Latest Releases

28th June 2011

We start Tuesday morning with the third-growth, Margaux property, Château Palmer which has released their 2010 at an absurd £2,500.00 IB per case... Obviously, a Château that does not need to sell their wine!

95-97 Robert Parker
"2010 Palmer: The 2010 Palmer, which is 50% Merlot and the rest mostly Cabernet Sauvignon except for 6% Petit Verdot, is a huge, inky/purple-colored wine with notes of camphor, incense, blackberry, espresso roast, and subtle barbecue smoke. Extremely full-bodied and unbelievably powerful (14.5% natural alcohol, but with a rather standard pH of 3.75), this wine is going to be one of the great classics ever to emerge from this iconic chateau. It is extremely tannic, but the tannins are eclipsed by the extravagant concentration of fruit, unctuosity, and density of this wine. This will be a Chateau Palmer to put away for 10 years and drink over the following 40+"

90-92 Neal Martin
"Delivering 3.55pH with 14.4 % alcohol, a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Merlot, this has a very tightly wound bouquet with dark cherries, cassis and a touch of liquorice. There is a very fine sense of definition at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with sturdy, firm tannins, layers of mocha-tinged dark berried fruit leading to a structured, quite spicy finish with gentle but insistent grip. Tasted March 2011".

19.5 Steven Spurrier
"Superb richness and already showing a velvety texture, wonderful freshness and flavours that keep on growing, a magnificent Palmer. Drink 2020-50"

Late yesterday, the super-second, Château Ducru Beaucaillou was released @ £1,750.00 IB per case – We only have 8 x cases left...

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".

And now to our personal 'Wine of the Vintage' - The sensational, Vieux Chateau Certan which is offered to last year's buyers first @ £2,150.00 IB per case (Very limited availability) SOLD OUT

100 Points from both Tim Atkin MW & James Suckling
"This is off the charts. I am blown away. This is so concentrated yet perfect. With chocolate, blackberry, coffee. Full and amazing in density and balanced. The grapes were tiny and the production was tiny. I am speechless"

19.0 James Lawther MW (Decanter.com)
"More or less the same parcels and blend as '09 (86% Merlot, 14% Cabernet) but a different style. Less opulent and more classically defined. Lovely 'natural' fruit, huge concentration, more alcohol (14.5%), long, powerful tannins and the freshness that marks the vintage. A harmonious whole. Huge potential. Drink 2020-2060".

96-98 Neal Martin
"A blend of 86% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon cropped between 27th September and 5th October, the Vieux Chateau Certan delivers 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. It is presently being raised in 75% new oak. The nose is very refined with touches of blackberry, raspberry, black truffle and dark cherries with wonderful delineation considering the alcohol level. The palate is very well balanced with beautiful poise, perhaps more focused than the 2009 at this stage. Wonderful mineralité, there is superb precision and energy is this nascent VCC. Just superb. Tasted April 2011".

96-98 Robert Parker
"Alexandre Thienpont thinks 2010 is even more powerful and tannic than 2009. This is certainly a big wine, dominated by its Merlot component (86%, with the rest mostly Cabernet Franc). The natural alcohol level is 14.5%, slightly above 2009, but the pH is a healthy 3.7, and the wine, like so many 2010s, is a paradox. The alcohols are often the highest ever yet the acidities are fresh and lively, and the wine crisp and refined. This is a deep purple-colored wine, with loads of opulence and fat, a voluptuous texture and tremendous purity. The style is a modern-day version of what they probably achieved in 1947, 1949 and 1950. Thienpont attributes the wine's freshness to the lack of any real heat wave, the drought, and the very cool nights in September. This wine should drink well for 20-40 years".

18.5 Jancis Robinson
"Very small crop - 35 hl/ha (compared to 42 hl/ha in 2009). A Merlot vintage; only 8% Cabernet Franc. Average IPT is 90, with lots of acid. Very dark crimson. Pretty floral and scented and pretty. Very concentrated and intense. Lots of minerals on the finish. Lovely rich satisfying undertow. Hint of ripe pears oddly enough. Lovely completeness. Great balance and build. Very, very long. The strongest right-bank wine so far. Excellent layers. Very serious - a marvellously intellectual Merlot!"

