Marjan Simcic Rebula Opoka Medana Jama Cru 2017 / Golden colour with amber shades.Elegance on the nose: fruits, spices, gentian, dried orange, star anise and apricot jam in the finish. Thick and crunchy palate with a very long-lasting persistence. 97 points

2004 Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaires / Toasty and layered with wonderful depth and a long finish. This prestige cuvee offers wonderful concentration and is often under-valued in the market compared to its peers. Since 1983, the Blanc de Millenaires is only sourced from 5 villages of Cote de Blanc. 30,000 bottles made per year. Aged for 13 years on its lees and made only every 5-7 years.

LA CONSEILLANTE 2005 98p / Tasted in November 2021. Yield - 38 hl/ha. Great stuff coming from this outstanding vintage. Truffles, seductive nose, elegant and incredibly classy wine, red meat, very sophisticated, great structure, and incredibly long aftertaste. Fantastic wine and the best example of this wine I’ve had.

Penfolds Bin 798 RWT Shiraz 2018 / Already elegant and refined, but also showing a succulent side, featuring creamy notes of maraschino cherry, raspberry coulis and fresh pomegranate at the core. Super intense and well balanced. Accents of sage, tobacco and espresso come in on the finish. The finish, framed by softly dusty and supple tannins, suggests a wine capable of at least two decades of positive evolution. This is surprisingly approachable now.

2020 Bordeaux is the grand finale of the never-before-experienced, three consecutive run of great vintages. Yes, there has been a few back-to-back double plays, but this is the first time Bordeaux has ever experienced a full hat trick. There are differences in the vintages, which will become more apparent as the wines age and evolve. Each vintage is unique. Perhaps 2020 is closest to 2018, for its opulent, velvet drenched, sensuous style.  Though, it is important to note that you also find freshness, lift and elegance. Here is something to consider about 2020, alcohol levels are lower for many estates, which is surprising with hot, dry years like 2020.

To my palate, the 2018 vintage sometimes feels a little too ripe or baked. I was reminded of those characteristics when tasting the Fèlsina 2018 Fontalloro. There is plenty of dark fruit at its core, but this wine also reveals dry tones of jarred oregano, grilled Mediterranean herb, crushed aspirin and graham cracker. The mouthfeel is pleasantly lean and silky, and perhaps the wine delivers more in terms of length than it does weight or texture. A little more bottle age should help flesh out and soften these results.

Gérard Bertrand considers Clos du Temple 2020 to have an ageing potential of 15 years. A blend of red grapes and Viognier, this is a structured wine with a broad fruity and spicy palette. A beautiful balance and sense of harmony, combined with depth. The fine spicy thread runs through the fruit. The finish is marked by a touch of apricot and grape.

I was deeply impressed with the Mount Eden wines in this vertical. To be sure the best wines of the 1980s and 1990s, those made from 1940’s era vines, have a deep fascination. But there are other, more recent, examples that are just as compelling. The 2011, from a very tough and low yielding vintage, or the 2014, made in the middle of a severe drought cycle, are but two examples. Despite Mount Eden’s stellar track record, the wines remain under the radar and exceptionally well-priced given their superb quality and sheer character. I can’t think of too many estates in the world that craft gorgeous, artisan, ageworthy wines at this level that consumers can still afford.

Vega-Sicilia Unico vertical 1947-1990. It is seldom that one gets to taste several Vega-Sicilia Unicos in vertical tastings, but when it does occur there is certainly excitement in the air. This occasion was no exception, although the wines did not turn out to be as wonderful as expected. The most worrying thing was the inconsistency between the vintages, and surprisingly, the lesser vintages stood out as fascinating wines. The common denominator was that after decanting the wines started to evolve in a noticeably more rapid manner in the decanter, but especially in the glass. Generally, the older Unicos before the 1980s prefer not long decantation.

Aurelio Montes jr. hosted an excellent tasting featuring three new arrivals of the winery with the famous guardian angel on the label. Alpha M, the blend from the Apalta valley consists of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% each of Petit Verdot and Merlot.  Montes Folly is from the Apalta Valley too and a pure Syrah, aged for 80% in new French oak and for 20% in second-use barrels. Finally the Purple Angel from the Colchagua valley is consisting of 92% Carmenere and 8% Petit Verdot. Three great wines in an exciting tasting. 

Ceretto Barolo Brunate 2013 –  La Morra. Pale ruby with orange tinges. Although the Brunate has the same ageing regime of one year in barrique, of which 10% was new, the oak is much more noticeable here than in the Bricco Rocche just tasted. Elegant and subtle focused fruit with fine, grainy tannins. Finely tuned, elegant wine with a subtle fresh finish. 17+/20 points.