It is "Grands" before being Echézeaux. It is a contry gentleman, aristocrat and dreamer, who idles willingly with the unhurried step of his horse in a forest filled with the scents of sundry mushrooms, of mosses, of dead decaying leaves, of furtive small game, which spill forth in a multitude of shifting alliances. All of that is expressed delicately, in a refined, musical tongue, concise and pure like the message of a Mozart quartet.

'The 2001 Petrus (2,160 cases produced) exhibits more depth and richness than any other Pomerol I tasted. Its deep saturated ruby/plum/purple color is accompanied by a tight but promising bouquet of vanilla, cherry liqueur, melted licorice, black currants, and notions of truffles and earth. Rich, full-bodied, and surprisingly thick as well as intense, there is plenty of structure underlying the wealth of fruit and extract. Give it 3-6 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following two decades as it promises to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage, not to mention one of the most concentrated. I told Christian Moueix (although I'm not sure he agreed with me) that his best wines of 2001 reminded me of the 1971s in style, but with slightly less tannin and more fat.' Robert Parker Jr

Château Ausone is St. Emilions superstar, the quality equivalent of a Médoc first growth. Dense, rich, subtle and yet not heavy, it is one of the longest-lived, most elegant and concentrated Bordeaux wines.
Château Ausone is known for elegance, finesse, and extraordinary personality and concentration. Its fascinatingly complex aromatics (of characteristic crushed stone and minerals accompanied by black currants, plums and licorice) are evenly matched by intense -- but not heavy - flavours in great balance. It is more tannic than the average St. Emilion, and may need several years of aging before it is at its most approachable. Its plateau of maturity is 15-50 years following the vintage.

The late Michel Delon always thought that this was the greatest vintage he had produced. We often tasted it side by side with the 1982, because I always preferred the latter vintage. Of course, the two vintages are quite different in style, with the 1986 a monument to classicism, with great tannin, extraordinary delineation, and a huge, full-bodied nose of sweet, ripe cassis fruit intermixed with vanilla, melon, fruitcake, and a multitude of spices. The wine has always been phenomenally concentrated, yet wonderfully fresh and vigorous. The wine still seems young, yet it is hard to believe it is not close to full maturity. It is a great example of Leoville Las Cases, and another compelling reason to take a serious look at the top Cabernet Sauvignon-based Medocs of 1986. - Robert Parker

Impressive finesse for the vintage, with beautiful, fresh tobacco, cedar and coffee aromas and flavours. Full-bodied and very silky with a fine, long peppery finish.
While this shows a definite maturity, I would never have guessed it was 29 years old - still going strong.

Undeniably one of the greatest wines made in Bordeaux in the last 25 years is the 1989 Haut Brion. Jean Delmas gave a touching speech about how, in his lifetime, he had never produced such a wine, and it was literally off the charts. He made the point of saying that all the greatest vintages of Bordeaux drink well young, yet have such remarkable balance/equilibrium that they can age for decades. The 1989 is beginning to reveal hints of secondary nuances, but it is so sensuous, rich, opulent, and super-concentrated as to be almost unimaginable.100 Points Robert Parker

"This flamboyant, exotic, lavishly rich, concentrated, low acid fruit bomb exhibits remarkable aromatic complexity..." – Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Stuffed with ripe and over ripe delicious, fat, sexy cherries and blackberries that slip, slide and glide over every inch, nook and cranny of your palate. The Côte Rôtie wine offers intense purity with a lusty, luscious, sexy personality. Opulent and glycerin filled, this is pure hedonism. This will probably improve, but it’s so good now, if I had a bottle left in my cellar, it would be next to impossible to keep my hands off it. 99 points

"Wonderfrul berry and tobacco character, with chocolate and cedar. Full-bodied, yet elegant and silky. Beautifully long. This is always outstanding, but sometimes overlooked.

