The 2016 La Conseillante is a benchmark wine for the estate, perhaps the first where winemaker Marielle Cazaux really made her mark. It has a divine bouquet that halts you in your tracks with its purity. Almost Burgundian in style, black fruit intermixes with blue, just a background scent of incense - less vanillary than before. The palate is marked by svelte tannins, cashmere in texture with just a trace of white pepper. The finish has a welcome sense of edginess with hints of graphite on the aftertaste. It`s just the opening chapter in what will be an awesome Pomerol. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the Icons of Bordeaux dinner at Legacy Records in New York. Drink 2024-2038. 96 points be well worth the wait. 96-98 points

This is a big wine, from the colour to the stunning level of fruit and tannin extraction that is not overdone but is certainly evident. Gorgeous violets and blackberries run through the palate and slightly chewy tannins are extremely well integrated with the oak. At first you think this carries on the slightly more swaggering style of La Conseillante seen in recent years, with black fleshed fruits and high drama, but as it unfurls in the glass you reclaim also the more floral, vibrant and elegant touches that suggest the heart of this property is unchanged. A touch austere, but that`s what you want for long ageing. There is around one degree less alcohol than in 2015, even though they finished picking later. For me, this is a more classic La Conseillante than 2015. The aromatics are just so striking. This is the second year of using biodynamic preparations across the whole vineyard. Michel Rolland consults. 96 points