Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - St.-Emilion
WA 95
Always one of Bordeaux's most endearing and charming wines, Croix de Labrie's wines generally offer an unctuous texture as well as enormous quantities of fruit. Made from 100% Merlot, the 2009 (about 300 cases produced) exhibits smoky black currant and raspberry liqueur notes intermixed with notions of licorice, graphite and wood smoke. Intense and unctuously textured with low acidity as well as sweet tannin, it is a hedonistic St.-Emilion fruit bomb to enjoy in its first 12-15 years of life. Sadly, it is virtually impossible to find this head-turning claret.
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WS 96
WA 95
It is not unusual that the 2009 La Lagune is a spectacular effort given the fact that this estate has been making terrific wines over the last decade or more. It boasts a dense purple color as well as a beautiful perfume of blueberries, mulberries, cassis, white chocolate and subtle toasty oak. Notes of Chinese black tea, cedarwood and forest floor also make an appearance in the singular aromatic and flavor profiles. This sumptuous, full-bodied La Lagune possesses low acidity, abundant but ripe, sweet tannin and a long, 45-second finish. Give this beauty 5-7 years of bottle age and drink it over the following three decades. Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - St.-Julien
WA 90
When we tasted the 2009 Langoa Barton with Lilian Barton at her office in St. Julien, we were expecting a well-made, delicious wine, but we couldn't have been more impressed! A blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, it was deep purple in the glass with aromas of blueberries, blackberries and a hint of vanilla and pepper. Although it had one of the highest tannin levels in the history of the estate, they were smooth and well-integrated already. It is one of the best Langoa's we've ever tasted from barrel.