One of the most anticipated Pauillacs, Château Lynch Bages 2022 has been released with loud praise across the board, including comparisons to Mouton Rothschild neighbour (Neal Martin) and the... legendary vintages of 1982 or 1961 (Matthew Jukes). Lynch Bages always deserves special attention, consistently punching well above its Fifth Growth status. Always a wine of great stature, with an impressively long-term future the 2022 is "One of the vintage's most powerful, muscular wines" William Kelley, while “it's a classic Lynch Bages powerhouse, it has beautiful balance and purity" (Jeb Dunnuck). Lynch’s naturally exuberant style was beautifully expressed in this vintage, thanks to water-retaining clay soils of its phenomenal terroir that aided the development of highly concentrated grapes: “they are particularly rich and have impressively mature tannins, which balance beautifully with the alcohol content. It is an extraordinary year, marked also by a remarkable acidity” Jean-Michel Cazes (wine maker). “ beautifully balanced, very harmonious... reminiscent of Mouton... it is going to be a Pauillac for the long haul” Neal Martin “an undoubtedly impressive wine... it reminds me of the 1982 and 1961 in terms of the fruit intensity and depth of flavour.... a genuinely mighty Lynch Bages, and it will amaze the disciples of this world-famous Château” 19+ points, Matthew Jukes “Intense, not just a reflection of the vintage….Hugely impressive and complex, will age for decades”, Jane Anson A definite yes from us! This is a grand scale Pauillac, a magnificent wine with a long, long life ahead. It’s a Lynch that commands your attention and it comes with a strong recommendation.

Château Pontet Canet 2022, in our view and those of the critics, has made an outstanding Pauillac in this great vintage. Awarded a potential perfect 100 points from James Suckling "The 2022 Château... Pontet-Canet is brilliant " JD a "Pauillac in all its powerful, energetic glory" LPB "The 2022 Château Pontet-Canet is brilliant and should easily be up with the crème de la crème from the Médoc." 97-99+ points, Jeb Dunnuck "It is impossible not to love this wine" 19+ points, Matthew Jukes "I very much admire the precision and vibrancy here. Unforgettable, Antonio Galloni Pontet Canet has long been at the forefront of biodynamic viticulture in Bordeaux; practices (a Limoges clay-based sunscreen and a camomile spray to counter any hydric stress) which lent themselves to be in harmony with the warmer climatic conditions in 2022, resulting in vines that were in perfect health. Alfred Tesseron told us that 2022 is the best wine that Pontet Canet has made under his ownership. "It has everything" he said. Production is down 20% on last year and the harvest was the earliest ever, starting on September 8th. It was also the longest harvest, finishing on the 28th. The blend is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot with the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot A fifth growth, but with its vineyards next to those of Mouton Rothschild, Pontet Canet belongs to an elite club of over-achieving chateaux offering incredible value, at a mere fraction of its Medoc peers. No wonder Alfred Tesseron was smiling!