At the Downs. Club magnum dinner on Wednesday night. A very rich Pinot Noir and one of New Zealand’s finest. A bit closed - needs a lot of swirling. A medium to full bodied palate. Tannins are a little coarse and grainy but I put that down to its youth. Too young to be drinking this particularly from magnum. Should be great in 10 years time. 99 points from James Suckling. — 3 years ago
2020 vintage. General manager Laure Canu states that Cantemerle has never followed trends and will always be a wine of elegance, never showy. And that is exactly what it is. After 15 minutes in the glass, it displays bright cassis fruit, mixed with flowers and cedar wood. Medium-bodied, fresh, and elegant, with more complexity and more refined tannins, compared to the 2018. Very good length too.This is the finest Cantemerle I have ever tasted. Incredible value too. Abv. 13,5 %. — a year ago
Dark rubi robe, nose of anise, blackcurrant, dark cherries and top soil notes. Very complex and balanced, ready to go but will last a long time. We had had from Magnum. Gotta be the best vintage we had recently. Among the finest values in Bordeaux red. — 2 years ago
Sticky and sweet with heavy notes of cherry and plum — 3 years ago
Classy 2017 Anjou Blanc by Loire legend Thibaud Boudignon crafted from 100% Chenin grown in grey schist and volcanic soils in Anjou (his centuries old cellar and most of this vineyards are located in Savennières). Fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and aged in 300 and 750-liter barrels (30% new) for 15-18 months. Green apples, citrus, marked minerality, almost unnoticeable oak. Clean, precise, structured, marked minerality, great depth and length. This is Loire Valley Chenin at its finest — 4 years ago
One of YT’s finest wines I’ve had, 4 hour decant transformed it and continued to evolve while drinking. Wow. — 2 years ago
2019 vintage. A blend of 47% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Special label to celebrate the 160th harvest by the Miailh family at Siran.This must be the finest Siran I have ever tasted. Textbook elegant Margaux with exemplary purity of fruit, complexity and velvety tannin. Long finish. Abv. 14%. — 2 years ago
Girard really did well in 19. This has a level of aromatic refinement you only get in the best Girard vintages. 12 is the best vintage before this. Then 14. Then 17. 13 is a favorite of mine even if it is ranked here. Anyways the nose has refined and precise florals, dark black cherry that has a stank to it. Just classy and intense. Screams great vintage. Palate is terrific. Beautiful soaking fruit, amazing cut, clarity, freshness and concentration. Has that amazing tiny berry intense black/red 19 fruit. Focused like a laser. This is so good. What a spine this has. Lavieres always ages well but thus will age particularly well. Add 5 years to whatever window you think. Maybe 10. Wild berry fruit and wet earth develop with air. Really pretty and complex. Compact with terrific fruit sweetness. Superb grip. I’d wait 5-6 years. What a finish. Maybe the finest young red I’ve had from Girard. — 3 years ago
Doug Powers
[9 hour decant] Stunning vintage port, great aromatics, very fine color, super nice balance between fruit and spirits, super long, lingering finish, great wine to celebrate having hot water again in our house (7 days to locate and have a new water heater installed), pretty much a PERFECT bottle of vintage port!! — 12 days ago