The 2016 Barde-Haut is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, vinified without SO2, matured around 80% in new 300-liter barrels from three cooperages and the remainder in one-year-old barrels. Hélène Garçin-Léveque told me that they are focusing on the elegance of their Saint Emilion estate and are picking a little earlier and practicing slightly less extraction. It has a really quite gorgeous bouquet with layers of ripe black plum and wild strawberry notes tinged with sloes. This has very fine delineation and focus. The palate is very well balanced with super-fine tannin, very well judged acidity and tension that lasts from start to finish. This is certainly one of the most feminine Barde-Haut wines that I have tasted from barrel, expressing more precision and finesse. It is an excellent follow-up to the 2015 Barde-Haut and may well surpass it in the long-term. 92-94 points

Owned by Helene Garcin Leveque, this is a deep, rich purple in colour, full flavoured and bristling with intent. I can see the ambition, and it may be `turned down to nine` but we are still in a firmly tannic wine that reminds me how intense Merlot can get in these parts. Extremely successful, it is going to age well, although it could do with a little more juice through the mid-palate. Largely situated on the plateau, the blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. 91 points