Château Aney
Cooked note on the nose, imprecise definition of the tannin, wine still held back on the aromatic plan, feeble persistence. Little style, at least at this stage of its evolution.
82/100 (11/20)
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Château Arnauld
Rather heavy aroma of cocoa, seriously constructed wine but without finesse, or nuances of any kind and no freshness here. The whole thing lacks personality.
83/100 (11.5/20)
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Château Balac
A wine without style with drying and badly integrated oakiness and simplistic tannins. One is far from being what is required from a Bourgeois of quality.
80/100 (10/20)
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Château Barateau
Little finesse, not much in the way of aromatics, quite a solid wine but impersonal.
82/100 (11/20)
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Château Barreyre
Slight spicy note on the nose, insufficient raw material, very medium persistence. A wine without joy.
82/100 (11/20)
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Château Beaumont
Here is the first wine to have the kind of style which one associates with the Médoc; spicy nose, svelte body but not hollow in the middle of the palate, classic note of cedar, distinguished tannin. The wine is not exceptional but it is assuredly well made.
86/100 (13/20)
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Château Bel-Air
The tannin is much harder and dryer than that of Beaumont, and there is no fat in the body to cushion it! The fruit is limited, as is the power. It is insufficient.
80/100 (10/20)
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Château Cambon la Pelouse
A wine of Hawaiian style with a sharp oak and a sucrosity rivalling those of the Piedmont of the Andes. I thus have trouble placing this in France and even more in the Médoc. But it won’t do badly pleasing a new public.
82/100 (11/20)
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Château Cap de Haut
Dry and lank wine which by comparison will demonstrate the popularity of Cambon!
76/100 (8/20)
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Château Caronne - Sainte-Gemme
Beautiful raw material, full wine, spicy, with a much more refined texture than the other Médocs at the beginning of the tasting, taste of cedar near that of a good Saint-Julien, medium persistence. Incontestably a carefully made wine, a little too serious and rigid in its aromatic expression, except for enthusiasts well formed in the classical art of the Médoc.
89/100 (14.5/20)
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Château Charmail
Note of prune and chocolate (but without heaviness) on the nose, supple wine, quite suave, not very slender, nor very typical of its origin, but very agreeable and for drinking whilst eating. Don’t wait too long.
86/100 (13/20)
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Château Cissac
Some basic imperfections (dry wood, badly worked, rigid tannin) can’t hide the strong personality of the terroir but prevents it from expressing the best of itself. They need to make a serious recovery of all the wine-making stages
84/100 (12/20)
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Château Citran
The first bottle was corked. The second, very enjoyable, with fairly exuberant fruit for a Médoc, with body, a good suppleness and flattering oak. One nonetheless feels that there has been the application of masterful technique rather than the strong and transparent expression of a terroir of the first level. It will make a good ambassador of the Médoc in the world but I can’t recommend it to the experienced amateur.
88/100 (14/20)
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Château Clément Pichon
Another well worked wine with a handsome oak and a quality of tannin largely superior to the average. There is, nonetheless, a side in the middle of palate which is a little too polite and impersonal to really get excited about it.
87/100 (13.5/20)
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Château Coufran
The nose completely lacks any clarity and aromatic precision. The heavy clumsy palate, not well structured, is unworthy of the terroir.
78/100 (9/20)
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Château d'Agassac
Remarkable success: refined nose, complex, notes of cedar and typical spices of the soils of the beautiful Graves, very balanced body, aristocratic tannin. Remarkable finish in the mouth. It may even overtake the cru classés of its Appellation and vintage. Highly recommended.
92/100 (16/20)
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Château Dasvin-Bel-Air
A carafe wine, light, digestible, without great ambition otherwise than being an immediately pleasing wine. Objective succeeded.
83/100 (11.5/20)
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Château d'Aurilhac
Rich colour, full-bodied, tannic, very Saint-Seurin de Cadourne through its strong power and energy, deep, and certainly a safe keep. Good vinification and processing is well-mastered. A name to follow…
90/100 (15/20)
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Château de Braude
Rustic wine, imprecise. A serious overhaul of the technique required.
76/100 (8/20)
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Château de Gironville
Cooked note on the nose, badly defined structure, animal taste and short finish. Insufficient.
76/100 (8/20)
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Château de Lamarque
Full and harmonious wine, classically produced and thus a little timid at this stage of its evolution, straight and direct tannin, good future possible.
87/100 (13.5/20)
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Château de Malleret
Light note of pepper on the nose without any greenness, supple wine, precise made for immediate consumption and without ceremony, but not for keeping a long time in the cellar.
85/100 (12.5/20)
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Château de Villambis
Short, rustic, imprecise, without fruit. Who would this please?
76/100 (8/20)
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Château Villegeorge
A style of wine which might pass for anachronistic, all in the delicateness and in the nuances of fine spices but which terminates on a thoroughbred and subtle tannin, very satisfying when compared to crus which are too heavy or too gaunt. It doesn’t need much to find itself in the élite of the Crus Bourgeois to which its destiny is linked.
