Chris England

9.2

🎄 Advent Halfy Calendar Day 07 🎄

🎅 Santa says this lovely wine would make him dance like the chap on the label, but naked of course for Mrs Claus 🤶 Ho Ho Ho

📝 I say this £42 halfy is at prime drinking & darn quafftastic 😍

⏩ 🍾 Mrs E got Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV

📍 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Chateau d'Armailhac 2004

🏵 92 points better than rated by “pros” in 2007 😉

🍇 Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 25 %, Cabernet Franc 14%, Petit Verdot 3%

🍷 Deep dark ruby

👃 Smokey oak, pencil lead, gravel & minerals through earthy blackcurrant & dark plum w/ herbs, raspberry liquorice, leather & mocha

👄 Med body of creamy ripe rich blackcurrant in cocoa w/ dirty liquorice, plum, red berry tones, blackberry & minerals

🎯 Long touch dry mineral infused plummy dark fruit mocha liquorice linger
— 6 days ago

Chris England

9.4

Yummy top vintage Pauillac @ £85 now c£110 from Rothschild that’s evolved nicely since last try but will still improve much more as still changing 😉

📍 Chateau Duhart Milon 2009

🏵 94 points w/ 96-98 potential

🍇 63% Cabernet Sauvignon & 37% Merlot

🍷 Deep dark opaque ruby

👃 A plummy blackcurrant punch in the nose w/ a smokey oak follow through, mineral wallop, gravel grazing & pencil poke coupled with a herby tickle, cocoa crunch & liquorice lashing

👄 Med+ body of creamy ripe silky dark berry & plummy fruits bathed in slight dry minerals, cocoa cream & melted liquorice

🎯 Long touch dry mineral driven bursting dark plummy berry fruit 💋 w/ a cocoa liquorice mineral linger
— 19 days ago

Chris England

9.2

Fab GPL reaching peak drinking window @ £75-£90 always a lovely wine 👍

📍 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2001

🏵 92-93 points

🍇 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot & 2% Cabernet Franc

🍷 Deep alight garnet ruby w/ brick edge

👃 Heady smokey oak through black currant & berry loaded with minerals, pencil lead & flint stone w/ dark plum, red berry, leather & damp cellar

👄 Med body of smooth touch dry mineral infused black berry fruits w/ a touch of red berry & cocoa

🎯 Long slight dry black fruit mineral bomb w/ a mocha liquorice kick — 21 days ago

Chris England

9.0

🎄 Advent Halfy Calendar Day 08 🎄

🎅 Santa says .... if only my plums shone as bright as Rudolf’s nose we’d be in plumtastic harmony 😍

📝 I say a good typical dark plummy black fruit chewy mouthful

⏩ 🍾 Mrs E got Billecart Salmon Rose NV

📍 Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse 2011

🏵 90 points

🍇 A bit more Cabernet Sauvignon than a little less Merlot

🍷 Deep dark ruby

👃 Blackcurrant, blackberry & sweet damson plum through light smoked oak & blueberry w/ raspberry, cocoa, mineral, gravel, pencil lead & vanilla liquorice

👄 Med body is smooth creamy black berry fruit & dark damson plum w/ a dry mineral tone & touch of mocha liquorice

🎯 Med+ touch dry plummy dark fruit in cocoa & mineral linger
— 5 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Just love these old Lynch Bages as they made so many great wines in off vintages. The 79 from an owc is sweet on the palate showing red cherry, cassis, cedar, earth, leather, mineral & tobacco. — 5 days ago

Muralee Murugesu

9.3

This 20 year old Paullac still delivers with earthy tones, leather, tobacco and dark soil. Hits of pine cone is an unmistakable signature of cab and Merlot. If you smell soil in a tropical rain, this is it; you get that in a glass. It is a gorgeous typical style of left bank of Bordeaux. A beautiful comtesse. — 19 days ago

Mike Evans

9.3

Black current, minerals, a touch of bell pepper, still an infant with plenty of ripe tannin, but delicious with prime ribeye. It keeps adding nuance with air, though it never quite catches up with the 1986 Montrose. — 12 hours ago

Paul Hoffert

9.3

This has a great nose. Think chocolate coffee beans with hints of cherry. This was allowed to sit for a while and after about an hour and a half you get rewarded with fresh dark fruits, cassis touches of earth and a hint of tea. Overall a very enjoyable glass of wine. — 3 years ago

James Forsyth

9.1

A vibrant, red fruit driven Echo. Nice acidity. Rounds out well. — 7 days ago

Kenta Hayashi

9.2

Black currant, tobacco, dried autumn leaves, slightly smoky, olives, dark and ripe cherry paste. Elegant and fresh especially for the vintage. — 8 days ago