Château Troplong Mondot is available @ £1,160.00 IB per case

96-98+ Robert Parker
"An amazing wine, the 2010 is right up there with the extraordinary quality of 2009, 2005 and 1990. Made from yields of 32 hectoliters per hectare, the final blend was 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. A late harvest between October 4 and 16 with the last of the Cabernet Franc coming in on October 28 no doubt accounts for the wine's powerful 15.5% natural alcohol. Of course, the anti-alcohol folks will make a big deal of this, but despite the high alcohol levels in nearly every 2010, there is freshness, precision, definition and absolutely no heat in the wines whatsoever. This stunningly rich effort offers abundant blueberry, black raspberry, licorice and graphite notes intermixed with a hint of espresso roast, a seriously concentrated, super-intense mouthfeel, full-bodied power, a complex, multidimensional texture and a nearly 50-second finish. It will require 5-6 years of bottle age after its release and should keep for three decades or more. Just prodigious!"

NB: We also have 2 x cases of the 2009 available @ £1,000.00 IB per case

Château La Mondotte is also available @ £2,780.00 IB per case and receives 96-98+ from Parker, 94-96 Neal Martin, 17.0 Jancis Robinson...

Update from the past few days...

• Vieux Château Certan has already sold-out. We are trying for more.
• Petit Mouton is sold out.
• Our entire allocation of Château Cos d'Estournel has now sold-out however, we can source a little more.
• We only have 2 x Cases Ducru Beaucaillou available.

Château Mouton Rothschild has released a tiny first-tranche. We are waiting to receive their second-tranche price /& allocation before we can offer an average price and available quantities.

We are still waiting for Château Margaux to release a second-tranche price /& allocation...

Château Leoville Las Cases second wine, Le Petit Lion is now available @ £420.00 IB per case.

90-92 Neal Martin
"The fourth vintage of this Second Wine is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, raised in 22% new oak. The nose is well defined though quite muted at first, unfurling nicely with aeration. The palate is defined by its silky smooth tannins that glide across the mouth to the point of being over-polished...but that would be churlish. Very delicious – no more, no less. Drink 2013- Tasted March 2011".

91-94 James Molesworth (Wine Spectator)
"Sappy, with lots of kirsch, violet and red currant notes. Very lively acidity drives the finish. Tightly wound for a second wine, with serious acidity. Tasted non-blind. —J.M"

We are now delighted to offer another outstanding Pomerol, Château La Conseillante @ £1,775.00 IB per case. Their 2010 is superb and very much in the same league as today's earlier release, Vieux Château Certan.

Warning: Allocations are small – This is strictly offered on a first-come-first-served basis.

95-98 Robert Parker
"2010: A monumental La Conseillante, the 2010 completes a remarkable decade for this estate. Quintessentially floral, this dense purple-colored effort reveals sweet flowery black raspberry and blueberry liqueur notes, more power, muscle and concentration than most vintages and exquisite elegance, purity and personality. Serious tannin lurks beneath the surface, but the overall impression is of a medium to full-bodied, strikingly deep, beautifully pure, well-balanced wine. Give it 3-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25-30+".

97-98 James Suckling
"The nose is exuberant, with pure violets and berries. Insane. This is so straight and racy, with super fine tannins and a long, long finish. There is a minimalist clarity to the wine. Super"

18.5 James Lawther (Decanter.com)
"Slightly more assertive than the '09 but very fine. Deep colour. Lovely density of fruit - blackcurrant note on the nose. Has volume on the palate but freshness as well. Good line and length. Violet, liquorish notes on the finish. Firm, grainy tannins. Drink 2020-2045".

94-96 Neal Martin
"Cropped between 16th September and 5th October at 39hl/ha, the La Conseillante '10 has a very pretty nose where the Merlot seems to be more dominant than the Merlot at first with some lovely wild strawberry and raspberry scents. But with time in the glass, the Cabernet Franc makes its impression with some delicate, leafy notes coming through, a hint of truffle. The palate is simply gorgeous with supple tannins, harmonious dark berry fruits interlaced with dark plum and a hint of mocha, very good weight and persistency towards the finish. This is an outstanding follow-up to the awesome 2009"