Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Léoville Barton 2023 – Saint-Julien, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A classic Saint-Julien expression showing clarity, harmony, and structural polish, driven by a 77% Cabernet Sauvignon–led blend with 20% Merlot Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc as a support. The wine balances ripe fruit concentration with restraint, delivering precision, finesse, and a seamless flow from attack through finish.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, ripe blackberry, red plum, cassis, graphite, cedar, subtle baking spice, crushed stone, light tobacco and gentle floral lift.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with finely woven tannins, excellent balance, fresh integrated acidity, supple texture, and a long, graceful finish that feels effortless rather than forceful.

Food Pairings
Herb-crusted lamb, roasted duck breast, grilled filet mignon, mushroom risotto, aged Comté or Gruyère.

Verdict
An elegant, dependable Saint-Julien that delivers purity, structure, and drinking pleasure without excess. Refined, polished, and quietly authoritative, a wine that rewards both immediate enjoyment and patient cellaring.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is the kind of wine that wins through composure and precision rather than horsepower. Easy to enjoy today, yet layered enough to keep you leaning back into the glass. Subtle sophistication done right. — 7 days ago

Spencer Spetnagel

9.1

Black cherry, red currants, bramble, iron, turned dry earth, cardamom. Ripe and filling across the palate. Stays lithe throughout. Gorgeous texture and composure. A warm vintage handled skillfully by Mr. Doerner and team. Per usual. — 4 years ago

Annie Ford

9.5

Delicious! Lots of flavors. Very different what what I usually enjoy. It’s a great balance of dark and spicy yet fruity. — 6 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2023 – Pauillac, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A benchmark Pauillac delivering depth, precision, and classical balance at a very high level, driven by a 75% Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blend with 20% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc as a support. The wine shows beautifully layered red fruit, refined structure, and seamless integration, expressing terroir purity and composure from start to finish.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, red cherry, wild raspberry, cassis, graphite, cedar, pencil shavings, subtle tobacco leaf, gentle cocoa and crushed gravel.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus to full-bodied with finely polished tannins, excellent mid-palate density, vibrant yet controlled acidity, elegant grip, and a long, harmonious finish that remains lifted and precise.

Food Pairings
Prime rib, grilled ribeye, rack of lamb, beef Wellington, mushroom-forward dishes, aged hard cheeses.

Verdict
A beautifully executed Pauillac that balances power and finesse effortlessly. Everything feels aligned, fruit purity, structure, tension, and length, making this a top-tier reference for the appellation and vintage.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is Pauillac done right, deep fruit, flawless execution, and a finish that feels complete and satisfying rather than forced. A wine that earns admiration through balance and quiet authority. Hard to pass, even harder to forget. — 7 days ago

Willie Carter

9.0

Dark, dark purple with no hint of translucency. An eclectic nose that just leaps out of the glass. Mulberries and rhubarb. Black cherries and strawberry preserves mingle with lusty dark chocolate and dry earth.

56/23/21 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec primarily from wonderful Stags Leap and Yountville grapes. A proper decant is necessary because of the 15.3% alcohol. Most wines just cannot maintain their composure with that kind of heat but the Shafer does very well here, not surprisingly. Ripe tannins and nice complexity.

Savory notes take over on the palate with cloves, smoke, and stewed plums. Grilled meat, bacon fat, and blueberry cobbler. Just delicious. Leather and mint with warm spice on the long finish. A sturdy wine with years to go. — 5 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.3

Smoky minerals, black cherry, orange peel, violets, spice cake, licorice- just a few notes. There’s a lot going on here and it’s intensely satisfying. Grainy tannins, very lengthy finish. Just a superb young Morgon with effortless style and composure whose best years are still well ahead. — 7 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.1

2016 vintage. Last tasted 02.07.24 (9.4). Still medium-heavy body but the alcohol/flavors enduring a bit of angst currently. Hot alcohol hits front palate, then fruit, then 18-wheeler tannins. Tasting as if it fell apart and needs a magic wand to meld it all back together. Still, fairly impressive tasting the holy trinity simultaneously, yet separately, and with unexpected composure given the lack of quality pavement for this 1974 De Tomaso Pantera. 01.20.25. — a year ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.5

I tasted the 1982 Lynch-Bages twice within a month, both at a private dinner in London and at the château, from bottle and double-magnum on separate occasions. Both vindicate an exceptionally fine 1982, perhaps a bit overlooked in a vintage full of stars. Curiously, the bottle in Bordeaux does not fully deliver the mesmerizing freshness and energy compared to the bottle in London: pencil-lead-tinged black fruit intermixed with clove and freshly-rolled tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, perhaps just a little austere compared to its peers. Yet, indeed, the bottle in London exudes class and composure with a detailed, mineral-driven vintage belying that year's unseasonably warm period. Superb. Tasted both in London at a private dinner and at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2023) — 3 years ago

Clay Bullwinkel

9.1

Citrus, sharp composure, well rounded — 5 years ago

Kelly Cullen

9.0

Glass before Jeong — 7 years ago