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27 June 2011

We have just received a substantial discount for our continued support of Château Cos d’Estournel therefore, we feel it only fair to pass the same loyalty on to you.

The ‘NEW’ price is £2,240.00 IB per case...


This morning see’s the release of Château Cos d’Estournel. ‘Price’ as been a major concern during this year’s En-Primeur campaign. Unfortunately, some Châteaux have failed miserably due to either misguidance or greed however, Jean-Guillaume Prats has clearly learnt from their failings and released the fantastic 2010 Château Cos d’Estournel cheaper than last year. Naturally, the Euro / Sterling exchange isn't in our favour nonetheless, we are delighted to offer and highly recommend their outstanding 2010 @ £2,335.00 IB per case

96-98 Neal Martin
“Tasted twice just to check, several days apart, the first under cloudy skies, the second under blue. A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot cropped at 36hl/ha, delivering 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.5 (it was 3.68 for 2009), this has a very refined, focused bouquet with pure blackberry, blueberry, Dorset plum scented nose with wonderful tension and mineralité. I really like the precision on this 2010, far more than the exotic 2009. The palate is full-bodied with quite assertive dry tannins on the entry rendering this a slightly more masculine Cos d'Estournel that is quintessential Saint Estephe but nods southwards towards Pauillac. Touches of graphite and cedar interlace the pure blackberry and briary fruit with great tension towards the finish. Very fine sense of symmetry here with great length in the mouth. Back to the Cos d'Estournel I love. Drink 2018- Tasted March 2011”

19.0 Steven Spurrier
“Exotic tobacco leaf nose, superb ripe fruit and a violetty lift, more controlled and more classic than 2009, a great wine. Drink 2018-40”

18.5 Jancis Robinson
“78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 55% of total production. A real tonic. Very, very deep blackish crimson. Real energy and vitality and racy stuff. Pure, refined perfect Cabernet - pretty rich and alcoholic underneath but much, much drier and more appetising than either the 2009 - or the average Napa Cabernet, for example. Minerals and fruit in a lovely tincture. Such great texture and nobility. Racy thoroughbred Great balance and potential. Purity and energy - but you'll need to wait so long for it!”

95-97 Robert Parker
“Representing 55% of the production and cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare, Cos d'Estournel's final blend in 2010 is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and the rest tiny portions of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Compared to the massive 2009 (14.6% natural alcohol), the 2010 achieved slightly less alcohol, but also a lower pH, which accounts for its more tannic, backward, huge style. An inky/purple color is accompanied by aromas of damp earth, black currants, blackberries, licorice and charcoal. Firm, thick and super-concentrated, it is another outrageously impressive wine that will require 6-10 years of cellaring. It should keep for 30+ years. It is somewhat 2005-ish in its structure and palate impression”.

96-99 James Molesworth (Wine Spectator)
“This offers a terrific panoply of dark tea, cocoa, savory herb and red currant confiture aromas. Remarkably dense, with loads of strapping dark fruit and tar in reserve. There's massive structure, yet this is rounded and so, so long. A huge wine in the making. This is going to compete with the elite of the vintage. A truly superb effort. Contains 1 percent Petit Verdot, for first time since 2005. Tasted non-blind”.

Over in Pauillac, and to the Mouton stable, comes Château Clerc Milon which is available on a first-come-first served basis @ £565.00 IB per case (limited availability)

Both Robert Parker & Neal Martin award 91-93

18.0 Steven Spurrier
"Rich blackcurrant fruit with some dry herbs/coffee spice nose, very good middle fruit and a firm, elegant structure and class, a château on top form. Drink 2018-35".

95-96 James Suckling
"I can't remember tasting a young Clerc as exciting as this since the 1980s. Fascinating aromas of blackberries and currant jam. Very deep. Tar too. Full and very dense. It just tickles the tip of your tongue. So much there. 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 36 per cent Merlot, 11 percent Cabernet Franc, 2 percent Petit Verdot, and 1 percent Carmenère".


The beautiful second wine of Château Margaux, Pavillon Rouge is offered @ £1,400.00 IB per case SOLD OUT

92-94 Neal Martin
"A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot (from plots replanted by Paul Pontallier 14-15 years ago) and 30% Merlot, the Pavillon has a very dense bouquet of blackberry, a touch of cassis, violet and a little graphite/oyster shell. The palate is medium-bodied with very structured tannins, the acidity very prominent on the entry and cutting a swathe though that blackberry, graphite and just a faint hint of blueberry. There is bewitching symmetry towards the long finish. Superb. Tasted March 2011".

18.0 Steven Spurrier
"Fragrant red fruit, almost silky/taffeta texture, beautiful length and perfect balance, the best Pavillon Rouge ever. Drink 2018-30".

94-95 James Suckling, 17.5 Jancis Robinson, 90-92 Robert Parker

Quick update from this morning's releases...

• Pavillon Rouge is sold-out
• We have only one remaining case of Clerc Milon available
• Château Cos d'Estournel has sold extremely well – Please revert ASAP if you would like to acquire a few cases.

