Catalog

The 2020 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N.Martin - November 2024): 92/100 “The 2020 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion is very controlled and more backward on the nose compared to its peers, featuring blackberry, raspberry, damp earth and light black olive aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm but fine tannins. There is a strong marine influence here with a dab of licorice on the finish. this needs time to find its groove, but it will. ”

The 2016 vintage in the press:

J-M Quarin (December 2022): 93/100 “Particularly caressing palate, bursting with fruit and melting between the middle and the finish. Very fine-grained persistence. Remarkable.”

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2020): 91/100 “The 2016 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion has a richer, denser bouquet than the 2016 Haut Bailly, offering more upfront black fruit laced with seaweed and briny notes. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit, a fine bead of acidity, hints of black olive and sage and quite a complex, engaging finish. Very fine, though it just lacks the peristence of its peers".

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The 2022 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2026): 94/100 “In 2022, the red from Domaine de Chevalier clearly follows in the remarkable footsteps of recent vintages. Supported by beautiful acidity, it nevertheless has a character that is more marked by tannic and alcoholic power, like the 2018, than by the radiance of fruit that makes the 2016 or 2020 from the Bernard family estate so unique.”

Vinous (A. Galloni - January 2025): 96+/100 "The 2022 Domaine de Chevalier is fabulous. I expected to see a more boisterous wine in this vintage, but instead, Domaine de Chevalier is a bit strict and tightly wound. I suspect those qualities will serve it well over the coming decades. Punchy red fruit, blood orange, new leather and spice all race out of the glass. I especially admire the wine's energy and tension."

J.M Quarin (February 2025): 95/100 "Beautiful dark red, slightly evolved. Intense, fine, fruity and subtle nose. Graceful on the palate, evolving deliciously towards a finish that's a little lively and stricter than the sweetness felt on the entry and mid-palate. Melting body."

Bettane + Desseauve (Guide 2026) : 97/100

The 2021 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (May 2025): 93/100 “In the context of the vintage and compared to its peers, 2021 impressed right from the en primeur tastings. It confirms today! Cabernet-Sauvignon is clearly dominant (80% of the blend), defining a fruit of magnificent transparency, intense, “blue” (like 2017), satiny and smoky, with a brilliance all the more vivid because the woodiness is totally discreet.”

Vinous (A. Galloni - December 2023): 94+/100 “The 2021 Domaine de Chevalier comes across as quite shy and reticent in this vintage. The aromatics are beguiling, but on the palate, the wine feels a bit strict and clamped down. Crushed flowers, sweet red-toned fruit, spice, mint and blood orange emerge, but only with great reluctance. It will be interesting to see how the 2021 develops over time."

Bettane + Desseauve (Guide 2026) : 96/100

The 2019 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (May 2025): 91/100 “Fruity, loose, tender and solar at the same time, 2019 offers a breath full of charm but lacks a little density and relief compared to the vintages that frame it.”

Bettane et Desseauve (Guide 2024): 94/100

J.M Quarin (February 2022): 95/100 “Smooth on entry, particularly fruity in the middle, with a melting body and a refined touch, the wine gains fullness and expression in the second half of the palate. The finish is long, with fine tannins that are constantly aromatic. Very good."

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2023): 97/100 “The 2019 Domaine de Chevalier has a precise and complex bouquet with blackberry cedar and tobacco scents, quite Médoc-like in style. This is thoroughly engaging. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, exquisitely integrated oak, fleshy and fine-boned with precise finish. This is outstanding."

The 2018 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (May 2025): 94/100 “This original fruity character, deep and noble, can be found in a pure and remarkably well-constituted 2018, with, however, compared to the 2016 a seemingly lower acidity and an alcoholic presence that is regaining its voice-which is entirely in keeping with the logic of the vintage.”

En Magnum (April 2021): 96/100 “Excellent body, powerful and fresh overall, very balanced, racy tannin, not quite formed yet on the mid-palate, but promising for long cellaring. Faithful to its always energetic and luminous style, this spectacular terroir expresses itself in the most beautiful of ways. Another major success for the Bernard family and their teams.”

Vinous (A. Galloni - March 2021): 97/100 “The 2018 Domaine de Chevalier is easily one of the wines of the vintage. A wine of mind-blowing precision and regal elegance, Domaine de Chevalier dazzles from the very first taste. Dried herbs, rose petal, mint, blood orange, pomegranate and bright mineral notes all build in the glass. Richly layered but also translucent, the 2018 is a real head-turner. Don't miss it!"

