BORDEAUX

BWW2025 Day 4: Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 – 99 Points

The 2020 vintage in Napa Valley was one of the most complex in recent memory, marked by heat events and regionally variable conditions. Yet Oakville’s prime benchland and hillside parcels performed exceptionally well, and estates with meticulous fruit selection produced wines of dazzling purity and precision. Screaming Eagle, with its tiny production and obsessive sorting standards, crafted a 2020 that is both profound and remarkably fresh, capturing the elegance and finesse for which the estate is known. The wine reflects low yields, impeccable ripeness, and a cooler late-season window that preserved aromatic lift and tension.

The Screaming Eagle 2020 opens with a breathtakingly pure and seductive bouquet. Notes of blackcurrant, blueberry, and dark cherry mingle with violets, graphite, and hints of crushed rose petals. There is striking clarity in the aromatics, lifted by subtle accents of cedar, black tea, and cool volcanic earth. Layers of cocoa husk, dried herbs, and warm spice emerge with aeration, adding quiet depth without disturbing the wine’s pristine profile.

On the palate, the wine is seamless, vibrant, and extraordinarily refined. A core of perfectly ripe black fruit is framed by silk-textured tannins that glide effortlessly across the palate. The wine shows remarkable balance, combining richness with levity. Flavors of cassis, plum skin, and mulberry expand into notes of licorice, sage, and dark chocolate. A bright, mineral thread gives definition and lift, carrying the wine with precision.

The finish is long, composed, and hauntingly elegant, echoing black fruit, floral perfume, and fine earth. This is a stunning Screaming Eagle that marries intensity with purity, showing the beauty of careful selection in a challenging year. It will age gracefully for twenty to thirty years, gaining savory nuance, aromatic complexity, and further seamless integration.

BWW2025 Day III Red Wines: Harlan Estate 2021/

A wine of precision, grandeur, and quiet power. The 2021 Harlan Estate opens with an exquisitely layered bouquet — blackcurrant, wild blueberry, graphite, violets, and warm crushed stone, all delivered with a cool, elegant restraint that speaks to the vintage. With air, hints of cedar, cocoa nib, tobacco leaf, and a subtle minty lift weave themselves into the aromatic tapestry.

On the palate, the wine is silky yet commanding, perfectly balanced between richness and tension. The fruit is pure and vibrant, framed by ultra-fine tannins that feel both weightless and architectural. Notes of black cherry, cassis, blueberry compote, and ripe plum glide through the mid-palate, supported by undertones of smoked herbs, pencil shavings, dark chocolate, and sweet earth.

The structure is remarkable: precision acidity, seamless integration, and a sense of inner energy that propels the wine forward. The finish is exceptionally long, echoing with dark fruit, crushed rock minerality, and a lingering violet perfume. 98 points

Tastingbook tasted Screaming Eagle 1997-2019 / Last Friday's tasting was a rare journey through Screaming Eagle’s legacy—Cabernet icons from 1997 to 2019, alongside the estate’s rarities: Blanc and Second Flight. The lineup highlights Napa’s defining vintages: the power of 1997 and 2013, the elegance of 2010 and 2019, and the charm of 2004 and 2014. The Blanc 2018 and 2019 reveal crystalline precision, while Second Flight 2019 shows approachability without compromise.

Together, these wines capture two decades of Napa Valley—its great vintages, its subtle shifts in style, and the consistent brilliance that makes Screaming Eagle a true modern icon.

Dinners with friends: The 1975 Hill of Grace / 1975 vintage in South Australia was warm and generally dry, following a mild winter and spring. Flowering and fruit set were excellent, leading to healthy yields across the Eden Valley. The warm summer ripened Shiraz fully, producing wines of generous richness and ripe tannin structure. Compared to the finer, more restrained 1972, the 1975 Hill of Grace emerged deeper, denser, and more opulent—built for longevity and power.

Deep garnet core with brick-red edges and slight tawny fade, showing fine clarity for its age.

A rich, mature bouquet of dark plum, black cherry, and dried fig unfolds with layers of cedar, leather, mocha, and aged balsamic. Secondary and tertiary aromas—smoked meats, earth, menthol, and exotic spice—rise gracefully from the glass. There’s still a whisper of sweet fruit beneath the savoury complexity.

Full-bodied and beautifully balanced after five decades in bottle. Concentrated black fruits mingle with chocolate, roasted coffee, and savoury spice. The tannins are fully integrated yet still present enough to lend backbone, while the acidity remains lively, giving the wine an elegant, lifted finish. It shows both the power of the warm 1975 season and the finesse of Hill of Grace’s old vines.

