|
White Burgundy |
2016 |
Puligny 1er Cru Champ Gain
Sauzet
|
2 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£630 |
Score: 92
Tasted: Jun 15, 2018
Drink: 2023+
Issue: 71
Outstanding
Producer note: Gérard Boudot described the 2016 vintage as "one that is already infamous for the combined double whammy of frost and mildew. One of the interesting, if painful, aspects of the frost is just how disparate the damage was. For example, the grands crus in particular were crushed as was my parcel of Chassagne yet the 1ers, with the exception of Folatières, were largely untouched so yields were pretty much normal there. On the other side of the ledger though is the sad reality that there will be no Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Chassagne or Bienvenues in 2016. I chose to begin picking on the 20th of September and thankfully the fruit came in both very clean and ripe without being too ripe so there were no issues with either fermentation. As to the wines, I would say that the quality is very good if not necessarily great. They do have very fine transparency and I see no reason why they shouldn't amply reward mid-term to mid-term plus cellaring." Boudot noted that the domaine had begun sealing the necks of the bottle with wax for the grands crus and he is sufficiently encouraged by the results that he intends to adopt this for all of the wines going forward. I would point out again that as of 2013 the domaine is using corks with a diameter of 25 mm (24 is normal) from cork bark that has a minimum of 12 years of age. Lastly, with the exception of the Bourgogne, the wines were bottled in January and February 2018. (Vineyard Brands, www.vineyardbrands.com, AL, USA; O.W. Loeb, www.owloeb.com, Justerini & Brooks, www.justerinis.com, Tanners Wine, www.tanners-wines.co.uk, The Wine Society, www.thewinesociety.com, Davy & Co., www.davywine.co.uk, Goedhuis & Co., www.goedhuis.com, Harrods Limited, www.harrods.com/food-and-wine, Laytons, www.laytons.co.uk, Clarion Wines, www.clarionwines.co.uk, The Rare & Fine Wine Company Limited, www.therareandfinewinecompany.com, House of Townend, www.houseoftownend.com, Claret-E Ltd, www.claret-e.com, Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com and Domaine Direct, www.domainedirect.co.uk, all UK; Sequin & Robillard/Vinifera, www.seguinrobillard.ca, Canada).
Tasting note: A smoky and expressive nose offers up notes of apple, pear, acacia and rose petal. Once again there is excellent intensity to the racy yet cool medium weight flavors that are at once richer and stony, all wrapped in a markedly saline-inflected finish that delivers even better persistence. Good stuff.
|
|
92 |
|
White Burgundy |
2015 |
Puligny 1er Cru Referts
Sauzet
|
2 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£550 |
Outstanding
Moderate reduction pushes the underlying fruit to the background at present. By contrast there is good verve to the opulent, even lavishly rich, flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract on the notably more complex and vibrant finale. This beauty is quite refreshing thanks to a hint of backend salinity. Drink: 2023+
Score: 90/93 Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (67), June 2017
(these old vines adjacent to Meursault Charmes produced just 30 hectoliters per hectare in 2015): Palish yellow. Sexy touch of clove reduction to the aromas of musky peach and citrus peel. Silky and concentrated, with its enticing touch of sweetness nicely countered by balancing acidity (4 grams per liter, according to Gérard Boudot). Finishes tactile and energetic, with lingering flavors of yellow fruits and saline minerality. This should age nicely. 2019 - 2026
Score: 92 Stephen Tanzer, vinous.com, September 2017
|
|
92 |
|
White Burgundy |
2015 |
Puligny 1er Cru Champ Canet
Sauzet
|
2 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£595 |
Sweet spot Outstanding
Once again firm reduction makes the nose a tough read. The rich, fresh and energetic medium-bodied flavors possess a beautifully elegant mouth feel that continues on to the refined, focused and impeccably well-balanced though notably firmer finish. Drink: 2025+
Score: 91/94 Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (67), June 2017
(this fruit was picked fully ripe at the beginning of the harvest): Very pale bright yellow. Subtly complex aromas of yellow peach, apricot and spices. Boasts superb volume and a hint of sweetness to its yellow fruit and spice flavors, with harmonious acidity giving the wine a firm shape. Very easy to appreciate today owing to its silky sweetness but has the balance, volume and concentration for mid-term aging. Finishes tactile and very long, like chewing on ripe berries.
