92 Robert Parker
Long owned by Xavier Borie, this Pauillac estate sits next to Batailley and is just south of Borie’s other famous château, Grand-Puy-Lacoste. The 2012, dramatically better from bottle than barrel, is bigger boned, richer and more flamboyant than this wine normally tends to be. The color is a healthy purple, and the wine offers plenty of cassis and licorice as well as a touch of incense. The oak from barrel-aging 18 months is largely obscured. Medium to full-bodied and impressively endowed, it comes off like a hypothetic blend of a St.-Julien and Pauillac, but this is a classic 2012 that is full, rich and impressive, with beautifully sweet tannins. Drink it over the next 20 years.
17 Rene Gabriel
71 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 29 % Merlot. Recht tiefgründiges Bouquet, dunkle Pilze, Teer, schwarze Pflaumen, dahinter florale Züge, dunkle Rosenblätter. Sehr aromatisch im Gaumen, tendenziell barock, dezent kernige Rasse im Innern. Das ist etwas für Klassik-Sucher. warten (2020 - 2040)
89 Wine Spectator
Offers a broad feel, with a cocoa edge carrying the plum and blackberry core, while roasted sandalwood, tobacco and leather accents line the finish. A bit earthy in tone, but shows good flesh and length. Best from 2017 through 2022. 18,330 cases made. –JM