Two estates are presenting the new vintage to the market. The Rothschild family with its Domaine de Baronarques and the Mazzei family with a selection of Chianti Riserva and Gran Selezione. Exciting wines with great class. 

Dom Pérignon 2003 P2 / Medium deep golden colour with rather small and vivid bubbles. Pure and intense nose, fine development without oxidation, roasted pine and pistachio nuts with confit de citron, fresh peach and brioche notes. The palate is ample and rather opulent with a rounded acidity yet with a nice fresh bite from fine extract, mild creaminess, nice layers of finely spicy yellow fruit, nougat and nutty flavours with a long and embracing finish. 95p

Château Suduiraut 2010 /Super nose with some exotic pineapple/mango/passion fruit undertones mixed with Vouvray-like blossom-tree and quince jelly, enormous body, but incredible purity and crystal-like transparency, great length, a masterpiece! Drink 2020-2070.

The 1966 Heitz Vineyard Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was an epic bottle, a testament to the heights that Napa can achieve, pun intended!  There was a minty and sexy nose that seeped caramel and eucalyptus.  There was this great herbal complexity that was so expressive.  Insane expression!  ‘So good’ was written over and over in my notes.  The palate was creamy, long and smooth with tasty and fresh caramel flavors.  Divine stuff (98).

Henchke Hill of Grace 2015 /"Effortlessly long, smooth and supple, this polished and uber-restrained shiraz unfolds a musky, peppery and faintly meaty bouquet of mulberries, cassis, dark plums, cedar/vanilla oak and paprika backed by suggestions of cola and sweet floral notes. Flaunting its rare restraint and finesse, it reveals layers of pristine translucently clear dark red, blue and black berry flavours supported by a refined, ultra-fine spine of loose-knit tannins and knit with creamy, cedary, cigarboxy oak, building in weight and lasting forever. A very different, distinctive Hill of Grace of exceptional quality and charm."

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti Grand Cru 2016 /
An expressive Romanee-Conti with great exuberance, intensity and complexity. This is a brilliant vintage for DRC and the Romanee-Conti in this vintage is suprisingly open at this stage. The wine combines everything one would want in a great Burgundy wine – delicacy, purity, depth, complexity, length and seductive flavors. 99 points

Montepeloso is a discovery from this year's Prowein fair. The winery itself lies in the Maremma region of Tuscany, set back from the Tyrrhenian coast and close to the mediaeval town of Suvereis. The estate has 30 hectares with partly terraced vineyards, spread across gently undulating slopes between 50 and 200 metres above sea level. The coastal influence and the surrounding macchia make it a very special terroir complemented by a soil rich in minerals, characterized by the Silex the scaly Scaglia Toscana (fossilized clay). 

The Gaja Barbaresco 1958 was made made by Angelo Gaja’s father, Giovanni—before the DOC rules were put in place in 1966, so there is no DOC on the label. Angelo remarked that all the 1958 Nebbiolo would have had some Barbera included at that time. And if you do find a bottle of 1958 on the market, there are several different labels, because the wines were bottled to order over a period of something like 14 years, and during this time the labels changed. In those days, there was no single-cru concept, and Angelo’s father Giovanni bottled different lots of this wine, labeling his best blend of the best plots “Infernot.”

“This vintage Krug 2008 is painfully slow to age. Its sumptuous nose comes with layers of baked apple, bitter almonds, smoke, dried flowers, acacia honey and buttery biscuits. The palate is viscous with oily qualities, yet tightly knit and stylishly refreshed by the wine’s accentuated, steely acidity. The nose is developing, but the palate has hardly moved since release. It comes with the structure for ageing, deserving further time. 

A stunning tasting of four noble sweet wines showed very individual characters for three classic styles. 

Niepoort Redoma Reserva Branco 2021 / Mineral, lemon, lime and flint on the nose. Reductive and fascinating. Medium to full body with creamy texture. Lemon rind and curd. Some nougat and stone. Flavorful and driven finish. Drink or hold. 94p

The 1999 “Cariad” marked Colgin’s first bottling of a Cabernet-based blend from this gravelly site in the hills west of Saint Helena. A powerful nose of plum, gravel, and black pepper immediately entice the senses. Strong black cherry and raspberry aromas with a hint of sweet tobacco leaf combine to create a beautifully balanced wine. Concentrated yet soft fruit tannins give this wine a voluptuous texture. The 1999 “Cariad” offers a seductive experience with a long silky finish and persistent structure, ensuring the wine will continue to age beautifully.

A cool, prolonged spring gave way to a mild summer where a balanced season unfolded. A sole heat event occurred in the first part of July, permitting the 1999 vintage to experience a lengthy maturation under rather ideal conditions. Harvest commenced following a weekend of intense heat in late September, continuing through October, and concluding the first week of November, due to the temperate nature of the season as a whole. The resulting wines possess impressive concentration and a strong backbone of acidity.