Latest Releases

14 June 2011

As expected, this morning starts with a flood of releases as we more ever closer to the Bordeaux wine fair, Vinexpo. Unfortunately, some releases / Châteaux will inevitably get lost in the stampede – Why on earth they do not release their wine in a manageable fashion is quite frankly beyond me!

First up is the famous St-Julien property, Château Leoville Barton which we are delighted to offer @ £850.00 IB per case. Our allocation comes direct from the Château who issued the following along with their kind offer "We have tried to keep our price reasonable in a very difficult year when some wines have increased by nearly 40%. We cannot completely ignore this market tread but have not followed these in the same proportion" SOLD OUT

Quantities are limited to 18% less than 2009 however, we have been lucky enough to receive the exact same allocation...

96-98 Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau and twice at the UGC , the Leoville-Barton is a touch more timid than the Langoa at this stage, but it opens up to reveal blackberry, cassis, violets and a touch of cedar, quite Margaux-like in profile. The palate is full-bodied with exquisite purity, insistent grippy tannins, a seamless texture like the Langoa and harmonious towards the long, refined, velvety finish. Gorgeous from head to toe

97-98 James Suckling
This is phenomenal, with dark fruits, with cassis and blackberries Full and super silky, with incredible fruit and ripe tannins. It goes on and on. So much depth of fruit here. Barton is on a roll again in this vintage.

18.5 Steven Spurrier
Fine concentration, quite understated at the start, then the purity and depth of fruit, classical Leoville firm texture and length becomes plain, a wine that repays keeping. Drink 2020-40.


Château Smith Haut Lafitte is also released this morning. Their 'Rouge' is offered @ £905.00 IB per case and their 'Blanc' @ £770.00 IB per case

95-97 Robert Parker
"2010: A qualitative home run, right up there with the profound 2005 and more opulent 2009, Smith-Haut-Lafitte has turned in a remarkable performance in this vintage, but then again, so have many other chateaux. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the wine has an inky/purple color and an extraordinary nose of graphite, blackberries, cassis, licorice, smoke, and camphor. The unbelievable skyscraper-like texture, stunning purity, and formidable intensity make for a remarkably rich, long, full-bodied wine that is classic Graves, but at the same time a staggering 2010. Anticipated maturity"

93-95 Neal Martin, 95-96 James Suckling, 17.0 Jancis Robinson & 18.0 Steven Spurrier

"Blanc"
18.0 Steven Spurrier
"Exuberant expression of citrus fruits, spicy and quite exotic, full and fleshy with the acidity and minerality adding depth and structure, probably the best SHL white, combining as usual robustness and finesse. Drink 2013-20".

92-95 Robert Parker, 92-94 Neal Martin, 17.0 Jancis Robinson

NB: Perhaps savvy buyers' will prefer Château Smith Haut Lafitte amazing 2009 "Rouge" which can offer @ £710.00 IB per case... Put simply, what's not to like about the 2009 & the price-tag?

96-98+* Robert Parker (The asterisk (*) signifies when Parker thinks a wine had the finest potential of all the offerings he had ever tasted from that estate in nearly 32 years of barrel tasting samples in Bordeaux)
"One can't say enough about what proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard have accomplished at this estate since 1990. Regrettably, I am old enough to remember how horrible the wines were before the Cathiards purchased the property. They have fashioned one of the most consistently outstanding wines, both white and red, over the last two decades, and their 2009 probably eclipses any previous performance. An opaque purple color is followed by an explosive nose of graphite, black currants, licorice, incense, and a hint of black tea. The wine hits the palate with extraordinary density, unctuosity, and richness, yet it never comes across as heavy or overbearing. Deep and full-bodied with sensational concentration as well as remarkable purity and precision, this brilliant wine possesses the high, but sweet tannins that are a hallmark of the vintage, and exceptional delicacy allied to massive power and richness ... a rare combination indeed. This prodigious effort should drink well for 30-40 years. Bravo! (Tasted five times.)"

