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Juicy and drinkable, mint leaf, tobacco, savoury blue fruit, cumin and incense, creamy as it opens up. This kept on delivering, really holding up over several hours of being open and enjoyed. No Malbec in rhe more ecent blends of Gruaud Larose, but this was during the beginning of vineyard restructuring under Suntory (owners since 1989) and a reminder of the 19th century years when this was the dominant grape of the Médoc. Tasted out of magnum, Philippe Carmaigac cellar master, 35% new oak.

Big rich, powerful wine with pencil lead precision. This is a brilliant wine, I loved it En Primeur and it is delivering on expectations. It's big, as is Langoa in this vintage, with damson and black cherry fruits, and tons of gourmet notes from brioche to bacon rind to chocolate shavings. The tannins are going to need a good decade to soften, but when it is ready, this is going to be such a fun wine to share with friends.

Bid on this bottle of 1986 Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien (100DC, 98RP, 98VN, 95WS). Decanter: "Michel Delon, then owner, believed this to be the greatest wine he ever made. It's not often the case that wines with this much expectation riding on them live up to the hype, but this one did. A stunning wine that, at 33 years old, still feels fresh, concentrated and with a long way left to go. The tannins have the characteristic Las Cases weight and definition to them, giving form and shape to the sweet berry fruit, but the overall impression is of welcoming, juicy pleasure. Harvested from 1 to 17 October. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. (JA)" (05/2019)

Bid on this 3-bottle tasting lot; including 2018 Feytit-Clinet, Pomerol (96JD, 95JS, (93-95RP), 95VN, 94DC) and 1 2018 Léoville-Poyferré, St-Julien (100JD, 97JS, 97RP, 97VN, 97WE, 97WS). Of the 2018 Léoville-Poyferré, St-Julien, Jeb Dunnuck writes: "... Based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible, full-bodied monster of a wine that, despite massive amounts of fruit, tannins, and extract, still stays weightless and ethereal, with incredible purity. Loaded with notions of crème de cassis, spring flowers, tobacco, violets, charcoal, and cedar pencil, it's extraordinarily concentrated, flawlessly balanced, and has a finish that won't quit. This is a legendary wine in the making. Give bottles 7-8 years, a decade would be even better, and it will keep for 40-50 years. Hats off to the Cuvelier family for another extraordinary wine!" (03/2021)

Here we have another wine communicating the dark and ripe confidence of the vintage, with some wonderful smoky and roasted-fruit character on the nose, showing plenty of crushed black cherry scents with more than a hint of grilled character to it. A pretty bold style on the palate to match, the cherry and red plum fruits twisted with vanilla, toast and tobacco leaf. There is a nicely creamed and ripe quality to it, the midpalate feeling rather textural and seamless, with a long, energetic, polished and structured finish. A top Branaire-Ducru, with fine potential.

A brilliant wine from a great vintage in St Julien, rich, silky and utterly delicious. Espresso, cocoa, creamy blackberry and cassis, with juicy depths, spellbinding, concentrated and full of charm and character.

The wine shows both elegance and great richness. It is a poised and ripe wine, full of impressive black fruits and generous tannins. The fine structure gives considerable potential for the long term. (RV)

Deep ruby red, this is great stuff, broad-shouldered, laced with aniseed, liqourice, touches of bitter black chocolate, muscular tannins and a luscious fruit core. Lip smacking stuff, with 2005 energy and excitement. Gets more serious as it opens, revealing black pepper spice, sage, rosemary and white pepper. A wonderful wine, one to sink into. You can easily wait to drink this, and it will reward another three to five years in bottle, then go for decades. If you do open it, give it a long carafe. 50% new oak.

Inky, glass-staining in colour, this is richly textured and intense, easily rivaling the best ever vintages at the property. Filled with creamy damson and cassis fruit, with a sense of precision and restraint to the frame, held in by fine but plentiful tannins. 30% 1st wine, highest ever Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% new oak for ageing. An exceptional wine, marking 125 years since the founding of Suntory in Japan. Eric Boissenot consultant.

