"Composed of 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Chambrun is deep garnet-purple in color with warm blackberries, black cherry pie and blueberry compote with touches of fried herbs and cedar. The palate is medium to full-bodied with bags of vibrant fruit and a firm frame of rounded tannins, finishing long and refreshing."

Rating (90 - 92)+

Reviewed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Château Chantalouette is the second wine of Château de Sales. Owned by the same family for over five centuries, the 116 acre estate is the largest in the appellation and boasts the only true castle of Pomerol.

The vineyards here are composed of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon on small gravel and iron-rich loess.

Vinification is managed delicately, leading to beautifully crafted wines that are expressive of their terroir. Traditional racking and light egg-white fining help to preserve the brightness of the fruit.

Chantalouette is named after one of the larger parcels constituting the vineyard of Château de Sales. The wine is charming, round, elegant, and approachable from a young age.

"Tasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2010 Mouton-Rothschild is a modern-day benchmark for the First Growth and here, side-by-side with the 2009, it certainly has its nose in front. It is in possession of quite breathtaking delineation and precision, a crystalline bouquet with black fruit laced with minerals, potent pencil shaving notes, a touch of cold slate. It is totally entrancing. The palate has beguiling symmetry, but for me what really distinguishes this Mouton is its effortlessness. Like watching Usain Bolt in his prime sprinting to another world record, this wine is almost self-effacing in terms of its brilliance. Will Philippe Dhalluin ever better this Mouton-Rothschild? Keep it in the cellar for 15 years, if you know what's good for you." Tasted May 2016.

Rating 99

Château Lynch-Bages is one of the great Bordeaux red wine producers and is a robust, staunchly structured red with great agreeability and also a smoothness, suggesting a drink-me-now-or-soon appeal, so long as this wine is decanted and served in your best large glassware. 

The winery has been owned by the Cazes family since 1939.

Chateau Rieussec R de Rieussec is a great French white blend of Sauvignon Blanc 57% and Semillon 43%, with 20% fermentation in barrels which adds flesh, weight and textural qualities to this classic Bordeaux white wine.

The winery was purchased by Domaines de Barons de Rothschild in 1984 and has since been extensively renovated. While Chateau RIeussec is most famous for its sweet southern French white blends of Semillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc, it also produces outstanding dry whites, such as this stunning release from the 2022 vintage. 

The star of the M?doc, Cabernet Sauvignon is given pride of place in this French expression of a classic left bank Bordeaux red blend. Its structured body provides a beautiful wintery night's red to enjoy by the fire with cheddar and great company. 

This is a wine made for drinking now or over the next two to three years. 

Winemaker Notes

Blend: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot

Critical Acclaim

WE93

Wine Enthusiast

Produced by the team of Calon Ségur, this wine is stylish and elegant while also full of the Saint-Estèphe tannic structure. Fresh and fruity, it is also firm and tannic. Drink this spicy, juicy wine from 2025.

JS92

James Suckling

This is structured and very linear with superfine and polished tannins. It’s full-bodied yet reserved and held back with such tension and focus. Full-bodied, fine and chewy on the finish. Better in 2020.

D90

Decanter

Great freshness of bountiful, ripe fruit and fine ripeness from 68% Cabernet. A lovely wine from perfectly managed vineyards.

JD90

Jeb Dunnuck

A rocking wine from the northern Médoc is the 2015 Château Capbern and it’s 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot brought up in 60% new barrels. This medium to full-bodied, ripe, impressively concentrated beauty boasts outstanding notes of ripe black cherry and currant fruits intermixed with lots of crushed flower and damp earth/clay-like nuances. It has terrific purity and ripe, yet present, tannin and will benefit from a couple years in the cellar. It’s a little gem that will be loved by old-school Bordeaux lovers. Tasted twice.

Fabulous example of structured black fruited Bordeaux offering superb value for money with dark summer berry flavours, notes of dried thyme and black olives combining in a wine of complexity. Smooth and long. 

