl/ha after coulure on an old Merlot plot; picked in 5 separate tries; optimetric and densimetric sorting were both crucial, the latter set at 11.5% of potential alcohol; pH 3.38; 13.5% alcohol; certified organic and biodynamic; tasted at the property with Pierre Courdurié). Vibrantly punk purple in the glass and radiantly aromatic. Walnut oil, kalamata tapenade. Red and black cherry, blueberry and black berry. A little wild bramble and loganberry, all in pixilated detail. This really pushes at the cheeks, with a very ample frame and broad sheets of pure fruit interspersed with ultra-fine but grainy chalky tannins. Less obviously oaky that it used to be. A wine with impressive breath and amplitude. Milles feuilles layers of silk and cashmere – almost alternating – and lovely tactile and grippy limestone and chalky tannins. This is very well done. 93-95+. Château La Croizille (Saint-Émilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Slender, but stylish and with a lovely very ‘Cabernet Franc’ fruit profile, above all in the mouth – leafy, stemmy (but never green) blueberries and cassis. The aromatics are actually, for now, rather more red fruited but also very pure and precise. The mid-palate is lush and yet the narrow frame gives just enough space for eddies of fresh Cabernet fruits to ripple upwards from below giving interest and texture and rendering this very tactile. I love the delicacy. The best I’ve tasted from here. 92-94. Château Dassault (Saint-Émilion; 67% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 28 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin; re-tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Unusual in the context of the vintage aromatically, with a lighter hued fruit profile – more red berries and red cherries and less florality than is often exhibited here. Glossy, even succulent, in the mouth, this pushes the cheeks and fills the mouth with juicy fruits. More dynamic and energetic still when re-tasted at the property. Lacking a little in complexity, but this is tactile in its vibrant fresh juiciness and also very refreshing. 91-93. Château Destieux (Saint-Émilion; 66% Merlot; 17% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Cabernet Franc; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). One of the more floral of the grands crus classés at this stage in the vintage, with that florality rather reinforced and underscored by the oak, still yet to be incorporated fully (but it is just a matter of time). This is pure, fresh and with decent mid-palate density. The acidity is well-integrated too, but it’s considerable and it seems also to gather a little on the finish. That accentuates the sense of freshness but turns this just a little dry. 89-91. Le Dôme (Saint-Émilion; 80% Cabernet Franc; 20% Merlot; pH 3.86; 13% alcohol; from Jonathan Maltus). We are in the kingdom of Cabernet Franc here and this has a most gorgeous aromatic profile – lavender, violet, confit violet, fresh and dried rose petals and the parfumier’s essences of all of the above generously enrobing the plump blueberry and black cherry fruits. Graphite and a little cedar for good measure. This has a less ample frame that Vieux Château Mazerat and is more chiselled by the limestone tannins – indeed, it feels much more like a vin de terroir. Though it’s quite linear and architectural, it’s never stern nor austere and this is a great success in the vintage. 93-95. Château La Dominique (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 31 hl/ha; pH 3.56; 13.5% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the UGC press tasting). Quite distinctive aromatically, with quite a pronounced ferrous and saline note to the minerality when tasted both times. It’s quite meaty too. We almost have smoky bacon crisps, if you remember those. If you do, you should try them with dark berry and stone fruit – this vintage of La Dominique suggests they go very well together! Plush and quite luscious on the attack, above all when tasted alongside the other grands crus classés, this is very impressive texturally. Ample, plump, succulent and extremely juicy on the refreshing vintage, this is a great success. 92-94+. Le Dragon de Quintus (Saint-Émilion; 78.5% Merlot; 21.5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of around 34 hl/ha, though that’s an average over the total production; this, the second label represents 40% of the production; 13% alcohol; tasted at the property with Mariette Veyssière). Darker and more profound than the third label, with more black cherry and even a little black forest gateau. Some blueberry from the Cabernet Franc. This has a bulby iris and peony florality that is very enticing. Much more ample and layered. The acidity again present but nicely distributed across the strata that form the mid-palate of the wine. The grainy tannins from the limestone bedrock give this a vertical range that it well-sustained towards the finish. Despite that, it’s light and aerial. 91-93. Clos Dubreuil (Saint-Émilion; 70% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a strict selection and a final yield of just 25 hl/ha; from 6.9 of the 8.5 hectares under vine on the argilo-calaire plateau of St-Christophe-des-Bardes; 13.5% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Though the acidity is a little elevated, the pH probably very low, this manages the vintage well. It has quite a lot of substance and amplitude and a deep, dark berry and stone fruit that even has a certain natural sweetness to it. There’s a pleasing wild herbal and heather note too bringing additional interest and, in a vintage with the accent on austerity, this comes across as succulent and quite generous. 91-93. Château L’Etampe (Saint-Émilion; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol; from Vignobles Jade; the consultants here are Jean-Claude & Jean-François Berrouet; certified organic and biodynamic). This is a little richer and in a way more classical than Fleur de Lisse and Fontfleurie in this vintage and it doesn’t have quite the same sense of lift and energy. One almost senses, but I may well be wrong, that the vintage was more tricky here on the more alluvial and sandy soils of this part of the appellation. The palate is a little less precise and focussed and the finish just a little less shapely and sapid. 89-91. L'Excellence du Clos des Menuts (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc). As the name implies, this is a micro-cuvée from the 5 hectares of the Clos des Menuts vineyard. Creamy with an engagingly pure, gentle red berry fruit profile – raspberry and a little loganberry. Soft and gentle on the attack, with ultra-fine grained tannins, this has been very nicely managed. It’s fully ripe, there is no astringency and this has a cool and focussed precision. It’s also quite crystalline in texture. It’s light and aerial and will be accessible young. Fresh, fruity and quite lifted. 91-93. Château Faugères (Saint-Émilion; 70% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 36 hl/ha; from a 38.4-hectare vineyard on a combination of the limestone plateau (asteria limestone subsoil) and a limestone and clay slope (limestone soil on clay-limestone molasse); aging in oak barrels of 225 and 300 litres, a third new; 13% alcohol; tasted at Peby-Faugères with with Vincent Cruège). More serious than Cap de Faugères (tasted before). Seriously pure and focussed, with quite a narrow frame densely charged with fresh fruits – here more purple and black than Cap’s red cherries and berries. There’s a touch of ferrous minerality. There’s graphite too and the oak is both very moderate and very well-integrated. The calcaire tannins give this great length. Tense and rippling and very long on the linear finish. Excellent. Classy in its new, far less oaked style. A pleasing mentholated lift on the finish and the grip of the chalky tannins. 91-93. Château de Ferrand (Saint-Émilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). This is excellent. Sleek, slender with a lovely combination of violet florality and cedar, rendering it cool and glacial at the spherical core. That core is rendered more evident by the fine-grained chalky limestone tannins that beautifully enrobe it like an artist’s pencil strokes. Rather subtle, very elegant and rather beautiful. 