Joseph Phelps Insignia 2019
The 2019 Insignia opens with heady aromatics of red fruit, crème de cassis, leafy tobacco and delicate dried rose petals. The palate is juicy and dense with expressive layers of blackberry, raspberry, black currant, and dark chocolate. A dynamic wine offering captivating energy, length, complexity and refinement.
93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec from estate-grown Napa Valley vineyards: 32% Yountville (Oak Knoll District), 23% Banca Dorada (Rutherford), 14% Suscol (South Napa Valley), 14% Home Ranch (St. Helena), 12% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 3% Barboza (Stags Leap District), 2% El Venadito (Oak Knoll District).
"Another beautiful wine from this team… It has a classic varietal and incredibly complex nose of crème de cassis, freshly sharpened pencils, green tobacco, and damp earth, with a kiss of background sappy spring flowers. Unquestionably up with the finest vintages of this cuvée, this is legit awesome juice that’s going to offer incredible pleasure over the coming 20-25 years."
- 99 points; Jeb Dunnuck, February 2022
Chateau Tour du Roch-Milon Pauillac 2019
The 2019 Tour du Roch-Milon has a deep garnet-purple color, offering classic cassis, baked plums and cedar chest scents with hints of bouquet garni, pencil lead and lavender. The medium-bodied palate is lively and refreshing, laden with crunchy black fruits with an approachable, grainy texture and an herbal lift on the finish.
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot
Chateau Tour de Marbuzet Saint-Estèphe 2018
Château Tour de Marbuzet is a family-owned estate since 1981 - Château Tour de Marbuzet belongs to Henri Duboscq and his sons, the owners of famous Château Haut-Marbuzet. A tiny vineyard of 8.5 hectares, partly located on the famous « Plateau de Marbuzet », leading to a very small production.
The 2018 Tour de Marbuzet has a deep garnet-purple color, slipping effortlessly from the glass with bold notions of blackcurrant cordial, blueberry preserves and stewed plums plus suggestions of menthol, pencil shavings and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a sturdy frame of grainy tannins and just enough freshness to support the muscular black fruits, finishing on an earthy note.
40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc
Alain Geoffroy Chablis Cuvee Vieilles Vignes 2020
Pale golden yellow in colour with slight greenish glints. Bright, luminous and limpid.
The nose shows instantly both maturity and freshness in a festival of flowers and fruit. The floral notes of menthol, acacias and citronella mingle with grapefruit, butterscotch and freshly baked buns…
Taste is powerful with pretty, harmonious mellowness, perfectly supported by its frank, yet unaggressive liveliness. The long finish prolongs the pleasure with a pronounced mineral presence enhanced by a delicate hint of wood.
GRAPE VARIETY: Chardonnay 100 %
AGE OF THE VINEYARD: 45 to 70 years
GEOLOGY: Kimmeridgian limestone
EXPOSURE: South - South-East
WINE-MAKING PROCESS: Traditional method in oak casks
MATURING: In oaks barrels, with wood split to a turn
Akarua The Siren Pinot Noir 2021
“The Siren”, Akarua’s super premium cuvee, leaves in its wake a mesmerising and ambitious Pinot Noir. It is composed of the finest parcels from Cairnmuir Road in Bannockburn, where grapevines flourish beautifully in a very windy, very hot and very dry environment. The odyssey of a full-bodied and complex wine, both floral and spicy with enchanting black-berry aromas.
Akarua The Siren complex, sophisticated and powerful flavours make it a perfect match with roast lamb, mushroom based dishes as well as vegetable dishes with a little sweetness and a touch of acidity.
WINEMAKING
Carefully hand harvested grapes were destemmed then fermented on skins for around three weeks. The resulting wine was gently pressed to French oak barrels for maturation.
AGEING
In French oak barrels with 40% of new. One year of bottle age before release.
AGEING DURATION
18 months Varietal: Pinot Noir
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Rouge 2017
The Grand Cru Classé in red Malartic-Lagravière appellation Pessac-Léognan vintage 2017 keeps all its promises and once again honors the tradition of wines from the Bordeaux region.
The Merlots, with the dry and warm June and July, are fleshy, round and aromatic. After the rains at the end of September, the Cabernets finish refining their tannins, preserving the freshness and thus offering extraordinary complexity, sap and silkiness.
