Jay Kline

9.3

I never would have anticipated drinking my birth year of Cheval Blanc out of a Solo cup yet, here we are. The ‘81 is ruddy still; deep garnet color with some browning towards the rim and loads of sediment. The nose shows some of the telltale green-ness of vintage but everything has found harmony: the fruit has blossomed and structure has integrated. Dark fruited with tobacco, dried purple flowers, mushrooms, herbs and soft eastern spices. Charming! No particular rush to drink these but lovely now. — 13 days ago

Bruce Leboff

9.4

Singing. . Right in the window. Still fresh and lively. Elegant cherry notes on the nose. Full bodied and elegant smooth finish. Lovely — 3 days ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.4

Opaque red blue. Vegetal and floral aromas with muddled blueberry. Medium plus bodied, medium plus alcohol. Blueberry emerges more prominently on the palate. Unbelievably smooth, round and well integrated. So complete. Tannins are perfect here, just enough to cut the beef tallow and provide an enjoyable finish. I can only imagine this will get even better, but why wait. This is near the top of my historical scale.

94+ points — a month ago

John Bratincevic

9.3

Tastes like good St Emilion. Cassis, red fruit, earthworm, minerals, nice smooth tannins, some pine and slight cocoa. Lovely. 93. — 7 days ago

Pablo Rivera

9.2

Nose of red fruits, black cherries, white flowers, mild black pepper, smooth oak. Flavors of ripe cherries, black pepper, vanilla and black currant. Soft tannins. — 19 days ago

with Alexandria

Ellen Clifford

9.3

I opened this on my birthday (it seemed apropos). Like its big brother (sister/horse-er?), it is a St-Émilion Grand Cru…and I tried the 2021, which, omg, I feel bad I have committed so much wine infanticide in my life…this is good now but shows SO much promise for age-ousity (new wine adjective, adverb?) Made of 60% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. Blackberries, tobacco, slight violet notes and toasty cedar on the nose initially, heavy twirling teases out hints of red plum. The palate starts earthy, broadening across the mid-palate to reveal juicy, juicy cassis (red and black) and a touch of dried vines that reads as enriching, not drying—inching further towards perfume on the finish. The tannins are the melt-in-your-mouth type—they make themselves known and then relax. I loved this wine. Give it air if you open it now, lots of air and twirl it like it’s the belle of the ball, but ideally, give it a little more time. I’m not sure when it will peak, but it should continue to evolve favorably over the years. — a month ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.4

Nose presents as unripe blue fruit, palate gives cherry and herbs. All gauges read "Medium". Definitely ready now for full enjoyment. Alc may be Med+. Finish is delicious and very long. This is a great wine.

94 points — 14 days ago

GaryWEdwards

9.2

It is rare that such a youthful Saint-Emilion Grand Crú would be so approachable if not robust . This is a remarkable value that I bought en primeur 2018 and is a wow value. — 19 days ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2016 | well balanced, spicy, warm, beautiful integrated vanilla — 16 days ago

Kate

9.1

I enjoyed this. I paired with filet and fries. So French. — 13 days ago