92-94. Château Figeac (Saint-Émilion; 39% Cabernet Sauvignon; 28% Cabernet Franc; 33% Merlot; a final yield of 31 hl/ha after the use of densimetric sorting to deal with the consequences of the long floraison followed by optimetric sorting, with 21% of what was harvested rejected from the 36 hl/ha picked; pH 3.66; 8% vin de presse; 100% new oak as usual; 13% alcohol; tasted at the property with Frédéric Faye and members of the family). Perhaps the most beautiful nose of the entire en primeur campaign at this stage. Gloriously elegant and enticing. So naturally expressive without any need for aeration. Gently sweet-scented with a note of saffron and walnut alongside the black cherries, damson and blueberry fruit profile. Violet and peony, wisteria and lily. With aeration this becomes a little fresher with the proportion of berry fruits seeming to rise as the cherries and fruits of the forest recede just a little. That gives a hint as to the tension and the source of the tension in the wine. The oak is present and there is a subtle hint of vanilla but it serves to support the gentle florality – wisteria and lily of the valley above all. With aeration, too, more and more cedar. On the palate, assorted dark berries but also, less present on the aromatics, raspberry, loganberry and strawberry. Ample in its frame, spherical and pushing at the cheeks, yet always retaining the purity and the precise crystallinity that sets this apart as really one of the wines of the vintage. The oak is still integrating but this is just a question of time. 95-97+. Château Fleur Cardinale (Saint-Émilion; 72% Merlot; 21% Cabernet Franc; 7% Cabernet Sauvignon; from the 26.5 hectares of the northern-facing slopes of the Fleur Cardinale estate and made by the same team; a final yield of 42 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol). A fascinating contrast to Croix Cardinale, these really do need to be tasted side-by-side (as I had the opportunity to do). They’re cut from the same cloth, but somehow woven differently. This is floral too, but a little more demonstratively – it’s more the florality of the rose petal, though there are touches of violet here too. There’s a lot more graphite and cedar too and one has the impression of more oak (brilliantly incorporated). This is richer and fuller, a little more ample and even more gracious in a way. I love them both and it’s difficult to choose between them; this probably has a little more aging potential. 92-94+. Château Fleur de Lisse (Saint-Émilion; 69% Merlot; 31% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol; from Vignobles Jade; the consultants here are Jean-Claude & Jean-François Berrouet; certitied organic and biodynamic). I have something of a soft-spot for these wines and they shine in 2024. The Bien-aimée de Fleur de Lisse is already a delightfully aerial, fresh and vibrant introduction. After that the grand vin comes as no disappointment. Indeed, it’s gloriously vibrant with very great red berry fruit purity and incredible lift. In the mouth this almost more resembles a fine white. It’s light and insubstantial in a way and some will clearly want for mid-palate heft, but for me this is a delightful, delicate, refined and elegant wine that expresses the vintage with great eloquence and acumen. I’m also a sucker for that pure Cabernet Franc aromatics and the tender juiciness that it imparts on the sapid finish. 91-93. Château La Fleur Morange (Saint-Émilion; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Plump black cherries, freshly plucked at perfect ripeness in all their succulent juiciness. A little hint of walnut shell and olive tapenade. A touch of graphite. This is narrowly framed by the limestone tannins and that gives this a sense of depth and gravitas – density too – that many lack. Velvety and rather seductive in its way. Quite gracious too. It’s nice to see this very much on form in 2024. 91-93. Château Fombrauge (Saint-Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 26 hl/ha; re-tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). This must come in the heaviest bottle on the market. Lithe, plush and engaging ,with a dark berry fruit – bramble, blackberry and a little blueberry too. It’s very pure and unadulterated and the oak influence is very subtle. It lacks the delineation in the mid-palate of the very best and neither is it especially complex, but you know where this comes from and it’s likely to represent good value. A touch dry on the finish. 89-91. Château de Fonbel (Saint-Émilion; 65% Merlot; 31% Cabernet Sauvignon; 4% Carménère; tasted at Ausone with Constance Vauthier). After the Simards this is more classical. It has a broader frame but one nicely sculpted by the calcaire tannins, it’s sapid and juicy with a greater range of primary fruits – red and darker berries primarily. Denser at the core and with a little more acidity than the Simards which you have to accept to enjoy this. Gracious tannins and a pleasing clarity and precision. 89-91. Château Fonplégade (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; from a comparatively large vineyard of 18.4 hectares farmed biodynamically on a mosaic of limestone and clay terroirs next to what is now Quintus; aging in new and one-year oak barrels, cement eggs and amphoras; certified organic and biodynamic). This is fabulous and quite distinctive, if not entirely unlikely its neighbour, Quintus. Broad and ample in frame, with a lovely damson and bay leaf aromatic signature. Lots of crunchy small berry fruits too – from the fresher redcurrants and blackcurrants by way of the plumper brambles and mulberries to the richer, sweeter, darker cherries that come through more and more with aeration and the passage of time. Graphite and a hint of cedar. Glossy in its texture on the attack, with fine-grained yet beady, grippy tannins that seem to grate at the silken surface of the spherical core that the fresh fruit forms in the mouth. As they do so, they massage the fruit and disrupt the surface tension, releasing an intensely sapid juiciness. Another great success and another very tactile and dynamic wine from Fonplégade. 92-94. Château Fonroque (Saint-Émilion; 62% Merlot; 38% Cabernet Franc; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). A very pure cassis and blackcurrant fruit, really intense and captivating. There’s an earthy mineral note too and a slightly wild herbal and heathery note. Pure and precise with lots of focus on the palate too, but with incredibly fine-grained beady tannins – a little like Franc Mayne. This has been getting better and better in recent years and I’m very impressed by this in 2024. 92-94. Château Fontfleurie (Saint-Émilion; 62% Merlot; 38% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of around 27 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; from Vignobles Jade; the consultants here are Jean-Claude & Jean-François Berrouet; certitied organic and biodynamic). Another lovely wine in this vintage from Vignobles Jade that exudes its biodynamic values in its vivid and vibrant, lithe and energetic fruit-forward style. In comparison with Fleur de Lisse, this is just a touch more austere, there’s a little more girth and substance in the mid-palate and the wine is a little less lifted, despite the slightly higher proportion of Cabernet Franc. Probably not for those who prefer to spread their Saint-Émilion on toast, but for those enthusiastic to explore a more aerial style, this is an excellent starting point. I’m reminded a little of Fonplégade at least stylistically. 90-92. Clos Fourtet (Saint-Émilion; 84M; 10CF; 6CS; floraison was the problem here where the yields were lost due to the need for strict selection; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; pH 3.43; 13% alcohol). Selected from the limestone plateau exclusively. We change register here. Clos Fourtet in 2024 is intensely floral, but in the most subtle and delicate of ways. Wisteria and orange blossom, a little lilac too. More and more cassis with aeration. Wild thyme. Graphite. A wine that is very aromatic and lifted in that aromatic profile. Soft, subtle, delicate and highly refined but also very natural – not polished or worked. Glorious in the mouth, this is more ample than you expect and less austere too – without ever being sweet, it is soft and smiley. Luminous, crystalline and clear, pure and precise with that lovely under-labouring of the crumbly limestone tannins that break up the clarity from below bringing great interest and encouraging the fresh sapid fruit juices to descend the cheeks like tears down the side of a glass. Very delicate but very complex texturally. Very tactile. The density is hidden but it’s there. A real coup de coeur and expressing a real empathy between terroir and vintage. 