The nose alone was 100 points. An endless array of earthy, spicy, floral, peppery, smoky scents with fresh, pure, ripe red cherries, black cherries, raspberry and bacon fat tossed in for good measure. In the mouth, there is an exotic texture that cannot be found in any other wine. The pure, sensuous, hedonistic, fresh mouth feel builds to a crescendo that lasts over sixty seconds. Few legendary wines live up their status. 1985 Guigal La Mouline not only lives up to its billing, it might even surpass it! 100 points - Tasted Aug 3, 2012

2005 is a truly great, pure Château Margaux vintage! First of all, it has all of its class: that incomparable nose of finesse, grace and depth that belongs solely to its terroir and is only found in a few dream vintages. It also has its power: its concentration is exceptional, superior to 2000 and even 2003. It comes through first in the color, which has unprecedented intensity, and on the palate with extraordinary density and length. And yet its power does not have the last word; voluptuousness and harmony are also the hallmarks of this vintage.

The Cabernet Sauvignon (85% of the blend) is of course largely responsible for this balance, as it reached perfect ripeness without the alcoholic degree going over 13. The only Merlot which joined it (8% of the blend) is the only batch which didn't reach 14°. Finally, beyond all these qualities and all this grace, Château Margaux has one essential virtue, which it will go on having for many more years; it is the ability to bring as much enjoyment in drinking it as in tasting it.

"The complex, explosively fragrant 1999 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 59% Merlot and 41% Cabernet Franc. It is already showing well, which is a good sign for a wine that traditionally is reserved early in life, but puts on weight and richness in the bottle. Stylistically, this wine is probably cut from the same mold as vintages such as 1985, 1966, and 1962. The colour is a dense ruby with purple nuances. Once past the blockbuster bouquet of menthol, leather, black fruits, licorice, and mocha, the wine reveals medium body, extraordinary elegance, purity, and sweet, harmonious flavours with no hard edges. This is a seamless beauty of finesse, charm, and concentration. The 1999 is an exciting Cheval Blanc to drink relatively young. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2022." - Wine Advocate

"Delivers blackberry, dried porcini, tobacco and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and loads of dark chocolate, cigar box, currant, berry and mineral. The finish is long, with a coffee, almost meaty, aftertaste. Very beautiful and balanced. Best after 2013." 98 Points Wine Spectator

Impressive finesse for the vintage, with beautiful, fresh tobacco, cedar and coffee aromas and flavours. Full-bodied and very silky with a fine, long peppery finish.
While this shows a definite maturity, I would never have guessed it was 29 years old - still going strong.

Holy f'Ing cow! Now, there's a descriptor you do not see much on these pages. Absolutely mind blowing wine!!! The outrageous perfume grabs you and locks your sense in with its intense, smoke, boysenberry liqueur, kirsch, truffle, earth, iron, black cherry, licorice and wet forest floor aromas. If that wasn't enough, the wine is incredibly thick, concentrated, rich and almost dense with its volume of raw material. The mouth filling finish builds and expands, while it moves from black to red fruits before it makes its way back to black fruits again. This insane tasting experience is clearly one of the best bottles of wine I have ever tasted!

"Dark purple black in color. Complex aromas of mineral, licorice, lead pencil and blackberry follow through to a full body, with ultrafine tannins and a caressing, pretty finish. Has a lovely texture. Shows elegance and refinement."
95 Points Wine Spectator

A dark, translucent ruby, the 1990 hits the palate with a rush of bold red-fleshed fruits. Hints of herb, smoke, cedar, dried flowers, tobacco and leather open up with time in the glass, but above all else, the 1990 is superbly polished and silky, with exceptional balance and an alluring, sensual personality that makes it nearly impossible to put the glass down. This is an especially fine bottle of the 1990 and a real thrill to drink. It simply does not get too much better than this. Drinking window: 2015-2035.

Medium colour but still still quite a powerful nose. A rich and creamy texture with great depth of chewy blackcurrant fruit. Fleshy but structured. This is still very good indeed. Impressive - even more so when revealed to be 1981! 17 points

"Performing well from bottle, Chateau Margaux's 2001, which is somewhat reminiscent of both the 1985 and 1999, is an elegant, seamlessly constructed effort with a deep ruby/purple colour, and a beautiful nose of flowers, creme de cassis, blackberries, and cedar..."-Wine Advocate