Over in Barsac we can offer Château Climens @ £850.00 IB per case

18.0 Jancis Robinson
"There is the vintage tanginess in this wine but also the property's trademark purity and unctuousness. As usual, it was not possible to taste (or give the analysis of) anything approximating to the final blend - just lots from the various pickings in late September and October - but this is looking like a top quality rendition of 2010, even if not a big and blossomy as the 2009. Please note that the analytical data are estimations from Bill Blatch. RS 145g/l, TA 4.2. 14%"

94-96 Neal Martin


Over in Margaux we can offer Château Prieuré Lichine @ £440.00 IB per case

92-94 Robert Parker
"The strongest Prieure Lichine produced in many years, along with consultant Stephane Derenoncourt, the proprietors have fashioned a wine with true opulence as well as wonderful projected aromatics of blue, red and black fruits, licorice, flowers and subtle oak. Silky tannins, a sexy, generous, opulent attack, mid-palate and finish, no hard edges and well-integrated acidity, tannin and alcohol (14.5%) are all found in this impressive Margaux. Give it 2-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25. It is potentially one of the longest lived wines made at Prieure Lichine since some of their classic efforts from the sixties"

Over in Saint Emilion is one of my favourites, Château Moulin Saint-Georges, a small sister property of Château Ausone. The Vauthier family and winemaker Phillipe Baillarguest are putting as much effort into producing the best Château Moulin Saint-Georges as they are with Château Ausone. Moulin Saint-Georges is produced in the same way. Super-strict fruit selection and the wine is matured in 100% new French barriques from anywhere between 18 to 20 months.

This is a truly fabulous property and their wine is world-class in my opinion. Therefore, we are delighted to offer both the 2009 and 2010 vintages @ £295.00 IB per case and £305.00 IB per case respectively.

In Pauillac, we have the ever-popular Château Grand Puy Lacoste which we are delighted to offer @ £680.00 IB per case. Demand is HIGH!

SOLD OUT Their 2010 has received an sensational score from Neal Martin who awards a whopping 97-99
"A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, the Grand Puy Lacoste '10 has 13.6% alcohol with a total acidity of around 3.5gms/L. It has a very complex bouquet that I leave over 5 minutes to open, developing ripe blackberry, cassis, oyster shell and a faint tang of Japanese nori (seaweed.) Very good complexity. The palate is beautifully balanced, this GPL revelling in this vintage that countenances the Cabernet Sauvignon so much. Very refined, powerful, beautifully focused with an unerring sense of symmetry. This is a magnificent Pauillac…bravo Xavier. Drink 2020- Tasted March 2011".

18.0 Steven Spurrier
"Still rather reserved, but excellent depth of violetty-irony Pauillac fruit and great length and elegance, a fine classic wine that will repay cellaring over a long period. Drink 2017-35"

93-96 Robert Parker
"The greatest Grand Puy Lacoste since the 2005, 2000 and 1990, the fabulous 2010 reveals all the hallmarks of this estate. It boasts a dense purple color along with classic notes of creme de cassis, blueberries, blackberries, crushed rocks and flowers, sweet tannin and an exceptionally full-bodied and multilayered mouthfeel as well as a boatload of tannin. Cellar it for a decade and drink it over the following three decades. Proprietor Xavier Borie's 2010 recalls the 2005".

Château La Dominique is offered @ £350.00 IB per case

92-94 Robert Parker
"Probably the finest La Dominique made since the wonderful duo of 1989 and 1990, the explosively fruity, dense purple-hued 2010 offers notes of licorice, roasted herbs, truffles, black raspberries and blueberry liqueur. Full-bodied and unctuously textured with sweet tannin as well as good freshness and precision, it should drink well for 15-20 years. P. S. The final blend was 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc that achieved 14.5% natural alcohol".

Château Lagrange is also available @ £435.00 IB per case (89-92 Parker points) however, we see little point in buying this when the 2009 (a much better wine) is available @ £405.00 IB per case (90-93 Parker)