94-96+. Château Franc Mayne (Saint-Émilion; 100% Merlot; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin; re-tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Intensely floral, one has the impression of being with the parfumier in her laboratory but then of being transported to the underground crypt of the cathedral in the presence of incense, myrrh and candlewax. Walnut shell and walnut oil; cedar and graphite. I like the very vertical structure defined by the tactile trace of the calcaire tannins – it’s like a limestone mineshaft! But it’s also beautifully sapid and limpid, the fruit gliding and dancing in the confined spaces accorded to it by the beady tannins. Great! 93-95. Château La Gaffelière (Saint-Émilion; 60% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 42 hl/ha; a little vin de presse but not much and assembled early; pH 3.55; 13.5% alcohol, with no chaptalisation but a little reverse osmosis to intensify the body and volume; tasted at La Gaffelière with Alexandre de Malet Roquefort). Picked late despite the risk of botrytis. Pretty and very open aromatically with an intense peony florality. A little mimosa too. Some rose petals. A very dark fruit – black cherry and black berry and bramble, all plump and al dente. Cassis with aeration. The slow extended extraction was important as was the densimetric sorting. There’s a lovely very natural sweetness on the attack and then the glorious blueberry and violet notes from the Cabernet Franc breaks through the surface, bringing energy and lift. Grippy, sapidity-releasing beady calcaire tannins complete the picture. 92-94+. Clos La Gaffelière (Saint-Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; pH 3.6; 13.3% alcohol; tasted at La Gaffelière with Alexandre de Malet Roquefort). Fresh and darkly fruited, with blueberry and bramble, a little stone fruit too. Vibrant, with a somewhat elevated and racy acidity but because it’s nicely enrobed in fruits that we expect to have a high acidity this feels very natural. Impressive for what it is. Nicely managed. The class of the wine comes from the quality of the tannins. 88-90. Château Grand Barrail Larmazelle Figeac (Saint-Émilion; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol). This, too, is very well-made. More red berry fruited than most with a subtle sprinkling of sweet spice and very authentic and true to its terroir, as it true really now with all of the Dourthe wines. I find this pure, precise and quite linear on the palate. It balances the challenges of the vintage well to produce a wine that will drink well young but which also holds decent aging potential too. 91-93. Château Grand Corbin (Saint-Émilion; 86% Merlot; 12% Cabernet Franc; 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). A little closed aromatically at this stage which means that it’s really the oak that one picks up first, with then a bunch or two of fresh red and darker berry fruits. In the mouth this has a rather narrow frame, but that renders it a lot more dense and concentrated on the palate. A simple, but engaging black cherry and bramble fruit, with a little wild thyme. Plush and pulpy but quite lifted too, this is a success in the context of the vintage. 89-91. Château Grand Corbin-Despagne (Saint-Émilion; 84% Merlot; 12% Cabernet Franc; 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13.3% alcohol; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Enticing and alluring in its aromatics, even if they are a little closed and introvert at first when tasted under leaden skies at Dassault. Damson, damson skin and blueberry, a little blackcurrant too and just a few black cherries. On the palate this is quite compact, with a lovely clarity to the mid-palate and a sense of layering absent in all but the best of the grands crus classés in this vintage. Poised and elegant, long and gently tapering on the finish. 91-93+. Château Grâce Dieu des Prieurs (Saint-Émilion; 64% Merlot; 36% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol; malolactic and aging entirely in new Radoux Super Fine Blend barrels; Louis Mtjaville is the consultant oenologist here). I like this very much. This is always a singular wine, whose identity is often highly shaped by the Radoux blend casks here, rather like Tertre Roteboeuf but from a rather different type of Saint-Émilion terroir. In this lighter and more aerial vintage the oak is still present and distinctive, but it’s very well managed – like everything here. Dried and fresh rose petals, parfumier’s essence of violet and a little lavender, saffron and hazelnut accompany the plump perfectly ripe red and darker berry fruits. Light and agile on the palate with plenty of energy and a certain vivacity, this will be relatively early drinking and really quite ethereal. 92-94. Château Grand Mayne (Saint-Émilion; 70% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 30 hl/ha; 13.7% alcohol). In general I am a big fan of Grand Mayne but this wine has me slightly equivocating. On the one I love the aromatics – dark berry fruits, with plenty of plump blueberry and that lovely leafy/stalky/herbal/floral Cabernet Franc signature, a touch of graphite, a hint of cedar and a little walnut shell. I love too the refined and gentle opening and the glossy, polished tannins. But, on the other hand, it turns increasingly dry on the finish just when I am about to sign off on an effusive tasting note. I’m reassured a little when I re-taste it at the UGC and I nudge up my rating accordingly. But it does still lose a little of the shape it has on the attack. I’ll be keen to reassess this from bottle as so much of it I really like. 90-92+. Château Haut-Brisson (Saint-Émilion; 18 hectares on clay-limestone, fine gravel and fine brown sand; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 37 hl/ha; pH 3.5; 13% alcohol; tasted at Bellefont Belcier with Emmanuelle Fulchi and Jean-Christophe Meyrou). Dark briary fruits. Pure and precise, clear with a great sense of clarity and precision. Limpid and lithe but with both more natural sucrosity and more substance than any of the non Saint-Émilion wines – the layers are of cashmere rather than silk. Chewy on the finish but accessible early, as it should be. 89-91+. Château Haut Sarpe (Saint-Émilion; 70% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol; re-tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). From Joseph Janoueix. Bright red berry fruits and a gentle sprinkling of sweet spices, a few sprigs of lemon thyme. Some wild moorland floral notes too. This is quite lifted and aerial for Haut Sarpe and I like the sense of energy. Well made, with a pleasing sense of balance and with a lovely sapid finish – not the elevated acidity and slight astringency of many. 89-91. Château Haut-Simard (Saint-Émilion; 80% Cabernet Franc; 20% Merlot; picked in multiple passages through the vineyard; tasted at Ausone with Constance Vauthier). This has more Cabernet Franc than Jean Faure and as much as Le Dôme! The surprise of the Vauthier tasting at Ausone, it’s very distinct composition giving it a glorious aromatic signature that really wows – of blueberries and mulberries and a little blackcurrant and white currant blossom. A little orange blossom too and blood orange. Slender in its frame, but spherical at the quite dense core, which is nicely enrobed with dark stone and croquant juicy berry fruits. It’s simple in a way, but pure and gracious and highly accessible. Above all, it feels like a very direct and authentically respectful expression of all that is lovely about this vintage. This could be excellent value and it’s also likely to wreak havoc in a blind tasting! In short, it ticks many of my boxes. 