Pingus 2022 (barrel sample) – intense dark berries and floral scents, perfect fruit ripeness, vibrant with silky tannin, seamless structure, sophisticated touch, multi-layered, awesome complexity, spectacular midpalate, long meaty finish. This is a beautifully crafted wine! 99p.

Brunello di Montalcino vintage 2019 -Part I / Giodo Brunello di Montalcino 2019 / 100 points / Expressive and rich in character, it shows concentration and structure in the notes of red plums, wild strawberries, cedar chunks, mandarin juice, lemon peel, chopped ginger and cracked celery. Wild thyme and marjoram set the secondary scene, but it is the character of fresh cherries, rose petals and grapefruit that delicately but presently bring grace and authenticity to the array. Medium-full body, perfectly ripe tannins of commendable beauty and an honest, subtle, enveloping finish. Exciting in the sip, you want to drink it, drink it and drink it again. Elegance and more elegance, in a wine that achieves perfection. A perfect wine, a divine wine. Better since 2025.

Two new wines just arrived from Italy: Roberto Anselmi presents his San Vincenzo, which is already in the market. Torre Mora has sent the Chiuse Vidalba Etna Bianco which will be released in 20204 only. 

Prager Grüner Veltliner Wachau DAC Ried Zwerithaler Kammergut Smaragd 2022 / Light greenish yellow, silver reflections. Fine savoury, delicate nuances of anise, tobacco notes, delicate yellow fruit, a touch of mango and honey blossom. Full-bodied, juicy white apple fruit, well-integrated, silky acidity structure, finesse and long persistence, saline finish, lingers for minutes, Veltliner at its best. 99-100 points

Champagne of the Decade 2000 -tasting: Roederer Cristal 2002  / Pale lemon yellow. Apples, lemons, brioche, minerals, detailed and layered, intense nose. Fresh acidity, apples, minerals, brioche, detailed and layered, intense and long. Stunning. 96p

Salon 2012 / “A rollercoaster year in the vineyards with hopes for a quality crop only rising at harvest time. Salon initially wasn't promising a vintage, but changed its mind having come up with something instantly rewarding. Bright, sweetly fruity nose on the sweet green fruit side: lime, pear drops, licorice, jasmine and fragrant orange blossom tones. A flick of vanilla complements the whole. The palate has a silky flow of volume yet a firm backbone of brisk acidity enhancing the notion of explosive fruitiness. The chalky mineral bite comes forward on the long, intense and dry finish. This wine hasn’t moved a lot in the past year, promising longevity. Disgorged 3/21; dosage 5g/l”

Pingus 2021 / Violets, flint, graphite, dark chocolate, ink pot, and hints of herbs such as tarragon. Black truffles. Tar and hints of sandalwood. Black tea. Medium-bodied with very linear tannins that are tight and polished with fine silky texture. It’s endless and seamless. Profound and deep. Super structure and balance. This needs six or eight years of bottle age at least. Try after 2032. 100p

Founded in 1953 the Kreuzberg wine estate is till today a family owned winery. Since 1994 the estate is run by Ludwig Kreuzberg who was joined in 2021 by his daughter Lea. 10.5ha of finest vineyard sites in the Ahr valley are the base for impressing wines mainly made of the grape varieties Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Frühburgunder (Pinot Noir Précoce). The winery was severely hit by the flood of July 14h, 2021, which destroyed the cellars and even the home of the family. Despite these tremendous problems, the Kreuzberg collection shows real class and great quality. 

Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2022 / 98p / Pale colour.  Lovely intense grapefruit, grilled nut, marzipan, vanilla aromas and flavours. Taught yet sinuous in structure with ample grapefruits and limes, underlying tonic water, grilled nut flavours, fine lacy textures, superb mid-palate volume and fresh high pitched indelible acidity. A thoroughbred of remarkable richness and torque. A beautifully focused and classic Margaret River Chardonnay showing off the fidelity of the Gin Gin Clone and precision vineyard sourcing. Drink now – 2032

There is no other wine producer in the world, who can set up such a complex tasting than Niepoort. Amazing wines with amazing styles with an impeccable quality! A true pioneer, who is making the next generation wines, but carrying still the legacy of the past with exquisite port wines.

TAYLOR'S VINTAGE PORT VARGELLAS VINHA VELHA -tasting / Vintage 2017:With six years since 2011 the 2017 follows the biggest gap in the VVV history. Strong and intense dark-red colour with medium violet reflections. Tobacco, cassis and black cherry in the deep and complex bouquet. The palate continues this enormous intensity without losing balance: White pepper, tobacco, dark cherry and cassis, perfectly structured acidity and ripe tannins. Long and multi-layered aftertaste. A little more than 5.000 bottles produced. 97

Château Montrose 1888 / Mid clear fox red. Sweet, tender, gentle. Wonderfully hedonistic. Liquorice again. Very Montrose – with a real core of rosy sweet fruit. Very rich, racy and thoroughbred – just like a wonderfully sinewy racehorse. Shiny. Not unlike the marvellous 1911. There was an extraordinary variation between the paleness at the top of the bottle and the dark graininess of the sediment at the bottom. Bravo!