Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot

Tasting notes: The nose exudes black cherries, wild honey, and sweet mint. This full-bodied wine immediately envelopes the palate, framed and defined by an intense minerality. Flavours of dark plums, sweet roses are enhanced by notes of black pepper and exotic spice. The finish is vibrant and uplifting, with bright acid and a hint of cedary oak.

Award: 93 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2022

Region: France, Bordeaux, Saint Julien

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (64%), Merlot (27%), Petit Verdot (6%) & Cabernet Franc (3%)

Tasting notes: Deep in colour, this has top notes of red fruit and cedar. The palate is very suave with an underlying freshness. There is a lovely weight to this wine, with some pleasing cassis notes on the mid-palate. It has a lovely, fine finish with some crunchy blackcurrant fruit. Very poised and elegant, Branaire’s 2016 has great finesse.

Region: France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Leognan

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Merlot (10%), Cabernet Franc (10%) & Petit Verdot (5%)

Tasting notes: Ripe and spicy, this is a smoothly textured wine. Its wood aging and creamy texture are rich, opulent and generous. With tangy acidity in the background, this dense wine is already impressive. 

Critical Acclaim

James Suckling - 94 points: "Blackberry and plums sit amid violets, earthy notes and gentle, hazelnut oak. The palate delivers attractively smooth, supple tannins that carry long flavours of fresh dark cherries. Try from 2020."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 90 Points: "Medium to deep garnet-purple in colour, the 2015 De Fieuzal is scented of lovely ripe plums and crushed red currants with touches of forest floor and bay leaves. Medium-bodied, firm and grainy with great freshness cutting through the earthy layers, it finishes long."

Region: France, Bordeaux, Saint Julien

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (48%), Merlot (37%), Cabernet Franc (8%) & Petit Verdot (7%)

Tasting notes: Ruby colour black reflections, frank nose that opens on aromas of stewed fruit, candied fruit, notes of toasted wood, animal tip, good balance on a fairly fleshy and full wine, the character is pretty with finesse, frankness, tannins are ripe, good frank and straight lengthening on finesse.

Region: France, Bordeaux, Saint Estephe

Tasting notes: Fine and elegant full-bodied wine with a nose marked by aromas of fresh black fruit. Its structure is harmonious, despite its young age, with aromas of blackcurrant and black cherry typical of the Merlot varietal; along with toasted notes. Beautiful aromatic persistence.

Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc

Background: Thomas Barton left Ireland to settle in Bordeaux, founding few years later a wine merchant company - that still bears the name Barton today. In 1821 his grandson, Hugh Barton, purchased Château Langoa, an elegant residence built in 1758. He was seduced by the architecture and its 20 hectares of vines planted in the Saint-Julien appellation. His passion and pride in his wine were only to grow when he saw Langoa awarded the rank of "Third Classified Growth" in the historic 1855 classification. 6 generations later, the Barton story continues with Anthony's daughter, Lilian, and her two children, now writing the chapter of the 10th generation in Bordeaux.

Tasting notes: With as much Merlot in the blend as the 1990 and 1996 the quality of this wine is as good as any vintage that winemaker Paul Pontallier can remember. When we tasted the 2004 Chateau Margaux we found it to be as fabulous and exciting as the 2000 had been at a similar stage. The nose was simply beautiful - ripe, fine sweet, elegant and powerful with huge potential. The palate is expansive and multi-faceted. Alongside Latour, this is one of the two wines of the vintage.

2004 was born in conditions closely resembling those of 1996: the same unsettled summer weather, the same lovely early autumn, the same rainy harvest… Last minute rain though in no way modifies the body of a wine, nor weakens its muscle; it only takes away a bit of fatness, which gives it a finer silhouette. Château Margaux 2004 is therefore a great classic vintage. There is great finesse and above all purity on the nose in this subtle combination of floral, fruit and spice aromas; all are clearly present, but no single aroma dominates. On the palate, the tannic structure is tight-knit, fine and tender. The general impression is firstly balance, precision, freshness and finally an air-light grace which can only be found in great Margaux.

Reviews: Wine Advocate - 94/100 - Neal Martin - 01/03/2017 – Tasted September 2016: The 2004 Chateau Margaux has always been a promising wine and here, served blind against the First Growths, it finally proved that patience is necessary when it comes to such wines. It has an exquisite bouquet with brilliant delineation, scents of redcurrant, raspberry coulis, cold stone (almost flint-like) with pencil-lead and cedar lending it a Pauillac-like sense of aristocratic flair. The palate is extremely well balanced with a supple opening, nigh perfect acidity with a surprisingly citric undercurrent that lends so much freshness and tension. While it does not have the weight and power of say, 2000, 2005 or 2009, it cruises along with utmost harmony and you become smitten by its charms - something that is perhaps in short supply among the First Growths in this vintage. This is excellent.

Tasting notes: There is a generous and floral approach before the lovely fluid interplay between tannin and fruit on the palate. The wine then settles and confidently delivers its Haut-Brion calling card of sweet, open-textured savoury fruit.