Score: 92 Stephen Tanzer, vinous.com, September 2017
|
|
92 |
|
Rhone |
1999 |
Chateauneuf du Pape Etienne Gonnet
Font de Michelle
[Duty Paid] |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£135 |
Red-ruby. Deeper, sweeter, more complex nose features spicy redcurrant, violet pastille, game and underbrush. Dense, sweet and highly concentrated, but with the firm acid structure of the vintage. Finishes very long, with tongue-dusting but fine tannins.
Score: 91+ Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Table (vinous.com), January 2002
|
|
91 |
|
Rhone |
1999 |
Cornas Les Reynard
Allemand, Thierry
[Duty Paid] |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£895 |
|
|
|
|
Italy |
2015 |
Masseto
|
1 |
Case |
3 |
75cl |
£1,550 |
Rating
100
Release Price
$735
Drink Date
2020 - 2050
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
6th Sep 2018
Source
Mid-September New Releases, The Wine Advocate
The release of this wine comes at a very happy time for the Masseto brand. The stunning 2015 Masseto is hitting the market just as the final touches are being made to the new Masseto winery. I'm told that Masseto might one day see other wines made under that same roof, so we can't exclude a future enlargement of the Masseto portfolio. The Masseto vineyard now covers seven hectares (divided into three plots), and the vines range from 30 to 40 years old. The wine is absolutely teeming with sensorial spirit that is transmitted through the bounty of the bouquet and the solid tannins of the mouthfeel. Nothing about the wine goes unnoticed or unchecked. Its many working pieces fit together with precision like a well-oiled machine. The 2015 vintage is characterized by a level of sheer exuberance that also defined the 2004 and 2007 vintages. Yet, it also reveals similar power, directness and linearity that we saw in the 2010 vintage. The 2015 Masseto takes the best of all those past vintages and confines those qualities to this single, spectacular bottle.
|
|
100 |
|
Italy |
2014 |
Masseto
|
1 |
Case |
3 |
75cl |
£1,200 |
Rating
94
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2019 - 2035
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
28th Apr 2017
Source
230, The Wine Advocate
The 2014 Masseto has developed beautifully over the past few years of its oak and bottle evolution. This is a very distinctive edition of the iconic Italian Merlot that delivers a silky and streamlined approach. As bold and opulent as Masseto is in the warm vintages, I personally find those wines difficult to finish because the extract, concentration and intensity are so over the top. The best vintages of Masseto usually overpower any food dish you put before them. This is a subdued and downplayed expression instead. The cool summer season has shaped fresh berry notes of wild blackberry and cassis with drying mineral, tobacco, licorice and tar. There is evident sweetness here in terms of the wine's fruit flavors and its tannins, but there also is a cooling vein of acidity that makes the difference. The alcohol feels integrated and light. If you are hankering for a less massive and less muscular Masseto, this vintage is for you.
|
|
94 |
|
Italy |
2013 |
Masseto
|
1 |
Case |
3 |
75cl |
£1,350 |
Rating
97
Release Price
$550
Drink Date
2018 - 2045
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
28th Oct 2016
Source
227, The Wine Advocate
The 2013 Masseto paints a glorious picture of Tuscany. It captures an inspired moment in time and walks an impressive tightrope between power and elegance. In my preview tasting last year, I noticed the firm textural richness of the 2013 vintage and the crystalline sharpness of its aromas. Thanks to 12 additional months of bottle aging, that impression is evermore constant and concrete. The focus is there, yet the wine has also fleshed out and put on more velvety definition especially in terms of mouthfeel. It wears its pedigree with pride, but most importantly it offers the balance and integration to promise a long and healthy aging future. The 2013 vintage follows closely on the heels of the impeccable 2006 and 2010 vintages in terms of cellaring potential. This is definitely a bottle that should interest collectors.
