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 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

Few domaines in the Loire Valley are as legendary as Clos Rougeard, led by brothers Charly and Nadi Foucault. These no-nonsense, straight-talkers are now in their sixties but took over the domaine from their father in 1969. They... 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 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

Producing a bottle of Quintarelli is no simple task. After harvest, while half of the fruit—in this case, a diverse blend made up mainly of Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella—is crushed and fermented like a traditional... Read More

The “first flower” is the youngest red wine released by the estate every year.

The Cabernet is partially dried, all other grapes are freshly pressed. After harvest, grapes left in wooden boxes to continue ripening.... 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 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 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

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 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

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 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

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