Drink Pink - Make time for Rosé!

The 2022 Giscours has a more backward nose than I envisaged, which is not a bad thing at this early stage, unfolding with blackberry, blueberry and brine scents. There is real concentration here, but it feels like it's going... Read More

Chateau Pavie Macquin, took its name from Albert Macquin. The name of Macquin is famous today for more than being attached to a Saint Emilion chateau. Albert Macquin was a true pioneer. He deserves much of the credit for solving... Read More

The 2018 Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is a powerful, muscular wine. Black cherry, gravel, dark spice, menthol, licorice and espresso add to an impression of brooding intensity. Saint-Pierre was so compelling from barrel. It is... Read More

The 2021 Beychevelle, incidentally the final vintage to contain Cabernet Franc according to Philippe Blanc, is still a little tight on the nose after bottling in June, but, it has a wonderful sense of purity and delineation. The... Read More

The label of Guidalberto depicts the Oratory of San Guido, and the wine is named after the family ancestor Guidalberto della Gherardesca, an agricultural pioneer in the Bolgheri area. It was in the first decades of the 1800’s... Read More

Beautiful aromas and flavors of cassis, ripe black cherries and raspberries. Some earth, too. This is a full-bodied red with silky tannins and a long, fruity finish. Juicy. Better in 2018.

The 2020 Duhart-Milon has a classy, well-defined bouquet, with brambly red fruit, pencil box and scents of autumn leaves, gradually gaining intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with rather dry tannins that render... Read More

The 2014 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is one of my favorite wines from the Left Bank in this vintage. Bright and vivacious blackberry, cedar and graphite scents soar from the glass with real purpose. Wonderful delineation. The palate is... Read More

Saturated ruby. Spice- and mineral-accented black and blue fruits, succulent flowers and candied licorice on the highly perfumed nose. Juicy, sweet and focused on the palate, offering intense boysenberry, bitter cherry and spicecake... Read More

Chateau d’Issan is one of the oldest wine-producing properties in the Medoc as well as in all of Bordeaux. In 1152, the wine produced by what we know of as Chateau d’Issan today was served for the royal wedding between... Read More

The 2011 Petrus has plenty of fruit on the nose, elegant and floral, redcurrant and raspberry fruit, a touch of crushed stone and pressed rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with a rich and quite extravagant style of the finish,... Read More

The 2015 Branaire-Ducru has a refines bouquet with cranberry, redcurrant and a hint of tomato vine. This is understated compared to its peers but gains intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and nuanced, with fine... Read More

The 2021 Castello di Ama L'Apparita is a monumental wine, a true benchmark for 100% Merlot in Italy and one of the most iconic Super Tuscans ever created. First produced in 1985, L'Apparita was a groundbreaking achievement,... Read More

The 2011 Larcis-Ducasse is another Saint-Émilion slightly volatile bouquet, soy-infused red fruit, a splash of the old Worcester sauce. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine acidity, quite spicy and peppery... Read More

Good bright ruby-red. Pretty aromas of black cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, minerals, licorice and violet. Chewy, rich and deep, with good dense mid-palate fruit and excellent concentration. Fuller and sweeter than the Langoa.... Read More

Ornellaia is a blend of nature and musing. Complex ancient soils converse through human wisdom with a delicate microclimate that is echoed and reflected in the Mediterranean Sea. Prolonged ageing accompanies the estate’s... Read More

The 2022 Haut-Bailly was the second vintage made in the new cellar. It was bottled at the end of March, a little earlier than some other wines in this vintage, as Gabrielle prefers an earlier settling in barrel. This spent the... Read More

The 2012 Léoville-Barton has a touch more precision and drive compared to 2012 Langoa-Barton, blackberry and raspberry, cedar and mint, almost Pauillac in style. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite... Read More

The 2022 Cheval Blanc is quite unusual in that it was made from 46 out of the 47 parcels that make up the estate, the highest proportion of blocks ever used in the Grand Vin. There is also no Petit Cheval. One block was sold in... Read More

The 2022 Haut-Brion is powerful and explosive. At the same time, it is incredibly reticent. None of that should be of concern for readers who can wait. Black-toned fruit, gravel, incense, scorched earth and licorice all stain... Read More

The 2021 Lafite-Rothschild is every bit as exceptional as it was from barrel. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon comes through loud and clear. All the elements are so well balanced. The 2021 is dark, racy and full of Lafite... Read More

