2025 is another wonderful vintage in Bordeaux. It started off quite well with a warm winter. January was filling up the water reserves in the soil, February and March however were already dry. Some cold spells in the early months of the year delayed budburst, which occurred early April. Ideal conditions in spring promoted the start of flowering at the end of May. Flowering as well as véraison were early and homogeneous therefore contributing to uniform ripening. However fruit set was rather difficult influencing the low yields in 2025. A number of heat waves were putting the vines under stress and resulted in a smaller berry size. The heat waves started as early as June and ended on August 20th only were some rain brought the relief. It was just the right amount to promote further ripening but not causing any fungal danger. The tannins found the time to have their physiological ripeness and harvest date was crucial. In the cellar a careful fermentation and maceration with focus on less extraction and more fruit continued the trend already seen in the last two years. Bordeaux goes back to a more classic style with lower alcohol levels (fort the reds between 12.5% and 13.5% ABV) which show a lot of fruit and freshness and are very appealing at a young stage. But the high values of polyphenols will guarantee an excellent and long lasting evolution over a long time in the bottle. The fruit is absolutely charming and will be able to win the heart of younger consumers but the excellent structure, freshness and promising potential will make this vintage also ideal for collectors. In fact, Bordeaux is back to its roots with elegance and freshness, leaving the 15% ABV wines just a memory in the past. 2025 is a vintage of excellent quality but very little quantity.

A recent tasting of Monteverro’s portfolio offered a compelling insight into one of coastal Tuscany’s most refined estates. Situated in the Maremma, near Capalbio, Monteverro has quickly established itself as a benchmark for Bordeaux-style blends and Rhône-inspired wines with a distinctly Mediterranean identity.

Across multiple vintages, the estate’s flagship Monteverro consistently showed depth, precision and polished structure, particularly in outstanding years such as 2019 and 2021. The second wine, Terra di Monteverro, delivered a more approachable expression while retaining balance and varietal clarity.

The Syrah-based Tinata stood out for its aromatic intensity, combining dark fruit, spice and savoury complexity, especially in the cooler, more structured 2021 vintage.

White wines also impressed. The Chardonnay demonstrated finesse and texture, while the Vermentino captured the freshness and saline character of the coastal terroir.

Overall, the tasting confirmed Monteverro as a producer of consistency, elegance and growing international "First Growth" stature.

One of the most captivating The 100 tastings, built around a paired‑vintage concept: two vintages of a top wine tasted side by side. The entire experience centered on comparing the vintages, creating an exceptionally insightful and distinctive tasting. Two 100-pointers for me - Latour 1945 and Cheval 1947 - and plenty of close 100 ones!

Perfect 100 points Graham 80 year old Tawny Port – Only 600 bottles of the 80y old were bottled and the shelf price will be well above 1.000 GBP. For Charles Symington the blending process was very emotional, as his father, Peter Symington, was born in 1944. When turning 80, Peter very much enjoyed this special Port. Dark red colour with intense reflections and a green-gold rim. Gentle and perfectly balanced Douro Bake aromas on the nose with coffee, dried orange and tobacco. Complex, dense herbal notes in the bouquet, chocolate, malt, tobacco leaves and caramel, floral notes and a hint of chocolate and toffee in the background. Incredibly complex notes on the palate. Herbal mix, chocolate, tea, malt, honey, tobacco. Perfectly long, balanced and complex finish with many overlapping layers. A perfect Port! 100

Wynn's John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 1982-2021 by Andrew Caillard MW

At Ca’ Marcanda Estate in Bolgheri, the tasting unfolded with quiet intensity under the Tuscan light. Surrounded by vineyards shaped by sea breeze and stone, we moved through vintages of Camarcanda, Vistamare, Promis, and Magari with Giovanni Gaja guiding each glass. His explanations were measured, precise, and deeply connected to the land, revealing how each vintage reflects a different dialogue between climate and time. From the tension of structured years to the ease of warmer ones, every wine spoke of balance and intention. The visit felt less like a tasting and more like a conversation with Bolgheri itself.

Perfect 100 points 2014 Comte Liger-Belair La Romanée + other Burgundies /

Bright ruby. Transparent, delicate, detailed, nuanced, bright, layered, floral, bright red fruits, incredible nose, pure, scented. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, intense, detailed, layered, spices, bright fruits, focused, linear, nuanced, intense length and finish. It dwarfs other great wines around it. 100

Large Coche-Dury tasting and few others: The Corton-Charlemagne 2002 was equally as impressive, but in a more mature way. It was in a perfect spot, on a bridge between youth and wisdom, with extraordinary balance and tension. I think that the 15-20 year mark is a real sweet spot for great vintages of Coche CC. Ooh la la (98).

The arrivage tasting of the 2023 vintage from Bordeaux has confirmed the tasting results from the “en primeur tasting” in spring 2024.

Australian Latest Releases: Henschke Hill of Grace 2022 / At the outset, I’ll confess that I have not scored this vintage of Hill of Grace quite as highly as I have many of the recent releases (in fairness, we are talking wafer-thin margins at the very highest levels). That is not because I think it is any less of a wine, quite the contrary, but because at the moment I think it is so tight, coiled and reticent that it simply will not give of itself what it can and what it will. In ten or twenty or even thirty years, I have not the least doubt that it will sit comfortably with any recent release, even the glorious 2021 vintage. The wine is, of course, from that famous patch of ancient vines in the Hill of Grace vineyard in the Eden Valley which was planted around 1860. Maturation is in older French oak hogsheads for twenty months. It is, as ever, an astonishing achievement. A purple/maroon hue with a hint of the haze of the Blue Mountains. The nose offers notes of black fruits, chocolate, florals, smoked meats, cloves, licorice, black olives, mocha and coffee beans. A wine that is generous, still obviously very youthful, and with serious concentration. On the palate, we see the emergence of notes of blueberries and the herb garden nature of the wine. There is immaculate balance and extraordinary length through to firm, very fine tannins on a lingering finish. The wine is perhaps marginally more savoury than it appears in some years. There is good energy here and underlying power which suggests that leaving the wine alone for the next five to eight years would be in everyone’s interests, before drinking it over the following thirty to fifty, if you think you’ll be around that long.

Henschke Hill of Grace 2021 /Medium deep crimson. Expressive raspberry, blackberry, cassis, hint elderberry/violet/ sage aromas with mocha, marzipan notes. Elegant yet powerful, dense but buoyant palate with ample blackberry pastille, blackcurrant, raspberry fruits, fine supple/ grainy tannins, lovely mid palate volume/ richness and superbly balanced grilled almond, roasted chestnut notes. Finishes claret firm with a featherweight plume of bittersweet tannins. A beguiling and lasting landmark Hill of Grace vintage with wonderful definition, vinosity and torque."

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.