The 2019 Pinot Noir Wild Thyme Vineyard, medium ruby-purple in color, offers up scents of licorice, dried orange peel, amaro, dusty earth and loads of floral perfume. Medium-bodied, it has expansive berry fruits and loads of exotic spices, anchored by a grainy texture and finishing very long and seamlessly fresh. Give it another couple years in bottle. 167 cases produced. 96 points

Realm Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX 2019 /
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX emerges from two blocks on the original Hartwell property planted with the famous Grace clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. A dazzling wine, the XX may very well be the single most moving, expressive Cabernet I have ever tasted from Realm. In the glass, the XX is seamless, with layers of fruit that build effortlessly over time. The 2019 is not a big or opulent wine, but rather a Cabernet of total finesse. I loved it.

2018 Penfolds BIN 98 Quantum Cabernet Sauvignon/ Ruby. Cassis, vanilla, spices, rich, deep, some floral high notes, deep and rich nose, intense. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, dark fruits, anise, blackberries and spices, rich, intense and layered, quite a bit of wood, dense and long. 96

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2008 / A textbook blanc de blancs in a relatively opulent style, with ample grilled nut, brioche and spice character alongside classic flavors of poached apricot, kumquat, oyster shell and lemon blossom. This rich profile is well-defined by racy acidity, sleek and well-cut, driving the long, lacy finish. A hero.

Robert Weil Riesling Kiedricher Gräfenberg Trockenbeerenauslese Goldkapsel 2018/ One might well wonder what could possibly emerge “beyond” the character displayed by this year’s array of Weil BAs and two “regular” TBAs. The answer is a leap into Eszencia traits. The color is significantly paler than that exhibited by those two other TBAs. The nose is dominated by dried and confitured apricot accompanied by candied lemon peel. The wine is so viscous it barely pours. Fresh lemon explodes on the glycerol-slicked palate to meet more than halfway an implosive concentration of apricot and purple plum as well as sky-high residual sugar. Of course this elixir must be characterized as embryonic, but its penetrating persistence is already memorably vibrant and its ability to restrain sweetness extraordinary.

Guigal La Landonne 2017/ Usually my favourite is La Landonne and no exception this time – despite the charm and flair of La Mouline, this has so much stuffing with incredible layers of inky dark fruit, powerful and incredibly persistent, I suppose it´s more politically correct to like depth, complexity and elegance than lushness, generosity and opulence, as much as I like both, the 2017 Landonne belonging in the former category has it all! I don´t like to score when not blind tasting but… a bloody perfect wine!

VivaltuS is the result of a collaboration of Montxo Martinez and Jean Claude Berrouet. They selected the best vineyards with very old wines, which are located more than 900m abouve sea level. Clay, decomposed granite and calcareous-sandy soils are the terroir. The vineyards are surrounded and protected by the pine forest in "La Aguilera". An exiting and noteworthy wine.                 

Giodo Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2016 / 100 points / A wine project of great substance behind a bottle of extraordinary intensity that benefits from a light maceration on the skins. Alcohol-infused marasca cherries and fresh bay leaf on the nose. The mouth is crunchy, dense with salty tannins. A balsamic note reappearing on the finish. 

2018 performed very well in the tasting at Château Nenin, which was arranged by Pomerol Séduction. 10 wines of this renowned vintage were on show and proved that the vintage has won on stature and character since the en primeur tasting in spring 2019.                 

DRC Montrachet 1990 / So dense and layered with an amazing character of apples, cream, dried pineapples and apricots. It's full-bodied but not heavy, and there's incredible energy in the wine that shocks you to the bone. Goes on for what seemed like hours on the palate. This is one of the greatest dry whites I have ever consumed.

Henriot Cuvée Hemera 2005 / One hundred percent Grand Cru vineyards – 50 percent each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – and 12 years on lees. Dosage is just 5 grams/liter. The Chardonnay hails from the Côte des Blancs, notably Chouilly, Avize and Mesnil-sur-Oger, while the Pinot Noir is from the north of the Montagne de Reims, specifically Mailly Champagne, Verzy and Verzenay. A wonderful array of flavors and aromas – lemon pith, grapefruit, crisp apple, citrus, pears, and apricots. A hint of lime. Moves to those lovely crystalline glacé fruit characters. And a hint of red cherry. Intense, elegant, refined, and focused.

Great length. A seamless champagne that retains freshness throughout. Balanced and complex (in the scores, it was this extra level of complexity that gave it the nod for me over the 2008). This will drink superbly for many years to come. The 2006 will be with us soon. 97.

The Champagne Magazine's "The 100-Best Champagnes 2022" tasting - Day 2.