By Charles Lea on 16/06/2016
This morning sees the releases of two of the Médoc greats, in the shape of Mouton Rothschild and Ducru Beaucaillou. 2015 CHÂTEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (£2130 per six bottles) is highly-rated, as one might expect, with 19 from Jancis Robinson 'Very fine.
By Beth Thomas on 15/06/2016
This Friday, we will be opening two wines from the Loire Valley - a superb sparkling wine for under £15 & a refreshing white from Eric Chevalier. Do pop in on your way home from work and join us for a glass from 4pm.
By David Porter on 15/06/2016
'Time to wake up to the joys of Pessac-Léognan, because this appellation nailed it in 2015. Forever playing the bridesmaid to Pauillac or Saint Julien, but never the bride, Pessac-Léognan should be one of the first areas of Bordeaux at which you look.' Neal Martin, www.
By Charles Lea on 14/06/2016
The Delons have now released 2015 CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE LAS CASES at £1475 per dozen, £737.50 per six. 'superlative Léoville Las-Cases with the substance to suggest long-term ageing will be repaid. 95 - 97/100' Neal Martin. 'Grabs the attention. 17.5' Jancis Robinson. 'This will be a very great wine.' 96 Steven Spurrier.
By Charles Lea on 14/06/2016
This morning sees the release of some of the big names in Saint Emilion, including Gérard Perse's 2015 CHÂTEAU PAVIE, Hubert de Bouard's 2015 CHÂTEAU ANGÉLUS and the one that missed out on the move up to Premier Grand Cru Classé 'A', 2015 CHÂTEAU TROPLONG MONDOT.
By David Porter on 13/06/2016
Château Montrose is out this afternoon with the price ambitiously set at £570 per 6-pack. Their second wine - Dame de Montrose is also out, yours for £145 per 6-pack. We had an interesting tasting at the Châteaux of these wines.
By Charles Lea on 13/06/2016
Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, everyone's favourite with its run of fabulous vintages spanning the seventies to the early nineties, definitely stumbled through under-investment over the turn of the millennium.
By Beth Thomas on 12/06/2016
Bordeaux can be a rather confusing and confounding market and never more so than at 'primeur' time. It is very easy to switch off, and many of us do, with just some of the big names and wild prices making the headlines.
By David Porter on 09/06/2016
In what promises to be a busy day on Bordeaux's 'place', things have started briskly. The biggest name so far is CHÂTEAU COS D'ESTOURNEL 2ème Cru Classé Saint Estèphe (£1250). This is quite toppy and it's hard not to see Pichon Baron as a more compelling buy if it was a choice of 'one or the other' at this level.
By Charles Lea on 08/06/2016
With Pomerol and Margaux as two of the most successful appellations of 2015, we have two releases of note this morning, but the big one is probably Palmer, second only to Margaux itself in Margaux, and indeed to the other firsts in the Médoc.
By Charles Lea on 07/06/2016
"This Haut Bailly is up there with the 2009 and 2010 - a bravura Pessac-Léognan" (Neal Martin in the Wine Advocate) Pessac-Léognan performed well in 2015, and 2015 CHÂTEAU HAUT BAILLY at £720 has the most amazing set of consistently high scores from the critics.
By Charles Lea on 07/06/2016
Out this morning is en primeur classic 2015 CHÂTEAU LYNCH BAGES 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac at £890 per case of 12 bottles. Creamy-rich, lovely top-note of fine red fruit. The density is all here, and this very much does what Lynch bages does. Big tannins, but all nicely wrapped in fruit and smooth body.