Chateau Seguin isn't a property which steals headlines, although Robert Parker gave it 91-93 in vintage 2009 and Swiss wine critic, Rene Gabriel loves it.

It's situated in Canejan village close to Pessac and its appellation is Pessac-Leognan. Darriet family owns it and the man in charge is Denis Darriet, who before coming to Seguin, worked in Paris as jeweler for famous jewelry makers like f.i. Cartier and made special creations for the most famous celebrities in the world.

I became very impressed with the wines during my first visit at Seguin in September 2010, and then in March 2011, I had a vertical there from vintage 2004 to 2010. I must admit I was left breathless while tasting 2010. This was an outstanding if not sensantional performance. Unforgetable visit. Visits in September 2011, March 2012, September 2012, March 2013, September 2013, April 2014, September 2014 and March 2015 have just confirmed the staggering quality Seguin possesses today. It seems like Denis Darriet has transferred his skills and dedication from making very expensive jewelry to his wines! He makes normal cuvée, Chateau Seguin and luxury cuvée from old wines, Confidence(s) de Chateau Seguin. The latter is 2-3 times the price of normal cuvée.

Weingut Wegeler Rothenberg Riesling 2014 / Tons of peach and mandarin. Expressive and juicy. Spicy notes from orange peel. Beautifully textured on palate. Very juicy, energetic and soft. Vibrant and still so enjoyable. Complex and charmning at once. 92 points

The 2010 growing season was preceded by above average winter rainfall. Spring was mild with little frost damage and gave us an even budburst. The weather remained cold and wet through spring, which held back growth until a two-week high 30s heat wave in November affected flowering and fruit set. Spring rains continued into early summer right through until mid-December, making it the wettest year since 2005. The vines responded to the heat and grew vigorously until early January, developing lush canopies, but bunch development suffered as a result. A roller-coaster ride of heat spikes and cool changes continued through a warm summer with occasional thunderstorms. The vines went through veraison a week earlier than 2009. Lower yields coupled with the mild ripening period resulted in concentrated fruit. Vintage began a week earlier than 2009 and was in full swing by mid-February. The white vintage was all but finished a month later while the red harvest continued with deeply coloured, well-balanced grapes being picked during mild, dry conditions until the end of April.

Louis Roederer Cristal 1996 (Magnum) Absolutely stunning nose of great complexity, enticement and elegance which evolved beautifully in the glass.  Still lean and elegant as you would expect from the vintage. Immensely satisfying with plenty of time to go although it is difficult to imagine how it can continue to improve.  For once a Cristal that exceeds expectations!. Impressive.  The bottles tasted were also excellent.  19.5

BORDEAUX VINTAGE 2016 / Tasting "en primeur" is a challenge every year. The wines tasted are showing a tendency only and it is still the beginning of a longer process of evolution and maturation in the barrels. There might be some changes during the next year and a half until the wines will be bottled, but already today the tendency is quite clear. For most of the red wines it will be an outstanding vintage, a vintage for Cabernet, old vines, limestone and clay soil. It was a challenging year for the vintners. An incredibly wet spring was worrying the winegrowers and at the beginning of June, the spirits were down. However warm and dry weather between June 3 and June 11 creating an close to ideal situation for the flowering and good weather conditions starting in mid June changed the nature of the vintage. The fine weather continued into July and August. The month of August was featuring hot weather and a remarkable amount of sunshine but the absence of rain let to water stress. Heavy rain in mid September set an end to water stress and when the sun returned on September 20 the vintage was saved as there was excellent weather till to the end of the harvest. The effects were various. the white wines are on a good quality level and display fruit and flavour but the acidity is lower than in previous vintages and the white wines show an opulent and rather soft style. The noble sweet wines are extremely pure and are more on the rich and powerful side than on the freshness. For the red wines originating from the right terroirs and old vines, the vintage an be called outstanding. Water stress was managed well on limestone and clay terroirs, Cabernet varieties did extremely well and old vines found water even during the stressful dry periods of summer. In some few red wines the tannins are slightly harsh, almost bitter, a result of water stress and/or intense extraction. In general the red wines are on an excellent level with an advantage for the left bank, mainly the Médoc area, and the classic great terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. 

Château Montelena vertical with Bo Barrett!

Château Haut-Brion, Péssac-Léognan, France, 1989, 100pts. Perhaps the most harmonious wine I have ever tasted. This wine had it all - just perfect and sensational. This wine is just from another planet!

2010 Parker Coonnawarra Estate First Growth Cabernet Sauvignon, Connawarra

Dark ripe Cabernet nose with leather, plum, mint, strawberry jam. Beautifully textured on palate with juicy sweet fruit, velvety tannins, a certain note of drier fruit like prunes and some woody notes. Classical and aristocratic texture with great complexity and length. Warm, ripe and big, but very finely balanced and precise with a great varietal expression. 95p