63841 | 63840 | France | 90–92. Barrel sample. This ripe and spicy wine is full of rich fruits. The palate is full bodied and dense, but edged with a fine texture. It finishes warm and opulent. | Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Carbonnieux 2012 Barrel Sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Carbonnieux |
63842 | 63841 | France | 90–92. Barrel sample. Dry, dusty tannins from ripe fruit dominate this concentrated wine. It's solid and chunky, with lush fruit showing through a dark structure. | Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Latour-Martillac 2012 Barrel Sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Latour-Martillac |
63843 | 63842 | France | 90–92. Barrel sample. This is an herbaceous, cool wine that shows fresh pear and lime flavor. It does have a sense of structure that gives density and texture on the finish. | Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Graves | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Rahoul 2012 Barrel Sample (Graves) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Rahoul |
63844 | 63843 | France | 90–92. Barrel sample. Very dense, with tannins that are solid and dry, this is an austere wine that has a firm, mineral side. The wine will need time although it's likely to remain severe. | Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Graves | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Ferrande 2012 Barrel Sample (Graves) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Ferrande |
63845 | 63844 | France | 90–92. Barrel sample. This very fresh wine is packed with juicy black currant flavors. It's ripe, soft tannins show a full and delicious character already. | Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Haut-Bergey 2012 Barrel Sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Haut-Bergey |
63846 | 63845 | France | 90–92. Barrel sample. This second white wine of Haut-Brion has herbaceous aromas, followed by spice, ginger and a touch of green fruits and orange zest. | Le Clarté de Haut-Brion Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Haut-Brion 2012 Le Clarté de Haut-Brion Barrel Sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Haut-Brion |
63847 | 63846 | France | 90–92. Barrel sample. Herbaceous as well as rich, this wine is spicy and ripe in feel as a result of wood ageing. The palate boasts lemon, pear and apricot flavors, with a fine texture at the end. | Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Graves | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château de Chantegrive 2012 Barrel Sample (Graves) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château de Chantegrive |
63848 | 63847 | France | 90–92. Barrel sample. Spicy wood is the dominant character in this wine. At this stage, the palate is bold with new-wood aging, while the acidity and juiciness are in the background, but there's good potential for the future. | Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Picque Caillou 2012 Barrel Sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Picque Caillou |
63849 | 63848 | France | 90–92. Barrel Sample. An herbaceous wine with lively acidity, green plum and grapefruit flavors. It's a Sauvignon Blanc driven wine, showing great freshness rounded out with a touch of tropical fruits. | Barrel Sample | 91 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château la Garde 2012 Barrel Sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château la Garde |
63850 | 63849 | France | 89–91. Barrel sample. This is a juicy wine with so much ripe fruit, it lends the palate a soft, easy character. The tannins are gentle and warm, with lively acidity on the finish giving a fresh aftertaste. | Barrel Sample | 90 | | Bordeaux | Graves | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Rahoul 2012 Barrel Sample (Graves) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Rahoul |
63851 | 63850 | France | 89–91. Barrel sample. This is a delicious, spicy wine that glories in its peach and pear flavors. Opulent in style, the wine is ripe and rounded with just a twist of grapefruit acidity. | Barrel Sample | 90 | | Bordeaux | Bordeaux Blanc | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Le Nardian 2012 Barrel Sample (Bordeaux Blanc) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Le Nardian |
63852 | 63851 | France | 89–91. Barrel sample. Intense acidity and bright black-currant fruit makes this wine fresh and fruity. There's firm tannic structure at the core, but it's at the service of the fruit. This is a wine that's likely to age over the medium term. | Barrel Sample | 90 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château la Louvière 2012 Barrel Sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château la Louvière |
63853 | 63852 | France | 89–91. Barrel sample. From the northern Médoc vineyard of Goulée, this spicy, cool wine has a touch of green as well as fresh fruit. It's textured with a salty, herbaceous feel. | Blanc d'Estournel Barrel Sample | 90 | | Bordeaux | Bordeaux Blanc | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Cos d'Estournel 2012 Blanc d'Estournel Barrel Sample (Bordeaux Blanc) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Cos d'Estournel |
63854 | 63853 | France | 88–90. Barrel sample. This is an herbaceous wine that's very crisp and citrusy. Pear and spice flavors add a warmer element, while the aftertaste has a mineral texture. | Aile d'Argent Barrel Sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Bordeaux Blanc | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Mouton Rothschild 2012 Aile d'Argent Barrel Sample (Bordeaux Blanc) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Mouton Rothschild |
63855 | 63854 | France | 88–90. Barrel sample. Green, herbal aromas are dominant here. The wine has a crisp character, showing Sauvignon strongly. Finishes with a very green aftertaste. | Barrel Sample | 89 | | Bordeaux | Pessac-Léognan | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Bouscaut 2012 Barrel Sample (Pessac-Léognan) | Bordeaux-style White Blend | Château Bouscaut |
63856 | 63855 | France | 96–98. Barrel sample. The first vintage from a newly-constructed cellar, this is a beautiful wine, with glorious Merlot flavors. It's full of spice and dense with velvet tannins. The wine has great opulence and its fruit is well integrated into the structure. | Barrel Sample | 97 | | Bordeaux | Pomerol | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Pétrus 2012 Barrel Sample (Pomerol) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Pétrus |
