1924 Margaux – I do associate most younger vintages of Ch. Margaux as fairly light and must admit that i´ve been underwhelmed on numerous occasions. However my great experiences with the really old vintages have been astonishing and this wine offered a beautiful texture, still rich and fruity with a plethora of wild berries and a smooth almost creamy sensation, still very clean without oxidation and a truly long, powerful finish.

I have been thinking that the 1990s are perhaps the golden decade of Penfolds Grange. Why? Since the 1990 Grange, there has been a slight shift to more fruit orientation at the expense of oak. No doubt, this has been a positive. Secondly, during this period, Penfolds has had access to quite a number of outstanding grower vineyards. Subsequently, many have moved to bottle their own wine or shifted, when they came out of contract. Penfolds have since planted the very large Waltons vineyard, but it will take a long time before the vines reach maturity.

The 1991 Penfolds Grange certainly supports my assertion. This is close to a perfect wine, and a fantastic follow-up to the legendary 1990. Cherry and wild berry aromas jump out of the bottle/glass. This is an excellent bottle. I took several Grange bottles to the recent Penfolds re-corking clinic, but not this one. At 25 years, it still had a very high shoulder.

This wine ticks all the right boxes on the palate. Upfront, it is still fresh, with a complex mix of blackberry and plum flavours. Secondary bacon and spice flavours are present as well. The wine delivers a very satisfying, generous and full-bodied mouthfeel on the mid-palate, and is very long and persistent on the finish. The fruit is intense and penetrating, but there is enough acidity to avoid any fruitcake characteristics. The tannins have softened and are quite silky.

Memorable dinner at Teppanyaki Restaurant Sazanka, the first and only Teppanyaki restaurant in Europe awarded with a Michelin star with wines like Bouchard Montrachet 2014,  Dom Perignon P2 Rosé 1996 etc..highly recommend!

Sorì Tildin 2008 is a Langhe DOC wine from Barbaresco, as Gaja blends in some Barbera. Although, that is the official version, I always have a strong sensation of Cabernet in the wine, but maybe I am mistaken. A very intense color, a completely different aroma compared to the previous wine. Compact, solid tannins, thicker fruit, more fat, texture. A long finish, with plenty of oak, tannin and alcohol. A big wine compared to the elegant Barbaresco.

Roederer Cristal 70's Tasting - all the vintages.

2015 Bouchard Montrachet / Pale lemon yellow. Apples, minerals, fruity. Minerals, vanilla, spices, detailed, transparent yet fuller nose. Fresh acidity, fresh, fruity, detailed, playful, rounded, fresh apples, spices, layered, stunning length, superb balance. 98p

Cardboard was the first thing that I noticed in the nose of the 2004 Pavillon Rouge du Margaux, in the best way possible and not in a corked way, I should add. Coffee, roasted nut and cassis were all secondary, with pinches of earth blending into the coffee. Tertiary aromas of cedar and fir spice emerged in this round and tender wine. The palate was earthy with that gout de terroir, possessing candle wax flavors and a very dry finish, typical of the vintage. I remembered this wine being more impressive at the winery, but then again doesn’t it always taste better there? Gil insisted that the white was so good, it knocked down the ’04 a notch or two.

Screaming Eagle 2010 - 100 points / A beautiful vintage for Screaming Eagle that brings together the best of this wine's complexity, elegance and depth. The wine is seamless from beginning to end starting off with layers of gorgeous, intense flavors that are in balance with the firm, velvety tannins and wonderful freshness. Flavors unfold gently, without obvious power or opulence, offering layers of mocha, incense, blackberry and savory spices. Incredibly long finish. This is a perfect Screaming Eagle.

German Riesling vintage 2014 Part I / Marienburg "Rothenpfad" 2014 Riesling Clemens Busch / Very expressive nose with cherry blossom, orange blossom, strawberry and ripe orange. Full and quite dense on the palate with less charm than nose, but a serious built texture and good length. 94

Today, Bolgheri is among Italy’s famed wine producing regions, but this seemed far from a possibility in 1983, the year Le Macchiole was founded and a time when the area was known simply for a close proximity to the sea and having abundant fruit and grain agriculture. Yet, two native Bolgheresi, Eugenio Campolmi and Cinzia Merli, were devoted to the idea of vine growing in their home even when it was not considered a viable way to start a living. “My husband Eugenio and I started off with very limited, if almost no, resources,” Cinzia recalls. “We gave up working his parents’ retail and restaurant business and bought a few hectares of land planted to wheat.

We decided to plant vineyards starting with many varieties - sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and vermentino - so that we might see what grew best on our little property. That is how our life project began and, for me, our learning is still in progress. I believe that Bolgheri is in the early stage of development. It has just become aware of its potential and understanding of which grape varieties give their best to each part of the different soils; much is still yet to be accomplished here.”

Hill of Grace 2012 / So how did one of our most iconic wines fare in a great year? If anything, it exceeded the enormously lofty heights expected of it. Technically, 85% French oak, the remainder American. 58% of all oak was new. 18 months in the oak before the separate parcels from the vineyard were blended. Great intensity, complexity, immaculate balance, extraordinary length. Black cherries, aniseed, bacon fat, animal hides, soy sauce and an eerily smoky note that weaves amongst the flavours. So silky, you feel that you’d slip if you tried to get a hold of it. This is undoubtedly a great HoG, but only time, and lots of it, will tell if it is the greatest of all. It is a contender. 

Score: 99/100

Best drinking: how long have you got? 30 years? 40, 50? 

Alc: 14.5%

Turkey Flat White Blend 2015  /A blend of Marsanne (63%), Viognier (19%) and Roussanne (18%).Scents of white florals, suggestive stonefruit and of a little vanilla creme patisserie.

Honeyed nuances, a little nougat, under-ripe mandarin segments; zest and gentle spice. Early - judicious - picking has given a line of acid about which layers of texture hang, like mille-feuille of flavour and mouthfeel.

Good length, carried about acid, a little toastiness. Enough about it to make it one to both seek to consume and to savour. 91