|
|
97 |
|
Rhone |
2013 |
Ermitage Le Pavillon
Chapoutier
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£725 |
Rating
98+
Release Price
$388
Drink Date
2021 - 2061
Reviewed by
Jeb Dunnuck
Issue Date
31st Dec 2015
Source
222, The Wine Advocate
The star of the show in 2013 is the 2013 Ermitage le Pavillon. Coming from the west and eastern edges of the Bessards lieu-dit and aged in 30% new French oak, its sensational black/blue color is followed by the awesome bouquet of cassis, smoked earth, graphite and caramelized meats that could come from no other terroir in the world. Full-bodied, massive, dense, sexy and with a liquid rock-like character that comes out with time in the glass, it has sweet tannin and a blockbuster finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It needs 5-6 years of cellaring and will have 30-40 years of more of ultimate longevity.
|
|
98 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2003 |
Pichon Lalande
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
150cl |
£1,350 |
The brilliant, opulent, fleshy 2003 Pichon Lalande (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot) possesses a high pH of 3.8 as well as 13% alcohol. Reminiscent of the 1982 Pichon Lalande (which never shut down and continues to go from strength to strength), the dense plum/purple-colored 2003 offers gorgeous aromas of blackberries, plum liqueur, sweet cherries, smoke, and melted licorice. Fleshy, full-bodied, and intense, displaying a seamless integration of wood, acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 20 years or more.
Score: 95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (164), April 2006
A beautiful wine that is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, tipping the scales at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.8, the wine has put on some weight since I tasted it last year and possesses broad, expressive notes of caramel, black currant liqueur, fig, and blackberries along with a hint of roasted coffee. Opulent, full-bodied, and concentrated with an exceptionally fleshy, expansive mid-palate, this wine has freshness, vigor, and delineation despite its rather plump, opulent, heady style. More and more this looks similar to the 1982 more than any other recent vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2022.
Score: 93/95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (158), April 2005
|
|
94 |
|
Red Burgundy |
2011 |
Ruchottes Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes
Rousseau
|
1 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£450 |
Tasting note: Not surprisingly this hasn't changed greatly since my last review in January 2014 (see herein) and most of my original tasting note remains apt. An adroit but not invisible application of wood frames cool, pure and restrained red and dark berry fruit, truffle and spice aromas that are becoming slightly earthier. There is good richness and volume to the intensely mineral-driven flavors that terminate in a beautifully complex, lengthy and impeccably well-balanced finish. This is very classy and should be excellent in due course. I should note that this is actually enjoyable now and while it is nowhere near its full maturity it is lovely thanks to the fine balance. Tasted twice recently with consistent results.
|
|
93 |
|
White Burgundy |
2018 |
Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Fevre, William
|
4 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£395 |
The holding comprises 2.5 ha planted between 1947 and 1952 and all still in great condition. Pale lemon colour. The nose is restrained but you are immediately in the presence of majesty. This has the most volume of all but is not the easiest to see. It has more flesh than Les Preuses, along with a different but equal mineral vitality to Côte Bouguerots The two together make something exceptional! Tasted: May 2019
Full information
Score: 95/97 Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy, May 2019
The 2018 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is another obvious success, mingling aromas of citrus and citrus confit with hints of beeswax, peach and pear in an inviting bouquet. Full-bodied, muscular and layered, it's textural and fleshy, with a deep and tightly wound core, racy acids and a chalky finish. This is a fine effort that will improve with bottle age, but it is a bit more front-loaded out of the gates than the very fine 2017 rendition.
Score: 95 William Kelley, RobertParker.com, July 2020
Aromas of waxy lemon rind, dried flowers and peaches preface the 2018 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, a full-bodied, ample and muscular wine that's deep, powerful and reserved. While it's early days to make a definitive judgement, it's obviously very promising.
