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CWM Ranking: First Class 85 % Merlot, 15 % Cabernet Franc. Yield just 19 hl/ha. Only a road divides this property from St Émilion. Under the same ownership as Ch. Faugeres and Ch. Peby Faugeres. This is a starting point for the more complex Faugeres wines. The vineyards are surrounded by hillsides, perfect for water draining and sun exposure. South facing with limestone and clay subsoil. No barriques were used at all this vintage; 80% Stainless steel, 20% oak vats. Deep ruby, concentrated. Inviting rich open nose with raspberry, blueberry. Opulent full bodied juicy and big, the tannins a bit rustic but decent concentration. Ripe and generous, medium+ body, well balanced and long. Powdery tannins, peppery finish. Chewy.

CWM Ranking - High 2:1 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV Sensitive extraction leaving a medium bodied, attractive fruity wine which will drink well from the off. Ripe brambly fruit and clean, balancing acidity.

Creamy, black cherry nose. Glossy look. Packed palate, quite low in acidity but enough, ripe tannin, good stucture, nice mocha finish Wine Advocate James Suckling Decanter 89-91 92-93 91

88-90 RobertParker.com "The 2020 Belle-Vue is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 20% Petit Verdot, with an alcohol of 13.5%. Deep purple-black colored, it prances out of the glass with exuberant notes of blackcurrant preserves, stewed plums and mulberries with hints of menthol, mocha and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate delivers appealing freshness and balance, delivering minted black fruit flavors and a soft, well-managed texture, finishing with a spicy lift."

CWM Ranking High 2:1 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. 32% new oak. Savoury, curranty nose, Firm, dry and savoury on the palate too, with blackcurrant fruit and chewy but yielding tannins chewy. Fresh, elegant finish.

CWM Ranking: First Class 57.5% cabernet sauvignon, 38% merlot, 4.5% petit verdot and just 21 hl/ha as a result of mildew attacks in the spring, deep gravels affecting younger vines. Deep ruby, nice straightforward nose, cabernet on gravels, oak, very well defined medium body, charming fruit, texture, good length and clean acidity. Very good.

CWM Rating - Starred First Biodynamic conversion. Helps when climate is difficult to manage so health of the soil is very important. 2020 all major events of the season were successful; good flowering, hydric stress after veraison, good ripeness. Bright aromatics typical of vintage. 65% CS, old vines on gravel, 30% Merlot v successful in 2020, best vintage for 10 years, 5% PV from old vines thick skins small berries adding density. 3.55 pH 13.5% 10% less yield than 2019. 50% new oak, some concrete egg fermenters. Serious Cabernet nose with cedar and gravitas, class and structure, lithe tannins though everything perfectly ripe.

CWM Rating - High 2:1 13.9% 34 hl/ha. 54CS 34M 6PV & 6CF 2020 is about roundness, opulence. Not a big wine as not big extraction, mid palate built on fatness, soft tannins, fresh finish. Plenty of flavour and texture.

CWM Ranking: High 2:1 55% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot. 30% new oak. Dark ruby, aromatic with dark blackcurrant and currant, treacle, coffee. Firm tannins grip the palate but there’s fruit there too and a chocolate edge, long and rich, oaky. Needs some time to integrate.

89/100 Jane Anson, Decanter "Plum colour, attractive bright purple reflections, they have done a good job of finessing the nose. Lacks a little balance through the body of the wine, but the concentration and tight tannins are tempered by careful grilled coffee and vanilla bean sweetness, and brambled berry fruit appears with coaxing. A yield of 30hl/ha. 25% new oak for ageing, with amphora also used. New owner Gérard Jicquel since 2019 (he also bought Château d'Agassac this year)."

CWM Ranking - High 2:1 72% Cabernet Sauvignon 28% Merlot 12 months in barrel, 50% new. 13.5% ABV. Deep ruby, Spices, cedar, blackcurrant and blackberry aromas, plenty of extraction with fine grained tannins and juicy dark fruits, some dried fruit and cocoa. Good structure behind its deep flavours and a crispness.

