Red Wine

A stonking 96 points from Wine Advocate's Lisa Perotti-Brown, who writes that it "leaps from the glass with gregarious notions of plum preserves, crème de cassis and Black Forest cake with hints of potpourri, star anise, menthol and tapenade. Full, rich, firm and grainy, with fantastic freshness lifting the densely packed palate, it has a long, beautifully fragrant finish." Can be drunk from 2020 to 2045 and beyond.

Ch Haut Batailley is on a roll, with consistently excellent wines made over the last 10 years. The 2014 is one of our favourites, a classic Pauillac yet quite approachable young. 92 points Wine Advocate "a very subtle bouquet, one that bided its time in the glass and then unfolded with scents of blackberry, briary, pencil box and light graphite scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, moderate weight, classic and perhaps conservative in style. Yet the harmony is just wonderful and it slips down the throat almost too easily. As such, I feel this is a more approachable Haut-Batailley compared to other vintages, yet it has the body to reward three of four years of bottle age."

A strong effort from Langoa Barton, the 2013 possesses a deep ruby/purple color, a crunchy, juicy mid-palate, sweet tannins, adequate acidity, and a medium-bodied, fleshy mouthfeel.

Satin textured. Fresh, sweet and polished on the nose. Very bright fruit. Very, very slightly raw but admirable for a 2002 and already drinkable.

Rather sumptuous nose. Masses of polish and substance. Rewarding wine with sufficient ripe fruit and great balance but masses of tannin for the future. Very ambitious. Fresh too.

We've followed this excellent Cru Bourgeois property since 2008 and the 2009 vintage was rated by Decanter as the best Cru Bourgeois of all. Deep and sensuous palate.

The desire to nurture the Estate’s exceptional qualities has shaped Ornellaia’s philosophy since the beginning. Ornellaia is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot and the faithful expression of unique terroir developed in harmony with nature. “Ornellaia 2017 masterfully interprets what was a particularly warm and sunny year. The intense and dark colour heralds a wine of beautiful concentration; the nose, rich and complex, releases scents of ripe red fruits, accompanied by notes of sweet tobacco and vanilla. The taste reveals an Ornellaia of great balance, a combination of firmness and pleasant freshness.” Olga Fusari – Winemaker – July 2019

The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 5% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. This is hand sorted, removing anything that could impart green flavors, with a cold soak of seven to ten days at eight Celsius with a daily remontage, the fruit covered in dry ice to prevent oxidation. The malolactic is in tank as Andres van Rensberg vigorously eschews brettanomyces. It has a very composed bouquet with black fruit, melted tar with cracked black pepper. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, quite austere in style with a cedar and sandalwood tinged finish.

Floral, supple, elegant. Lovely ripe fruit, blackcurrant with coconut-y oak. Well formed, ripe tannin. Slightly coffee / toffee finish. Surprising.

Big, rich and velvety like a decent Margaux should be with a modern glossy feel on the palate. Designed for earlier drinking as a second wine, with extended barrel ageing. Delicious fruit, ample weight and body, ripe tannins.

16.5 points CWM and Julia Harding jancisrobinson.com "Mid cherry red. Lovely cherry fragrance too. Cool and silky. Relatively lightweight but fine and gentle on the palate. Pretty and elegant. The producer was worried that this was a lighter-tasting sample than the rest and the second bottle was indeed firmer and richer. Bravo"

16.5 points CWM and Julia Harding jancisrobinson.com "Mid cherry red. Lovely cherry fragrance too. Cool and silky. Relatively lightweight but fine and gentle on the palate. Pretty and elegant. The producer was worried that this was a lighter-tasting sample than the rest and the second bottle was indeed firmer and richer. Bravo"

16.5 points CWM and Julia Harding jancisrobinson.com "Mid cherry red. Lovely cherry fragrance too. Cool and silky. Relatively lightweight but fine and gentle on the palate. Pretty and elegant. The producer was worried that this was a lighter-tasting sample than the rest and the second bottle was indeed firmer and richer. Bravo"

Very sweet and broad. rather like a particularly ripe Bolgheri wine on the nose! Very sweet and luscious. A good restaurant wine. Round tannins and lots of freshness. Very salivatory.

Deep garnet in the glass. Earthy, some spice on the nose. Black berry and dark berry upfront on the palate. Balanced with oak, freshly cut wood. Fresh tobacco leaves. Sticky tannins. Full bodied, medium high acidity. Medium length finish

Amazing. So incredibly smooth with this fantastic bouquet. Dark fruit coming in off the nose and palate with blackberry and black currant, with this earthy cedar undertone to it. Really opened up to this sort of leather tobacco kind of vibe before going out with an oak length. Absolutely beautiful.

A wine made from a single walled vineyard within the 2nd growth Ch Leoville Las Cases, adjacent to Ch Latour. The It has a very intense bouquet, the more fruit-driven of all the Saint Julien 2012s with layers of black cherries and cranberry fruit, an undercurrent of autumn leaves and cigar box. The palate is medium-bodied with fine definition: smooth and very harmonious,

The "second wine" here, the 2016 Le Petit Clos is a very different blend from the 2015; it is now mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with just 4% Merlot and 1% Carménère, while last year it was almost half Carménère. The vineyards are now certified in organic and biodynamic agriculture. The bunches were hand-destemmed, and the grapes fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and a six-week maceration. Malolactic was in barrique, and the élevage happened as follows: the wine spent seven months in new French barriques, and then 71% of the volume was transferred to French oak barriques (22% new and 49% second year), while the rest of the wine was put in oak vats. The élevage was 23 months in total. With the change in varieties, this feels very different from the Clos Apalta—more Cabernet here and more Carménère there. The nose is elegant and nuanced, with herbs, spices and a core of ripe red and black fruit, quite varietal and with integrated oak. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with round tannins and vibrant acidity, making it long and supple.

