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)
91 James Suckling
A super refined and pretty wine with blueberry and raspberry. Full-to-medium body, with integrated tannins and a long finish. Subtle and balanced for the vintage.
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
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.