The 2015 Branaire Ducru is a gorgeous, totally sexy wine. Rose petal, lavender, mint, sweet red berry and gently spiced notes give the wine much of its gracious, lilting personality. Precise and nuanced to the core, the 2015 Branaire is all class. It's easy to overlook Brainaire in the context of Saint-Julien, where most of the other important wines are much more powerful. Branaire always speaks with a hushed, discreet voice. Readers who appreciate finesse will find much to admire here. The 2015 is a wine of pure and total sensual pleasure. In 2015, the blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in French oak, 60% new. Don't miss it. Tasted two times. (AG)

A stunningly successful Lagrange, easily one of the best ever at the property, with complexity, density, and staying power. Combines the exuberant texture of the 2009 with precision and clarity of fruit. The conditions of the vintage meant the smallest size of beries in 35 years, and although the tannins are clearly present they are finessed and sappy. A very young wine, but balanced and seductive, with lush cassis and blackberry fruits. 3.47ph, 60% new oak - this is an upscore from my last tasting of this vintage, but it is really singing. Harvest October 3 to October 24 with a record (since Suntory purchase) 49% of production making it to the 1st wine. Eric Boissenot consultant.

The nose here is dark, dense and brooding, with slowly revealed scents of blackberry, coffee bean, liquorice and leathery toast. And this immediately translates onto a velvety palate, filled out with superb spine-tingling texture, and carrying notes of black fruits and toasty complexity like the nose. Beautiful tannins here, melting into the wine, all dark chocolate and toast. This is a superb Branaire-Ducru, and is clearly one of the greatest of modern vintages. Stunning.

Bid on this 3-magnum lot of 1993 Saint-Pierre, St-Julien (1.5L).

Bid on this 3 liter of 2003 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien (3L) (97WS, 96RP, 92ST). Wine Spectator: "(Ranked #28 on the Top 100 of 2006) Intense aromas of blackberry, currant and cherry. Full-bodied, with masses of big, velvety tannins and a finish that lasts for minutes. A blockbuster. A classic big, juicy claret." (03/2006)

Bid on this 4-bottle lot of 2000 Clos du Marquis, St-Julien (94WS, 93CK, 92RP, 91JS, 90VN). Wine Spectator: "The nose shows loads of plum, spice and meat aromas, as well as hints of licorice. It's full-bodied, with firm, yet velvety textured tannins. It's big and rounded. If you can't afford Las Cases, try some of this. Some might call this a second wine, but it comes from a plot of vineyards not deemed worthy of Léoville Las Cases. So it's like its own estate. *Ranked #14 Top 100 Wine of 2003, Smart Buys* (JS)" (03/2003)

The flagship 2019 Château Léoville Poyferré is based on 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot. It's one of the bigger, richer wines in the vintage and has a gorgeous, thrilling, full-bodied style as well as notes of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, violets, and chocolate. While many estates seem to be playing it safe and focusing on so-called elegance and balance, I love that Poyferré continues to make a ripe, sexy, beautifully textured wine that always offers more opulence and sexiness than most in the vintage. Ranking with the crème de la crème of the vintage, this gorgeous Poyferré can be enjoyed any time over the coming 40-50 years. Bravo!

Fragrant and fruity nose of violets, purple plums, cassis, honey and cloves. It’s creamy, balanced and nicely filled out with a medium to full body and well-integrated tannins. Joyful. Drink or hold. (CN)

St-Julien lovers are going to be happy to see how Gloria has developed over the past decade. Cinnamon and black pepper, slivers of olive paste and crushed smoked rosemary. I love this wine; this was the time when it was starting to receive well deserved recognition after years of being in the background; and well done those who bought in En Primeur. Just coming in to its drinking window, but no rush. (JA)

The 2009 Branaire-Ducru is another killer wine from this vintage that’s drinking spectacularly well at age 10. Based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it’s still ruby/purple color is followed by a huge nose of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, cedar box, and even a hint of forest floor. Full-bodied, broad, expansive, and layered on the palate, it builds nicely with time in the glass, has sweet tannins, no hard edges, and a blockbuster finish. This incredible wine can be enjoyed any time over the coming 2-3 decades or more. Bravo!