63857 | 63856 | France | 95–97. Barrel sample. Promoted to Saint-Emilion's elite Premier Grand Cru Classé category, Valandraud's 2012 shows both a mineral character and intense acidity to go with the smooth and beautiful black currant fruits. Power and elegance. | Barrel Sample | 96 | | Bordeaux | Saint-Émilion | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Valandraud 2012 Barrel Sample (Saint-Émilion) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Valandraud |
63858 | 63857 | France | 95–97. Barrel sample. Dominated by Cabernet Franc, this is a firm, solid and beautifully perfumed wine, lighter than some wines from Ausone. The tannins are velvet although with a strong mineral character. It's fruity at the same time as being structured—a wine for long-term aging. | Barrel Sample | 96 | | Bordeaux | Saint-Émilion | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Ausone 2012 Barrel Sample (Saint-Émilion) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Ausone |
63859 | 63858 | France | 95–97. Barrel sample. An impressively dense wine with a serious structure. Dusty tannins go with a powerful structure and a wonderfully deep texture. Very solid and chunky. | Barrel Sample | 96 | | Bordeaux | Saint-Émilion | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Cheval Blanc 2012 Barrel Sample (Saint-Émilion) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Cheval Blanc |
63860 | 63859 | France | 94–96. Barrel sample. Now incorporating the Magdelaine vineyard, Bélair-Monange is a fine, complex wine, dense and just austere. The wine is firmly in the tannic style—dark and brooding. | Barrel Sample | 95 | | Bordeaux | Saint-Émilion | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Bélair-Monange 2012 Barrel Sample (Saint-Émilion) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Bélair-Monange |
63861 | 63860 | France | 94–96. Barrel sample. This is a powerful wine which exhibits a change in style towards elegance in recent years. The palate has delicious Merlot fruitiness along with black-currant acidity and a dense structure. Fine minerality at the end with juicy acidity. | Barrel Sample | 95 | | Bordeaux | Saint-Émilion | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Pavie 2012 Barrel Sample (Saint-Émilion) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Pavie |
63862 | 63861 | France | 94–96. Barrel sample. Perfumed, elegant wine with an unusually high proportion of Merlot at the expense of Cabernet. Spicy, fruit cake and dried fruits go with a stylish blackberry character. Complex and set for a long aging. | Barrel Sample | 95 | | Bordeaux | Pomerol | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Vieux Château Certan 2012 Barrel Sample (Pomerol) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Vieux Château Certan |
63863 | 63862 | France | 94–96. Barrel sample. A seriously rich, full, extracted wine, packed with dense tannins and complex fruits. The wine has weight, dark tannins and a solid character that will certainly age well. | Barrel Sample | 95 | | Bordeaux | Saint-Émilion | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Angélus 2012 Barrel Sample (Saint-Émilion) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Angélus |
63864 | 63863 | France | 94–96. Barrel sample. A rich and powerful wine with great fruits and solid tannins. This shows the power as well as elegance of Merlot in 2012—dark, ripe and fruity. Dark structure and acidity shine at the finish. | Barrel Sample | 95 | | Bordeaux | Pomerol | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Trotanoy 2012 Barrel Sample (Pomerol) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Trotanoy |
63865 | 63864 | France | 94–96. Barrel sample. A very fine, concentrated wine. Full of solid black fruits and tannins, it's seriously powerful, driven by its great fruits and intense mineral texture. For long-term aging. | Barrel Sample | 95 | | Bordeaux | Saint-Émilion | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Vieux Château Mazerat 2012 Barrel Sample (Saint-Émilion) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Vieux Château Mazerat |
63866 | 63865 | France | 93–95. Barrel sample. This is a big and complex, juicy Merlot with blackberry fruits and a mineral edge. Concentration on the palate highlights both spice and a dense texture. Bitter chocolate notes show through on the finish. | Barrel Sample | 94 | | Bordeaux | Pomerol | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Château Hosanna 2012 Barrel Sample (Pomerol) | Bordeaux-style Red Blend | Château Hosanna |
63867 | 63866 | US | Greg Graziano's Chenin, grown in a 30-plus-year-old vineyard, among the last of its kind in Mendocino County, is crisp and nutty, supported by dried apple, honey and melon-tinged minerality. Fermented in all French oak barrels, the wine has a calming roundness amid its acidity. | | 87 | 14 | California | Mendocino | | Virginie Boone | @vboone | Graziano 2010 Chenin Blanc (Mendocino) | Chenin Blanc | Graziano |
63868 | 63867 | Portugal | This is a very crisp wine dominated by herbaceous notes and intense acidity. It is bright and lively, hinting at spice and toast and tantalizingly fresh on the finish. | Colheita Seleccionada | 87 | 10 | Alentejano | | | Roger Voss | @vossroger | Herdade de São Miguel 2010 Colheita Seleccionada White (Alentejano) | Portuguese White | Herdade de São Miguel |
63869 | 63868 | Italy | Delicio is a Sicilian expression of Fiano with a creamy mouthfeel and easy aromas of dried hay, pear and Golden Delicious apple. Pair this wine with Caesar salad. | Delicio | 87 | | Sicily & Sardinia | Sicilia | | | | Viticultori Associati Canicatti 2009 Delicio Fiano (Sicilia) | Fiano | Viticultori Associati Canicatti |
63870 | 63869 | US | Pretty cherry fruit is at the center here, with light scents of fresh cut tobacco. The blend is two thirds Syrah, one third Cabernet Sauvignon, balanced and highlighted by a streak of cinnamon toast. | 2 Spires Red | 87 | 28 | Washington | Columbia Valley (WA) | Columbia Valley | Paul Gregutt | @paulgwine | William Church 2008 2 Spires Red Red (Columbia Valley (WA)) | Red Blend | William Church |