We are able to offer (for the first time) Château Cos d'Estournel's white wine @ £540.00 IB per case (Blend: 70% Sauvignon Blanc & 30% Sémillon)

From Pomerol and under the same winemaker team at Château Lafite Rothschild is Château L'Evangile which we are delighted to offer (limited availability) @ £2,120.00 IB per case

96-98 Robert Parker
"As I have been predicting, the Rothschilds are pushing l'Evangile to the highest level of the Pomerol hierarchy. Composed of 88.8% Merlot and 11.2% Cabernet Franc, the 2010 achieved 14.7% alcohol naturally, making it one of the few 2010s with lower alcohol than its 2009 counterpart (the 2009 had 15% alcohol and the 2008 had 14.5%). Most of that is due to the superb ripeness and the high concentration of Merlot in 2010. The berries were extremely tiny and the drought and cool nights in August and September gave the 2010 a lower pH and higher acidity than the 2009. For example, the 2010's pH is 3.7, the 2009's is higher and in 2000 it was 4.0. The dense purple-colored 2010 exhibits massive levels of black raspberries, Asian plum sauce, truffles and cassis. The wine is unctuously textured and remarkably fresh with a weighty richness (much like the 2009) but greater delineation. A marvelous effort, it, along with the 2009, may turn out to be one of the two greatest wines made by l'Evangile. The 2010 should drink well young yet last for three decades or more".

96-98 Neal Martin
"A blend of 88.8% Merlot and 11.2% Cabernet Franc, the l'Evangile was cropped between 21st September and 12th October and delivers a healthy 14.7% alcohol and a 3.7pH. Yields were just 31hl/ha due to coulure affected the Merlot. It has a very deep ruby colour. The nose is quite precocious yet still very well defined with blackberry, bilberry, a touch of limestone. The palate is full-bodied, sinewy, multi-dimensional with layers ripe red-berried fruits: pomegranate and raspberry with just a touch of spice. Symmetrical and very focused, perhaps without the swagger of the 2009. It is a forceful Pomerol at the moment, but at the same time intriguing and cerebral. Warning: this might blow you away after bottling. Tasted March 2011".

Chateau Margaux is the first, first-growth to lead the charge with their first tranche offering however, and as normal, we have to wait for their second (and possibly 3rd) tranche offerings before we can calculate our average cost.

We now have another super-second to round the day off nicely - Château Ducru Beaucaillou, which we highly recommend @ £1,750.00 IB per case. Undeniably, Bruno Borie has produced some fabulous wines in recent years and his 2010 is no exception... James Suckling almost awards a perfect '100' and his fellow critics' clearly batting in Ducru's favour.

99-100 James Suckling
"I cant believe the precision and complexity in this wine. This is really amazing with minerals, berries, currants and blackberries. Full and extraordinary. It goes on and on and on. Tasted twice. Best ever from Ducru"

95-97 Neal Martin
"Cropped between 29th September until 14th October, a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, the nose takes some coaxing from the glass. Very pure blackberry, cassis, a touch of mint and cedar, the new oak lending a touch of vanilla, this is very opulent, yet controlled bouquet. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated, velvety tannins, a real caressing mouthfeel, very good acidity to maintain freshness with an exceptionally focused, almost Pauillac-like finish. Very long in the mouth with a citric edge lingering long after the wine is ejected. Tasted March 2011".

96-98+ Robert Parker (Same score as the more expensive 09!)
"Representing 45% of their total production, the 2010 Ducru will certainly compete with the efforts produced in 2009, 2008, and 2005. It hit 14% natural alcohol, compared to 13.5% in 2009 and 2008. A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, the wine has a surprisingly lower pH (3.62) than the 2009, or the 2005 for that matter. A truly remarkable wine, with a dense purple color and a beautiful nose of creme de cassis, spring flowers and crushed rock, this full-bodied, sensationally concentrated wine has massive richness, high but very sweet tannin, and stunning purity and depth. Proprietor Bruno Borie seems to have pulled out all the stops in turning out an absolutely compelling effort that is the essence of Ducru Beaucaillou. It should drink well for 30-40 years".

19.0 Steven Spurrier
"Superb colour, an explosion of fruit above great depth and much more polished, deeper and fresher than the 2009, hard to imagine a better Ducru. Drink 2020-50".

18.0 Jancis Robinson
"90% Cabernet Sauvignon. Same analysis as last year but very different from the 2009 - indeed very different from all recent vintages of Ducru - a return to something drier and more classical. It's all about the quality of tannins, according to Bruno Borie. Very firm and solid and confident - all from terroir. You could stick a spoon up in it, but in a good way. Drier and more grown-up than in some previous years. Very long term. Perfect for those who seek something really serious".

We can also offer Ducru's second wine La Croix de Beaucaillou @ £395.00 IB per case... (& the label is designed by Jade Jagger!!)

91-93 Neal Martin
"A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, destined to be aged in 60% new oak for 12 months, the Croix du Beaucaillou delivers 13.66% alcohol at a pH of 3.64. It has a very refined bouquet, great definition but tightly-wound at the moment. Hints of black cherries, blackberry and a touch of boysenberry. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, a lovely creamy texture with fine precision on the finish. Everything in its right place. Tasted March 2011"

90-92 Robert Parker
"This represented 55% of the production and now, under Bruno Borie, comes from the same vineyard almost every year. (The vineyard is on the other side of the Route du Vin, separating Beaucaillou from estates such as St.-Pierre, Branaire-Ducru and Gloria.) Sweet mulberry and boysenberry fruit intermixed with licorice, forest floor and earth are followed by an opulently textured, fleshy wine that is dense and outstanding. I joked with Bruno Borie that the second wine is probably better than many of the Ducru Beaucaillous produced in the 1970s. It should drink well for 10-15 years".