Nicely packed with plum, currant and blackberry purée flavors laced with black licorice and framed by a perfectly integrated alder note. Flash of sweet bay in the background, too.

The wine speaks of rosebuds and sweet, red cherry on nose and palate. With its down-pillow texture, notes of cinnamon-mocha expresses itself well, intermingling with tomato leaf, red tea, and blue fruit. It’s lightness of being is remarkable.

Currant and cherry aromas are underlined with iron and rust. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and chewy yet polished and poised. Tension and style at the end.

The 2016 Château Clarke has some obvious oak but makes up for it with ample fruit. Deep ruby/purple-colored, with loads of black cherry and cassis fruit intermixed with graphite and leather, it has solid purity, medium body, fine tannins, and impressive length on the finish. It’s a serious wine from Listrac to enjoy over the coming decade.

This is excellent, really feels much deeper, richer and more deeply textured in its fruit expression than any others in the line-up. Intense cassis and bilberry flavours, and although this is still Merlot dominant in the blend, the Médoc character of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the tannic frame is clear.

Balance is always the hallmark of the Bâtard from Leflaive as the fresh minerality of the Puligny side of the vineyard plays against the luxurious and almost tropical notes of the south-facing Chassagne side. Here the wine is a bit restrained on the nose, but the substance and structure is immediately apparent. The 2019 vintage will need time to reveal its full potential, but the intrinsic rich, voluptuous character is evident from the start. Immense length and potential.

The Bienvenues has retained a rewarding freshness, with a forward fruit that has both tropical and citrus elements and plenty of floral notes. The texture is lively but supple; there is plenty of fresh acidity that brings a pleasant energy to the wine. This should age for decades to come.

Apple and fresh lime on the nose with chalky mineral that turns to nice fresh-cream flavor on the palate. Tight and dry with a relaxed fizz. Pleasant, lime-cream finish.

This has a very harmonious, Sauternes-like bouquet with orange blossom and wild peach aromas percolating through with time. The palate is poised and focused, delivering vibrant energy a touch of spiciness on the back palate and outstanding length.

This is more backward compared to Mézes Mály, and very much more citrus driven, featuring lemon peel, orange zest and crushed stone aromas; the Aszú element is more discreet. The finish, vibrant palate is more balanced and harmonious, offering a fine bead of acidity and candied orange peel toward the finish. Edgier than Royal Tokaji’s other 2017s, and perhaps spicier on the finish, this will be fascinating to observe mature in bottle.

Mézes Mály, 6 Puttonyos, which comes from vines on loess soils, has a beautiful nose. Very pure but not intense, it offers scents of honeysuckle, clementine, lemon sherbet and a touch of black currant leaf, all showing wonderful definition. The palate is very well balanced and impressive weight, but like the nose, there is a subtlety, a lightness of touch from start to finish. Elegant and poised, this is a very classy effort from one of Tokaji’s most renowned sites and it will age with class.

This has a lighter and perhaps less complex bouquet compared to Royal Tokaji’s other cuvées, though it develops nicely in the glass to reveal lemon verbena, dried mango and wild peachy scents. The palate is much more open, its impressive weight and concentration effortlessly counterbalanced by a fine line of acidity. This is very harmonious and poised, and almost Sauternes-like toward the finish.

Intricate, luxurious and beautifully mature, this wine, after eight years of bottle aging, shows great depth and complexity in its seductive aromas and flavors of toasted almond, peach, ginger and lemon. The texture is smooth yet lively.

Only a hint of pink in the straw color of this wine gives a clue that it’s made from dark grapes. A tempting, toasty, doughy aroma leads to a rich blend of fruity and savory flavors, all backed by lively acidity and a long-lasting stream of fine bubbles.

Medium-bodied and chewy, this bright, savory red offers a zesty thread of ground black pepper winding through flavors of dried cherry, cured tobacco and Mandarin orange peel.

A tightly wound, linear red, this reveals steeped cherry and plum flavors, with shadings of tar, eucalyptus and licorice. The dense matrix of tannins rules the finish, yet this shows nice equilibrium overall.

A savory, earthy nose of dark plums, figs, olives, walnuts and mushrooms. Full body with chewy tannins. Fleshy texture. Vibrant, flavorful finish.

A deep reserve of steeped plum, warmed cherry puree and blackberry pâte de fruit notes, with seductive aromas of sweet bay leaf and sassafras. Singed juniper and anise lace the finish as the fruit drives through, with a sleek mineral note.

This focused, light-to-medium bodied red offers a medley of steeped black cherry, tangy blackberry and apricot notes flanked with tea, cedar and anise elements. A vivid hint of rosewater defines the long finish.

Svelte, moderate tannins envelope plum and cassis notes in this medium-bodied red, with details of loamy earth, savory spice, tobacco and forest floor. Complex and harmonious.