The 2016 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (May 2025): 97/100 “The brilliance of the 2016 is immediately striking, the fruit enthusiastically transcribes that specific character found in the most accomplished expressions of the vintage, that deep, suggestive, articulate florality. The qualities of constitution and form are admirable, and the balance with the qualities of freshness (vibrancy, vitality) approaches perfection.”

J-M Quarin (February 2019): 95/100 “Original nuances of pinewood, ink and cream. Melting on the attack, mellow on development, very pleasant, a touch lively, the wine caresses on a sappy body and finishes deep, with taste and fine tannins. Very good length."

Vinous (A. Galloni - December 2018): 97/100 “The 2016 Domaine de Chevalier is a thrilling wine. Dense and beautifully layered, the 2016 is also quite a bit richer than it usually is. Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and structure pulse through the wine. The red-toned fruit is incredibly primary at this stage. Readers should be prepared to cellar the 2016 for at least a handful of years. It has been nothing short of magnificent on the three occasions I have tasted it so far".

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See the technical sheet

The 2022 vintage in the press:

Vinous (A. Galloni - January 2025): 97+/100 "The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte is silky, elegant and nuanced. It's all there. A wine of precision and class, the 2022 is so impressive. Refined, supple tannins wrap around a core of blue/purplish fruit, lavender, espresso and mocha. I find the 2022 a bit buttoned up today, but that is probably a very good thing for its long-term prospects. I look forward to seeing it age."

J-M Quarin (February 2025): 97/100 "Very intense colour. Very aromatic nose, fine, pure and rich. A hint of sunshine, followed by black fruit enhanced by spice and fine oak. Delicate on the palate, with a classy feel, the wine rises slowly on the finish. The finish is powerful, a little firm but also very tasty and long."

Bettane + Desseauve (Guide 2026) : 97/100

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The 2022 vintage in the press:

Vinous (A. Galloni - January 2025): 97+/100 "The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte is silky, elegant and nuanced. It's all there. A wine of precision and class, the 2022 is so impressive. Refined, supple tannins wrap around a core of blue/purplish fruit, lavender, espresso and mocha. I find the 2022 a bit buttoned up today, but that is probably a very good thing for its long-term prospects. I look forward to seeing it age."

J-M Quarin (February 2025): 97/100 "Very intense colour. Very aromatic nose, fine, pure and rich. A hint of sunshine, followed by black fruit enhanced by spice and fine oak. Delicate on the palate, with a classy feel, the wine rises slowly on the finish. The finish is powerful, a little firm but also very tasty and long."

Bettane + Desseauve (Guide 2026) : 97/100

The 2021 vintage in the press:

J-M Quarin (February 2024): 95/100 “Ample on the attack, full on the mid-palate, the wine moves forward on a melting body with a little more nuance if tasted just decanted. Good length, with light tannins”.

Vinous (A. Galloni - December 2023): 96/100 “The 2021 Smith haut Lafitte is an engaging, dynamic wine. Gravel, menthol, licorice, mocha and spice are all beautifully delineated. A wine of energy and focus, the 2021 is absolutely enthralling-medium in body, refined and super-impressive.”

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The 2018 vintage in the press:

En Magnum (April 2021): 96/100 “Harmonious whole, splendid finish and noble integration of tannin that augurs an aging that will do it justice and where it will express all the splendor of its terroir.”

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2021): 95/100 "The 2018 Smith Haut Lafitte was very impressive in barrel, and now in bottle, it delivers. Wonderful precison on the nose, subtle at first but unfurling with each swirl of the glass, revealing scents of blackberry and crushed stone, iris petals like before, and maybe a touche more violet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tension and good structure. This is a very tight Smith Haut Lafitte, and even affording it 3-4 hours of decanting, it remains more reserved vis-à-vis recent vintages. It eventually offers plenty of black fruit, black olives, a light marine influence and a pinch of cracked black pepper on the sturdy finish. An outstanding Smith Haut Lafitte. given the vintage"

J-M Quarin (March 2019): 95/100 “Minutious on the attack, melting on development, very aromatic and juicy, the wine glides on the palate, fragrant and tasty, long, with chic and aroma. Very good.”