A classic mature Hill of Grace showing warmth, generosity, and depth. The 1975 has aged with dignity, retaining its fruit core while developing layers of savoury complexity. A testament to the vineyard’s resilience and the winemaking craftsmanship of the Henschke family during this formative era.

At peak maturity; best enjoyed now to 2030.

94 Points

“50 Icons, 100 Vintages, One Extraordinary Tasting” Helsinki became the stage for one of the most ambitious wine events ever hosted by Tastingbook. Fifty of the world’s greatest estates, each represented by two remarkable vintages, were poured side by side and tasted blind. Sixteen wine professionals from nine countries—from India to Australia to the U.S.—came together for two days of discovery, debate, and pure vinous excitement.

Penfolds Grange La Chapelle 2021: A striking wine of poise and quiet power, the 2021 Grange La Chapelle immediately announces itself with a lifted, perfumed bouquet of dark cherries, wild violets, blackcurrant leaf and a fine thread of graphite. With air, subtle notes of cedar, crushed herbs, and warm earth emerge, giving the nose both depth and intrigue.

On the palate, this is beautifully sculpted – sleek and refined rather than overtly forceful. Juicy black fruits and red plum glide across the tongue, wrapped in silky yet firm tannins that promise graceful evolution. There’s a cool-climate precision to the vintage, with bright acidity carrying flavors of cassis, cocoa nibs, and a touch of savory spice into a long, mineral-etched finish.

Seamless tannins and well-balanced acidity reflect a blend that honors both the powerful side of La Chapelle and the elegance of Grange. This is not the most opulent wine, but one of the most finely detailed in recent memory – elegant, layered, and already harmonious, though its structure suggests it will unfurl magnificently over the next two decades. A wine of rare balance and inner radiance.

Grange La Chapelle represents the first-ever time Penfolds’ flagship wine has been blended with another estate’s product—an unprecedented move born from friendship and shared vision between winemakers Peter Gago (Penfolds) and Caroline Frey (La Chapelle). Ultra-limited release: Only a handful of bottles globally—plus a select few through Penfolds direct-to-consumer channels. Nick Ryan of The Australian awarded this vintage 99 points, calling it “unquestionably destined for greatness” and likening it to legendary past Grange releases

Old Bordeaux Off-Vintage tasting: Château d’Yquem 1901 reflects the struggle of its year — more a gentle curiosity than a triumph. The nose offers shy traces of burnt sugar, bruised apple, beeswax, and damp hay, edged with oxidative notes of old sherry and dried orange peel. On the palate, sweetness has largely faded, leaving behind a lean, slightly bitter profile of caramelized nuts, marmalade rind, and tired honey. The texture is thin, lacking the usual opulent depth of Yquem, and the finish tapers quickly, tinged with oxidative sharpness. A wine more about history than pleasure — a fragile relic reminding us that even legends have their off years.

Tastingbook had a superb Roederer Cristal 1959-2015 tasting: A masterpiece from a golden vintage, the 1959 Cristal reveals the regal aging potential of this iconic cuvée. In the glass, it shimmers with a deep amber-gold hue, hinting at its maturity yet retaining a surprising brilliance.

The nose is profoundly expressive, offering a layered bouquet of dried apricot, honeycomb, toasted brioche, marzipan, and aged white truffle. With air, subtle notes of chamomile, dried orange peel, and candied ginger emerge, all underpinned by a gentle oxidative complexity that adds depth without overpowering.

On the palate, the wine is ethereal yet persistent. The mousse has softened gracefully, giving way to a silky texture that carries flavors of preserved lemon, roasted nuts, caramelized apple, and hints of saffron. There's a remarkable tension still present—a ghost of the wine’s youthful acidity—keeping the richness in perfect balance.

The finish is hauntingly long, echoing with notes of hazelnut, dried fig, and fine chalky minerality.

Drink now – at peak maturity. A rare and unforgettable experience.

Tastingbook tasted champagnes at Taittinger, Krug, Bollinger, Philipponnat, Ruinart etc.

Tastingbook tasted Gaja vintages from 1958 to 2021, which reveal a remarkable journey through time, showcasing the evolution, resilience, and timeless elegance of one of Italy’s most iconic wine families. The older vintages offer a nostalgic glimpse into history, often fragile yet rich with complex tertiary aromas, while the younger wines burst with vibrant fruit, structure, and refined precision. Across the decades, Gaja’s unwavering commitment to quality and terroir shines through, delivering wines that combine power with finesse and promise enduring aging potential. Together, these notes paint a vivid portrait of Nebbiolo’s majestic expression under Gaja’s masterful hand—wines to be treasured, cellared, and celebrated across generations.

Barolo 2019 is an excellent vintage—classic and balanced. It shows great structure, freshness, and aging potential, with refined tannins and vibrant acidity. One for the cellar.