CWM Ranking - First Class 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. 77.5ha, 34 hl/ha, 13.5%. 150 different parcels. 40% new oak. Etienne Charriet winemaker. Just pigeage used for extraction. Deep dark opaque ruby colour. Very pretty aromas. Mixed hedgerow fruit. Like a very high class jam / jelly / compote. Cedar, creamy oak, and secondary sweetness. Very good, harmonious rich and juicy palate. Plums and cherry, some elegant oak and medium full bodied attack.

CWM Ranking: - First Class Decent yields of 50 hl/ha help keep this regular performer on an even keel pricewise. 60% Cab Sauv 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. 25% new oak. V dark, opaque black purple. Savoury, woody, nose, then fine rich fruit with plenty of concentration, backed up with some ripe but big tannins and fine acidity.

CWM Ranking - High 2:1 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot Dark ruby. Ripe cassis nose with some vanilla and spice. Fine and poised palate, all rather silky and fresh yet with plenty of blackcurrant and plum flavour, and ripe tannin. Medium bodied.

CWM Ranking: First Class 70 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 4 % Petit Verdot. 50 year old vines. 60% new oak Usually c. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, but impressed with the richness of the Merlot this year. All gravel gives the wine its freshness and finesse. Beautiful, precise, elegant Batailley yet with tannic structure. Slightly backward, very Pauillac.

CWM Ranking: High 2:1 89% Sauvignon Blanc 11% Semillon. Very Sauvignon-like nose, with grapefruit, nectarine and gooseberry. 8 months in oak with batonnage are not intrusive. Medium bodied and juicy with a fine line of acidity without huge development or texture on the palate.

CWM Ranking - First Class 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Average yield was just 18 hl/ha. Demeter certified for biodynamic viticulture. Black/ruby. Intriguing nose with some fennel seed charcuterie as well as typical black fruits. Medium+ body with lots of ripe supple tannins, good weight of fruit and juiciness. Long and attractive, finishing with tannin that should resolve.

CWM Ranking - Starred First 60 % Merlot, 40 % Cabernet Franc. Expressive fruity and floral aromas, beautiful texture, fresh and elegant palate, superb purity and class. Not concentrated but very long and delicate. 3.47pH 14.15% Next to Pavie and Ausone - illustrious neighbours. Sleek, but structured. Clean, fresh red and blue fruit. Charming, pretty, and suave. Ample fruit but lovely acidity and soft tannins. Long and fine finish.

CWM Ranking - High 2:1 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. Dark ruby. A touch of menthol blends with blueberries, blackberries and dusty oak. Dense, structured, concentrated with plenty of dusty tannins. Plenty of black fruits. Full on extraction gives the wine texture, depth and length. Fresh.

Wine Advocate James Suckling Decanter Jeb Dunnuck Jean-Marc Quarin 90-92 94-95 92 91-93 15 Jane Anson, Decanter "Deep crimson colour, plenty of deep bilberry fruits, firm tannins and good tension; a lot to like about this wine. Closes in on the finish, pretty serious in feel overall, muscular, but has the deft kick upwards that you find in many limestone-led wines in the vintage. The first year with Constance and Noemie Durantou at the helm, having taken over from their late father Denis (Noemie in particular had also worked alongside him for several years as winemaker, along with cellar master Olivier Gautrat)."

91/100 Jane Anson, Decanter "Fragrant with fresh lilac and peonies on the aromatics, fairly high acidities overall with sculpted blackcurrant fruits. A higher level of Cabernet Sauvignon than in recent years after the replanting in the vineyard. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend, 3.85pH, 60% new oak. A yield of 33hl/ha."

CWM Ranking - First Class 59 % Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 % Petit Verdot, 1 % Cabernet Franc. 40% new oak testing amphora One of the fourteen newly classified Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. The estate now stands at 80ha after recent acquisitions, with a production of c. 350,000 bottles. Creamy fresh black cherry nose, no obvious smoky oak or dried fruit. Plenty of ripe tannin and medium full bodied lots of charm. Extracted but forward.