The 2016 Gloria is one of the undisputed stars of this vintage. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2016 possesses tremendous intensity in all of its dimensions. Sweet red cherry, tobacco, menthol, licorice and dried rose petal all add complexity. In 2016 Gloria is a real head-turner. It should be a fabulous value as well. There is not much else to say (AG)

Barrel Sample. An impressive tannic wine with ripeness balanced by a core of dry structure. This is a delicious wine, initially firm and tense giving it fine potential. (RV)

So much purity and definition, this is a beautiful wine with clarity of flavour. Touches of grilled almond and rosemary, mocha, smoke and coffee bean, there is so much freshness, with juice rushing in between the muscles and a mint leaf finish. 3.78pH, 60% new oak. Yields were 25-30hl/ha. In a year where second wines in the Médoc have sometimes suffered from over-concentration, La Croix de Beaucaillou is a standout success. (for Decanter)

Bid on this 4-bottle lot of 2003 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien (98WS, 96JD, 96RP, 95WE, 94JA, 93ST). Wine Spectator: "Intense blackberry and cherry, with hints of currant. Toasted oak and sweet tobacco too. Roses and other flowers, such as lilacs. Full-bodied, with masses of tannins yet incredibly long and seductive. *Ranked #3 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2006, Collectible* (JS)" (03/2006)

Bid on this magnum of 1945 Talbot, St-Julien (1.5L). 94 points Robert Parker: "The profound 1945 is the finest old vintage of Talbot I have tasted." (Bordeaux book, 1998)

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2009 Léoville-Poyferré, St-Julien (100JD, 98RP, 97JA, 97JS, 97VN, 96WE). Jeb Dunnuck: "The greatest wine I’ve ever tasted from this address is the 2009 Léoville Poyferré, which is a step up over both the 2000 and the 2010. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and the balance Cabernet Franc that hit 13.9% alcohol, it offers everything you could ask of a wine and reveals a saturated purple color as well as incredible notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, lead pencil, exotic Spices, and dried flowers. Incredibly full-bodied, super concentrated, deep, and opulent, yet still pure, fresh, and lively, it has sweet tannin and a hedonistic vibe that hides its underlying structure." (02/2018)

Bid on this 6 liter of 2009 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien (6L) (98WE, 96JS, 95WS, 93RP, 93ST). Wine Enthusiast: "*#3 on Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2012* A major success of the vintage. The wine exhibits extreme richness of the fruit, with all its sweet blackberry flavors. It also has underlying firm structure, density and solid tannins. Bring in the acidity at the end, and this is both impressive and ready for long-term aging." (02/2012)

Quite a scented and fresh Gloria with lovely fragrance and firmness. Nothing overstated this year, showing beautiful texture and restraint. This initial balance as well as sharp-etched tannins will give it the ability to age. Drink from 2028. (ZS)

Beautiful aromas of flowers and berries, intermingled in fresh and brambly mode with a cedary edge. This is very fresh. The tannins carve an exceptionally deep, long line through the dark berries and cassis and deliver a very powerful, unwavering finish. This is in great form. Very powerful and focused.

The 2009 Langoa-Barton has a gorgeous bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, cedar and light tobacco aromas that blossom from the glass. This feels so composed and pure. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine-grain tannin, beautifully judged acidity and a svelte, languorous finish that fans out with style. What a gorgeous and utterly seductive Saint-Julien. It turns out to be Langoa Barton, a wine that I have rated very highly in the past. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.

Still inky hued and not yet in its prime, the 2005 Château Leoville Las Cases is nevertheless jaw dropping good, and certainly a perfect wine in this reviewer’s opinion. Cassis, ripe currants, leather, graphite, crushed stone, and smoke all define the aromatics, and it has a massive, full-bodied profile on the palate as well as the more focused, regal style of the Chateau. There’s no shortage of tannins, it has incredible purity, integrated acidity, and a monster of a finish. It actually has a touch of Latour-like character, and it needs another 4-6 years, if not a decade, to hit prime time, and will have 30 years of longevity. The 2005 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc, representing only 37% of the total production.

Sophistication and pure beauty on the nose, showing intense lead pencil, blackcurrants, ink and blackberries as well as crushed stones. Spellbinding. Medium-bodied, it grows endlessly on the palate, superb tannins caressing like the finest silk. It just keeps on coming. The character is immaculate. Ethereal. Power with elegance. 83.5% cabernet sauvignon, 10.5% cabernet franc and 6% merlot. It gives the impression you can drink it now, but it needs five to six years of bottle age. A neoclassical masterpiece. Try after 2031, but if you want to taste it now, I understand.