Score: 93/95 William Kelley, RobertParker.com, August 2019
|
|
95 |
|
Red Burgundy |
2009 |
Mazy-Chambertin
Rousseau
|
2 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£490 |
Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils
2009
Mazis-Chambertin
Grand Cru Red barrel
Score: 91-93
Tasted: Jan 01, 2011
Drink: 2021+
Issue: 41
Note: from Mazis-Bas
Producer note: Eric Rousseau's take on the 2009 vintage was that "we had a normal winter that wasn't too cold followed by a humid but warm spring. The flowering was uniform and abundant and the summer was much better than average. In fact, I'd like to have a summer like this every year! We did have some early season hail in Clos de la Roche but the effect was on quantity and not quality. I began picking on the 7th of September and brought in generous yields that ranged from a low of 35 hl/ha to a high of 48 hl/ha. There was a normal incidence of shot berries though I heard some of my neighbors say that they had lots. Potential alcohols were solid but not really high at between 12.5 and 13.5% and the acidities were basically ideal. I did a classic vinification of 16 to 20 days with the only exception being that I used a higher proportion of whole clusters, which is to say 15 to 20% versus my usual 5 to 10%. [Rousseau noted that because of the hail, he used no whole clusters for the Clos de la Roche]. For me, 2009 is a genuinely great vintage as the wines have really elegant tannins that remind me of the 1985s or the 1990s. Because of their charm and velvety textures, the wines should drink well from the beginning." Rousseau noted that he used no new wood at all except for the Clos St. Jacques, Chambertin and Clos de Bèze. (Frederick Wildman, www.frederickwildman.com, NY, NY; Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com, UK, The Wine Society, www.thewinesociety.com, UK, Heyman, Barwell and Rudd, UK O.W. Loeb, www.owloeb.com, UK and Justerini & Brooks, www.justerinis.com, UK).
Tasting note: A more aromatically complex nose offers up notes of fresh and exuberant red berry fruit that is liberally laced with warm earth and animale nuances that carry over to the rich and attractively voluminous flavors blessed with an abundance of dry extract that buffers well the firm tannic spine on the delicious, balanced and sappy finish. This is more approachable than it usually is at this early stage though it will have no trouble aging well.
|
|
93 |
|
Red Burgundy |
2017 |
Mazy-Chambertin
Rousseau
|
3 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£395 |
Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils
2017
Mazy-Chambertin
Grand Cru Red barrel
Score: 91-94
Tasted: Jan 10, 2019
Drink: 2034+
Issue: 73
Note: from .53 ha in Mazis-Bas; 20% new wood in 2016
Producer note: Like most of her colleagues, Eric Rousseau's daughter Cyrielle described the 2017 growing season as "an easy one where there really wasn't too much to worry about other than controlling yields. After the frost losses we endured in 2016, many of the vines that had suffered damage were especially productive so it was necessary to drop quite a bit of fruit. However, out of all of the things that it's at times necessary to be concerned about, the best one to have is controlling yields, in fact I would call it a high class problem. Because the flowering passed quickly, the fruit had relatively homogenous ripeness levels plus it was very clean. Thus when we started the harvest on the 5th of September, we were able to harvest quickly, in fact we picked everything in only 8 days. Yields were obviously much better than in 2016 and we averaged around 35 hl/ha across all of our appellations. And by the same token when the fruit is ripe and clean the vinifications were straightforward. As to the wines, they're actually quite powerful with excellent freshness levels. The acidities aren't high but from a taste perspective, that is not at all how they come across as they're really quite vibrant. It's true that they don't have the sheer densities of the 2016s but they're so well-balanced that they're impressively harmonious." I agree with Cyrielle's take on the wines because while the Rousseau '17s aren't quite as dense as their '16s, they're not far off and they are complete and well-balanced. And the '16s, three of which are revisited from bottle below, are stunning; they were bottled in April 2018. As I reported previously, the domaine is now using bottles where the bottom of it is embossed with the name of the domaine. Also as of 2015 each cork used for the Chambertin and Clos de Bèze is individually analyzed for TCA-taint. This quality control step is being progressively applied to the other wines in the range.
