Petrus 2020/ Very intense, pure and layered – fine wood and gentle toast showing blackberry, raspberry, cassis, truffle and meaty notes. Impressive power with great elegance and an immense tannic backbone, very powdery and grainy with a chewy quality, absolutely no hard edges, refreshing and mouth coating with fine dark chocolate praline, black cherry and abundant fruit flavours followed by an extremely long, nuanced and pure finish. 100 points

CHÂTEAU PALMER 1928 / Before the Merlots planted under the influence of the Miailhe family typified the cru as we know it today and made it so admired, Palmer was undoubtedly planted with more traditional grape varieties. Or at least closer to that of Château Margaux. Tasted on several occasions, this grandiose 1928 has always left me with unforgettable memories. The last one was during a vertical tasting at the château in the presence of Thomas Duroux, its brilliant director. But there was also the estate’s legendary 1961, which has done so much for its glory. While this vintage, for all its generosity of texture, was beginning to show signs of fatigue, this was not the case with the 1928. On every criterion of aromatic nobility, wine building on the palate, strength and originality of expression of the best Margaux soils, it crushed the 1961, but also most of the other vintages, by its naturalness and grandeur. As we know, the 1928s were admired for their potential right from the start, but they took a long time to make, longer than the 1929s. Many of them now have minor analytical deviations from the formal perfection of our best recent wines. In the case of this bottle, there were none, which says a lot about the skill of the men in the cellar at the time. I know it’s hard to believe in so much superiority or authority in such an old wine. But if you’re lucky enough to drink one that’s so well preserved, you’ll quickly realise that the great Médocs are a glory of our viticulture. It hardly deserves the stupid French bashing it receives from our astonishing elites.

Krug Vintage 1929 / 100 points / Best mature Champagne I have ever had! Served blind. Roasted almonds, nuts, brioche, intense, smoky notes, almonds, hazelnuts, dried fruits, so detailed, yellow oxidative apples picked from the ground, nuanced. Amazing nose. Leaps out of the glass. Floral notes and some fine caramel hints with more air, peach, layered, you could smell it all night, especially since it was enjoyed next to Beethoven's moonshine sonata, played on the most magnificent Steinway. 
Fresh acidity, so detailed, intense, nuanced, bright fruit, perfect balance, such smoothness, fruit stones, minerals, chalky, layered, gorgeous, absolute perfection. Many young wines promises perfection, this has kept that promise, quoting Markus del Monego MW. 

The 100-tasting 1727-1949 / Day I with wines like Mouton 1899, Cheval Blanc 1929, Moet 1807, Apostolwein 1727, Palmer 1884, Margaux 1884, Krug 1929, Roederer 1915, Mumm 1893 etc.

Impressive tasting that confirmed why First Growths are the First Growths. Super solid and tremendously good condition wines from the 19th century! Not the best wine of the tasting, but the true starfor me was Moët & Chandon Vin de Sillery 1807 – what a champagne!!!  

An exciting tasting weekend in Finland has been a journey through time. Wines ranging from the 18th century till nowadays guaranteed an impressing tasting experience. 

The La Tâche was the palest of all the DRC 2017s, almost to the point of transparency. This is a floral, open knit expression of the monopoly Grand Cru, which is very far from being a blockbuster this year. Scented and appealing, with notes of avatar of roses, fresh leather and peat smoke on the nose, lots of whole bunch spice and structure, racy acidity, a hint of salinity, succulent red berry fruit and remarkable palate length. A layered, understated red.

BWW2023 Finals -part II with wines like Keller G-Max, Dominus, Ao Yun, Burlotto, Gaja, Guigal etc.

QUINTA DO NOVAL VINTAGE PORT NACIONAL 1963 – This is the Vintage Port which most people would like to take to their lonely island. High-scores everywhere and so much life ahead that it almost frightens you: The colour is easily 10-20 years younger of what you would expect. Deep, dark-red colour with lots of reflections. Perfectly balanced bouquet with finesse and intensity. Long and multi-layered aftertaste. Tasted last year at the Quinta. Port-Heaven! 100

BWW2023 - Best Wine of the World-competition Day III / One more day to go before the we know the winners!

K Vintners The Creator 2019 / "Absolutely Cabernet Sauvignon in style but co-fermented with Syrah to give seamless balance. Black currant, cedar box, fresh tobacco, and pencil lead. So much finesse and length. Blackberry, fire ash, and a mineral palate that keeps on saying ‘The Creator!’"

Vineyard
Powerline Estate Vineyard (100%) 

Charles planted the 38-acre estate vineyard in the heart of the Walla Walla Valley, located over 1200 feet in elevation. The soils are well-drained with cobblestone river rocks and underlying layers of sand and gravel deposits, allowing vines to develop very deep and strong roots. The deep sand and silt below the stones bring a great purity to the grapes, while high elevations keep acids high, producing very well-balanced wines with remarkable complex characters. 

Vintage Notes
The 2019 vintage was on the cooler side as it started slow with a later-than-usual bud break and continued on to be fairly moderate throughout the year. Some vineyards had issues with an October freeze a bit earlier than usual, but our high-elevation vineyards have great air drainage which allows us to extend the growing season late into October without freeze. This yielded fantastic ripening and some awesome wines with incredible balance and character. Overall, we are excited about the wine produced in 2019, which has brought us more finesse, incredible flavors, and lovely balance.

Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2019/ The quality of the tannins is so impressive in this wine, even though it’s a tannic year. Medium to full body. Lovely complexity and length. Barrel sample. Bottled next year and released in 2025. 99-100p