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).

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+

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. ”

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

Penfolds Grange La Chapelle 2021: A striking wine of poise and quiet power, the 2021 Grange La Chapelle immediately announces itself with a lifted, perfumed bouquet of dark cherries, wild violets, blackcurrant leaf and a fine thread of graphite. With air, subtle notes of cedar, crushed herbs, and warm earth emerge, giving the nose both depth and intrigue.

On the palate, this is beautifully sculpted – sleek and refined rather than overtly forceful. Juicy black fruits and red plum glide across the tongue, wrapped in silky yet firm tannins that promise graceful evolution. There’s a cool-climate precision to the vintage, with bright acidity carrying flavors of cassis, cocoa nibs, and a touch of savory spice into a long, mineral-etched finish.

Seamless tannins and well-balanced acidity reflect a blend that honors both the powerful side of La Chapelle and the elegance of Grange. This is not the most opulent wine, but one of the most finely detailed in recent memory – elegant, layered, and already harmonious, though its structure suggests it will unfurl magnificently over the next two decades. A wine of rare balance and inner radiance.

Grange La Chapelle represents the first-ever time Penfolds’ flagship wine has been blended with another estate’s product—an unprecedented move born from friendship and shared vision between winemakers Peter Gago (Penfolds) and Caroline Frey (La Chapelle). Ultra-limited release: Only a handful of bottles globally—plus a select few through Penfolds direct-to-consumer channels. Nick Ryan of The Australian awarded this vintage 99 points, calling it “unquestionably destined for greatness” and likening it to legendary past Grange releases

The 100-Best Champagne 2024 Finalists reviewed!

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

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.

Pomerol 2024/ Lafleur: 52% Cabernet Franc + 48% Merlot. Sometimes, this property shows its darker and unfriendly side, which happened on a rather cold Wednesday afternoon. The wine was oaky, closed, and reluctant to open up. I've no doubt there is great potential in it, and I’m looking forward to retasting it with a possible score upgrade. I give 94+p on credit. Tasted in April 2025.  2028 to 2042.

Four wineries with six wines faithful to their origin and terroir yet interpreted in a contemporary way have been tasted today. Very exciting tasting with excellent typicity.

The Levy & McClellan retrospective tasting (2004–2020) with Napa Valley’s legendary winemaker Bob Levy was an unforgettable experience. We tasted through all the estate wines crafted by him and his wife, Martha McClellan. As we sat with glasses in hand, Bob took us on a journey back in time through the 1970s to ’80s and '90s, sharing insights into how viticulture and winemaking in Napa Valley have evolved over those times and decades after.

Old Bordeaux Off-Vintage tasting: Château d’Yquem 1901 reflects the struggle of its year — more a gentle curiosity than a triumph. The nose offers shy traces of burnt sugar, bruised apple, beeswax, and damp hay, edged with oxidative notes of old sherry and dried orange peel. On the palate, sweetness has largely faded, leaving behind a lean, slightly bitter profile of caramelized nuts, marmalade rind, and tired honey. The texture is thin, lacking the usual opulent depth of Yquem, and the finish tapers quickly, tinged with oxidative sharpness. A wine more about history than pleasure — a fragile relic reminding us that even legends have their off years.