The Toronto Vintners Club

Pierre Lawton of Alias, a dynamic wine merchant in Bordeaux specializing in estate-bottled wines, declared the 1995 vintage to be the best of his life. "Some other vintages may have been better in terms of the quality of wines made, but no other vintage has given you such high-quality wines that appreciated so much in value at the same time."

Suckling’s opinion is that “the consistency in quality of 1995 is next to astounding.” Although the 1995s are packed with tannins, their concentration of ripe fruit flavour makes them incredibly harmonious at such an early stage. While they have potential to improve for decades, they are so impressive in their infancy, according to Suckling, that he feels it’s hard not to drink them in their youth. After all, how many times have you opened an aged-Bordeaux, only to find it’s over the hill? And at the cost of these wines today, you can pay a very high price for disappointment if you wait too long to drink them.

1. Chateau Calon Segur, 3e, St Estephe
One of the great sleepers of the vintage. The wine has closed down completely since bottling, but it is a sensational effort that may ultimately merit an even higher score. The wine is opaque purple-colored. With coaxing, the tight aromatics reveal some weedy cassis intertwined with truffles, chocolate, and beef blood-like aromas. On the palate, there is an element of sur-maturite (1995 was an extremely late harvest at Calon-Segur), fabulous density and purity, and a boatload of tannin. This deep, broodingly backward, classic Bordeaux will require a decade of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2035. Robert Parker - 92, Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998.

2. Chateau Clerc Milon, 5e, Pauillac
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc reveals more tannin and grip than the 1996 (ironically, the 1995 has more of a 1996 vintage character, and vice versa for the 1996). This attractive dark ruby/purple-colored wine has impressive credentials, and may merit an outstanding score with another year or two in the bottle. Offers a gorgeous nose of roasted herbs, meats, cedar, cassis, spice, and vanillin. Dense, medium to full-bodied wine possesses outstanding levels of extract, plenty of glycerin, and a plush, layered, hedonistic finish. A luscious, complex wine. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2015. A sleeper. Robert Parker - 89, Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998.

3. Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste, 5e, Pauillac
Another unbelievably rich, multidimensional, broad-shouldered wine, with slightly more elegance and less weight than the powerhouse 1996, this gorgeously proportioned, medium to full-bodied, fabulously ripe, rich, cassis-scented and flavored Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a beauty. It should be drinkable within 4-5 years, and keep for 25-30. This classic Pauillac is a worthy rival to the other worldly 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025. Robert Parker - 95, Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998.

4. Chateau Pichon Baron, 2e, Pauillac
A stylish, elegant, more restrained style of Pichon Baron, with less obvious new oak than usual, this deep ruby/purple-colored wine offers a pure black currant-scented nose with subtle aromas of coffee and smoky toasty oak. In the mouth, the wine displays less weight and muscle than the 1996, but it offers suave, elegant, rich fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, surprisingly lush style. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2016. Robert Parker - 90, Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998.

5. Chateau Pontet Canet, 5e. Pauillac
An old style Pauillac, yet made with far more purity and richness than the estate's ancient vintages, this broad-shouldered, muscular, classic wine exhibits a saturated purple color, and sensationally dense, rich, concentrated, cassis flavors that roll over the palate with impressive purity and depth. The wine is tannic and closed, but powerful and rich. It appears to possess length and intensity similar to the 1996. This is a great young Pauillac. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025. Robert Parker - 92, Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998.

6. Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, 2e, St Julien
This wine is of first-growth quality, not only from an intellectual perspective, but in its hedonistic characteristics. More open-knit and accessible than the extraordinary 1996, Ducru's 1995 exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, followed by a knock-out nose of blueberry and black raspberry/cassis fruit intertwined with minerals, flowers, and subtle toasty new oak. Like its younger sibling, the wine possesses a sweet, rich mid-palate (from extract and ripeness, not sugar), layers of flavor, good delineation and grip, but generally unobtrusive tannin and acidity. It is a classic, compelling example of Ducru-Beaucaillou that should not be missed. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2025. Robert Parker - 94, Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998.

7. Chateau Malescot St Exupery, 3e, Margaux
Offers a classic Margaux combination of elegance and richness. Medium-bodied, with delicate, beautifully ripe, black currant and floral aromas that compete with subtle new oak, the 1995 Malescot hits the palate with a lovely concoction of fruit, nicely integrated tannin and acidity, and a stylish, graceful feel. This quintessentially elegant Bordeaux should continue to improve in the bottle. A beauty! Anticipated maturity: 2002-2018. Robert Parker - 90, Wine Advocate #115, Feb 1998.