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The 2016 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2026): 94/100 “In a great vintage that tends to close up, 2016, Smith's great wine remains very lively, expressive and complete, with intense and nuanced fruit that is always prominent on the palate. It is a wine that evolves slowly, promising, full of resources, less extroverted and explosive than the 2015 but perhaps more suitable for long ageing.”

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2020): 95+/100 "The 2016 Smith Haut Lafitte has an opulent, lavish bouquet with layers of black cherry, Christmas cake, dark chocolate and vanilla. This wants to make an impression. The palate is very seductive, featuring lush red berry fruit, brown spices and saturated tannins. Some new oak is evident on the finish, but that will be subsumed with bottle age. I can see this aging well."

J-M Quarin (January 2019): 96/100 “Intense, fine nose of ripe, pure, slightly toasty fruit. Fat on the attack, suave in development, very fruity, powerful and caressing, but also tender, the wine moves forward savory, toward a long, sappy finish, tasting of black fruits and violets, with a tannic touch to melt away. Note that decanting is very favorable”.

The 2008 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N. Martin - February 2018): 92/100 "The 2008 Smith Haut Lafitte is a lovely wine for the vintage, still quite polished on the nose with scents of blackcurrant and raspberry coulis, a touch of melted tar and tobacco; youthful for its age and showing fine vigor. With aeration there is suddenly a strong scent of liquorice. The palate is soft and rounded on the entry however, there is great depth on the mid-palate with layers of slightly toasted black fruit laced with tobacco, black pepper and smoke. I just felt there is a little dryness creeping in towards the finish, nevertheless this is a fine Pessac-Léognan."

Le millésime 2021 dans la presse :

Vinous (A. Galloni - December 2023): 94/100 “The 2021 Pape Clément is a very elegant, polished wine. Crushed flowers, red cherry fruit, blood orange, menthol and spice all grace this wonderfully layered, expressive vintage of Pape Clément. Pretty floral top notes add freshness and vivacity. The more laid-back house style these days is so appealing”.

J-M Quarin (février 2024) : 96/100

Bettane + Desseauve (Guide 2026) : 94/100

The 2019 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2025): 94/100 “The color of the 2019 red is already showing signs of evolution. However, the expression is deep, still tight, “mineral”, with also bloody and smoky inflections. The fruit then asserts itself, loosening up with real suavity, delivering a touching floral note. If the tannic framework is strong, the grain is fine, the matter still very young. One senses in this Pape Clément, still reserved but very distinguished and profound, an awareness of history. The reinstatement of this two-star estate in our hierarchy is a matter of course.”

J.M Quarin (March 2022): 95/100 “Dark, intense color. Very aromatic nose with ripe, complex fruit. Soft on the palate, with a touch of tenderness too, the wine takes time to wake up on the mid-palate. It evolves deliciously towards a finish with present, enveloping tannicity. Very good length."

Vinous (N. Martin - February 2023): 94/100 “The 2019 Pape Clément has a lot of intensity on the nose, although the new oak is more prominent here compared to the Domaine de Chevalier. Still, there is admirable delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet'n sour entry, grainy tannins, black truffle and soy. Quite intense and assertive on the finish. This will require 3-5 years in bottle and will doubtless deserve a higher score.”

The 2018 vintage in the press:

Vinous (A. Galloni - March 2021): 96/100 “The 2018 Pape Clément is such a beautiful and inviting wine. Silky perfumed and layered, the 2018 shows the more restrained, vibrant style that has become the norm here in recent years. Red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and spice are front and center, while the oak - in the past so strong here - is really dialed back. The 2018 is going to be a fascinating wine to follow in the cellar over the next several decades. The purity of the flavors is just striking”

J.M Quarin (September 2021): 94/100

The 2016 vintage in the press:

J.M Quarin (February 2019): 98/100 “Dark, intense, beautiful purple color. Superb, very aromatic and intense nose, with pure, ripe, subtle fruit. Complex nuances, both fresh and warm. Full-bodied on entry, then very melting in the middle, the wine develops both power and airiness in the middle, particularly rich in aroma. The texture caresses the palate. Luscious, meticulous and very chic, it finishes complex, very fruity, deep, beautiful, great with great taste! Bravo.”

