Paul J

9.2

PnP. Solid. Fairly complex with good fruit and terroir. Nothing that really wowed me. — 25 days ago

with Brooke

Ming L

9.4

The nose opens with waves of ripe black cherry, cassis, plum liqueur, and dark chocolate Beneath the opulence lies impressive complexity with hints of espresso, violets, and peppery spice emerge gradually with air. The palate is dense and supple, showing warmth and generosity. Plenty of nuance beneath the lavish fruit.

Possibly the best value for a St-Emilion GCC. Will need to seek out more. — 3 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

vintage 2016 | True to type Sauternes | paired with apple crumble — 4 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Château La Tour de Bessan Margaux 2022 — Margaux, Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A classic Left Bank blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon · 30% Merlot · 5% Petit Verdot (estate typically varies slightly by vintage) delivering structure, elegance, and aromatic finesse. Great frame and graphite tension coming from the Cab Sauv., mid-palate polish thanks to Merlot, and liked how Petit Verdot brings subtle spice and color depth. A beautifully traditional, unclassified Margaux that punches above its weight.

Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, blackberry, cassis, violet, pencil shavings, cedar, light tobacco, and crushed stone. Fruit stays fresh and pure with delicate floral lift typical of the appellation.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with polished, fine-grained tannins. Dry, linear, and elegant rather than powerful. Balanced acidity keeps everything lifted and graceful with a clean, savory finish.

Food Pairings
Roast chicken with herbs, grilled lamb chops, duck breast, mushroom risotto, lentils, Comté or aged goat cheese. A very food-friendly claret.

Verdict
Proof that Margaux elegance doesn’t require classified growth pricing. Refined, honest, and beautifully composed. Delicious now with air, but easily cellar-worthy for 6–10 years.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is my kind of “weekday Bordeaux”, structured yet graceful, polished without heaviness. The sort of bottle that quietly disappears over dinner because everything just clicks.

Did You Know?
La Tour de Bessan is run by Marie-Laure Lurton (of the Lurton family estates) and is known for crafting textbook, terroir-driven Margaux expressions that emphasize finesse over extraction. — 6 months ago

Cathy Levy

9.0

Lovely Dolcetto, very drinkable now.
Vajra rarely disappoints. — 9 months ago

Ruud Verhagen

9.0

needs much more cellar-time…90+ — 14 days ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

vintage 2016 | 80% nebbiolo, 15% vespolina, 5% croatina. Ten years old and fully alive and kicking. Brownish colour, tertiairy tones in smell. Very good balance, integrated tannines. I loved the bouquet: stinky in the positive way, spices, stewed fruit. A hint of manure. A Piëmonte nebbiolo that I like. Paired with a lasagne. — 4 months ago

Michael Amoruso

9.2

2018 vintage. Cooked pineapple. Toasted coconut. Dry lemon curd. Just sweet enough. — 5 months ago

Chris MacLean

9.1

More focused than the 2015 as you might expect. Integrated butterscotch and rocks. — 5 months ago

with Sarah

Andy@andyberke.com

8.9

Solid. Some terroir — 6 months ago

David Dorn

8.9

Solid value here — 7 months ago

Conrad Green

9.2

Very packed and dense. Sweet edges. Violet and tart cherry. Pure and good but needs time — 10 months ago

with Paul and Ara

Michael Bontà

9.5

Clear pale salmon. Medium + intensity on the nose with strawberry, blood orange, geranium leaf, pink grapefruit, tomato leaf, white peach. On the palate dry, medium + acidity, medium + intensity medium body, long finish and medium alcohol with notes of grapefruit, red cherry, grass, white peach and something plastic that I can't quite identify but isn't undesirable. Outstanding wine and fun to drink on its own without food. Creamy and sophisticated — a month ago

Jen Landon

8.9

I liked it a lot — 3 months ago

ET

9.0

Great with roasted herbed carrots — 4 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Has hit its nice widow for drinking. Really good with my Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. — 5 months ago

Andrew Keenan

9.7

Moores 2024. $25. Still the greatest. — 6 months ago

Thomas Hillskog

9.1

Peak maturity now better than 2 and 4 years ago. Still fruity but with more complexity an soft tannins. — 7 months ago

JKT

9.1

Yup a new one to me and it’s well proportioned and lively on palate with well aged ripe fruits and earthy. Tasty! — 8 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, second wine of Château Paveil de Luze, aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, 25% new, deep Ruby with aromas of red berry fruits and cedar pepper spice. On the palate flavors of black fruits, currants and spicy notes. Lively acidity, fine tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, cacao and spicy oak. Drinking well now! — a year ago