92-94+. L’If (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.37; 13% alcohol; parcels next to Troplong Mondot and also from Puyblanquet; a final yield of 39 hl/ha after the all-important densimetric sorting; bleeding of the tanks reduced the final production by around 15 %; a little chaptalisation to raise the alcohol from 12.5%; picked at the start of October in three days; tasted with Jacques Thienpont at Le Pin). The Cabernet Franc is very beautiful here. Intense dark berry fruits. Acacia and graphite. A touch of grated chocolate and dark cherry. A little hint of violet too. This is gracious, full and constructed around quite a dense but compact lozenge-shaped core of cool dark berry fruits. It’s not too ample, accentuating the sense of impact. The calcaire tannins are very delicate and this is much more lush and plush than most plateau-based wines in the vintage. 92-94. Clos des Jacobins (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 18% Cabernet Franc; 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). The best of the Decoster stable wines this year, as it should really be given the quality of the i from which it hails. This is pure and crystalline, the oak very well integrated and well-moderated. It is layered, yet limpid and lithe, even sinuous in the mid-palate and it has a nicely lifted, quite aerial finish. 91-93+. Château Jean Faure (Saint-Émilion; 65% Cabernet Franc; 30% Merlot; 5% Malbec; pH 3.56; 30% new oak; certified organic and biodynamic; 13.5% alcohol; tasted twice, first at a négociant tasting and then from a sample sent to me in Saint-Émilion). Impressive, as ever, even if this remains a property a little under the proverbial radar. But if you are in any doubt as to the quality of the terroir here, just have a look on the map. Bulby in its redolently Cabernet Franc florality. Peony. Lilac. Fleur de figueier. When re-tasted there’s also a hint of grated dark chocolate. Soft, supple and with a luxuriously soft entry (‘attack’ would be too aggressive a term here) that disguises at first the depth, density and compactness of this wine. Gloriously lush and fresh with fine-grained silky/cashmere tannins. Lifted on the pinched finish. Tactile. Sapid. 92-94+. Château Laforge (Saint-Émilion; 92% Merlot; 8% Cabrnent Franc; pH 3.08; 13% alcohol; from Jonathan Maltus). This has a pleasingly ripe, gently and naturally sweet, red berry fruity aromatic profile. There’s a little graphite too. Like Teyssier, this has not been pushed and is very delicate for Laforge to the point that I would not pick it blind. I miss the ferrous mineral signature that I often associate with Laforge but I am impressed by the choices made here. Harmonious and accessible if not exactly a grand vin de garde. 88-90. Château Larcis Ducasse (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 41 hl/ha at the picking date but reduced by c. 17% with densimetric selection, no coulure but an extended floraison; aging in oak, 50% of it new; 13.5% alcohol; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin and re-tasted at the property with David Suire who has taken on the direction here since last year). The wonderful blue clay in the terroir plays a crucial role here as does the Southern exposure on the Côte Pavie. Very pretty and very refined, much more so than it used to be, this is poised and elegant, cool-scented and intense in its combination of incense and violet, rose petal and myrrh accompanying and enrobing and enrichening as it does so the intensely dark berry fruits. There’s graphite by the nuclear reactor core load. But everything here is so refined. There’s cedar on the palate, too, above all with gentle aeration in the mouth. Gorgeous aromatically and brilliant in its purity, this is a wine that almost brings a tear to my eye. This transcends the vintage and shows the colossal potential of this exceptional terroir. The gentle grip and structuring touch of the calcaire tannins as the wine caresses the palate is sublime. 95-97. Château Laroque (Saint-Émilion; brilliantly situated atop the rocky plateau of Saint-Laurent; 98% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc; a vineyard yield of 40 hl/ha, but only 44% making it into the vat due to the strict optical and densimetric selection; tasted first at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault and then with David Suire at Larcis-Ducasse; no vin de presse; 50% new oak; pH 3.48; 13.4% alcohol). Delicate and so refined. So pure and precise too in its red and then darker berry fruit signature – at first loganberry and raspberry, then mulberry and bramble. This is a little more nutty than Larcis, tasted just before. It’s fresher too and a little less sunny with a slightly darker berry fruit – a touch of loganberry too that is not present on the Côte Pavie. That renders this more taut and tense and that is reinforced again by the calcaire tannins that structure and sculpt the wine vertically. What is also impressive here is the layered viscosity – very rare in the vintage – which makes this rather special. With aeration there’s more and more blackcurrant and the fresh lift that brings – I’m almost reminded or Ribena from my childhood. A study in fruit purity and so brilliantly juicy on the finish. A lovely liquorice note too on the finish. 93-95. Château Larmande (Saint-Émilion; 88% Merlot; 12% Cabernet Franc; tasted twice, first at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Iris and peony and a saline ferrous minerality combine here with the red and darker berry fruits. There’s a little wild herbal note too. Fresh, sapid and lively in the mouth with lovely swirls of additional freshness released as if from below. The tannins draw the fruit ever more closely to the spine and that helps give this an intensity it would otherwise lack. 91-93+. Château Laroze (Saint-Émilion; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Excellent. Cassis and raspberry, beautifully fresh and finely detailed – like the still life painting of a grand master. This is plump, plush and yet well delineated and almost pixilated in its detail in and through the mid-palate. A lovely handling of the vintage – fresh and vibrant rather than strict and austere. The best performance from Laroze for me in recent vintages. Very pure and intense and well-sustained on a long and very linear finish. 91-93+. Château Lassègue (Saint-Émilion; from a property of 24 hectares on the coteaux of Saint-Émilion below de Ferrand and opposite Tertre Rôteboeuf; 45% Merlot; 49% Cabernet Franc; 6% Cabernet Sauvignon; pH 3.6; aging in oak barrels from 15 different French forests, 60% of which are new; 13.1% alcohol, with 0.3% from chaptalisation; tasted at the property). Just the second vintage in which the Cabernet is in the majority. Lush, deep, rich and fully ripe with an aromatic opulence and swagger that I find rare in the vintage. Black cherry, a touch of walnut and deep dark berry fruits, all quite briary. The oak use is very subtle. The blueberry, violet and peony florality is very beautiful and the leafy Cabernet Franc signature is very profound. Ample, pushing at the cheeks and very full in the mouth, with the calcaire tannins pulling the wine downwards and grounding it in the soil, giving this great gravitas. For that to happen it needs something to grab onto and it has it here as there is considerable density and depth and concentration without any dryness or tartness at all. The southern/south western exposition here really helps. There’s a wondrously juicy, sapid eloquence to this. Very energetic. 93-95. Lucia (Saint-Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of just 22 hl/ha from 2.9 hectares on a combination of argilo-calcaire and gravel-sand terroirs; the oldest parcel here was planted in 1901, explaining in part the low yields; aged in oak barrels, 20% of which are new; Julien Lavenu is the consultant here). Lush and gracious, elegant and poised, this is a very impressive wine in the context of the vintage, with quite a viscous core of red and dark cherry and berry fruits. There’s a hint of heather and wild herbs too. The mid-palate is succulent and shapely, the tannins incredibly finely-grained, even if they reveal a little dryness on the finish. 