Vinous (A. Galloni - January 2019): 96/100 “The 2016 Pape Clément is fabulous. Racy and sumptuous in the glass, the 2016 captures the style that now characterizes Bernard Magrez's wines from his estate in Pessac. Specifically, the 2016 is wonderfully deep in the glass, and yet retains terrific freshness as well. A rush odf dark cherry, plum smoke, scorched earth, grilled herb, leather and menthol builds as the 2016 shows off its compelling inviting personality. I would prefer to give the 2016 at least a few years in bottle to allow its full breadth of aromatic develop. Even so, there is so much to like. Pliant, supple and super-expressive, Pape Clément is gorgeous in 2016.”

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See the technical sheet

The 2022 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (September 2025): 97/100 "Haut-Bailly 2022 is a sunny wine that gives the impression of having been judiciously kept in the shade... The aromas, like the fruit, are “black”, the expression gradually emerging, asserting itself almost timidly, as if from a shadowy mouth, but with such noble flavour! At the heart of the flesh, we find that candied, liquorice, floral note of high maturity, which leaves its mark despite a powerful structure, a still “square” texture, which must melt away and embrace the sunny breath more intimately."

Vinous (A. Galloni - January 2025): 97/100 "The 2022 Haut-Bailly is one of the most elegant wines I have tasted here in a very long time. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and blood orange are all finely laced together in the glass. There's a new sense of polish at Haut Bailly these days. The 2022 is a great example of that Readers will find a supremely finissed wine with striking fruit purity, gorgeous length and a slightly linear build that is not at all typical (in a good sense) for a warm, dry vintage. Clean mineral notes support the finish."

J.M Quarin (February 2025): 98/100 "Dark, intense colour. Very aromatic nose, with ripe fruit, deep and complex. Very delicate on the palate, with a graceful touch, the wine evolves deeply while maintaining this great delicacy. The finish is complex, fat, distinguished and noble, with a long, sappy finish.Enthralling!  The best ever made with the 2016."

Bettane + Desseauve (Guide 2026) : 97/100

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The 2021 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2025): 94/100 Coup de ♥ “Haut-Bailly 2021 is not an extrovert; if given the attention it deserves, it offers an aromatic distinction unique in the appellation, with moving subtlety and freshness.”

J-M Quarin (February 2024): 95/100 “Minutious on the entry, very aromatic in the middle, with class in the touch, the wine melts on the palate, juicy, fragrant, a touch tender and already very open. Good length."

Vinous (A. Galloni - December 2023): 96/100 “Haut-Bailly 2021 is incredibly poised, even though it is clearly wine of reserve in this vintage. Its vertical build speak of pure sophistication. Time in the glass brings out hints of dried herbs, menthol, licorice, pine, blackberry and underbrush. Most of the blend is Cabernet, so the flavor profile and overall structural feel is quite savory. I can't wait to see how the 2021 ages. It may very well surprise down the road.”

Bettane + Desseauve (Guide 2026) : 95/100

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The 2020 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2025): 96/100 “Offering impressive volume on the palate, velvety texture and exceptional tannin quality, the 2020 is gradually relaxing. But don't be in a hurry to open it! It will bear witness for generations to come.”

Guide Hachette (Guide 2024) coup de ♥ : “full-bodied, seductive, caressing, the palate profiles a Pessac that is both powerful and of great delicacy, carried by very fine tannins of inimitable silkiness”

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2024): 95/100 “its fullness, balance and potential are beyond doubt, it will be a great classic”.

Bettane et Desseauve (Guide 2024): 96/100

Vinous (N.Martin - January 2024): 95+/100 “The 2020 Haut-Bailly has a much better bouquet than the de Fieuzal. It is notably fresher, with black fruit, cedar and tobacco aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins-a well-knit and harmonious Pessac with a precise, understated finish."

See the data sheet

The 2020 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2025): 96/100 “Offering impressive volume on the palate, velvety texture and exceptional tannin quality, the 2020 is gradually relaxing. But don't be in a hurry to open it! It will bear witness for generations to come.”

Guide Hachette (Guide 2024) coup de ♥ : “full-bodied, seductive, caressing, the palate profiles a Pessac that is both powerful and of great delicacy, carried by very fine tannins of inimitable silkiness”

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2024): 95/100 “its fullness, balance and potential are beyond doubt, it will be a great classic”.

