Carmes Haut Brion
£** per 6 in bond
Carbonnieux
£** per 6 in bond
92-94 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
From this 92-hectare estate, the 2022 Carbonnieux is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, matured in 40% new oak in 225-liter barrels. The bouquet offers up elegant and vibrant aromas of cassis, blueberry, iris, violet and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is perfectly balanced, concentrated and fleshy ,with velvety tannins and excellent concentration. This is an excellent Carbonnieux—indeed, it may be one of the best of modern times.
Carbonnieux Blanc
£** per 6 in bond
91-93 + points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
A blend of 65% Sauvignon and 35% Sémillon, the 2022 Carbonnieux Blanc reveals a delicate bouquet with aromas of lemon, jasmine, linden, smoke, pear and peach, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated palate that's deep and harmonious, with a bright core of fruit and a zesty, mineral-driven finish. Built around racy acids, this is a very classy Carbonnieux Blanc that's built to age with grace. Harvest here began early, on 16 August.
Clarence de Haut Brion
£** per 6 in bond
91-93 + points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
The 2022 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, the second wine of Château Haut-Brion, is elaborated from a blend of 61.2% Merlot, 21.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Cabernet Franc and 1.5% Petit Verdot. It reveals a bright, fruity bouquet with aromas of dark berries, plums, tobacco, graphite and spices. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless, textural and fleshy with structuring tannins and a fresh, tense finish. It is a very nice way to introduce the great wine of Haut-Brion.
Domaine de Chevalier
£** per 6 in bond
94-96 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Domaine de Chevalier delivers aromas of minty dark berries, cherries and ripe plums mingled with hints of licorice, coniferous forest and spices. Medium to full-bodied, it’s concentrated and layered, textured and elegant, framed by powdery tannins and concluding with a long, penetrating, long finish. Olivier Bernard and his team have crafted an outstanding wine that will bear a special label commemorating his 40th vinification at this Péssac-Léognan reference point.
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
£** per 6 in bond
93-96 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
The 2022 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc offers up aromas of pear, nectarine, crushed mint jasmine and lemon, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated palate with a mineral-driven profile. It's lively and bright, with a delicate, penetrating finish animated by racy acids. This blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon, matured entirely in large wooden foudres and 500-liter barrels instead of the traditional barriques, is one of the finest white wines of the vintage, and one of the few that transcends its limitations.
Fieuzal
£** per 6 in bond
94-96 + points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
The cumulative rainfall at Château Fieuzal was only 385 millimeters in 2022, compared to 753 millimeters in 2021 and 743 millimeters in 2020. But this did not prevent Stephen Carrier and his team from making a fresh and energetic 2022 de Fieuzal, bursting with aromas of violet, iris, menthol and crunchy wild berries mingled with hints of coniferous forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, it's pristinely balanced and beautifully layered, exhibiting a vibrant palate that's deep, tensile and elegant, concluding with a mouthwateringly mineral finish. This estate is achieving things no one would have thought possible a decade ago.
Haut-Bailly
£** per 6 in bond
94-96 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
The 2022 Haut-Bailly offers up aromas of dark berries complemented by accents of iris, lilac, rose petals, graphite and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, dense, it's layered and textural, with a deep core of fruit, powdery tannins and a penetrating, saline finish. Vinified along traditional lines, it is a structured wine that will take some time to hit its stride, but at this early stage it appears suppler and more seamless than its 2020 and 2019 predecessors. A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc from grapes picked from September 7 to 27, it's maturing half in new barriques and half in one- or two-year-old barrels.
Haut-Bailly II
£** per 6 in bond
90-92 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
A blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Haut-Bailly II reveals aromas of licorice, dark berries, plum, spices and cherries, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that's round, succulent and concentrated, concluding with a penetratingly saline finish. It’s a fleshy yet long Haut-Bailly II, matured in only 30% new oak. The erstwhile Château Le Pape is now partly integrated in this cuvée.
Haut-Brion
£** per 6 in bond
95-97 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
The 2022 Haut-Brion shows considerable promise, revealing aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with notions of pencil lead, licorice, tobacco leaf, spices and incense. Full-bodied, broad and seamless, it's rich and muscular, with a deep, layered core of fruit framed by an ample endowment of tannin. This blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc, the result is a lip-smacking exemplification of controlled power. Analytically, the 2022 possesses a similar level of tannins to the 2010, and a similar pH to the 2009, yet it is more suave and polished than the 2010 at the same stage, and seemingly more dynamic than the 2009.
Latour Martillac
£** per 6 in bond
91-93 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
The 2021 Latour-Martillac has an attractive nose: brambly red fruit, loam and light cedar scents. Maybe conservative in style, yet it conveys purity and terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and fine acidity. A slightly more sinewy Pessac-Léognan, yet it coheres in the glass. Its substance suggests that it will repay bottle age.
Malartic Lagraviere
£** per 6 in bond
91-93 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 2.5% Petit Verdot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Malartic Lagravière reveals aromas of cassis, blueberry, spices, graphite and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, round and concentrated with structuring tannins, it’s a dense, powerful, demonstrative Malartic Lagravière.
Mission de Haut Brion
£** per 6 in bond
94-96 + points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
A rich and muscular wine that reflects the warmth of the vintage, the 2022 La Mission Haut-Brion reveals aromas of dark berries, cherries and crème de cassis mingled with licorice, spices, incense and spring flowers. Full-bodied, broad and concentrated, it's surprisingly lively despite an elevated pH of 4.0, exhibiting a seamless, broad-shouldered profile with an ample core of fruit framed by rich, powdery tannin. It's a blend of 51.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43.2% Merlot and 5.1% Cabernet Franc.
Pape Clement
£** per 6 in bond
92-94 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
Revealing aromas of blueberries, cassis, spring flowers and toasty new oak, the 2022 Pape Clément is full-bodied, broad and textural, with a rich, layered core of super-ripe fruit framed by liberally extracted tannins that assert themselves on the firm, lavishly oaky finish. This is a flamboyant, unabashedly modern-styled Pape Clément that will need several years in the cellar to blossom. It's a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pape Clement Blanc
£** per 6 in bond
90-93 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
A blend of 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon and 2% Muscadelle, the 2022 Pape Clément Blanc exhibits aromas of spices, spring flowers, lemon, peach and hints of jasmine and grapefruit. The palate is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and satiny, with an oaky frame. The finish is long, persistent and elegantly spicy.
Petit Smith Haut Lafitte
£** per 6 in bond
90-92 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the 2022 Le Petit Haut Lafitte possesses a delicate yet perfumed bouquet of cassis, plum, blueberry, dark berries and hints of flowers (violet and lilac). It’s medium-bodied, fleshy, lively and charming, with an elegant yet fresh finish.
Smith Haut Lafite
£** per 6 in bond
94-95 points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte opens in the glass with attractive aromas of cassis, spices, tobacco, graphite and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that is deep and layered, with good depth and powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the finish. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot will require some patience, given its somewhat extracted style.
Smith Haut Lafite Blanc
£** per 6 in bond
93-95 + points - Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate)
It appears likely that the 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc will overtake its 2019 counterpart as one of the most successful white wines this estate has produced to date, something that's especially impressive in the context of the vintage. Exhibiting aromas of linden, menthol, crisp orchard fruit and smoke, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and crystalline, with racy acids and an unctuos mid-palate. Chalky structuring dry extract makes its presence felt on the long, mineral finish. This is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris.