Bob McDonald

9.5

I thought for my 4000th Delectable note I should choose something special and I thought a 40 year old Penfolds Grange would fit the bill. This is back in the day when “Hermitage “ was allowed on the label. There was an immense crust on decanting reflecting the drought year of 1983. The colour was an amazing dark dense Ruby with no hint of a tawny edge. Aromas of coffee grounds, mocha, chocolate, fading blackberry, and lavender. Barb thought like an old lady’s powder drawer. Still a solid core - the intestinal fortitude (guts) of this wine is incredible. Finishing with soft silky dry tannins. This could easily have gone on for another 10 years. Andrew Caillard MW had a drinking window extending up to 2040 which would make it nearly 60 years old. The lasting impression are those silky tannins. 1983 was a drought year in South Australia hence the persistence and age of this beautiful wine. I paid about $60 for this in the late 1980s and Wine Searcher had a value of $980 on 2/2/23. — a year ago

P S

9.0

The more air the better. Changing every 1,5 hours. Its really good but Caillard is better! — 7 years ago

Oliver Schweitzer

9.8

Caillard-Level of complexity and tastiness. — 8 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Mid Ruby red in colour with a tawny edge. Sour cherry with touches of pepper and cloves. Not as raspberry as I was expecting from old vine Mataro. With a couple of hours of aeration the raspberry notes started coming through finishing with Sandy tannins. This wine is made by the multi talented Andrew Caillard who is the supremo of Fine Wine retailer and auctioneer Langtons who allowed Andrew to make his superb range of wines under his own label using old vine Mataro and Shiraz; painted the exquisite labels himself and who achieved a Master of Wine in his spare time. I am lucky to have 5 of these beauties left. 96 points from James Halliday. — 2 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.2

Nice Shiraz from Yarra valley. Fresh dark red fruit with strong back bone and decent finish. — 6 years ago

with Gareth

Bob McDonald

9.0

Magnum. The amazing fact about Haut Bailly is that they have 4 hectares of vines more than 100 years of age. Unusually high for Bordeaux. Our host Andrew Caillard MW informed us that Penfolds oldest vines were older by 5 years. The wine died a little at the end because of the hot 2003 vintage. — 8 years ago

Pascaline Lepeltier, MS

Master Sommelier, Wine Director Rouge Tomate New York

9.3

Meditative - deserve to be really tasted with time — 10 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Last years superlative 2015 ( the best yet Sue Hodder said) will be a hard act to follow although Andrew Caillard MW, the Bordeaux expert at Langtons has already given it 💯 points. Very youthful deep crimson with purple rim. The nose and palate are tight, brooding and latent with so much to give. Dark berry fruits on the full bodied palate. Beautifully made with a long life of up to 30 Years ahead of it. A Tour de Force. Don’t touch the first one for 5 and preferably 10 years. — 5 years ago

Kate Bleasel

8.9

Full bodied delicious red wine- we had 2013 — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Aromas of plum and tobacco from this predominantly Merlot Wine with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. Chocolatey flavours accompany the plum on the palate. This Wine is a rarity and was”discovered by Andrew Caillard MW from Australia’s leading auction house, Langtons. The grapes come from a tiny 0.4 Hectare Block along the boundary of St Emillion and Pomerol. The vineyard is surrounded by some of the biggest names of the right bank and is crammed between vines belonging to Ch L’Evangile and Ch La Dominique. Over the narrow gravel road is Chateau Petrus and Chateau Gazin. Across the D244 just a few metres away are vines belonging to Ch Cheval Blanc. It has largely existed unnoticed by the worlds Wine critics and survives in its current form because of it’s tiny size, local politics and dogged family hope” to paraphrase Caillard. Caillard goes on “Curiously the Chantecaille Vineyard has no Grand Cru classification because no Cellars have been built on the property. The Vineyard is so small (only 0.4 hectare) that any building would require the destruction of the Vineyard; a pointless exercise. As a consequence the crop is tractored to Chateau Guillot Clauzel in the commune of Pomerol, just a few kilometres away where it is vinified and then matured in barrel; all 5 or 6 of them! If “Chantecaille” was purchased by one of its more illustrious neighbours, the fruit could be incorporated in a more prized and expensive label!” The Wine itself was no Petrus but was medium bodied with M- intensity and light tannins Fermented in stainless steel and aged in used oak barrels it has little oak influence. All in all a curio. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this little Vineyard. Postscript:
My longest ever Delectable Note but I thought it was an interesting story. 🍷 — 6 years ago