2024 Futures
In the "Top of the Top" category, we group together the podium (i.e. the dozen or so most exciting wines with the best scores of the vintage) of what we consider to be the most reliable tasters and which we regularly report on:
- Michel Bettane, bettanedesseauve.com
- Jacques Dupont, Le Point
- La Revue du Vin de France
- Jean-Marc Quarin (quarin.com)
- Bernard Burtschy (burtschy.com)
- Antonio Galloni and Neal Martin (vinous.com)
You will see in good place the most prestigious domains, therefore the most expensive, but also several challengers who create the surprise...
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Purchased in 1996 by the Chanel group (also in Rauzan-Ségla), Canon required a complete restoration, both of the vines and the cellar/vat room tool. Since 2008, Canon has fully justified its status as a 1er grand cru classé, with brilliant, distinguished wines that draw their energy from the Cabernets francs at the top of the limestone plateau.
J-M Quarin : 95/100 « Couleur sombre et intense. Nez un peu discret, au fruité frais et mûr. Délicat en entrée de bouche, particulièrement aérien au milieu, avec du goût et de la classe dans le toucher, le vin finit long, ascendant et savoureux, avec une touche suave dans la persistance. »
Vinous (N. Martin): 91-93/100 "The 2024 Canon has a bouquet well defined with pure black cherry, raspberry and a subtle marine influence that develops in the glass, though I find the Troplong Mondot tasted alongside has more amplitude. The palate is medium-bodied and pliant with fine tannins and finesse. One bottle at the château had more weight on the finish than others that feel attenuated and missing a bit of substance."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available early 2027
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
- Blend:
- 78 % merlot, 22 % cabernet franc
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Bought out in 2017 by the reinsurer SCOR, a page is turned in Troplong-Mondot, a formidable terroir in Saint-Emilion. Up to and including 2016, these are the richest in extract and most generous wines of the appellation, made by Christine Valette and her husband, under the aegis of Michel Rolland.
Radical break in style from the 2017 vintage, with less dense but oh so precise, elegant and racy wines, confirmed in 2018 by Mr. Galloni (vinous) "The 2018 is regal, refined and absolutely exquisite", rated 97/100.
Vinous (N. Martin) : 93-95/100 "The 2024 Troplong Mondot offers minerally, tightly wound black fruit, blueberry and light chalky scents. Very fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant yet tensile tannins. Like the Mondot, it is peppery in style, pretty and sapid towards the finish. Not a huge amount of persistence, yet this is still a serious Saint-Émilion that could well end up at the top of my banded score."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available early 2027
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A small estate located near Troplong-Mondot and Valandraud, acquired in 2009 by Jacques Thienpont (already owner of Ch. Le Pin). A wine that is as exceptional as it is confidential (6 hectares)!
J-M Quarin : 95/100 « Couleur sombre, intense et pourpre. Beau nez très aromatique, fin, pur, sentant bon les fruits noirs. Immédiatement délicieux dès l'entrée en bouche, très savoureux, avec du goût, de l'équilibre et une présence allongée, le vin glisse sur le palais, long, suave et complexe dans la persistance. C'est superbe ! Une grande réussite du millésime. »
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available early 2027
- Potential alcohol:
- 13%
- Blend:
- 85 % merlot, 15 % cabernet franc
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On a subsoil of deep gravel (alluvium of the Isle), Figeac has logically opted for a grape variety more Medoc than Libourne: 70% Cabernet (half Sauvignon and half Franc), 30% Merlot. Hence a naturalness, a freshness and a distinction unparalleled in Saint-Emilion. The latest 2022 classification has rightly corrected the omission of the previous one by granting Figeac the title of 1er grand cru classé A.
J-M Quarin : 95/100 « Couleur sombre, intense et belle. Superbe nez très aromatique, fin, pur, fruité et subtil. Délicieux en entrée de bouche, avec une texture minutieuse et de la grâce dans le toucher, le vin évolue sur un corps fondant, moelleux et parfumé, vers une longue finale séveuse et complexe. Une touche de vivacité reste à fondre à l'élevage. »
Vinous (N. Martin) : 93-95/100 "The 2024 Figeac is matured entirely in new oak. That wood is neatly assimilated on the nose with blackberry, raspberry and light pine resin scents, all fashioned with wonderful delineation. Later, a hint of wilted rose petal emerges from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a keen line of acidity. This is very elegant and classical Figeac in style. There is a little more linearity, but this feels quite effortless overall. Its buvabilité is perhaps higher than other vintages, even if the likes of the 2020 or 2022 might have longer legs. This becomes spicier with aeration, which seems to prolong the finish."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available early 2027
- Potential alcohol:
- 12.5%
- Blend:
- 39 % cabernet sauvignon, 33 % merlot, 28 % cabernet franc.
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Brilliant even in small vintages (1992 was a masterpiece), Angélus has become a world star in 20 years by producing dense, fleshy and superbly velvety wines while remaining distinguished.
