En Primeur Bordeaux 2012

A stronger effort than its stablemate, Clerc-Milon, the 2012 d’Armailhac is an intriguing blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Complex notes of menthol, coffee beans, black cherries and black currants are followed by a rich, medium-bodied wine with copious tannin as well as sufficient fat and flesh to cover the structure. The harvest took place during the first ten days of October, most of the grapes being brought in prior to the deluge that began on October 7 and lasted until October 9. This excellent Pauillac is a successful Medoc in this challenging vintage for this region.

Score: 89 - 91 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Heady and fragrant. No trace of underripeness on the nose but a slight lack of generosity on the palate. Peppery! (Unusual.) Dry and neat but not scrawny. Lots of complexity and pleasure with the bracing signature of the vintage only on the very end. This has some St-Estèphe minerally notes on the finish. An attractive whole with a cool, confident finish.

Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2022-2037

Features a solid core of anise and plum, with a briary frame and light tobacco shading that should emerge with time. Shows good substance and weight. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 90 - 93 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

This is a very attractive young wine. Medium-to-full body, with creamy tannins and a fresh finish. Refined for the vintage. 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.

Score: 90 - 91 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

A serious yet surprisingly precocious and supple-textured Pauillac, the dense ruby/purple-colored, medium to full-bodied 2012 Batailley exhibits sweet, nicely textured tannins along with plenty of black fruit, forest floor, underbrush and cedar characteristics. Ripe, fruity and exceptionally well-made, it will benefit from several years of cellaring, and can be drunk over the following 15 years. (89-91+ Points)

Score: 89 - 91 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2015-2030

Blackish purple. Unusually savoury .. Meat-extract notes. Interesting! Then sweet and voluptuous on the palate. Very different structure to the St-Juliens. Big and bold and makes a splash. I might have guessed a Pichon if they participated in the UGC blind tasting.. Just cuts off a little suddenly on the finish.

Score: 17 - 18 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2022-2038

The second wine, the 2012 Carruades de Lafite is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Soft, round, accessible and delicious, but uninspiring, it possesses a dark ruby/plum color, medium body and hints of lead pencil shavings intermixed with red and black currants and vanillin. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.

Score: 87 - 89 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2013-2021

53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Rather a blueish tint. It is extraordinary how refined the Lafite wines are, even in this difficult year. One whiff of this and it's Lafite stable stuff. Albeit it very light and pale with quite strong acidity. Firm and fine. Bone-dry finish. No concessions. I think this will probably always be a tad demanding to drink but it's certainly trying hard to make as good a fist of it as possible. (17- Points)

Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2018-2030

Offers a smoky, fleshy feel, with dark plum, charcoal and coffee notes. Features nice grip on the finish, revealing a lingering plum skin feel. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 91 - 94 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Delicate and fruity with fine tannins and a fresh acidity. Medium body, simple finish.

Score: 88 - 89 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

This attractive, medium-bodied Pauillac reveals tough tannins as well as hints of herbs and underbrush. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and the rest Carmenere and Petit Verdot, it was angular when I tasted it in March, and, like many Medocs, it seems to err on the side of austerity and the lack of mid-palate charm. Its upbringing in barrel will help somewhat, but just how much remains to be seen.

Score: 87 - 89 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Dark purple. Sappy and urgent on the nose. Leafy without being underripe. Quite plump but certainly not fat. Lacks the extra dimension of a 2009, and without the superripe tannins of 2010. A good fist of it.

Score: 16 - 17 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2020-2032

Juicy and round in feel, with a core of fleshy plum and blackberry fruit. A light briary edge frames the core, revealing enticing savory and chalk notes on the finish. Shows a touch more range and floral lift in the end than the d'Armailhac. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 91 - 94 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

This has a savory and juicy character to it that many wines in the Medoc lacked in 2012. Full body, with creamy tannins and a rich finish. Pretty finish too. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 9% Franc,1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmenere.

Score: 92 - 93 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot, this 2012 exhibits good ripeness as well as a strong herbaceous streak throughout the aromas and flavors. It is a very good, medium-bodied effort, but it is not as exceptional as some of the Duharts we have seen in recent vintages (2008, 2009 and 2010). It is slightly richer than the second wine of Lafite Rothschild, Carruades.

Score: 87 - 89 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

The savory tobacco and cassis notes race along, with a charcoal frame. A backdrop of kirsch fill this out, displaying a peppery hint on the lightly dusty finish. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 91 - 94 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Firm and pretty with fine tannins and lovely fruit. Medium-bodied, with good fruit and a medium finish.

Score: 90 - 91 James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com