Ken Gargett

The 1996 Salon, a famous blanc de blancs. Still so fresh and young, this will outlive most of us. My notes were simple: “Lord, take me now. 100.” Okay, not terribly helpful technically, but you get the gist. Not sure champagne gets better, but obviously it does get different. As an aside, a week later, I had the chance to enjoy a 1990 Salon. Another great vintage and great champagne, but much more advanced and mature. Great stuff, but I’d be drinking it sooner than later. The 1996? Any time you like.

Penfolds Grange 2018 – For me, it is simply one of the greatest young Australian wines I have seen. Truly stunning. It is a classic and cracking Grange. 

Like most Granges, a dollop of Cabernet is added to the Shiraz – this time just 3%. Multi-regional but Barossa dominant (69%), with material from McLaren Vale and the Clare Valley, the wine spent 18 months in new American hogsheads. 2018 was simply an outstanding vintage for South Australia. We have seen it with many wines and now we see it here with the Grange. 

Deep magenta in colour, near opaque. The immediate impression here is of great intensity but even more so, impeccable balance. A glorious nose, complete and complex. Black fruits are to the fore, and there is certainly oak evident, but of the finest quality and integrating superbly. The palate is fresh but dense and yet supple and seamless and with such length. Powerful, yet it sings and dances. The tannins are abundant yet so lace-like and silky that they are near invisible. Such an incredibly long finish, with the intensity maintained for the full length. Chocolate notes emerge on the finish. This should sail through 50 to 60 years in good cellars and could probably do up to 80 – not that this will be relevant to many of us. What was fascinating was that after tasting and scribbling notes, I realised that I had hardly identified any specific flavours, such is the overall balance and the way that nothing dominates to any extent, the wine already being such a complete entity. Retracing steps and with further investigation, look for mocha, blackberries, coffee bean notes, cassis, licorice, chocolate, charcuterie, beef stock and soy. Every taste brought forth new and evolving flavours. This is a truly magnificent wine, well on its way to becoming a legend. Not just a legendary Grange, but a legend in the world of wine. 100p.

Hugh Hamilton Loose Lips III NV – This wine goes against all the rules of conventional wisdom. A non-vintage red that blends Malbec (40%), Mataro (14%) and Grenache (8%) with the white grapes of Viognier (20%) Pinot Gris (11%) and Sauvignon Blanc (7%). Is there any other wine on the planet made up of this combination? It sounds like a trainwreck but the result is surprisingly good. Pale crimson in colour, this is soft and fragrant with notes of florals and herbs, red fruits and blackcurrant leaves. Some hints of undergrowth. Bright, fresh and exuberant with a soft, lingering finish. Drink now for a year or two. 91.

Graham's The Master Single Harvest Tawny 1950 – This Tawny is from a cooler vintage, with the fruit largely sourced from Graham’s legendary Quinta dos Malvedos. What a stunning Tawny this is! The age is immediately apparent in the color, burnt orange with green tinges around the edge. An ancient fortified, not dissimilar to some of the old gems from Rutherglen.

Wonderful elegance, there is a gentle sweetness here. Mocha, coffee bean, cigar box, orange peel, walnuts, fudge, chocolate, spices, and stone fruit. This is concentrated and complex and yet it dances. Incredibly intense, deliriously supple palate, extraordinary length, and it finishes with that amazing peacock’s tail with the explosion of flavors. A great fortified. 98.