Chateau Belgrave is a large estate in the Medoc, on the left bank of Bordeaux, a region well known as Cabernet Sauvignon's stronghold. It makes up 46% of this bold, full bodied red, with the balance being 50% Merlot which adds flesh and roundness to the impressive structure of this wine. The inclusion of 4% Petit Verdot adds further complexity, intense colour and supports the tannin structure of this impressive wine. 

Chateau Belgrave is produced by Dourthe Estate, a family owned winery founded in 1840. The family now owns nine estates and 500 hectares of vineyards in Bordeaux.

Savoury, structured and classically beautiful Bordeaux which drinks beautifully with complex black olive, dried herb and fragrant dark fruit flavours now; made from 48% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc. 

Chateau Magnol has 31 hectares of grapes in the Haut-Médoc, west of the city of Bordeaux and has gravel as well as sandy soils in its vineyards. It has gained the classification of Cru Bourgeois, which this commandingly impressive wine more than lives up to. 

Chateau du Tertre Margaux is one of the estate’s flagship wines. It is silky and elegant, yet powerful and concentrated. The palate is fruit forward with excellent texture, tannin and balance. This wine will age very well in the cellar but is already drinking excellently.

Formerly known as the 'Reserve d'Angludet', this is the ‘Second Wine’ produced by Chateau Angludet with the younger vines on the estate and made in the same way as the flagship estate wine.

Chateau Angludet has a long history dating back to the 12th century situated in the Margaux plateau surrounded by Grand Cru Classes.

Made of a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot on deep gravel and pebble soils. Aged in French oak barrels.

Youthful bouquet that opens gradually to offer up a rich palate of wild fruit, violets, blackberry, blackcurrant and plum. Smooth palate, with fruit plumpness to the moderate tannins and a hint of toastiness.

The second wine of Domaine de Chevalier, L'Esprit de Chevalier shows complexity, depth and power expected from the deep gravel soils of the Graves. In the vineyard and winery innovation is constant, Olivier Bernard and his team are always pushing to improve the wines while showcasing each vintage as it comes. L'Esprit can be enjoyed now or in the next six years where it will age gracefully in the cellar.

Grapes - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc

Notes on the 2020 vintage.

The particularly mild winter favoured rapid warming of the soil and early budburst, as in 2019, 10 days ahead of the average. Following the heavy rains in April, some soils were waterlogged, with symptoms of root asphyxia and slowed growth often observed. Despite cooler temperatures in June, the vines maintained their advance. The lack of rain in the summer was responsible for poor berry growth and significant water stress from July onwards. The veraison was slow but regular. The heat and dryness of the summer caused us to lose part of the lead we had. The ripening of the grapes took place in optimal conditions (high temperatures, long periods of sunshine, nights less hot than in July). These ideal climatic conditions continued until 20 September, allowing the Merlot and Cabernet plots to be harvested with peace of mind in October.

Location
Paradis Casseuil covers some sixty hectares to the south-east of Bordeaux in the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers region. The vineyard is spread out over three communes, whose landscape of hills and slopes is reminiscent of Tuscany.

Terroir
The Paradis Casseuil terroir is mainly linked to the molasse of the Agenais, a typical geological formation of the Entre-Deux-Mers plateau, but also to the Asteria limestone, which appears at the place called "Le Paradis".
Over the course of the blocks, these two formations have a wide variety of sedimentary facies: sandstone limestone, marl, clay with calcareous nodules, variegated magnesian molasse, etc.
The soils that develop here are usually very clayey and rich in calcium. They thus benefit from excellent structural porosity, which is favourable to deep root development, but also from a certain coolness.

Winemaking
This wine is made according to traditional methods in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Alcoholic fermentation was followed by 10-15 days maceration at 28°C allowing for a gentle extraction of colour and tannins. Maceration times and pumping over were adjusted for each batch. 60% of the blend is wooded, in order to achieve its exceptional balance between elegance and fruitiness.

Grapes
70 % - Merlot
30 % - Cabernet sauvignon

Tasting
The 2020 vintage has a beautiful ruby colour. It develops a pretty bouquet with fruity and intense notes. It is a supple wine with little body. The grape varieties are vinified separately, allowing for a rich and smooth blend. The wine is finely wooded which gives it a characterful finish. It is best drunk immediately but can be forgotten for a few years.