The 2022 is initially quite reticent, but after four or five minutes, it unfolds with scents of blackberry, cedar, graphite and a touch of inkwell. Like a few other wines in this vintage, the mineralité only reveals itself... Read More

The 2022 Palmer is all class. Blackberry, mocha, spice, leather and espresso all meld together in a seamless, elegant Palmer that impresses with its sublime balance. All the elements are impeccably put together throughout. The... Read More

Castello di Ama was founded in 1976, and is located in Gaiole in Chianti, within the additional geographical unit of the same name (UGA), located in the heart of Tuscany. It is located about 12 miles northeast of Siena in the... Read More

The 2020 Angélus has a more awkward nose than its peers, lacking the same focus and delineation. There is something Cabernet Sauvignon-like about this, though it coheres in the glass and conveys an appealing sense of classicism.... Read More

The 2021 La Mondotte has a satisfying, floral bouquet, with iris flower and peony infusing the black cherry and blueberry aromas. There is just a touch of wet clay in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins.... Read More

The 2020 Montrose is epic. Dark, rich and brooding, the 2020 possesses remarkable intensity, and, yet it is somehow not excessively heavy. Time in the glass brings out the wine's more elegant sophisticated side. All the elements... Read More

Philippe & Cherie Melka~ Owners

As co-proprietors and winemakers for Melka Estates, Philippe and Cherie produce four distinct brands that reflect their philosophy of soil driven wines: Métisse from Napa Valley, Mekerra... Read More

The 2022 Pontet-Canet is a super-refined wine from the Tesseron family. It is perhaps a touch less opulent than in years past, but in exchange, it boasts more energy, focus and cut, all qualities that are so welcome here. Bright... Read More

Medium red-ruby. Roasted plum, iron and smoke on the nose, along with a faint herbaceous aspect; distinctly more evolved than the 'OO. Supple and sweet, with nice texture and balance but modest complexity. Still, this offers... Read More

The 2021 Mouton Rothschild is gorgeous, just as it was en primeur. A wine of stature and vertical build, the 2021 is wonderfully poised from the outset. Beams of tannin add to an impression of explosive ift. Touches of mocha,... Read More

An utterly fabulous wine, the 2018 Lynch-Bages captures all of the richness and generosity that make the year so appealing, and yet doesn’t stray too far from its classic feel. Rose petal, lavender, spice, sweet red berry... Read More

The 2021 Ausone is a gorgeous wine, but it is also quite reticent and in need of time to come around. The operative word here is balance, as all the elements are so well put together. Soft, gentle contours wrap around a core of... Read More

The 2021 L'Eglise-Clinet is stellar. Dark, dense and also a touch somber, the 2021 is laced with generous black fruit, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice and incense. Readers will have to give this time to come together.... Read More

The 2021 Léoville Las-Cases is a wine of elegance and restraint. Yes, I am writing that about a young Las-Cases. Perhaps it is the higher level of Cabernet Franc in this year's blend that adds aromatic presence and... Read More

The 2021 Palmer is a heady, showy wine. Clay-rich soils yield a Margaux of breadth, power and textural richness. Black cherry, lavender, mocha and dried herbs infuse the 2021 with tons of character. A wine of density and intensity,... Read More

Chateau Pavie Macquin, took its name from Albert Macquin. The name of Macquin is famous today for more than being attached to a Saint Emilion chateau. Albert Macquin was a true pioneer. He deserves much of the credit for solving... Read More

Enclos Tourmaline is located on the highest point of the famous plateau of the smallest appellation of Bordeaux: Pomerol. The property was acquired by Peter Kwok and his son Howard in 2012. Enclos Tourmaline is produced in small... Read More

The 2021 Montrose is an inward, brooding wine-classic Montrose, in other words, just attenuated in its intensity by the cool growing season. Spice, tobacco, cedar, menthol, scorched earth, gravel and a touch of new oak open over... Read More

Ca’Marcanda, GAJA’s estate in Bolgheri (Alta Maremma), was born in 1996 propelled by Angelo Gaja’s ambition to challenge himself with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The search for the best terroir... Read More

Medium-dark red. Aromatic notes of bay leaf, pine needles and orange rind complement red cherry on the nose. Enters the mouth sweet and creamy, then turns tougher on the back half, showing good freshness but only moderate concentration... Read More

The 2009 Langoa-Barton has a gorgeous bouquet with blackberry, bilberry, cedar and light tobacco aromas that blossom from the glass. This feels so composed and pure. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine-grain... Read More