Great class!J-M Quarin : 95/100 « Beau rouge sombre, intense. Nuances vives. Nez très aromatique, fin, pur, fruité et subtil. Touches de truffe et de cerise à l'agitation dans le verre. Moelleux en entrée de bouche et de suite très savoureux, le vin glisse sur le palais, très charmeur, avec de la classe dans le toucher et beaucoup de goût. C'est long et très bon. »
Vinous (A. Galloni): 93-95/100 "The 2024 Angélus is very fine. It is the first vintage I have tasted that captures the newer approach at Angélus, one where the wines are not extracted as in the past. Black cherry, plum, spice, new leather and menthol fill out the layers effortlessly. Here, too, the wine shows superb balance and real textural presence."
Vinous (N. Martin): 91-93/100 "The 2024 Angélus has an intriguing bouquet that deserves a little more reflection than some of its peers. A touch of fish scales commingles with black olive tapenade alongside dark berry fruit in what you might describe as a "cool" nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. The 2024 is certainly a more linear Angélus, saline with a liberal sprinkling of black pepper. It gains modest depth on the graphite-tinged and Cabernet-driven finish, which is drier than previous vintages (as expected in this vintage). There is fine salinity with a shorter aftertaste than you would find in a warm vintage. This is well-crafted and just needs more flesh on the slender finish. Maybe that will develop during its élevage? It will be an enjoyable Angélus rather than a profound one destined for long-term aging."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available early 2027
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
- Blend:
- 60 % merlot, 40 % cabernet franc.
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Neither quite Saint-Émilion nor quite Pomerol, the inimitable Cheval Blanc occupies a special place on the right bank, on the famous gravelly terroir of the Figeac plateau. Inimitable because its wines subjugate in a perfect alchemy between freshness, subtlety and hedonism, the whole on tannic frames at the same time refined and melting, between silk and cashmere.
J-M Quarin : 95/100 « Couleur rouge sombre, aux reflets noirs. Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité, subtil et crémeux. Touches complexes de truffe et de fruits noirs à l'agitation du verre. Ultra minutieux en entrée de bouche, gras et même complexe au milieu, le vin fond sur le palais, tout à la fois délicat et profond, sur une saveur de fruits noirs. C'est long et très bon. »
Vinous (A. Galloni) : 92-94/100 "The 2024 Cheval Blanc is a blend taken from 37 of the 45 parcels on the property. Dried flowers, mocha, rose petal and blood orange open nicely in the bouquet, leading to an understated mid-palate and a subtly persistent finish. Understated and nuanced, the 2024 offers lovely forward fruit in a soft, accessible style with no hard edges or awkward contours. All the elements are nicely pur together, and yet there is no denying the fact that the 2024 is very light. Elevage be everything here."
Vinous (N. Martin) : 93-95/100 "The 2024 Cheval Blanc is aged entirely in new oak. The purity on the nose is the first facet that you notice with perfumed black cherry, blackcurrant, wild strawberry and touches of potpourri and crushed stone. There is certainly some mineralité here. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly brittle tannins. Very well balanced, this is clearly a Cheval Blanc built in a more elegant, sapid, linear style with a residual pepperiness that lingers in the mouth. The 2024 is charming and refined."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available early 2027
- Potential alcohol:
- 13%
- Blend:
- 48 % cabernet franc, 46 % merlot, 6 % cabernet sauvignon
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Impossible to resist the unspeakable complexity of its bouquet, floral and fruity, spicy and liquorice, as well as the incredible depth of its fresh and sumptuous finish. Great art, all the glory of Cabernet Franc on a limestone hillside. Alain Vauthier and his children, Pauline and Édouard, manage the 7 hectares of Ausone like a (very) great Burgundy wine. Magistral!
J-M Quarin : 96/100 « Couleur sombre, intense et belle. Nez très aromatique, fin, pur, fruité et complexe. Il se développe sur une touche de fleurs et de framboise à l'agitation du verre. Texture ultra minutieuse dès l'entrée en bouche. Le vin se développe sur une structure fondante à la sucrosité miraculeuse. Élancé, il évolue juteux, parfumé et long. Ensemble subtil, noble, profond et impossible à cracher. »
Vinous (N. Martin) : 93-95/100 "The 2024 Ausone has a very pure nose with black cherry, wild strawberry and a touch of cracked black pepper in the background. It just misses some of the profound complexity that a top Ausone can deliver. The palate is lovely, though, one of the most velvety 2024s that I tasted out of barrel. This is very harmonious with a focused and sustained finish. Whilst it doesn't quite have the horsepower or sheer ambition of a top-drawer Ausone, this is a success for the vintage simply because it is endowed with greater substance and persistence. There's presence here."
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available early 2027
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
- Blend:
- 60 % merlot, 40 % cabernet franc.
- Organic certification:
- 2023
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