Tasting Notes :
The 2014 Haut Brion Blanc has a very pure bouquet with scents of peach skin, Cornice pear and those resinous/candle wax aromas that I remarked upon during en primeur. This has more sophistication than the La Mission Haut Brion Blanc, a little more tension. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky smooth entry, perfect acidity, wonderful tension and energy. Notes of orange pith, a squeeze of lime, flint and smoke are conveyed on the finish that demonstrates outstanding persistence. This is a great Haut Brion Blanc, but it will require a decade in the bottle before it will show what it can really do. (Neal Martin)

Tasting Notes :
Deep garnet colored, the 2010 L'Eglise Clinet begins unassumingly with gentle notions of fragrant dried flowers and wild sage leading to savory nut and meat characters over an expanding core of preserved plums, blueberry compote and black cherry coulis plus a waft of menthol. Full-bodied, concentrated and wonderfully decadent, the palate is absolutely packed with rich, ripe black fruit preserves and loads of spicy sparks, framed by super ripe, super plush tannins, finishing very long and decadent. I love the interplay of subtly and power here - this is truly a WOW wine! (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)

Tasting Notes :
The 2014 L'Eglise Clinet was tasted from a single bottle but from two glasses, each poured at different times before I arrived for the tasting. They were almost identical on the nose but the one poured later was more compact. It has a very pure bouquet with blackberry, myrtle, a touch of iris and a touch of garrigue (actually reminiscent of fynbos, the wild South African shrubland). The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, a silver bead of acidity, wonderful precision and beguiling purity. This is an outstanding Pomerol for the vintage from Denis Durantou, sophisticated and classy, yet the bottom line is quintessentially Pomerol. Bravo Denis. (Neal Martin)

Tasting Notes :
This dark ruby-colored, medium-weight l’Evangile exhibits creamy blackberry and raspberry fruit, a superficial attack, but plenty of charm, silky tannin, and low acidity make for a delicious wine to drink over the next 7-8 years. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
Representing nearly half of the production, this estate’s second wine, the 2009 La Chapelle d’Ausone, is an extraordinary effort. Better than many of the grand vins made during the 1970s and 1980s, it is an equal part blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc revealing an inky/blue/purple color along with notes of incense, blueberries, raspberries and crushed rocks (which give the wine a distinctive minerality). Medium to full-bodied as well as exceptionally pure, broad and opulent, it should drink well for two decades or more. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
The 2010 Chapelle Ausone is a very elegant wine with rather tart acids, this second wine of Ausone is medium-bodied, has dark raspberry and blueberry fruit notes with some hints of wet stones. Pure, nicely textured, but rather backward, this wine needs further bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2030.

One of the other perfectionist, compulsive producers in St.-Emilion is Alain Vauthier, who is now capably assisted by his daughter. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
The beautiful second wine is Alain Vauthier’s 2011 La Chapelle d’Ausone. It possesses a dense ruby/purple color along with the nobility, class, finesse, precision, purity and copious blue and black fruits intermixed with a floral component, good minerality, and a medium-bodied, intense, rich personality. Never heavy or over-bearing, this is a beauty. As I have written many times in the past, the Vauthiers are making a “second wine” that is greater than many of the outstanding wines produced at this estate in the 20th century. This wine should drink well for 15 or more years. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
One can’t say enough about the amazing job that Alain Vauthier and his daughter have done at this historic property on the decomposed limestone slopes of St.-Emilion. About half of their production goes into the second wine, Chapelle D’Ausone, which gives you an indication of the compulsive perfectionist attitude of the Vauthiers. The 2012 Chapelle D’Ausone has a dense ruby/purple color and is rich, broad and expansive, with notes of plum, blueberry and black raspberry fruit, powdered chalk and flowers. The wine is medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure and long and rich. This is better than many of the vintages of Ausone in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, which says a lot about what Vauthier has achieved. Drink it over the next 20-25 years. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
The 2014 Chapelle d'Ausone came across quite plush when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle it has certainly attained a more classic style without compromising the satisfying delineation and focus. There is plenty of fresh red cherry, crushed strawberry and loganberry fruit to savor, an undercurrent and limestone that percolates through. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very refined and focused with superb tension and nuance. This just glides across the mouth, not a million miles away from the 2014 La Clotte in style, blessed with a very persistent finish. (Neal Martin)

Tasting Notes :
A sexy second wine, the 2005 La Chapelle is broad and savory, with velvety tannins. It offers a deep ruby plum/purple color followed by loads of charcoal, sweet black cherry and cassis fruit, and a medium to full-bodied, lush texture. It is drinking well now and should do so for at least another decade or more. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
Made of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2010 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion is deep garnet colored and has opulent scents of baked raspberries, Black Forest cake and blueberry tart with hints of star anise, prunes and spice cake. Full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, the palate has a solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)

Tasting Notes :
The 2011 La Chapelle de La Mission reveals abundant quantities of round, generous, black cherry and black currant fruit intermixed with hints of gravel and earth, sweet tannin, decent but unobtrusive acidity, and a nicely textured, lush mouthfeel. It is perfect for drinking now and over the next 10-15 years.

Jean-Philippe Delmas continues to quietly and authoritatively turn out one great wine after another at La Mission-Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
The beautiful second wine, the 2012 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion, has a dense ruby/purple color, sweet raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, subtle earth and spice, supple tannins and an opulent fleshy mouthfeel. It is a terrific second wine and outstanding in its own right. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 La Conseillante opens with notes of warm black plums, baked blackberries and blueberry preserves plus hints of dried rosemary, fragrant earth and cedar. Full-bodied, the palate is firm and chewy with a lively line cutting through the densely packed, savory layers, finishing a little warm and lifted. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)

Tasting Notes :
The quintessential elegant style of Pomerol, the 2011 La Conseillante offers copious aromas of raspberries, mulberries and spring flowers. Medium-bodied with pure fruit, seamlessly integrated tannin, acidity and wood, and a soft, velvety textured finish, this classic effort is ethereal in its elegance and precision. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Tasting Notes :
The 2014 La Conseillante has a well-defined bouquet with brambly red berry fruit, minerals, touches of seaweed and light incense aromas that develop fine intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin. This Pomerol is very well poised with perfectly judged acidity. Whilst not a match for Titans like the 1989 or 2010, this La Conseillante possesses nuance and sophistication, a precision that does justice to the name. It should be earlier-drinking that other vintages that I have tasted, though given the terroir and track record, it would not surprise me if it gives 25 years of drinking pleasure. Tasted twice with consistent notes. (Neal Martin)

Tasting Notes :
Composed of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% one-year-old French oak, the medium garnet-purple colored 2015 La Conseillante opens with reticent, earthy notes of dusty soil, garrigue, forest floor and iron ore with a core of warm plums, cassis, cigar boxes, star anise and dark chocolate plus a hint of violets. Medium to full-bodied with decadent fruit and a gorgeous plushness to the texture, the palate features impeccable poise and compelling depth, finishing on a lingering mineral note. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)

Tasting Notes :
A sleeper of the vintage, Ducru’s second wine, the 2003 Croix du Beaucaillou is a complex, fully mature effort displaying notes of cedarwood, incense, spice and red and black currants. With medium body as well as a spicy, round finish, it can be enjoyed over the next 5-6 years. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)