Catena is one of the quality leaders in Argentina and it's also a large winery, so they combine quality and quantity. Furthermore, they are one of the pioneers: They were the first to plant vineyards in Gualtallary, which is nowadays considered one of the highest potential zones in the country, but they were deemed crazy when they planted there.

94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot Instantly recognisable as South African Cab. on the nose. Herbaceous, blackcurrant leaf characters. Multi-dimensional. Charming, polished, square tannins. Enjoyable. Warming finish on a wave of fruit. Oak helps the structure, but isn’t overt or obvious at all. Hang on for three years.

A rich effort from this well-known property in St Christoly. Lovely rich mouthfeel, ripe and tannic with a luscious long finish. Low acidity suggests drinking this wine young, say 2018-2023.

Floral and red. Fragrant. Elegant backbone, focused tannin, fresh acidity, and medicinal finish. Fruit remains throughout. Dark ruby, glossy. Attractive chocolate blueberry aromas, Juicy, sweet palate with excellent balance, lift and ripe tannins, Long and very good

An array of characters such as violets, oregano & thyme, along with glacé cherry Sweet ripe cherry fruit dominates the front palate which then develops into a more savoury wine, showing earthiness, toasted spices and lovely dried herb characters.

The 46th release of Yalumba’s historic blend unites centuries of experience with all of the brilliance that was 2015 in the Barossa. It’s densely packed with crunchy berry fruits, eloquently boosted with dark chocolate oak and framed in magnificently fine tannins. One of the greats. Tyson Stelzer, WBM, January/February 2020

Perfumed nose. Cream, cassis, blueberry cheesecake - really inviting, if primary and oak derived. Juicy, plenty of tannin but fun blueberry fruit. Well structured. Fruit remains though. As does acidity. Totally charming.

Deep purple in colour this Chilean offering has rich ripe cherries and juicy plums on the nose with flavours of jammy blackcurrents and blackberries on the palate. Medium bodied and well balanced.

Demonstrating Bolgheri’s ability to produce an original & easily recognizable Bordeaux blend, grapes for Le Sondraia come from the first vineyard Allegrini bought in Bolgheri which is just next door to the world famous Ornellaia. Sondraia has quickly become a classic in the Bolgheri area. Perfectly ripe grapes & painstaking work in the cellar yield a wine with intense fresh dark fruit notes complemented by smoky tobacco, herbs & sweet spices. These characteristics follow on to the palate which is silky smooth & profoundly elegant. After 18 months in barrique & a further nine months in bottle, the wine was released.

Delightful slightly heavier bodied wine. With strong earthy, eucalyptus and oak notes. Some slight hints of dark fruit. Dry. Dark near purple colour. The blackberry and dark cherry flavours are robust and well balanced. Some mushroom and oak. Medium high acidity.

Aromas of blackcurrant and ripe red fruits. Full and rounded palate with a long lingering finish.

A rich effort from this well-known property in St Christoly. Lovely rich mouthfeel, ripe and tannic with a luscious long finish. Low acidity suggests drinking this wine young, say 2018-2023.

5 stars (95 points) Platter's 2021 South African Wine Guide - "Cape classic released a year later than Paul Sauer, needing time to show its best. Dark & brooding 2016 has aristocratically austere edge to its cassis & cigarbox notes & full-flavoured generosity. Absorbs 50% new oak easily; big tannins not even formidable in youth."

Big heady scent of dark fruit, leather and tobacco. Much more medium bodied compared to some of the recent vintages with good acidity and balance. Length is good with dry tannins, many years of life over which this will be enjoyed

Very dense red, quite intense concentration of Cabernet fruit, lots of extraction but elegance as well, a fine wine that needs time.

Founded in 1870 and owned by the Meffre family since 1961 Chateau du Glana remains one of the very few Saint Julien properties outside the 1855 Grand Cru Classification. As such it offers great value as everything is carried out to the same standard as a Grand Cru; the vineyards are next to 3rd Growth Ch Lagrange, 40% new oak is used and the grapes are extremely well tended. The 2014 vintage is a lovely wine, now ready to drink and very moreish. Big blackcurrant flavours, good ripesness of fruit and tannin, long and velvety. Lovely

92-93 CWM rating. Extracted cherry fruit, very ripe aromas and flavours, good length, low acid but some subtlety. Very appealing. Persistent. Sylviane Garcin-Cathiard owns properties in Pomerol, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru and Pessac-Léognan, and we love them all for their exuberant pleasure-giving wines. In Pessac she operates Château Haut-Bergey, around 40 ha acquired in 1991, Her son Paul is now in charge.

This wine is a deep, intense red colour with highlights of violet. There is a mixture of aromas of red and black fruits, together with spices such as rosemary and cedar and notes of caramel, chocolate and mocha. The finish is rich and juicy, with long persistence.