1995 Bordeaux Horizontal - London, October 2025

Following a scouting party examining the vintage a few days ahead of us, we were much more fortunate with the condition of these wines. Only a SHL failing at TCA test.

• 1995 Château de Fieuzal Blanc 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  60% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Sémillon. Fully mature and clearly not a very top drawer wine but equally for a 30 year old humble white Bordeaux this still gives a lot of pleasure. The nose has butterscotch, lanolin, wet wool, some lemon pith and, with air, a touch of beurre blanc. The palate has a touch of apple core. Savoury and a tad oxidative without being flawed. Coming back at the end of the evening this has not faded an iota; it keeps drawing you back.

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• 1995 Clos Fourtet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. Lovely nose; graphite (smells like much more Cab Franc) and some Assam tea elegance. Touches of earth, incense and plum fruit. With air some rosehip and a touch of incense too. Palate has a lovely tart redcurrant entry with acids that build through the mid palate. There is some peppery plum fruit on the finish. A real treat.

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• 1995 Château La Fleur-Pétrus 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Fabulous nose here; summer greenhouse tomato leaf pungency. A hint of joss stick ash in the margins a touch of rosehip sorbet as well. Palate is beautifully constructed with more of that rosehip on entry. This fans out with redcurrants joining the fray on the mid palate. The finish has a crystalline plum fruit character with hints of Earl Grey tea in the margins. Filigree tannins that are soft and resolving but not entirely melted. In such a good place tonight. Mine and the table's overwhelming wine of the night.

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• 1995 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Sadly slightly but persistently corked.

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• 1995 Château d'Angludet 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Approximately 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot. A generously opened back up which is decanted and poured. The air helps with every sip improving over that first hour. The nose is beefier that the right bankers but this still has a lot of Margaux elegance. There are notes of grenadine cordial, incense and Rooibos tea alongside the beefiness and something floral too. Orange blossom maybe. The palate is correct and balanced if compact on initial pouring. Redcurrants lead through the entry and mid palate with some ground white pepper and tobacco leaf and leather marking the finish. A couple of ppm of gazpacho in the margins adds interest. Really punching above its weight this is lovely.

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• 1995 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Cassis, sweet earth and Rooibos tea mark the nose here; so much going on. With air some perfumed, a touch of roasted chestnut and a little Biscoff biscuit crumb. Coming back at the end of the evening a touch of bresaola meatiness too. Palate is rich long and classy with a cracking spicy core. Cassis and rosehip on entry which build and are complemented by some lovely sandalwood on the mid palate. There is just a hint of coffee and walnut sponge cake on the very finish. Mine and the groups second favourite wine of the night.

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• 1995 Château Léoville Barton 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc. More red fruited. Treacle tart, dark chocolate and a touch of caramel alongside the plum fruit. Palate is taut and a little more tannic than the Ducru. Real depth of fruit on the mid palate and some peppered blueberries on the finish. A tad less charming than some of our other reds and giving way less pleasure than the 2001s and 2002s of this house enjoyed in the last year or two.

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• 1995 Château Montrose 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. More open and charming on pouring than a Ducru B and Leo B of the same vintage served alongside this. Not as aloof as some Montroses can be. Some rosehip and redcurrant fruit on the nose with just a touch of lift. There are hints of toffee apple char and some Maraschino cherry. The palate is youthful opening out with more of those redcurrants which meld with plums on the mid palate with some hints of star anise. The finish is bright and peppery. The tannins frame all the above well and are in no way jagged but equally as with some of the other wines they're not fully resolved.

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• 1995 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Recorked at the chateau relatively recently. Around the plum fruit core the nose has hints of marron glacé, dark chocolate and cashew brittle. Some Rooibos tea as well. With air there are some blood orange notes on the nose, some Biscoff crumb and a touch of bresaola meatiness. The palate has some spiced plum confit on entry which develops through the mid palate. Some tobacco leaf interest on the finish. Tannins resolving but not entirely there yet. Not as joyous as a bottle a year ago at a dinner in Reading but still an excellent wine and my third favourite of the evening.

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• 1995 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Magnum. Chestnuts, cassis and rosehip cordial on the nose with some sweet earth, Rooibos tea and incense. The palate is taut and fresh. There are lovely plums that build from entry onto the mid palate. The finish sees tart rosehips and coffee sponge cake. This is lovely although the nose is a little ahead of the palate. Tannins prettier than many of the other left bank reds this evening.

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• 1995 Château de Malle 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  75% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle. Yum. A lovely final wine of the evening. Quince jam, some blood orange and a touch of barley sugar. Some pineapple stalk greenness. Palate is beautifully and unexpectedly less sweet than expected almost an element of savouriness; mango peelings some more quince and a touch of papaya on the finish

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Thanks to my table mates for their good company and excellent vinous contributions The steaks seems to be more to the cooking instructions as well. Top evening.