Retains signature character and architecture, combined with a come-hither ripeness that is all about the 2022 vintage. A brilliant wine, luscious and supple with cassis and bilberry, damson and black cherry along with cocoa bean and mandarin. Delivers confidence and ageability. The Barton family continue to make this wine unmissable.

The Château Léoville-Poyferré 2005 has a rich and opulent bouquet with lavish ripe black cherries and wild strawberry, just a touch of licorice rendering it even more extravagant. The palate is full-bodied with ripe, rounded tannin, touches of licorice and glycerin on the mid-palate with savory notes flourishing towards the finish. This is almost a brash, hubristic Saint Julien, one for those who prefer a more opulent style of Bordeaux while maintaining complexity. Chapeau Didier Cuvelier. (NM)

Step into the heart of what St Julien does best here, firm and muscular but thoroughly juicy tannins, concentrated blackberry and cassis fruits that are mature but full of finesse, with just the right amount of precision and tension. This is a wine where a single glass will not be enough, and reminds you that in 2022 the wines were exceptional but atypical for many Bordeaux lovers. Here you get an understated gloriously drinkable St Julien from long-term owners the Barton family that will go the distance.

he 2023 Beychevelle is fabulous. As always, Beychevelle includes quite a bit more Merlot than most wines in the appellation, but the Cabernet is especially high here. Inky dark fruit, crème de cassis, mocha, licorice and lavender build in the glass. This juicy, extroverted Saint-Julien has a ton to offer. The combination of fruit intensity, acid and supporting structure is superb. The 2023 is showy, but not at all overdone. Beychevelle remains one of the most distinctive wines in all of Bordeaux. It is especially classy in this edition. (AG)

A crisp, vegetal uplift with integrated richness and ripe intensity. Fine, grippy tannins meet lively acidity and ripe fruit, balanced by a cooling undertone and wet stone. Powerful yet delicately presented, with vibrancy and a persistent finish. (Panel Tasting)

Reminding me of the 2018 (as well as the 2009), if not slightly more concentrated, the 2022 Château Léoville Poyferré is one of the most opulent and flamboyant wines out of the Médoc in 2022, and it has incredible intensity while staying light on its feet and graceful. Its dense, glass-staining purple hue is followed by a sensational perfume of crème de cassis, graphite, darker chocolate, scorched earth, and flowers. Full-bodied on the palate, it brings extravagant levels of fruit as well as a seamless mouthfeel, beautifully integrated oak, tannins, and acidity, no hard edges, and a gorgeous finish. It shines even today, yet it has beautiful underlying structure and will evolve gracefully over the coming 30+ years. The 2022 is based on 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 18-20 months in 80% new oak.

Still young and brooding, this is pure St Julien, pure Barton loveliness. Great quality, juicy, balanced, crayon and cassis, we are right in the heart of the appellation here, but with the intensity and concentration turned up to full. 60% new oak for ageing.

Reminding me of the 2018 (as well as the 2009), if not slightly more concentrated, the 2022 Château Léoville Poyferré is one of the most opulent and flamboyant wines out of the Médoc in 2022, and it has incredible intensity while staying light on its feet and graceful. Its dense, glass-staining purple hue is followed by a sensational perfume of crème de cassis, graphite, darker chocolate, scorched earth, and flowers. Full-bodied on the palate, it brings extravagant levels of fruit as well as a seamless mouthfeel, beautifully integrated oak, tannins, and acidity, no hard edges, and a gorgeous finish. It shines even today, yet it has beautiful underlying structure and will evolve gracefully over the coming 30+ years. The 2022 is based on 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 18-20 months in 80% new oak.

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 1982 Beychevelle, St-Julien (95DC, 94RP, 93JG). Decanter: "An expressive nose - heady and evocative still - a marker of the ripe, plush and powerful 82s when they were born. Floral and fragrant with red and black fruit, some baked cherries and soft caramel notes alongside leather and cigar box. Determined and sinewy on the palate, tannins are sharp, full and focussed. A lovely frame and sense of style, this has bite and tang with licks of wet stone, graphite, slate and pencil lead all combining alongside liquorice. This still has lots of life yet. Stylish and confident, vibrant and energetic still with excellent weight. Extremely enjoyable, in its prime but by no means tired - lots of life yet. (GH)" (05/2023)

