Matthew Cohen

9.2

N: white flowers. Hint of gooseberry. Very pretty.

P: very mineral. Sharp Lemon fruit. Some seeet lemon fruit. Some lemon peel.

Planetwine 23.40 — 3 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Château La Tour de Bessan Margaux 2022 — Margaux, Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A classic Left Bank blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon · 30% Merlot · 5% Petit Verdot (estate typically varies slightly by vintage) delivering structure, elegance, and aromatic finesse. Great frame and graphite tension coming from the Cab Sauv., mid-palate polish thanks to Merlot, and liked how Petit Verdot brings subtle spice and color depth. A beautifully traditional, unclassified Margaux that punches above its weight.

Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, blackberry, cassis, violet, pencil shavings, cedar, light tobacco, and crushed stone. Fruit stays fresh and pure with delicate floral lift typical of the appellation.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with polished, fine-grained tannins. Dry, linear, and elegant rather than powerful. Balanced acidity keeps everything lifted and graceful with a clean, savory finish.

Food Pairings
Roast chicken with herbs, grilled lamb chops, duck breast, mushroom risotto, lentils, Comté or aged goat cheese. A very food-friendly claret.

Verdict
Proof that Margaux elegance doesn’t require classified growth pricing. Refined, honest, and beautifully composed. Delicious now with air, but easily cellar-worthy for 6–10 years.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is my kind of “weekday Bordeaux”, structured yet graceful, polished without heaviness. The sort of bottle that quietly disappears over dinner because everything just clicks.

Did You Know?
La Tour de Bessan is run by Marie-Laure Lurton (of the Lurton family estates) and is known for crafting textbook, terroir-driven Margaux expressions that emphasize finesse over extraction. — 4 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This Bojo with a bit of bottle age is so nice. Such bright fruit still. Cherries and berries everywhere. And some nice stony minerality. Fantastic balance. — 8 months ago

Charles Garrison

9.2

Lush, succulent Pinot…dark ruby on pour, dark fruits rise out of the glass setting the stage for an enjoyable first sip…no noticeable tannins…lingering finish…this vintage is in a really good place today — 4 years ago

David Lee

9.0

Dry, savory and vibrant. — 6 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.2

The darker side of Rivers Marie. Where all of the Occidental bottlings share red fruited characteristics this is more black fruits and fresh earth. The supporting acidity and the hours it still takes to open up give me hope that it should continue to develop in bottle. — 7 years ago

Daniel Bloom

8.9

‘22 must have been very good in parts of Beaujolais. Black fruits with Asian spices and souis bois ,a vaguely dark metallic quality on the nose, tilt the bowl and grapeyness rushes in. Refreshing acidity, not exceptionally long…but enough. Cleansing and and bright. Slightly perfumed on the palate with a lingering umami aftertaste. Pretty stuff.
$31 in Pennsylvania, then here comes a clearance sale, and it was $11!
The LCB in PA. makes no sense, favorably sometimes. — 3 months ago

Jonathan Warren

9.3

15 year old Chablis? Yes please. I was shocked at how fresh this still was. Only a hint of honey and a slightly darker color than I would have expected the current vintage to be. With that said the honey was there with some soft apple and minerality for days. This was a great wine with dinner. — 5 months ago

Matt Perlman

9.2

Deep blue and violet fruit, dense, mint and spice — 8 months ago

romo

9.2

Sweetness trumping most finish notes. Cider-y in the best way. — 10 months ago

Edward Nelson

9.3

Silky smooth with just enough tannins to make me happy. $125-150? This warrants it. Worthy of a nice occasion or baked mostaccioli on a Wednesday night. — 5 years ago

with Michelle

Evan Griffith

9.1

A bit more on the cherry cola rather than just cherry end of the spectrum than I prefer, but nonetheless nice — 7 years ago

Ed Lehrman

9.1

A little heavier than I remember but fully mature and fun to drink with friends. — 7 years ago

Steve Messinger

9.2

Dark ruby, dense black fruit aromas of kirsch and sassafras w a lingering high note of bergamot. Intense black fruit flavors long finish showing a bit of alc — 3 months ago

Dru Margolin

9.0

A touch ripe with some funk. — 4 months ago

Graham

9.2

Really nice — 6 months ago

Scott E. Becker

9.3

[Tasted on October 1, 2025 at Home with Jay]

Plum and boysenberry fruit, with tea, sassafras and sandalwood notes. Beautiful wine. — 8 months ago

Ericsson

9.2

This is what I call on point Pinot. Cheers. — 3 years ago

Sam T

9.3

Delicious. Perfect wine for a Happy Thanksgiving! — 5 years ago

Severn G

9.2

Nose has maraschino cherry, sliced pear, wet chalk, mashed raspberry and dry minerals.

Palate has chalky ripe cherry, granite pebbles, fresh blood orange pith, fresh raspberry and light strawberry-raspberry jam. Wow, long finish, we're both smiling a lot on this bottle.

More cherry fruit than most Crémant de Bourgogne rosés we have enjoyed, just amazed! At $32, it's hard to find a better saignee of Pinot Noir brut rosé than what is in this glass, QPR delivered! — 7 years ago