En Primeur Bordeaux 2012

A blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2012 boasts a dense blue/purple color along with a sweet perfume of unsmoked cigar tobacco, bay leaf, black currants, plums and licorice. With medium to full body, impressive concentration, ripe, velvety tannins, decent acidity, and only a background note of wood, it can be consumed over the next 10-15 years. Owned by Helene Garcin-Leveque (also the proprietor of the neighboring Haut-Bergey), this small estate possesses an exquisite terroir.

Score: 92 - 94 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2013-2028

Extremely dark crimson. Almost as though concentrated. Almost bitter. Much more marked tannin than most of these wines. In fact one of the very few with aggressive tannins! Exaggerated. Over extracted? Uncomfortable.

Score: 15 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2018-2025

Pure and polished, with very suave tannins caressing the plum, blackberry and black cherry fruit, while singed spice, melted black licorice and black tea fill in on the finish. This opens steadily in the glass, too, showing superior depth, but also restraint.

Score: 91 - 94 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

There is a lot to like in this luscious, fruit forward offering where extraction was not overdone. The wine is nicely balanced with a style similar to a premier or grand cru Burgundy given its earthiness, floral, bay leaf and red and black fruit characteristics. Ripe and medium-bodied with excellent texture, cleanliness and overall equilibrium, it should drink well for 10-15 years.

Score: 89 - 91 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2013-2028

Dark crimson. Very nervy, almost as though this were biodynamically grown! Lots of richness and layers and a certain amount of risky vulnerability. Really interesting wine. Certainly not made to a formula and very youthful. Long. Lots of elements whizzing around on the palate here. Satisfying. Lip smacking. Long. Very unformed. (17.5+ Points)

Score: 17 - 18 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2035

This has polish and good drive, with a core of cherry preserve, currant paste and plum fruit that stretches out nicely over fine-grained, integrated tannins. Long spice-infused finish.

Score: 88 - 91 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Racy and refined with a perfumed and sweet fruit character. Full body, yet condensed and very silky texture. A really pretty wine from here.

Score: 91 - 92 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

The elegant, medium-bodied, supple-textured, soft, velvety La Chapelle exhibits notes of damp earth, forest floor, raspberry and blueberry fruit. One-third of the production made it into this second wine, which should drink nicely for a decade or more. Like its bigger sibling, the second wine, the 2012 La Chapelle de la Mission, was the result of a harvest that occurred between September 17 and October 9. (Keep in mind that the micro-climate of Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion is essentially within a highly developed suburb of Bordeaux.)

Score: 87 - 88 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2013-2023

56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28.5% Merlot, 15.5% Cabernet Franc. Dark lustrous crimson. Something just a little skinny and herbaceous on the nose. Firm and dry on the palate. Very angular and with dry tannins dominating fruit. May always be a little demanding. Though it has the imprimatur of top-quality oak.

Score: 16 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2028

Features a bright savory note, offering violet, plum and crushed cherry fruit. Presents a lightly stony finish, with the savory edge taking an encore. Shows the herbal side of Cabernet in this vintage. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 89 - 92 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Beautiful fruit with plum and spice with hints of hazelnuts. Lovely tannins and body to this second wine of La Mission. Balanced.

Score: 91 - 92 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

Haut-Brion’s second wine, the 2012 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, is a delicious, seductive, fruity, lighter-styled effort exhibiting plenty of crushed rock, floral and mineral notes intermixed with red and black currants, camphor and forest floor. This pretty, medium-bodied wine can be drunk upon release or cellared for a decade.

Score: 88 - 90 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Dark crimson. Very Cabernet-intense on the nose. Then some ripe fruit hits the palate - much more at ease than the Chapelle de la Mission. This does taste like a ‘lite’ version of a grand vin. Very vibrant and chock full of fruit with impressive length. Very fine and easy to see its lineage. A big success.

Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2030

Offers plum, mixed berry and singed vanilla notes against a backdrop of anise and tar. Displays a sinewy edge on the finish, but the stuffing is there for development. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 90 - 93 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Lots of red fruits and soft tannins with a full body. Juicy and delicious. Love the depth to this. Lovely fruit. Second wine of Haut-Brion.

Score: 91 - 92 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

The 2012 Le Clementin du Pape Clement, the second wine of this great terroir in a suburb of Bordeaux, the nearby town of Pessac, is a soft, sexy, ripe, richly fruity effort with soft tannins, low acidity and plump, round, black cherry and black currant fruit intermixed with hints of smoke and earth. It is ideal for drinking over the next 6-10 years.

Score: 87 - 89 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2013-2023

A spicy, earthy and flavorful wine even though the palate is not that full. Medium body, juicy finish.

Score: 87 - 88 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com