Bid on this magnum of 1981 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien (1.5L). Wine Advocate: "Consistently one of the most successful wines of this vintage, this mid-weight Ducru-Beaucaillou is showing some pink and amber at the edge. The wine has an attractive nose of wet stones, sweet currant and mulberry fruit intermixed with a hint of spice and earth. The wine has medium body, light tannin, and an easygoing finish. (RP)" (01/2003)

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 1982 Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien (99JD, 98DC, 97RP, 96JA, 95WS). Jeb Dunnuck: "Tasted at the domaine, the 1982 Leoville Las Cases is just about pure perfection, and while certainly mature, it has plenty of life ahead of it. Thrilling notes of blackcurrants, kirsch, tobacco leaf, cedar box, menthol, and exotic spices all emerge from this seamless, powerful yet magically elegant Léoville Las Cases. Opening up in the glass, with a smoky, singular character, it's an incredible wine from this terroir that has an almost Latour-like regal quality." (06/2019)

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2000 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien (96JS, 96WE, 96WS, 95RP, 94VN, 94W&S). Wine Enthusiast: "Right from the early days of tasting in spring 2001, this was going to be one of the stars of the vintage. And a star it remains. There is big, ripe fruit, with solid, ageworthy tannins. It may not be as powerful as some of the blockbusters of the vintage, but it is certainly more opulent, less classical than Léoville-Barton can sometimes be. (RV)" (06/2003)

Bid on this 12-bottle lot of 2009 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien (98JA, 98WE, 96DC, 96JD, 96JS, 95VN, 95WS, 94RP). Wine Enthusiast: "A major success of the vintage. The wine exhibits extreme richness of the fruit, with all its sweet blackberry flavors. It also has underlying firm structure, density and solid tannins. Bring in the acidity at the end, and this is both impressive and ready for long-term aging. *Ranked #3 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2012, Cellar Selection* (RV)" (02/2012)

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 1989 Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien (98JA, 96WS, 95RP, 94JD, 94VN). Jane Anson: "Spiced sandalwood, white pepper, saffron, cigar box, oyster shell salinity, orange peel, and still juicy blackcurrant and blueberry fruit, even as it heads towards 35 years old. Utterly gorgeous, effortless even, the word beguiling comes out of nowhere. Love this, and provides a glimpse into what this wine can acheive when you are lucky enough to catch it at the right moment. 50% new oak, Michel Delon owner. Harvest September 5 to 25, after a hot dry year." (12/2022)

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 1982 Gruaud-Larose, St-Julien (96RP, 96VN, 94JG, 94WS). Vinous: "The 1982 Gruaud Larose has long been a “winner” in this competitive vintage. Gorgeous scents of sloes, loam, leather and wild heather emerge and become more minty as this wine unfurls in the glass. There is just a patina of Brettanomyces in this 1982, but like a dozen or so previous bottles, I have not found it detracts from overall olfactory pleasure. The palate is just as irresistible as the aromatics. With lovely balance and slightly grainy tannins, this bottle is perhaps slightly more youthful than others. It is very focused with sage and bay leaf mixed with black fruit towards the finish, tobacco and graphite combining wonderfully towards the finish. Superb. (NM)" (11/2023)

Crème de cassis and black raspberry fruits intermixed with spring flowers, graphite, tobacco leaf, and spicy wood all emerge from the 2025 Château Gruaud Larose, a deep purple-hued Saint-Julien based on 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc that's resting in 80% new French oak. This beauty stopped me in my tracks with its sheer class and purity. Full-bodied on the palate, it has a layered, graceful mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and a great finish, all grounded by a remarkable sense of balance and elegance. It checks in at 13.47% alcohol with a pH of 3.71. This is a heavenly Saint-Julien that brings the richness of the vintage alongside an unmistakable sense of class. Bravo!

This impressed during En Primeur and totally delivers on a promise of freshness, charm and drinkability. Juicy and succulent with the clean and crystalline fruit at the fore. Tannins meld seamlessly into the wine with only a hint of bitter chocolate and liquorice spice on the finish giving nuance. Layered and shiny - down plays the vintage in terms of concentration - this is sleek and glossy. Polished and well crafted. A tiny bit shy still - this will age very well - but also feels as if you could start to enjoy this soon. Wonderful. (GH)