CWM Ranking: Starred First 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot. All picked in second half of September. Dark ruby, Exotic aromas with primary and secondary characteristics already present. Big yet silky palate with lots of cassis, plums, chocolate. Supple, juicy, well structured. Creamy oak but well integrated with ripe fruit. Very good. Precise, well balanced, poised. Rich and long finish. Quite luxurious. Excellent integration of tannins, acidity, and alcohol. Certainly a keeper.

CWM Ranking - First Class 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Veronique Dausse considers this a good vintage for St Estephe. The clay soils protected the vines from water stress during the drought-like summer. There is a lot of Merlot planted across the 70ha of vineyards at Phelan Segur. Average yield for St Estephe 41hl ha . 44hl ha at Phelan, clay helped. Deep dark ruby, chocolate and cassis nose, good concentration, fresh and energetic, long, fine and precise. Tannins were well integrated and well balanced.

Wine Advocate James Suckling Decanter Jeb Dunnuck Jancis Robinson Jean-Marc Quarin 93-95 96-97 94 95-97 18 17 Jancis Robinson "85.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Merlot. Aged for 18 months in barrel (60% new). Lustrous purple. Minerally, stony, saline nose. Really remarkably opulent on palate entry which almost distracts from those massive tannins underneath. There's just a suggestion of vintage port tannins here (not the sweetness). Very fine winemaking indeed. I have to admit I was tempted to swallow this, it was so majestic. I don't remember being as bowled over by a Léoville Barton at this early stage before. Lovely, confident, persistent finish. Such grace!"

CWM Ranking - Starred First 79 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc. Low yield of 33 hl/ha (roughly the average for the appellation) 13.3% ABV. A classic example of a difficult growing season leading eventually to a harvest of great quality fruit and a superb wine. Hydric stress led to blocked maturation so harvesting was delayed, resulting in even lower yields as September heat built. Dark Cabernet aromas, juicy and structured. Plenty of tannins. Quite densely packed fruit on the nose; ripe blackcurrant along with bitter chocolate and cedar. Lovely weight, richness, power and balance. Some blue fruit on the palate. Layered tannin. VERY polished. Supple. Very enjoyable. A well integrated touch of creamy oak (50% new). Red fruit freshness and acidity on finish. Long and really fine, excellent structure with more layers as the wine evolves. This wine has a long time to go.

CWM Ranking - First Class 76 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. 13.3% ABV 35 hl/ha yield. 60% new oak This is the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Grand Vin since 2013. Clay subsoils saved Talbot’s vines from excessive stress in the dry summer, and on the contrary allowed them to accumulate tannins, anthocyanins, and sugar at a very early stage. The result is full and very aromatic Merlot, charming and spicy Petit Verdot, and, above all, high-class Cabernet Sauvignon: highly coloured, extremely well-structured tannins, and with great complexity. This is a ripe and intense wine with good power, with fruit matching the high levels of tannin. Long and well structured. Good creaminess on the mid palate. Elegant lift on the finish

CWM Ranking - First Class 100 % Sémillon. Mostly on Limestone. Very fine and intense. Above average residual sugar. Clean and fine with good acidity, lemon bon bons, floral and citrusy. Long and elegant.

CWM Ranking - High 2:1 100% Sémillon. RS 137 g/l. Low yields, the product of four different picking/tris. Golden hue but still a little cloudy. Pure aromatics with peach and nectarine notes to the fore. Palate rich, fat and unctuous but balanced by the zesty, bitter-edged note of the botrytis. Very little acidity but there’s freshness all the same

CWM Ranking: First Class Cantemerle = Blackbird singing. 95ha. Rain in spring so mildew threat. Dry summer, a little rain in 15th Aug and in Sept. Healthy grapes and easy harvest. 13.5% 58%CS 29%M 7%CF 6%PV Lovely exotic nose with violets, black fruits, spices, Strong character of Cab Sauv and Cab Franc, very fresh. Merlot is charming and opulent. Interesting blend. Nice acidity. Lower yield 40hl/ha. Soft extraction, lower alcohol than 2019, compare with 2010 bit more complex than 2019. 40% new oak. Well balanced, creamy integrated tannins, lovely length, First class.