Producer: Dehours et Fils
The Dehours Champagne Brut Grande Reserve is the result of an assemblage of Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a great percentage of vin de rèserve, fermented according to Solera methods, embraced by Jerome in 1998.
Producer: Gerard Perseval
Gérard Perseval combines his extensive knowledge of biodynamic viticulture and his profound respect for nature to create structured and complex wines, treasures in bottles capable of exciting the senses.
Producer: Jacquesson
2017, the harvest from Ay, Dizy, Hautvillers (66%) Avize and Oiry (34%). Winter and Spring were exceptionally dry; the beginning of Spring was mild but, in April, destructive frosts ravaged the vineyards, especially in the Côte des Blancs. Temperatures then rose and the weather was good until July. The end of the growing season was hot but very wet. The...
Producer: Jacquesson
For the 2018 harvest in Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers (68%), Avize and Oiry (32%), the previous winter was exceptionally rainy, this was followed by a mild, stormy spring. The weather changed from June onwards, becoming fine and dry, resulting in a particularly early harvest: we started picking on 30 August and finished on 11 September. The vines were in perfect...
Producer: Jurij Fiore & Figlia
The 2021 Chianti Classico Sonocosì is fresh and light in body, all of which make it a good choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. This north-facing site at 550 meters in altitude yields a lithe, aromatically expressive Classico loaded with character. Vinification and aging in oak keeps the flavors vibrant.
Producer: Dehours et Fils
The Champagne Rosè Oeil de Pedrix is the result of an assemblage of Meunier and Chardonnay from old vineyards. Flowery Champagne Rosè Extra Brut, particularly fine and fresh with a very limited production.
Producer: Podere Poggio Scalette
The 2018 Il Carbonaione is one of the most elegant editions of this flagship wine I can remember tasting. Il Carbonaione is usually a rich, bombastic wine, but the 2018 is sleek, gracious and remarkably refined.
Producer: Podere Poggio Scalette
The 2019 Il Carbonaione is silky and racy in the glass. Scents of new oak are a clear sign the 2019 doesn't quite have the density of the very best years, but Il Carbonaione has a brilliant track record of aging.
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Medium-deep red with an amber edge. Earthy nuances complicate ripe red fruit aromas on the rather woodsy nose. Then fresh and clean on the palate, with a very juicy quality to the ripe red fruit, truffle and scorched earth flavors. Not the most complex or longest Branaire-Ducru ever made, but very nicely balanced and drinking splendidly right now.
Producer: Pessac Leognan
The 1988 Haut Brion has a light, maybe slight smudged nose that is quite leafy in style, autumnal. Maybe not quite as vigorous as it was before, but you would still polish off a bottle in no time at all.
Producer: Pauillac
The 2001 Lafite is a damn impressive follow-up to the 2000. It has a healthy garnet core, showing little sign of maturity. The bouquet offers blackberry, melted tar, cedar, and pinch of dried herbs. The palate is medium-bodied, with supple tannins and a mélange of red and black fruit.
Producer: St Emilion
Château La Gaffelière is one of the oldest properties in the appellation, and is one of Saint Emilion's great classics. The wine releases intense aromas of blackcurrants, leather and wood. On the palate, it reveals fine concentration with long, elegant tannins.
Producer: St Emilion
The 1999 Cateau Pavie shows and attractive bouquet with note of musky espresso and roasted meat that give a Burgundian aspect at those wine, a real satisfyng wine.
Producer: Pauillac
The 1988 Pichon Lalande has a fragrant, woodland, earthy, pinecone-tinged bouquet, a little rustic in style but charming, maybe a little ephemeral compared to other vintages. The palate is well balanced with fine boned tannin, crisp acidity but the fruit seems to have ebbed away in recent years.
Producer: Pessac Leognan
2005 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc was very closed and earthy at the beginning. Today it has a very explosive nose of peach, apricot and nut with spices and earthy smoky flavors!!! It is really complex.
Producer: Pauillac
The 2001 Mouton-Rothschild contains 20% vin de presse and 12.6° alcohol. It has a vibrant, captivating bouquet that explodes from the glass with precocious black cherries, sous-bois, mint and a touch of Seville oranges, displaying precision and class.
Producer: Pauillac
Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is one of the most important Super Second, in the best years, it is one of the most exotic and voluptuously scented wines of Mèdoc.
Producer: St Emilion
Owned by the Castéja family, Trottevieille has one parcel of some of the oldest vines in St.-Emilion. Dense purple, the 2005 has beautiful blueberry, plum and blackcurrant fruit, with an attractive underlying minerality.
Producer: Pessac Leognan
Deep plum, currant, and mineral notes emerge from the concentrated, beautifully balanced, pure 1999 Haut Brion. It seems to be cut from the same mold as years such as 1979 and 1985. A wine with an exceptional charm.
Producer: St Emilion
The 2008 Ausone has a really showstopping bouquet, to wit, one of the most seductive you will find in 2008: pure red cherries, crushed strawberry and vanilla pod scents, later rose petal and an almost honeyed aroma. The palate is medium-bodied with sensual, ripe tannin that feel lavish, luxuriant.
Producer: Pauillac
When I tasted the 2018 Pontet-Canet in barrel I described it as a "freak of nature." The 2018 is more than that, it is a freak of nature. Made from yields of just ten hectoliters per hectare, the 2018 possesses off the charts richness, phenomenal balance and head-spinning intensity. Put in another way, if Lalou Bize-Leroy made Bordeaux, it would taste...
Producer: St Estephe
The 2017 Cos D'Estournel a nose that bursts forth with blackberry, raspberry coulis, crushed stone, iodine and pressed iris petal. The palate is medium-bodied with supple black fruit laced with black truffle and graphite.
Producer: St Estephe
The 2017 Montrose is a very pretty, polished wine that speaks much more to finesse than power. Expressive floral and spices notes add an attractive inner sweetness to a Montrose that in 2017 leans more into the red fruit spectrum. Gracious yet deep, with terrific overall balance, the 2017 Montrose is a total winner.
Producer: Pauillac
The 2000 Lafite-Rothschild is deep in color. It has a beautifully defined bouquet of blackberry, cedar and mint, still quite closed but very focused. There is a lot of power here, but maybe not the same level of elegance as other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, firm grip, very nicely judged acidity and good density on the finish.
Producer: Pomerol
The 1995 Petrus is one of the finest vintages of the decade, a silver medal behind the brilliant 1998. It has a beautiful, focused nose with hints of game and humidor infusing the black fruit. The palate is supremely well balanced, slightly gamey and with impressive grip.
Medium-deep red with an amber edge. Earthy nuances complicate ripe red fruit aromas on the rather woodsy nose. Then fresh and clean on the palate, with a very juicy quality to the ripe red fruit, truffle and scorched earth flavors. Not the most complex or longest Branaire-Ducru ever made, but very nicely balanced and drinking splendidly right now.