86/100 (13/20)
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Château Dillon
Impersonal wine and without qualities, which is the acme of the Lycée Viticole which operates it!
76/100 (8/20)
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Château Moulin Rouge
Correctly made but without too much refinement either in its aromas, or its textures, or in the tannin.
82/100 (11/20)
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Château du Retout
Strange nose, presence of CO2 very difficult to note in this state.
Not noted.
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Château du Taillan
Vegetal nose which one might have hoped had disappeared, a wine without sap, short, insufficient.
78/100 (9/20)
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Château Duthil
Fat and spicy wine, made from ripe grapes. A little heaviness in the tannins.
84/100 (12/20)
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Château Grandis
This dry, flat wine, gives no sign that it will recover its health in the bottle. Is there really a skipper at the helm of this ship?
76/100 (8/20)
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Château Hanteillan
Simple, harmonious wine but with no character. Aeration doesn’t do it any good and only reinforces the tannin.
80/100 (10/20)
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Château Haut-Bellevue
I am a little ashamed to admit that this wine is badly made in the current crisis: but how have they obtained the approval of the Appellation? How have they been able to enter into the Alliance?
74/100 (7/20)
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Château Hourtin-Ducasse
Skimpy wine without the least aromatic style.
78/100 (9/20)
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Château la Tonnelle
Unripe pepper. Harvested too early to be acceptable today.
76/100 (8/20)
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Château la Chesnaye
Hard to image how such a flat and mediocre wine can be produced from such a terroir.
78/100 (9/20)
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Château la Mothe-Bergeron
A cardboard kind of oakiness: supple body, a little hollow in the middle of the palate. Little to attract.
80/100 (10/20)
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Château la Mothe
Easy wine, supply, fruity, ready to drink.
82/100 (11/20)
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Château Lanessan
Full of stuffing, firm and classic tannins, spicy flavour, but slight lack of aromatic generosity and refinement of the texture. It should keep well.
86/100 (14/20)
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Château Larose Perganson
Careful oak, aromatic wine, judiciously extracted tannin, beautiful finish, the prototype of the serious Bourgeois, well placed for the tastes of today and a good ambassador of its Appellation.
86/100 (14/20)
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Château Larose - Trintaudon
Skimpier than Perganson and with an abrupt tannin bringing up short the aromatic persistence.
82/100 (11/20)
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Château le Meynieu
Strong aromatic personality with aromas of red pepper and chilly spices, more Cabernet Franc than Sauvignon, but the ensemble has freshness, penetrating, and will age well. It won’t please everyone but I like this contrasting style, assertive and politically incorrect.
86/100 (13/20)
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Château Monteil d'Arsac
Heavy wine, without style, or follow through, made without doubt from the vines which are less well situated than the Margaux from the same château.
78/100 (9/20)
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Château Lestage Simon
Well balanced, fleshy, fine but firm tannin, typical Saint-Surin, well produced and will ensure the name has its regular drinkers. Recommended.
89/100 (14.5/20)
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Château Malescasse
Austere, closed, dry, less successful than other recent vintages.
82/100 (11/20)
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Château Maucamps
Good constitution, agreeably spicy wine, very classic in its sector, almost ready to drink.
88/100 (14/20)
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Château Meyre
Dry and without finesse, short, insufficient.
78/100 (9/20)
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Château Muret
Deep coloured and full but finishing on a rustic tannin. Keep for game or a solid snack.
85/100 (12.5/20)
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Château Paloumey
Lots of finesse and delicateness in the texture, without any apparent gaps. Very agreeable wine and carefully made, very characteristic of the southern Médoc.
87/100 (13.5/20)
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Château Peyrabon
Body and good fruit even if the whole has neither the charm of the Paloumey nor the velvety texture of the Lestage-Simon. When compared to its peers it hasn’t shined as I would have expected.
86/100 (13/20)
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Château Puy-Castera
Good power, velvety texture, little hollow in the middle of the palate. Without vice or virtue.
83/100 (11.5/20)
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Château Sénéjac
Quite complex aroma both floral and spicy, close to a pretty Margaux. Well balanced body, classic tannins, with finish. Gives justice to the terroir.
88/100 (14/20)
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Château Sénilhac
Imprecise wine with animal notes lacking a tidiness. Little length.
78/100 (9/20)
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Château Soudars
Well worked and proportioned oak, neat wine, with, curiously, a more assured style than Coufran and Verdignan, and a long way better than what I knew before. Keep for another two to three years.
87/100 (13.5/20)
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Château Tour du Haut-Moulin
Excellent Bourgeois, finely spiced and tannic, with follow-through and the feeling that the wine-maker gives everything that the terroir permits. Very recommended and for my part I am happy to see that this good old classic of the 1970s is still at the top of Cussac.
90/100 (15/20)
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Château Verdignan
Full-bodied wine but without grace, impersonal in its tannin, with a drying tendency. A disappointment.
85/100 (12.5/20)
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