90-92+. Château Magnan la Gaffelière (Saint-Émilion; 65% Merlot; 35% Cabernet Franc; from 8 hectares on a clay-sand terroir; 13.5; Hubert de Bouärd consulting; certified organic). Succulent, fresh, with lots of evident Cabernet Franc character. A touch oaky. Quite rich and plump, a spherical core generously enrobed and with pleasingly chewy tannins. Slightly dry on the finish. 87-89. Château Mangot (Saint-Émilion; 64% Merlot; 34% Cabernet Franc; 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; just up the hill from Faugères in the wilds of Saint-Émilion close to the appellation boundary with Castillon; Thomas Duclos is the consultant here; certified organic). Plump and plush with a lovely very expressive dark and quite rich dark cherry and berry fruit, a little damson and blueberry fruit too. Spherical at the core and nicely packed with fruits – dense and compact. Vivid and vibrant with the wood already very well integrated. Excellent. Sapid on the finish. A wine of a simple purity and pleasure. This is likely to represent excellent value. 91-93. Château La Marzelle (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13% alcohol; certified organic; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Violets, peonies and a lovely waft of cedar. A hint of walnut oil, more usually found in riper vintages and maybe a little Kalamata olive tapenade. Black cherry and mulberry fruit. Plush and with very soft yet tactile tannins, this glides effortlessly over the palate. The steep upward progression here continues, certainly when one takes note of the challenges of the vintage. 91-93+. Château Monbousquet (Saint-Émilion; 65% Merlot; 20% Caberner Franc; 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 25.8 hl/ha; pH 3.77; 13.6% alcohol). Less oak and a subtle change in style! This has a dark plum and berry fruit, a little graphite, and a certain iron element to the minerality. Quite sweet-fruited, plush and plump, with a generously enrobed quite dense spherical core. Nicely managed and well-sustained on the finish. A new passage is in the process of being taken here perhaps. I prefer this to recent vintages. 90-92. Mondot (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc, with the young wines ultimately destined for the grand vin making their first appearance; tasted at Troplong Mondot with Aymeric de Gironde). Lovely. Lifted. Aerial. Glossy. Fresh and hyper-crystalline. Explosively articulate aromatically. Griotte cherry. Cassis and blackcurrant. A little loganberry. Cedar and a little graphite. This has a bright and crunchy purity and is succulent and juicy in the well-sustained and nicely-filled mid-palate. 91-93+. La Mondotte (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted at Canon-La-Gaffelière with Stephan and Ludovic von Neipperg). Lovely dark blueberry and black cherry fruits, a hint of the black forest – and its gateau. A touch of graphite and a little hint, but not more of pencil-shavings. Glacial in its crystalline core. Ample, again, like all of the von Neipperg St-Emilions in 2024, very pure and precise and deeply layered – like the strata revealed in a cliff face. Quite architectural for the vintage but at the same time lifted and aerial, bright, crisp and intensely sapid on the finish, where the. Cabernet Franc notes really reveal themselves. 93-95. Château Montlabert (Saint-Émilion; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; 50% new oak; pH 3.8; 13.5, 0.5% from chaptalisation; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault and then at the property with Ludovic Hérault; certified organic). Blueberry and black cherry. Graphite and fresh pencil shavings. Glossy for the vintage and with a lovely sense of plush, plump depth and gravitas. Dense and compact, layered and with cashmere-soft tannins. Nice ripeness. The spherical core is densely packed with crisp crunchy fruits. Maybe not quite the pixilation of the 2020 or 2022 but this is very well done and it will also be accessible early. 91-93+. Château Montlisse (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Another grand cru classé sporting a rather swanky new label for the new vintage. Assorted dark plums, damsons and loganberry vie for attention with the wild herbal notes – thyme and a little rosemary. Succulent and juicy on the palate with plenty of energy and vivacity, this is bright and dynamic. It manages the vintage well and will be accessible early. 90-92. Château Moulin du Cadet (Saint-Émilion; 100% Merlot; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; pH 3.55; IPT 65; 13% alcohol; tasted twice, first at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Brambles, blackberries and damsons, subtle floral hints and a little graphite. The oak is moderated and well-integrated, but present. A little strict and very linear with a well-defined central spine to which the fruit is tightly bound aiding the impression of impact and density. Crumbly ripe tannins on the finish. This has been well-managed. 91-93. Château Moulin Saint Georges (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; tasted at Ausone with Constance Vauthier). As we move up the range we encounter more density and concentration. This has a dusty earthy terroir minerality. It’s juicy and sapid with the same slightly elevated acidity that one finds in de Fonbel. Lifted, aerial, croquant in its fruit signature. This slightly loses its shape on the finish with a slight drop off in the clarity of the fruit. But I love the quite creamy blueberry and black berry fruit and iris and iris bulb florality. There’s a touch of cedar with aeration. 91-93. Muse du Val (Saint-Émilion). The cuvée speciale from Petit Val and a wine that in 2024 signals its ambition with quite a lot of sweet oak that has yet to be incorporated but which does draw attention to the floral elements here – violets and confit rose petals. One senses quite a strict selection. The fruit is fully ripe and there’s a natural sweetness to this that doesn’t all come from the oak. That said, the richness of the mid-palate that almost transcends the vintage does come at the expense of a little dryness on the finish. This will need time and I’ll be interested to re-taste after its élévage. 89-91. Clos de l’Oratoire (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted at Canon-La-Gaffelière with Stephan and Ludovic von Neipperg). Black cherry. Blackcurrant. A little blueberry and that stalky leafiness of the Cabernet Franc, above all with gentle aeration in the mouth. Here we move from sheets of silk to cashmere, with a little more density and depth and with the calcaire tannins entering between the strata. I love the uplift of sapid freshness that I find in the mid-palate. This is vibrant and very pure if perhaps lacking a little complexity in comparison with the 2020 or 2022. 90-92. Château Pavie (Saint-Émilion; 51% Merlot; 32% Cabernet Franc; 17% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 24.1 hl/ha; pH 3.68; 13.6% alcohol; tasted at the property). Very limestone in its aromatic profile and signature contributing to the sense of verticality and lift. Blueberries and black berries, brambles and fruits of the forest and, of course, those Pavie cherries. Graphite and freshly grated dark chocolate. A hint of heather. Violet. And also just a suggestion of ferrous minerality. This is more ample than Arômes but not massively so. Very spherical in form in the mouth with almost a blackhole density at the core. Yet this is, above all, gracious, quite fluid and almost sinuous for Pavie. It tapers gently on the finish after the grip and release of the crumbly chalky tannins. Fabulous. The southern exposition of the parcels on the famous Côte Pavie make this feel more sunny (solaire) than almost all other wines of the vintage. 95-97. Château Pavie Macquin (Saint-Émilion; 84% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 1% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 42 hl/ha; 13% alcohol; tasted twice, first at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). This has parted company stylistically from Larcis Ducasse over the past couple of years and here I find it at first one of the oakier of the samples, though that oak is just in the process of folding into the deep, dark richness of the mid-palate. Black cherry and damson, a little blueberry. Walnut and toasted almond, frangipane. Bold, rich and naturally sweet with plenty of spice bringing interest. Broad-framed with the fruit a little more stretched than in sunnier, fuller vintages. Never forced but the tannins I find just a little stern on the finish. 