Bettane et Desseauve (Guide 2024): 96/100

Vinous (N.Martin - January 2024): 95+/100 “The 2020 Haut-Bailly has a much better bouquet than the de Fieuzal. It is notably fresher, with black fruit, cedar and tobacco aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins-a well-knit and harmonious Pessac with a precise, understated finish."

The 2016 vintage in the press:

J-M Quarin ( February 2024): 97/100 “Velvety on the attack, juicy in the mid-palate, with an ample yet melting body, the wine develops meticulously, deep and noble, towards a long, complex and very tasty, fine-grained finish. Classy!"

Vinous (N. Martin - June 2021): 96+/100 "The 2016 Haut-Bailly is brillant on the nose with exquisite delineation and focus: blackberries, potpourri, crushed stone and hints of violet petal. This is utterly seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, perfectly judged acidity, very cohesive and almost Pauillac-like towards the finish. This is a very classy Haut-Bailly as you would expect, and the lenght is stupendous."

The 2015 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N. Martin - February 2025): 95/100 "The 2015 Haut-Bailly was first tasted at the Farr Vinters tasting, although I felt that this botte did not show as well. Another at the Vinous Icons event in New York is more represantative. Vibrant red berry fruit intermixes with blueberry and cassis on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied and retains a bit of puppy fat. Rich for the vintage, yet very well balanced, it delivers lovely black truffle and tobacco notes on the finish. This is very fine, but it needs further age in bottle."

The 2014 vintage in the press:

J-M Quarin ( February 2020): 95/100 “Big, deep nose, complex and pure. Full-bodied, fat-textured palate, developing richly in flavor, with lots of brightness in the taste and a tannic softness unheard of for the year. Long, very present and very good. Not to be missed."

Vinous (N. Martin - February 2024): 93/100 “The 2014 Haut-Bailly is very composed on the nose. It's pretty tertiary, but there is sufficient fruit to back that up, and it feels much more natural than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well-balanced, and unapologetically classic in style, but unlike many of its peers, there is no austerity or dryness. This is a polished 2014 that should mature well in bottle.”

The 2008 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (November 2021): 97/100 “Intense, velvety, with subtly smoky and mentholated hints emerging from a complete and complex aromatic spectrum, the 2008 shows off the perfect grain of measured, fresh tannin, as civilized as it is natural, which, if it already seems ready, will carry the wine through the decades.”

Vinous (N. Martin - September 2022): 94/100 "The 2008 Haut-Bailly, one of the longest harvest on record, has an impressive bouquet with gorgeous blackberry, biarry, rose petal and bay leaf aromas. This is very delineated and focused. The palate is well balanced with fine-boned tannins. The acidity lends edginess and tension. The finish is cohesive and hamonious wuth lightly spiced black fruit, tobacco and clove. This is a lovely, understated but classy 2008. "

The 2006 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (November 2017): 94/100 “Admirably shaped [...] very pretty length.”

Vinous (N. Martin - September 2022): 91/100 "The 2006 Haut-Bailly is a very capable Pessac-Léognan from an oft-overlooked vintage. This reoeats its showing from a few months ealier with lovely blue and black fruits and violet aromas. Perhaps a mote of chimney soot here? The palate is medium-bodied with that slightly ferrous note and tobacco. This is drinking perfectly now, but there's a lot left in the tank."

See the technical sheet

See the technical sheet

The 2022 vintage in the press:

Vinous (A. Galloni - January 2025): 93/100 "The 2022 Clarence de Haut-Brion is a fabulous second wine. Broad and explosive on the palate, with tremendous depth, the 2022 is a total stunner. Dark-toned fruit, leather, spice, menthol and espresso are all dialed up to the maximum. Rich, ample and inviting, The Clarence is positively stellar. What a vivid and deeply satisfying wine it is. All this lacks is a bit of structure on the finish, but then again, this is 2022."

J-M Quarin (February 2025): 94/100 "Dark, intense and beautiful colour. Very aromatic nose, fine, with ripe fruit, smelling of the smoky aromas of Haut Brion. It takes on a fatter appearance when the glass is shaken. A captivating wine. Delicate on the palate, rich in the middle, very tasty, the wine develops at once full-bodied, structured and highly aromatic, without ever losing its balance. Beautiful persistence, with tannins that are present but fine-grained and, in fact, always fragrant. It's the only wine I know like this."