VM-96-98
2020 Chateau Palmer 3eme Cru Classe, Margaux 6x75cl
"The 2020 Palmer, which was matured in 65% new oak, possesses one of the most perfumed bouquets of the vintage with entrancing, seductive scents of black cherries, wild strawberry, iodine and crushed... violets, all beautifully delineated (as per usual). The palate is medium-bodied with fine but quite firm tannins, lending this Palmer more backbone than presupposed. Blackberry, graphite and touches of liquorice develop with aeration that build towards an assertive, pencil box-tinged finish that nods towards Pauillac. This is a Palmer destined for long-term ageing, so readers should have a cool damp cellar handy. It is a serious Palmer, very different from the previous two vintages, not a mix of the two, but content in just being itself." 96-98 pts. Neal Martin, www.vinous.com
£1,300 / Case£216.67 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2022 Chateau Pichon Baron 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
“The 2022 Pichon Baron was picked 8 September to 3 October and matured in 70% new oak. It has wonderful precision on the nose, with intense blackberry and bilberry fruit, crushed stone and... graphite. The oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is tensile right from the start. Taut and linear, fresh, quite saline with a nuanced touch of black pepper toward the finish. Real pedigree and sophistication here, this is a magnificent Pichon-Baron that achieves a new level of precision thanks to the more piecemeal Sauternes-inspired harvest in tandem with their new winery.” 96-98 pts., Neal Martin, vinous.com
£810 / Case£135 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2022 Chateau Troplong Mondot Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 6x75cl
“The 2022 Troplong-Mondot was picked from 29 August when it was 31° Celsius, which according to estate director Aymeric de Gironde, felt cool compared to the rest of summer. The alcohol is 14.9%... with the pH of 3.48. It sees no SO2 until it is transferred into barrel. The nose is very attractive and certainly very expressive of its limestone terroir: blackberry, briary, crushed iris petal and light marine scents. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit, quite chalky in texture, that acidic spine governing its overall mouthfeel. Sapid on the finish, this Troplong Mondot builds in the mouth and coats it on the finish. De Gironde and I discussed my previous scores. I always said that he would get better and better during his tenure and this is clearly the case in 2022, the best Troplong Mondot...so far.” Drink 2032-2068
96-98 pts., Neal Martin, vinous.com (April 2023)
£612 / Case£102 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2022 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 6x75cl
“The 2022 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked 6 to 27 September at 30hL/ha, the drought chipping away so that one-third was eventually lost. This has 13.65% alcohol and p1-1 of 3.80.... There is 17.5% pressed wine, the highest ever. This has a subtle bouquet, not understated but it unfurls in the glass (unlike others that explode.) Blackberry and cedar, light touches of mint, a hint of dark chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety texture with lovely balanced, gentle but insistent grip, slightly granular as it fans out with black fruit, cedar and light graphite notes. This is a very suave Pichon-Lalande that will age with style.” Drink 2029-2065. 96-98 pts., Neal Martin, vinous.com (April 2023)
£1,032 / Case£172 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2022 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 3x75cl
“The 2022 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was picked 6 to 27 September at 30hL/ha, the drought chipping away so that one-third was eventually lost. This has 13.65% alcohol and p1-1 of 3.80.... There is 17.5% pressed wine, the highest ever. This has a subtle bouquet, not understated but it unfurls in the glass (unlike others that explode.) Blackberry and cedar, light touches of mint, a hint of dark chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety texture with lovely balanced, gentle but insistent grip, slightly granular as it fans out with black fruit, cedar and light graphite notes. This is a very suave Pichon-Lalande that will age with style.” Drink 2029-2065. 96-98 pts., Neal Martin, vinous.com (April 2023)
£516 / Case£172 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur
2020 Domaine de la Chapelle (Paul Jaboulet Aine), Hermitage, La Chapelle Rouge 3x150cl
“Glass-staining purple. Assertively perfumed cassis, cherry liqueur, fruitcake and floral aromas take on espresso, olive and smoky bacon accents with aeration. Juicy, chewy and energetic on the... palate, offering densely packed, alluringly sweet black and blue fruit preserve, floral pastille, licorice and mocha flavors that become deeper and spicier as the wine slowly stretches out. The floral and mineral notes repeat emphatically on a wonderfully long, juicy and mineral-dominated finish that's framed by building, well-wrought tannins.” 96-98 pts., Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
£750 / Case£250 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate
2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou 2eme Cru Classe, Saint-Julien 6x75cl
The en primeur release of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou today marks nearly twenty flourishing years of expertise and excellence under the stewardship of Bruno Borie, and a 2020 vintage of remarkable... purity and elegance. Supple and concentrated, it is somewhat lighter on its feet than the 2019 yet possesses a length, refinement and grace reaffirming why Ducru-Beaucaillou, has remained over these twenty years such an attractive proposition for collectors. Though not all critics were able to sample the 2020, plaudits from the The Wine Advocate suggest a similar attraction with 95-97 points awarded.
Collectors will also note this year’s special label design to mark this estate’s tercentenary vintage, which Borie describes as ‘an event in itself’ and one ‘capturing the brilliance, perspectives and energy of the 2020 vintage’.
£960 / Case£160 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur