A very limited parcel of Cristal 2006, which has recently been made available by Louis Roederer under their 'Late Release' program. This is 7 years after the original release of this very senior fizz. The wine has been held in the Roederer cellars since bottling and is dressed with the new...(read more)

Back when my bottle reports came out in 2003, I urged extreme patience for this wine, which is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. I projected a maturity curve of 2012-2040, but based on this tasting, I would say the wine needs another 5-6 years, so call...(read more)

An utterly profound Lynch-Bages, this wine continues to remind me of a hypothetical blend of the 1990 and 1989. Interestingly, when I asked Jean-Michel Cazes to rank his top four vintages of Lynch-Bages, he ranked the 1989 first, followed by three vintages that he said were essentially equ...(read more)

The nose is rich but overlaying the fruit are attractive floral fragrances, violets and pine needles. The mix of black fruits, bramble and sloe give weight to the palate, dark chocolate giving a richer feel towards the back. The tannins are still very firm surrounding the fruit but there i...(read more)

This is lush and captivating in feel, with a velvety flow to the mix of plum, blackberry, boysenberry and açai berry compote flavors. A bold streak of licorice runs through the finish, underscored by a brambly note that impartsbalance. A stunning display of fruit.

There is an opulent quality about the nose and the rich fruit gives flesh on the palate. The powerful mix of flavours is under pinned by bilberry and red fruits that give a vibrancy towards the back. 2014-35

This has been opening up into full sumptuous expression for the last few years and now at 40 is seriously attractive. Displaying the full panoply of dark fruit, cherry and cassis, with liquorice and a rich, full-bodied chocolatey, wood-spice and a glorious, rich, walnutty finish.

A fresh nose, and a lightness and elegance, but then the intensity builds and it has a lovely, salivating richness and freshness, with quite a floral and expressive fruit. The longer it stays in the mouth the more exciting it gets, with the linear purity of the fruit giving a sense of ease...(read more)