91-93+. Château Peby-Faugères (Saint-Émilion; 100% Merlot; from two mid-slope parcels in the larger Faugères vineyard in Saint-Étienne de Lisse on a south and south-eastern sloping clay-limestone terroir; vinified entirely separately from Faugères; a final yield of 25.5 hl/ha; aging in French oak barrels, 50% of which are new; tasted with Vincent Cruège at Peby-Faugères). Much sweeter – but very naturally so – and much more ample than Faugères. Creamy and a little oakier with a hint of toasted brioche alongside the dark cherry and bramble fruit. Cassis and black currant with aeration. A little oyster shell and iodine. The tannins are so incredibly soft, an impression reinforced by the relatively narrow frame. This is cool and dense and compact at the heart of its crystalline core. It’s like a crystal clear well at night with the moonlight illuminating the clear reflective surface. Juicy and fresh and sapid and rippling on the finish. 93-95. Petit Cantenac (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc). Quite toasty aromatically, with a blend of red berries, predominantly loganberry and cherry fruits. There’s a nice ripeness to this, a gentle sweet spice and a lushness to the mid-palate that makes this quite hedonistic for the vintage. Impressive. 87-89. Le Petit Cheval (Saint-Émilion; 72% Merlot; 28% Cabernet Franc; tasted at Cheval Blanc with Pierre-Olivier Clouet). Very much a ‘petit’ Cheval in the most positive sense of the term. The Cabernet Franc expresses itself really well here in a classical frame set by the Merlot. Lovely al dente ripeness, not a terribly ample frame, but with a lovely soft succulent core fully charged with fresh cherry and berry fruits. Blueberries and cassis. Sapid and juicy with a gracious evolution over the palate. It is like a slightly more tempered version of the classic grand vin. Very balanced and harmonious and rippling in its freshness towards the finish. 92-94+. Château Petit Faurie de Soutard (Saint-Émilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Vying with Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac for the longest Bordeaux Château name! Quite pure and precise with a very clean, ripe but crunchy, bright red and darker berry fruit – raspberries and mulberries, black berries too. Quite slender in frame and without the density or compactness of the stars of the appellation, this is nonetheless fine and very refined. Offering a lot of pleasure and for early drinking. 90-92. Château Petit Val (Saint-Émilion). A mix of plum, red and darker berry fruits. A little marjoram and oregano. Some vanilla and assorted sweet spices from the oak that has still yet fully to incorporate (but it’s just a matter of time). The tannins are grainy and very tactile and they serve to pixilate the mid-palate, but at the same time seem to disrupt the flow of the wine over the palate. Not the strongest recent vintage from here, but its challenges seem to have been well coped with. 87-89. Château Peymouton (Saint-Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; tasted at JP Moueix in Libourne). Bright, crunchy berry fruits. Fresh but not astringent, quite crystalline in texture with the fruit distributed generously over quite a narrow frame. A little slender but nicely managed. The acidity picks up a little on the finish but this is sapid and crisp and lively if lacking in density and concentration. Simple and accessible. 88-90. Château Pierre 1er (Saint-Émilion; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 45 hl/ha). Not a wine I know well, though I have passed it several times on the way in from Libourne. Dark berry fruited, quite plump, a tight frame and with a fresh and herb-encrusted fruit that I like a lot. It’s simple but very well made with crumbly tannins on the finish, just on the right side of ripeness. 87-89. Château Pindefleurs (Saint-Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; tasted at JP Moueix in Libourne). A little richer and creamier than Peymouton and with a little cherry alongside the darker berry fruits and the crunchier red berries. It’s similarly slender in frame, a little etiolated and quite simple in form. The tannins are never dry but a little granular towards the finish. 88-90+. Château de Pressac (Saint-Émilion; 62% Merlot; 18% Cabernet Franc; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; 1% Petit Verdot; 2% Carménère; 1% Malbec; tasted twice, first at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Quite oaky in its aromatics, with vanilla pod the first note to register. A blend of red and darker berry fruits – from loganberry to mulberry – all finely detailed but all a little smothered in oak and oak smoke. The palate is nicely layered and there’s a pleasing levity to the structure, but it’s just a little chewy and dry on the finish – if not aggressively so. 88-90. Château Le Prieuré (Saint-Émilion; 95% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 40 hl/ha; pH 3.4; 13.4% alcohol; tasted at Calon-Ségur). Beautiful aromatically and a little restrained. Elegant and not over-oaked. Quite rich and ample on the attack, but with something of a dip in the mid-palate. Glossy and crystalline at first, the tannins just a little dry on the finish. The product of a very fine terroir but one senses perhaps that this is still a work in progress. 90-92. Château Puyblanquet (Saint-Émilion; just 12 of the 19 hectares here are in production with significant replanting underway; the property is just in front of de Pressac, next to Boutisse, on the high limestone plateau; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabnernet Franc; a final yield of 38 hl/ha; pH 3.48; 13.4% alcohol; tasted at La Gaffelière with Alexandre de Malet Roquefort). Aromatically very pretty with bright, croquant black cherry and blueberry fruits. A nice natural sweetness, even with the slightly elevated acidity. Pure and lithe, the fruit generously filling what is quite a narrow frame. Linear and quite precise. Long and tapering, with the flow over the palate moulded and shaped by the plateau and coteaux calcaire tannins. 90-92+. Château Quinault L’Enclos (Saint-Émilion; 63% Merlot; 17% Cabernet Franc; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; tasted at Cheval Blanc with Pierre-Olivier Clouet). Dark berry fruits. A little damson, a touch of black cherry. Wild herbs. Bay leaf. Cassis and black currant. Thyme and rosemary. Quite chewy with grippy tannins. A lot more vertical than horizontal range, the frame a little narrow and with almost a touch of dryness on the finish. This will not be released en primeur. 91-93. Château Quintus (Saint-Émilion; 77.2% Merlot; 22.8% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of around 34 hl/ha, though that’s an average over the total production of the three wines; this, the grand vin, represents just 21% of that production; 13.1% alcohol; tasted at the property with Mariette Veyssière). The vineyard is less precocious here and so there were fewer problems of uneven florairon. This is gloriously floral. Saffron, lilac and lily of the valley. It’s gloriously radiant and vibrant too, with lots of vertical range. And it has a very refined and delicate shape and texture in the mouth. It’s lifted, light and aerial with a lovely natural sweetness and great fluidity. It exudes poise and harmony. There’s an impressive viscosity to this too. As that suggests, it’s deceptively powerful, the deception coming from the sheer quality of the tannins. Very eloquent and articulate and very respectful of the vintage, this is a wine that is not trying to be something it is not. And I love its sense of minerality. 