Yalumba The Octavius Shiraz 1988-2020 tasting: 2019 vintage: Medium-deep crimson. Intense dark plum, black cherry, blackberry aromas with praline, vanilla, hint black pepper notes. Generously proportioned wine with superb pure blackberry pastille, cassis sage flavours, fine chocolaty firm tannins and beautiful integrated ginger, roasted chestnut oak. Finishes chocolaty and long. Wonderful follow-up vintage. Drink 2030–2048. 14.5% alc

2010 L'Extravagant de Doisy Daëne 100 points /

Peach, pineapples, apricots, detailed, layered and complex nose, intense. Fresh acidity, intense, layered detailed, tropical fruits, peach, stunning balance and freshness, incredible length. Only some 3000 half bottles made.

The 2018 Vintage in Bolgheri was of great potential and charm, hot spells allowed the grapes to mature normally and never seriously worried the wine-makers. Our personal ranking goes to the Sassicaia 2018, an inexhaustable font of precision and elegance, finesse and complexity with a veil of austerity and a snobbish character. Followed by a pure Merlot produced by Iacopo Alfeo under the Sonoro 2019 label, a tiny production of only 6 tonneau refined over time in barriques has today reached it’s best form.

DRC Montrachet tasting from 2002-2019. / The new style, the 2019 DRC Montrachet.  It was definitely a bit cleaner, and while 2019 is not supposed to be the best white wine vintage, there was a noticeable difference here from the last two. It was much less heavy, and while smoky it was also more oaky and oaty. It felt like it had more flaws, but don’t get me wrong, it was still DRC Montrachet. I will leave the vintage versus winemaker debate open to discussion (95).  

“50 Icons, 100 Vintages, One Extraordinary Tasting” Helsinki became the stage for one of the most ambitious wine events ever hosted by Tastingbook. Fifty of the world’s greatest estates, each represented by two remarkable vintages, were poured side by side and tasted blind. Sixteen wine professionals from nine countries—from India to Australia to the U.S.—came together for two days of discovery, debate, and pure vinous excitement.

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1917 / 20 points : Absolutely sensational. Complex, expansive, and full-bodied. With optimal sweetness and fantastically integrated acidity. Côte brûlée, Birnel, molasses, and dried plums. Fig compote. Sensational.

Burgundy 2022+2023 /  Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles 2022 / Pale lemon yellow. Apples, lemons, fruit driven, nuanced, floral, minerals nose. Fresh acidity, apples, citrus, focused, detailed, nuanced, layered, a beauty. Very long finish. 95 points

Bond Estate 2022 + Harlan 2021 + Dominus 2021 + Inglenook 2021

Dom Ruinart Rosé 1988 / “Onionskin-hued cherry red colour. Really powerful toast, spice, meat, and gunflint nose that comes with a charming coffee and cream note. A wild one. Ripe and massive, yet vibrant and super silky. Impressive in 75cl bottle and out-of-this-world in magnum. ”

Brunello di Montalcino vintage 2020 Part II / Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Montosoli 2020

CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA. Vineyard Filari Lunghi, soils predominantly of Galestro, an imposing wine,intense and juicy. Pomegranate on the nose, hints of chinotto, touches of

eucalyptus and wild iris. The drink has a citrus and balsamic appeal, with red

fruits and balsamic notes. Great length. 98+

Bordeaux 2024 Vintage / Pauillac / 2024 Lynch Bages: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Tasted twice with the same impression. Freshness, red berries, violets. Delightfully fruity with finesse and elegance, fine complexity, mid-palate, structure, and aftertaste. Beautiful wine. 94p. Tasted in April 2025. 2028 to 2042.

The 100-Best Champagne 2024 Finalists reviewed!