The 1961 Petrus is a legendary wine, although bottles are now extremely scarce and there are plenty of fakes. Upon close examination of the bottle and cork, with evidence of provenance and verifying with Jean-Claude Berrouet, this is the real deal. It is quite deep in color with just a touch of turbidity, though nothing to fret about. What distinguishes the 1961s is a marine-like trait and this is certainly evident here – a whiff of a cold northerly sea, touches of kelp and crustaceans. It has bewildering delineation. The palate is quite structured, perhaps more so than the 1964 Petrus, quite “serious” and masculine, almost Left Bank in style thanks to its cedar-infused black fruit. With aeration, shade becomes light. There are more red fruit in evidence, all with wondrous detail on the sweet finish that suggests a discrete Cabernet Franc influence. It is an awesome Pomerol, not perfect, certainly of its time. To repeat a phrase I used previously: ‘tis a wine of staggering beauty

2016 Torre Muga is the most "international" in style of the bodega's reds - controversially so when it was first released in 1991 - and is a cuvée of Tempranillo with 20% Mazuelo and Graciano, aged in 100% new French wood. Using fruit from the "magic triangle" between Villalba, Haro and Labastida, it's plush, aromatic and finely judged with subtle wood, violet top notes, sculpted tannins and the depth and concentration to age.

Niepoort Redoma Branco 2019 / A bright, vivid white with sliced-lemon, green-apple and some white-pineapple aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied with a tight palate and a bright, vivid finish. Stone and lemon rind at the end with just a hint of lemon curd. Drink now.

Château Climens 1921 / Crème bulée, molasses but still quite dominant acidity. Apple pectin, vanilla and plum compote. Long, elegant finish. 19 points

This compelling 2021 Penfolds release highlights the fidelity of multi-vineyard sourcing, precision winemaking and the authentic Penfolds House Style tradition. The collection in many respects demonstrates that every vintage, regardless of growing conditions, can have a silver lining. In many cases the lining of this year’s release is made of gold. I loved the white wines for their lovely pure fruit definition, volume and tension. The 2019 reds are beautifully made wines with the rich fruit expression typical of Penfolds and a vigour and energy that promises great cellaring careers. The 2018 St Henri is a benchmark vintage and is a must for lovers of this tried and tested maturation style. 2017 Grange does not disappoint and transcends the reputation of the vintage. Although it will fly under the radar for many years, it will develop into something beautiful to drink somewhere around 2028 onwards! Chief winemaker Peter Gago AC and his exceptional winemaking team have triumphed once again! This is a release for punters and collectors. No disappointments and highly recommended. 

Great wine evening along with nice people, a nice flight !

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.

Mazzei 1435

The first longer journey to a wine region after the pandemic lockdown brought me to Tuscany. With some friends I stayed at the Castello di Fonterutoli with visits of all important vineyards of the Mazzei in Tuscany. A thrilling experience with a lot of very fine wines. 

The 2017 range from Méo-Camuzet delivers a great promise for grand Burgundy lovers. So elegant and refined mineral style with immense density and multilayered structure. Cros Parantoux stands out again as magical as always!     

2017 GRANGE/ This 2021 release marks the 70th anniversary of Grange. Dense, dark, supple and quite beautiful this year. The oak is a major player, of course, but the bounty of red fruits on the palates sings in a louder voice than that of the dark, resinous and frankly charry baritone oak. It is hard not to make comparisons between this and a universe of stars… such is the kaleidoscopic thrust and pull of the galaxy of flavours on the palate. Forest berries, butcher’s meats, exotic market spices, peppercorns from the bush, all of it swirling within a midnight vortex of tannin and shape. Extraordinarily beautiful, perhaps more beguiling than the 2016 simply by virtue of its unexpected delicacy on the palate. I love this release. What a beauty.

100% shiraz this year – previously this occurred in 1951, 1952, 1963, 1999, 2000, 2011, 2017. Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale. 18 months in American oak hogsheads (100% new).

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2018/ A ripe and super-fresh nose offers up notes of black raspberry, plum liqueur, Asian-style tea and a whiff of incense. The racy, intense and mineral-driven big-bodied flavors retain outstanding delineation as well as an abundance of palate soaking dry extract before delivering stunningly good length. This incredibly powerful effort is both classy and highly complex and like the Bonnes Mares, is a wine that will live for decades. With that said, it's not so backward and compact to preclude it being approachable after only 10 to 12 years. 
Barrel Sample: 94-97

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!