93-95. Saint-Émilion de Quintus (Saint-Émilion; 92.8% Merlot; 7.2% Cabernet Sauvignon; tasted at Quintus with Mariette Veyssière). This is Quintus’ third label and you rather expect it to contain all the left-overs. But that would be to give entirely the wrong impression. This is, in fact, pure. crystalline, lithe and limpid. Dark berries and a little cherry. It’s plush and plump, very ripe and with very soft and gently enrobing tannins which have a little grip and shape to them. The acidity is well-distributed and never too ‘edgy’. In short, this is accomplished and accessible. 88-90. Château Rocheyron (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Bouchet; a final yield of 33 hl/ha; pH 3.54; 13.2% alcohol; 10% new oak; situated on the plateau; tasted with Peter Sisseck and Mathieu Raveraud, the estate manager at the property; densimetric sorting was crucial; Axel Marchal and Valérie Lavigne are the consultants here). Lovely and glossy in the glass, with an impressive viscosity and a brilliant sheen. Fresh and bright, vivid, lifted and aerial. Cassis, black currant, blueberries, a touch of cherry, graphite and maybe a hint of acacia. In the mouth a little more redcurrant. Very pure, precise, clear and crystalline. There’s a subtle hint of peony and maybe lily of the valley too – a very fresh florality. And, with aeration, there’s more cedar. This is so utterly gracious in the mouth, more so than I was expecting. Goosepimples are my physical reaction to this. The grip of the tannins pinches the easy flow of the fruit producing a second wave and then a third. I find this fascinatingly tactile and engaging. It’s really vivid and vibrant texturally. With each touch and grip of the tannins there is a release of freshness. The challenge of the élévage here is just to capture the sheer beauty of this wine. I can’t wait to re-taste it. 96-98. Château Rol Valentin (Saint-Émilion; 78% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 8% Cabernet Sauvignon; re-tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Quite sweet aromatically, but the oak is not at all demonstrative, though it’s certainly present on the finish. Dark and brighter red berry fruits, a little plum skin and some cherry – bringing the natural sweetness to this. Sandalwood too. Fine-grained tannins structure this over the palate to a sapid, slightly chewy finish. There’s a nice ripeness, but it perhaps lacks a little interest in the mid-palate. 89-91. Château Saintayme (Saint-Émilion; 100% Merlot; 30% new oak; 13.5% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time with Noëmie Durantou at L’Eglise Clinet). This is great! Lovely pure black currant, pixilated in its detail and with a crunchy bite and freshness to it. A touch of ferrous minerality. Texturally this is very pure and crystalline but without this being slight or slender in any way. I love the subtle florality too that I have never detected here before. There’s a lovely limestone granularity to the tannins and a pleasingly chewy sapidity on the finish. As good a vintage of this as I can recall. 90-92. Château Sanctus (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 24 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; Derenoncourt consultants; in organic conversion).The sample is somewhat reductive at first making this a little tricky to assess; the sample was also quite warm. Plums and damsons, a few blueberries and a crushed rocky limestone minerality. Creamy but tense and taut. All of that comes from the crumbly, textural, even architectural tannins that restrict the amplitude the fruit wishes to take and strap it to the spine. Long and gently tapering on the finish as a consequence. This is very fine but it lacks the complexity of the greatest recent vintages. But it tastes like where it comes from and that’s important. 91-93. Château Sansonnet (Saint-Émilion; 86% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Franc; 7% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 34hl/ha; pH 3.45; IPT 66; 13% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Introvert and slow to express itself aromatically, but very fine and elegant in a way that is rare in this vintage. There’s a subtle hint of graphite and cedar that coils itself around the very dark berry fruit rather seductively. The oak is gently supportive and this is one of the few wines to have a delightful natural sweetness in the mid-palate. Crystalline and sinuous on the finish, this is deeply impressive in the context of the vintage. 92-94. Clos de Sarpe (Saint-Émilion; 78% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2% Petit Verdot; 13% alcohol; certified organic; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault and then again at the property with Maylis Marcenat). The excellent work continues here. This is wild and distinctive in personality, with a lovely deep black cherry, bramble, mulberry and blueberry fruit, a very subtle hint of oak but no more and sprigs of freshly harvested wild herbs. Graphite and a hint of cedar with aeration. There’s a vivid peony and lilac florality too is carried from the aromatics on to the palate. Sapid and juicy, tender, broad and long on the finish. The only slight issue is a shade towards a touch of dryness on the finish. But this has been nicely achieved. 91-93. Château La Serre (Saint-Émilion; 75% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Franc; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault and then again in the offices of JP Moueix in Libourne). Blackcurrant and cassis, red and black cherry, a little hint of kirsch even, this is very pure and refined. Sandalwood. I love the fruit signature here and the way in which the freshness reinforces the sense of pixilation and detail. It’s like a grand master’s painting of fruits in still life – except more dynamic than any static image or canvas. Excellent, certainly given the challenges of the vintage. This comes from a top terroir and this is a top wine from a top terroir in a challenging vintage. 91-93+. Château Simard (Saint-Émilion; 50% Merlot; 33% Cabernet Franc; 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2% Petit Verdot; tasted at Ausone with Constance Vauthier). Red and blue berry fruits. Lifted and quite aerial. A lovely touch of pink rose petals and stamens. Bright and crunchy in its fruit signature with a lovely juicy sweetness and freshness. Direct, pure and crystalline. Simple in its way, but lovely. 90-92. Château Soutard (Saint-Émilion; 55% Merlot; 30% Cabernet Franc; 9% Cabernet Sauvignon; % Malbec; tasted at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin). Another aromatically explosive wine, even at this early stage, with floral notes projected vertically from the glass – iris, peony and violet, a little lavender and rosemary too. Cedar and cassis join the party in the mouth. The intensity of this on the palate is impressive, a vividness reinforced by the relatively narrow frame. Succulent and juicy. I’m a fan. 91-93+. Clos St-Martin (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; from 1.37 hectares on a brilliant argilo-calcaire over pure limestone terroir, now the second smallest of the classed growths; a final yield of 33 hl/ha; 13.5% alcohol; Julien Viaud is the consultant here; tasted twice, first at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault and then re-tasted at the offices of JP Moueix in Libourne). An easy pick just from the aromatics alone (as confirmed at the blind tasting of the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion wines). There’s always a little more oak here than with its neighbours, but it’s so well integrated at this address and it reinforces so beautifully the natural florality of this terroir whilst underscoring the cedar and graphite notes that I always associate with Clos St-Martin. Peony. Peony bulb. Violet. Dark cherry and dark berry fruits. This feels like it comes from an altogether sunnier vintage. It’s radiant, lifted and aerial, vibrant and dynamic and yet has considerable depth and some concentration. A brilliant wine, above all in the context of the vintage – it seems to defy the challenges it posed. 