Andrew Jefford | Saturated dark purple-red, and opaque at the core. Very refined, nuanced aromas for its quality level; impressively lifted raspberry and blackcurrant, with fine spice, fresh bread, and incense-like complexities. Deft, deep, and mouth-filling on the palate, with the same aromatic refinement the aromas sketched out. Admirably complete for a non-classed-growth, and the fruits a very stylish skirl. It has both structure and texture. Along with near-neighbors Capbern and Phélan Ségur, the pick of the peloton this year, so perhaps estuary proximity helped in 2017. | 90

Michael Schuster | Closed, yet clearly fine to smell; very nicely balanced mid-weight with the year’s slight austerity of style below the very top wines. Medium-full, fresh to crisp in acidity, finely firm in tannin. Briskly red-fruit in flavor, a light juiciness at its core, quite classy as usual, and with good length. St-Estèphe-chewy for the moment, and this will certainly benefit from bottle age. 2026–34+. | 88