Vinexpo Paris offered some new tasting experiences, wines "en arrivage" and some great classics.

The Rheingau Gourmet Festival welcomed Château Léoville Las Cases. Three events featured 30 different wines of this famous estate from Saint-Juien.

Tim Smith Barossa Mataro 2023 / For all the hype, Mataro/Mourvedre from the Barossa is still a grumpy thing. It’s the dark, moody, reductive, fortified grape that helps fill out blends and only enjoyed a solo career in recent years. But Tim Smith has Barossan Mataro sorted. Old vines, old oak, and Tim’s knack for nailing texture means these wines just work. Same again with the Tim Smith Wines Mataro 2023. Sourced from two vineyards, 70 and 140 years old, on the Barossa Valley ‘floor’, and this has that old vine complexity on full show. Cola, ‘Provençal herbs’ as Tim says on the label, and this licoricey black fruit endless depth without a sense of heaviness. Instead, here’s a real medium feel to it – this isn’t an unapproachable dark and heavy thing at all. The palate just sings on through in that cola, dark chocolate and savoury grainy vibe. It’s a hit.

To celebrate 25 years of ownership of the Wilmers family at Haut-Bailly, they organised a wonderful evening with tasting each vintage from magnum, as well as a wonderful dinner. It is the only time the estate has organised such a tasting, so a treat indeed to be part of it!

Screaming Eagle 2021 / The aromatics on this are stunning, offering black cherries, blackcurrants, lead pencil, spearmint, Spanish cedar. and wild roses. It’s medium-bodied and starts slowly on the palate and then takes off with muscular tension. Nicely chewy, toned and firm. Goes on for minutes. Flexing and showing its propensity for longevity. Rock on. Best after 2028 and beyond.

The 1999 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet Grand Cru presents a rich and ripe profile, with honeyed notes, burnt sugar, caramel, and yellow fruits on the nose. Upon aeration, the acidity becomes more pronounced, adding vibrancy to the wine. On the palate, it exhibits excellent concentration with flavors of yellow fruits, complemented by nuances of gunflint and clove spice. The finish is rich and complex, showcasing the wine's depth and structure.

Australian newcomers: Mito Savitar Shiraz 2021 / Apparently Savitar is a mythical dragon. Nothing too mythical about the wine, it is real and really good drinking. It spent the best part of two years in a mix of new and older oak, mostly French. Under diam. 

A dark garnet/maroon, this is a wine of concentration, power and intensity. The nose gives us notes of chocolate and mocha with dried herbs, spices and tobacco leaves, as well as some oak which is well integrated. Impressive balance with a supple texture and fine tannins. There is some serious persistence here. Well structured, this is a very fine McLaren Vale Shiraz from a great year. Great stuff. This is going to drink beautifully for at least ten to fifteen years. 95. 

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Riserva 2024 Edition Part II / CASTELLO DI VOLPAIA Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione Coltassala 2020 /From a mythological vineyard and valuable work on clonal selection, from Sangiovese and Mammolo. Red cherry on the nose, myrtle notes, then hints of wild mint. Salty mouthfeel, with hints of red fruit and menthol. Aftertaste of great persistence.99p

Krug Vintage 1949 / Truly rare and magnificent expression of aged Champagne, Krug 1949 opens with a deep amber-gold hue, showcasing its decades of evolution. The nose is an intricate tapestry of dried apricots, toasted hazelnuts, honeyed brioche, and hints of truffle, interwoven with oxidative notes of old sherry and antique wood. On the palate, it retains remarkable vitality, with a fine, persistent mousse and a beautifully layered complexity—dried fruits, caramelized citrus, roasted coffee, and a whisper of saffron. The finish is endlessly lingering, delivering a symphony of nutty richness, iodine minerality, and a refined acidity that defies its age. A historic Champagne with unparalleled depth and grandeur.

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

When you are fortunate enough to taste nineteen Rousseau Chambertins at one meal, you can be sure you will have some perspective. The range of vintages was 2018 back to 1990 with almost all the most heralded vintages (no 1991), and the one that stood out above the rest was the 2005 Rousseau Chambertin. Make no mistake about it, there were many standouts, but the 2005 hit the highest note. It was deep but more hi-toned than some of its younger brethren, in a bright red way. It has a raspberry, cranberry and citrus mélange. While rich and saucy, it wasn’t like the other saucy vintages as it had more tension and style. This was a wine to restore one’s faith in the often glacial 2005 vintage. It had enough spice to satisfy the entire House of Atreides (99, Paris).

Château Suduiraut 2010 /Super nose with some exotic pineapple/mango/passion fruit undertones mixed with Vouvray-like blossom-tree and quince jelly, enormous body, but incredible purity and crystal-like transparency, great length, a masterpiece! Drink 2020-2070.