93-95. Château Tertre Roteboeuf (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; 13.5% alcohol; aging in 100% new oak in Radoux Super Fine Blend; tasted from barrel at the property à la Bourgignon!). Fascinating. Coal dust, toasted brioche, pain grillé, bracken, pot pourri, confit rose petals, roasted almonds and a hint of walnut oil. Fresh fig. Wonderfully fresh on the attack and spherical at the core, with a tight and taut frame generously enrobed in floral and spicy elements from the wood that break the surface of the sphere through the grip of the tannins. Texturally fascinating; utterly distinctive; unique, indeed. And rather special in this vintage – even though you might have difficulty picking the vintage in a decade’s time. 93-95. Château La Tour Baladoz (Saint-Émilion; tasted at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). A lovely very pure and precise raspberry and loganberry fruit and silky but still grippy tannins. This is similar in form in the mouth and style to its sister property, La Croizille, but the fruit profile is entirely different. The two make a lovely study in terroir expression. Fresh in all the right ways, if without quite the layered complexity of neighbour and sibling. 90-92+. Château La Tour Saint Christophe (Saint-Émilion; from 23 hectares on the clay-limestone plateau and coteaux above Tertre Roteboeuf; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 38 hl/ha; pH 3.35; 13% alcohol; tasted first at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault and then at Bellefont-Belcier with Emmanuelle Fulchi and Jean-Christophe Meyrou). Damson and blueberry, in almost perfect pixilated purity. A little Griotte cherry too and those crumbly, grippy, chalky limestone tannins rendering this so architectural and structured on the palate. A study in terroir and a wonderful contrast to Bellefont-Belcier. Excellent. Not dissimilar in style to Laroque. These two are great value picks from the calcaire heights of the appellation. 92-94+. Château Teyssier (Saint-Émilion; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.10; 13% alcohol; from Jonathan Maltus). Nicely done. This is gentle, attractive, accessible and, above all, doesn’t try to be more than can be. The frame is slender but that means that the spherical core is well-defined and nicely charged with a crunchy and quite intense dark berry fruit. The oak is nicely moderated and there’s an impressive precision to this though it does lack mid-palate density. 87-89. Château Tour Saint Pierre (Saint-Émilion, near Dassault on a sandy-clay terroir; 89% Merlot; 11% Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol). Nicely round and plump, with ripe dark berry fruits, the Cabernet Franc particularly expressive. Juicy, with a well-defined central core that is nicely-filled with bright crunchy small berries. A little oaky at this stage but that gently reinforces the florality. There’s a touch of sweet spice too. A wine the is very much in the character of the vintage. 87-89. Château Troplong-Mondot (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 13% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 35 hl/ha after very strict densimetric sorting [the vineyard was picked at around 45 hl/ha]; botrytis was the major issue not mildew or uneven floraison; pH 3.38; 13.5% alcohol; 55% new oak and with more foudres replacing the second-fill barrels; tasted with Aymeric de Gironde at the property). This is incredibly impressive and really shows the value of limestone terroirs in a vintage like this. A little introspective at first. Dark fruits of the forest with a certain creaminess, a little black cherry (darker than Mondot), brambles, mulberries and black raspberry. All very pure and pixilated in their detail. One of the most concentrated and compact wines of the vintages with a density in the mid-palate that is very rare. Just a little black currant and that leafiness with aeration, above in the mouth. Crystalline in texture but, unlike many of its peers, this is velvet, not the light silk or cashmere of, say, Clos Fourtet or Beau-Séjour Bécot. One of the greatest successes in a tricky vintage. I love the dark-fruited blackhole core around which the fresh juiciness circulates, releasing eddies and ripples of freshness. Vibrant and energetic. Vivacious. This grows in the glass with more and more black cherry fruit and more and more graphite to accompany it. Big, bold, plump and plush but never austere and not at all over-loaded. This remains wonderfully delineated and with great precision and clarity sustained all the way to the asymptotic finish. 94-96+. Château Trottevieille (Saint-Émilion; 56% Cabernet Franc; 41% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% alcohol; tasted at Batailley with Frédéric Castéra). Pretty with that seamless core of very dark Cabernet Franc fruit (planted at 44% but always more present in the final wine) imparting notes of blueberry, mulberry, red and black cherries. Violet and peony with aeration. Juicy and succulent, sapid and lithe. The finest tannins, the greatest amplitude and the most crystalline core of any of these wines. Very juicy. Accessible already despite the considerable limestone architecture supporting this – rather like the cellar carved from the chalk below. Very shapely and structured on the finish and yet long and lifted. 92-94. Château Valandraud (Saint-Émilion; 85% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 9% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13.5% alcohol; tasted twice, first at the UGC press tasting at the Cité du Vin with very consistent notes). Very true to its style even in this challenging vintage, but still a wine that will be easy to pick in a vertical in future years for its somewhat elevated acidity. There’s nothing wrong with that and it brings a pleasing sense of crunchiness to the fruit and a tense and charged vibrancy to the mid-palate. But it does cut the richness of this revealing that comparative lack of density vis-à-vis other recent vintages. Fresh, crunchy and with a radiant confit violet note this is certainly one of the vintage’s successes. 92-94. Vieux Château Mazerat (Saint-Émilion; 90% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc; pH 3.67; 13% alcohol; from Jonathan Maltus). Impressive. This is a wine that I sometimes find over-oaked, but the oak use is nicely moderated here and it helps accentuate both the ripeness and natural sweetness of the black cherry and bramble fruit and the subtle peony florality. Plush, plump and ample for the vintage on the attack, with quite considerable density and layering – again, rare in 2024. But, crucially, this comes without the sense that this has been pushed and without the dry tannins that characterise so many wines where the ambition has overcome the need for restraint. Quite hedonistic. 92-94.  Château Villemaurine (Saint-Émilion; 83% Merlot; 11% Cabernet Franc; 6% Cabernet Sauvignon; a final yield of 41hl/ha; pH 3.40; IPT 65; 13% alcohol; tasted three times, the second time at the UGC press tasting and then again at the AGGCSE at Dassault, better each time). Almost a note of coconut alongside the bright, again crunchy, berry fruits. Blackcurrant, a little blueberry and cassis. Wild herbal notes too. A hint of shoe leather. There’s quite a lot of fruit intensity here and good depth and density, the tannins too are soft and fine-grained. Whilst the first sample lacked the precision and delineation in the mid-palate that we’re now accustomed to from Villemaurine, the second, served a degree or two cooler, was much more crystalline, sapid and precise, as was the third. This will need a little time in bottle and I’ll be keen to follow its progress. I’m giving this the slight benefit of the doubt for now. 91-93. Château Yon Figeac (Saint-Émilion; 74% Merlot; 17% Cabernet Franc; 1% Cabernet Sauvignon; 8% Petit Verdot; 14% alcohol; tasted twice, the second time at the Association des Grands Crus Classés de St-Emilion press tasting at Dassault). Plump and plush, with dark stone fruits, predominantly damson, with a little bramble. Quite ample in frame with traces of oak seemingly gathering around the edges. But the breadth draws attention to the loss of density in the mid-palate. This is almost trying to be more generous than the fruit allows for. Gently extracted, however, and nicely balanced with no astringency. 88-90.   For full appellation-by-appellation reviews, see here: St-Estèphe, Paulliac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Médoc, & Moulis-en-Médoc, Pomerol, and Saint-Émilion.