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
“Ripe, with succulent plum, cassis and raspberry fruit paste flavors, lined with liquorice and anise details, showing a well-integrated apple wood note on the finish, backed by a light scoring of tar. Exhibits lots of compact energy, so this should unwind nicely in the cellar.” – James Molesworth at Wine Spectator
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Blanc 2017
The white wines present exceptional quality. The cool August produced superbly balanced grapes, highlighting their aromatic profiles.
For the whites, the aromatic profiles are superb; the wines show a crisp line of acidity, good tightness and a pleasant sappiness, with plenty of fruit and a good quality framework.
80% Sauvignon, 20% Sémillon
“Attractive, fresh-lemon and grassy nuances with wild herbs and slightly flinty elements, too. The palate has such intense and fresh acidity. Fine lemons and limes and a thrillingly dry, long finish. ” – Janvier at James Suckling
Almaviva 2020
Intense ruby red, the nose reveals stable, frank aromas of ripe cassis, plum and blackberries, associated to mineral hints and fine notes of vanilla, coffee, grilled orange zest, tobacco and cacao. The mouth shows outstanding balance, great acidity, a firm tannic structure, and exceptional persistence. A brilliant wine, elegant, constant and precise in its character, showing a palate of class, with persistent and refined tannins.
Fresh and deep nose, full of blueberries, minty cassis, mussels, cigars, dark spice and roasted sesame oak, which will need a year or two to fully integrate. A medium-to full-bodied Almaviva with supple, silky tannins and a wealth of black and blue fruit that provides a lot of charm now. Voluptuous and flattering on the palate, hallmarked by its tension and taut texture. Very long.
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Drinkable now, but better from 2024.
Les Brulières de Beychevelle 2020
VINEYARD :
- Varietals: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot.
- Soil: gravel and clay
- Size of the vineyard: 12 ha
- Harvest: partially by hand
Chateau Beychevelle 2015
The 2015 Beychevelle has a wonderful ripe blackberry, boysenberry and cassis-scented bouquet that is very well defined. There is nascent energy and tension spilling out from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with quite opulent black fruit laced with graphite and a splash of soy, but underneath is embedded a firm structure. There is real vivacity and terroir expression on the finish, a Beychevelle with enormous potential. One for those seeking “classic” – Wine Advocate, 2018
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon 42%, Merlot 47%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Petit Verdot 4%
Chateau Beychevelle 2006
The 2005-2006 season was marked by a return to precipitation levels more in keeping with the thirty year average. Temperatures were slightly lower than average, but nevertheless high compared to the past three decades.
Becoming widespread in the first week of April, bud burst was even and followed the normal pattern for various grape varieties. Peak véraison occurred on the 10th of August. This was very regular and among the earliest in recent years.
Harvesting started on the 20th of September with the Merlot harvest.
Château Beychevelle 2006 has a beautiful deep colour and expressive fruity aromas with overtones of wild berries and black cherries. This fruitiness follows through on the palate.
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon 59%, Merlot 29%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Petit Verdot 5%
Divin De Corbin 2017
Château Corbin, situated in the Saint Emilion AOC on the border of the Pomerol appellation, is one of the patriarchs of Saint Emilion. Its foundations date back to the 15th century, and according to legend Corbin, was the stronghold that belonged to the “Black Prince” Edouard de Plantagenet who fought the French in the early stages of the Hundred Year War. Since 1999, the estate has been managed by Anabelle Cruse Bardinet, a Bordeaux University oenology graduate, who represents the 4th generation of the family to lead the Chateau.
VINEYARD
Varietals: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet franc
Soils: Clay and sandy clay with ferric clay subsoil
Size of the vineyard: 13 ha (by the border of Pomerol)
Age of the vine :15 20 years
Planting density: 7 500 vines/ha
Average Yield: 35 hl/ha
Harvest: By hand with double sorting
WINEMAKING
Vinification: Plot by plot vinification in concrete vats. Maceration 3 4weeks
Aging: In French oak barrels
Bottling: At the Château
TASTING NOTES
Divin offers in its dark dress a wonderful expression of pure and concentrated dark fruit. The palate is immediately seduced by the structure of its body: juicy, fresh with fine and elegant tannins. A divine wine that will charm all palates!
"This is a soft and juicy wine, the only wine made at this estate in 2017 because of frost. Black-currant flavors and fresh fruitiness come through the light tannic character. Drink the wine from 2021. " - 90 points, Wine Enthusiast