The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is breathtaking. Everything is in the right place in this dazzling, superb Cabernet Sauvignon. Layers of dark fruit, plums, camphor, licorice and espresso emerge from this effortless,... Read More
The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Beychevelle wafts sensuously from the glass with fragrant Black Forest cake, potpourri, star anise and black tea scents over a core of black raspberries, warm blackcurrants and kirsch with touches... Read More
It will be fascinating to follow the evolution of the 2009 Cheval Blanc versus the 2010 as well as the awesome 2005, 2000, 1998 and 1990. This famous estate's vineyard is situated at the juncture of Pomerol and the sandy,... Read More
Tasted single blind against its peers. Chateau Climens always tends to go into its shell after bottling, which is probably why I was not dishing out an even higher score to this still, spellbinding Barsac. The 2007 is endowed... Read More
The 2009 Climens is certainly more expressive on the nose compared to the 2010 Climens with potent honeysuckle, fresh pear and orange blossom that gently unfurl from the glass. Compared to the 2009 Rieussec for example, this is... Read More
Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Climens 2011 has one of the most potent aromatics of the flight with expressive honey, fig, barley sugar and grilled almond nose that is reminiscent of Château... Read More
Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The 2011 Château Coutet has a distinctive but attractive bouquet: clear honey, rosewater, peach and just a touch of barley sugar that pins it down to Barsac. The palate is... Read More
Space limitations preclude including tasting notes. 2003 is a rich, sweet vintage of powerful, full-bodied wines that possess huge levels of glycerin, alcohol, and residual sugar. RP
Delivering 12.0% ABV and 200gms residual sugar, Denis Dubourdieu's luxury Barsac, the 2007 L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daene, does not hold back, born with a lucid golden hue with big fat tears (of joy). The bouquet is very... Read More
With 12.2% alcohol and 212 gms residual sugar, the L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daene consists of 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillion. It has a very taut, controlled bouquet that (pardon the expression) is less extravagant than... Read More
The 2015 L'Extravagant de Doisy Daene has a powerful, intense but very pure bouquet laden with acacia honey, peach and quince, yet very defined and not at all overwhelming - remarkable given the richness locked into this Sauternes.... Read More
There is only a tiny amount of the light gold/green-colored 2001 Doisy-Daene l'Extravagant (primarily Sauvignon Blanc). As the name suggests, it is extravagantly rich as well as very full-bodied with extraordinary purity and... Read More
The 2016 Vintage Port is a field blend sourced from the typical three Quintas (Panascal in the Tavora Valley and Quinta do Cruzeiro and Quinta de St Antonio in the Pinhão Valley). This was not quite bottled when first seen (set... Read More
A candidate for wine of the vintage, the 2007 Graham's Vintage Port is complete in every way. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up an ethereal perfume of smoke, mineral, Asian spices, incense, an amalgam of ripe black fruits,... Read More
Composed of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet-purple colored. It opens slowly, cautiously with restrained notes of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries, warm... Read More
A blend of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot with just under 14% natural alcohol, the 2009 Latour is basically a clone of the super 2003, only more structured and potentially more massive and long lived. An elixir of momentous... Read More
Blended of 97.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.6% Merlot and 0.3% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Latour is exquisitely perfumed, displaying fragrant notes of crushed black cherries, raspberry preserves, cassis and black... Read More
Performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel, this appears to be the finest Lynch Bages since the 2000, 1990 and 1989. According to the chateau, the 2009 has the highest level of polyphenols ever measured as well... Read More
A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Palmer gives a very serious nose of pronounced blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and blackberry preserves with hints of cedar... Read More
The 2018 Pavie Macquin is deep garnet-purple colored and a little closed to begin, slowly revealing subtle notions of dark chocolate, candied violets and rose hip tea over a core of plum preserves, blueberry compote and cherry... Read More
One of the most beautiful Rauzan-Seglas made in decades, this blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot and tiny dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot exhibits a gorgeous perfume of spring flowers, subtle... Read More
The Suduiraut 2001 has an attractive bouquet of honeycomb, passion fruit and a touch of petrol that are well defined, if not as complex as more recent vintages such as the 2009. The palate is well balanced with fine citrus lemon... Read More
The 2015 Suduiraut comes with 123 grams per liter of residual sugar, more modest than some of its Sauternes peers and 4.56 grams per liter of acidity. It has a sense of completeness on the nose already: immense clarity with wild... Read More
The 1988 is a backward-styled Yquem, built along the lines of the extraordinary 1975. With a honeyed, smoky, orange/coconut/pineapple-scented nose, this powerful wine possesses full body, layers of highly concentrated, extracted... Read More