Tasting note: Deft but not invisible wood easily allows the attractively spicy aromas of wild dark berries, plum, humus and a floral nuance to be appreciated. The succulent but powerful big-bodied flavors possess slightly better mid-palate density while exhibiting excellent power and minerality on the robust, saline and very firm finale. This too has been making real quality strides over the past few years.
|
|
94 |
|
Red Burgundy |
2006 |
Musigny
Mugnier JF
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£7,975 |
Tasting note: A gorgeously elegant and kaleidoscopic nose of high-toned red and black berry fruit aromas liberally laced with natural spices that offer impressive nuance and notable complexity introduces supple, finely detailed and beautifully textured flavors wrapped in a dusty, mineral-infused finish. This dances on the palate yet it is forceful with excellent finishing drive and intensity on the explosive and hugely long, slightly austere finale. This is one of those 'wow' wines as well as one of the best wines of the vintage.
|
|
95 |
|
Red Burgundy |
2008 |
Musigny
Vougeraie
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£3,400 |
A very backward nose that is also quite reduced leads to big, rich, and opulent flavors that possess a forceful, detailed and quite minerally finish that is serious, brooding and strikingly long yet despite the power possesses a seductive mouth feel that remains detailed and quite precise. I really like the texture and like the Bonnes Mares, it delivers a wonderful combination of power and finesse.
Score: 92/95 Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (37), January 2010
|
|
95 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
1995 |
Vieux Chateau Certan
[Damaged Labels] |
3 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£120 |
Rating
90
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2000 - 2012
Reviewed by
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Issue Date
1st Jan 1998
Source
Bordeaux Book, 3rd Edition, The Wine Advocate
This low acid, dark ruby/purple-colored wine offers up a sweet, jammy, black fruit-scented nose, with evidence of Asian spices and new oak. Made in a fleshy, lush, easy to understand and appreciate style, this forward 1995 will require drinking over its first 12-14 years of life. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2012. Last tasted 11/97
|
|
90 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2009 |
Latour
|
1 |
Case |
12 |
75cl |
£9,400 |
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 proportions, it boasts a dense purple color as well as an extraordinarily flamboyant bouquet of black fruits, graphite, crushed rocks, subtle oak and a notion of wet steel. It hits the palate with a thundering concoction of thick, juicy blue and black fruits, lead pencil shavings and a chalky minerality. Full-bodied, but very fresh with a finish that lasts over a minute, this is one of the most remarkable young wines I have ever tasted. Will it last one-hundred years? No doubt about it. Can it be drunk in a decade? For sure. Proprietor Francois Pinault and his director, Frederic Engerer, have pulled out all the stops to produce one of the most monumental Latour’s ever made.
Score: 100
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 01 March 2012
The 2009 Latour has off the charts concentration in addition to the highest level of tannin ever measured at the estate. The final blend was somewhat unusual in that it consists of 91.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.7% Merlot, and clocked in at 13.7% alcohol (even higher than the 2003). Possibly a 100-year wine, it boasts an inky/black/purple color as well as an extraordinary perfume of super-intense blue and black fruits, graphite, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality. Enormously full-bodied yet at the same time incredibly fresh, vibrant, and precise, it coats the mouth, and builds incrementally to skyscraper-like texture, and a whopping finish that lasts over a minute. This remarkable wine reveals a certain accessibility already, yet one senses that it will be even richer, more nuanced, and fuller by the time it is bottled in mid-2011. A monumental wine from a monumental vintage in the Medoc, this is our children's children's children's elixir. (Tasted once.) There is no doubting that Director Frederic Engerer and owner Francois Pinault are thrilled with what they have accomplished at Latour. These three wines are hugely different in price, but all are extraordinary.
Score: 98 - 100
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 01 April 2010
|
|
100 |
