1 | Wine | Wine Futures, Saint Emilion, $20 to $50

"If you want to impress a friend with a pure, hedonistic St.-Emilion that also offers an intellectual challenge, the 2012 Croix de Labrie, a St.-Emilion fruit bomb, is the wine for you. Unfortunately, the 250-case production means this cuvee is limited in availability. Aromas of incense, Christmas fruitcake, Asian plum sauce, blackberries, licorice and truffles soar from the glass of this dense plum/purple-colored wine. Opulent, voluptuously textured and medium to full-bodied with no hard edges to be found, it will drink well for a decade after bottling." -Robert Paker

"Features a core of dark anise, fruitcake, plum sauce and raspberry, with a fleshy texture that hangs through the finish. Has guts without the vintage’s chewy, taut feel."
Reviewed by: Wine Spectator, 90 to 93 pts

"This full-bodied beauty exhibits a dense opaque purple color in addition to copious notes of creme de cassis, kirsch, licorice and incense. It should drink well for 15-20 years. This will be a sleeper of the vintage." -Robert Parker

"A spectacular wine from this nearly 50-acre vineyard situated atop St.-Emilion’s famed limestone plateau, the final blend for the 2012 Beau-Sejour Becot was 70% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. It achieved 14% natural alcohol and yields were 31 hectoliters per hectare. One of the stars of the vintage, it is elegant yet powerful, rich and authoritative with abundant black raspberry, blueberry, graphite and toasty vanillin notes. Full-bodied and super rich for a 2012, it is packed with potential. The tannins are ripe as well as abundant suggesting several years of bottle age will be required. It should turn out to be a 20 year proposition." -Robert Parker

"The 2012 Fonplegade, a major success for the vintage, possesses a dense purple color along with sweet blueberry, black raspberry and crushed chalk-like notes intermixed with a hint of spring flowers. Sweet tannins, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and excellent fruit, texture, opulence and richness suggest it will drink well for 12-15 years." -Robert Parker

"It reveals a dense blue/purple color along with a stunning nose of blueberries, spring flowers, graphite and a touch of toast. Deep, full-bodied, round and rich, it is not far off the quality of the brilliant 2010 and promising 2009. Kudos to new proprietor Christophe Lefevere for resurrecting this once moribund estate. Drink the 2012 over the next 15 years." -Robert Parker

"The dense purple-hued 2012 offers up notes of blueberries, lavender, incense, chocolate and toasty oak. The lovely aromatics are followed by deep, plush, medium to full-bodied, opulent, concentrated fruit flavors. Enjoy this beauty over the next 10-12 years." -Robert Parker

"Features a bright feel, with bergamot, raspberry and cherry pit notes. Slightly sinewy through the finish, but hints at fine length and good fruit in reserve."
Reviewed by: Wine Spectator - 88 to 91 pts

"Copious aromas of Christmas fruitcake, cedar wood, underbrush, incense, black currants and black cherries emerge from this sexy, medium-bodied, lush, fruit-forward St.-Emilion. It should be enormously appealing to consumers over the next 10-12 years." -Robert Parker

"The 2012 offers up a beautifully fragrant nose of mocha, coffee beans, black cherries, black currants, spring flowers and forest floor. The complex aromatics are followed by a medium to full-bodied St.-Emilion with beautiful density and purity as well as a touch of toasty oak. Barde-Haut has been an over-achiever since the Garcin-Leveque family acquired it. Bravo!"
Reviewed by: Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate - 90 to 93 pts

"This has a bold, spicy lead, with flashes of anise, cocoa and cinnamon giving way to lightly mulled cherry, raspberry and plum fruit. Delivers a velvety feel on the finish, showing good cut."

"The basic cuvee of 2012 Faugeres is a stunner as well. Made primarily from Merlot blended with some Cabernet Franc, it exhibits plenty of black currant, black cherry, charcoal, graphite and fudge-like notes in addition to a medium to full-bodied, lush, round, generously styled personality. Drink it over the next 7-8 years." -Robert Parker

"Another top-notch success, the 2011 (70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) hit 15% natural alcohol. Yields were a low 30 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest occurred quite late. The result is a dense purple-colored wine with a stunning bouquet of blackberry jam, graphite, charcoal and blueberries. With superb density and purity as well as a multidimensional mouthfeel, this intense St.-Emilion is a sleeper of the vintage, although consumers are catching on to the exquisite quality emerging from La Fleur Cardinale. The 2011 should drink well for 15+ years." -Robert Parker