18th june 2008 - Cheval Blanc, and the wines of Gerard Perse

We can now offer the top wines of Gerard Perse – some of the highest scoring wines from Parker this year. Pavie scores 93-95 from Parker, which we offer at £1,225 a case in bond, and Bellevue Mondotte at £1,650 a case, which is Parker's highest scoring redwine of the vintage at 94-97 points.



We can also offer Cheval Blanc at £3,575 a case.

16th june 2008 - Leoville Las Cases & Angelus

One of the higher scoring wines of the vintage has just been released – Leoville Las Cases. Parker scores this 92-95 points (only Pavie & Bellevue Mondotte are higher in the reds), and it is a lovely Las Cases. It was harvested late in order to get the ripest possible fruit, and the new oak was reduced to only 65%, so the wine maintains freshness and elegance. An superb effort and one of the wines of the vintage… We can offer this at £925 per case in bond.

We can also offer Angelus at £995 per case in bond.

11th june 2008 - La Mission

Now we have La Mission Haut Brion at £1,995, which is one of Parker's highest scoring wines of the vintage at 91-94.

10th june 2008 - Eglise Clinet and Clos L'Eglise

To start off today we have a brace of Pomerols. These two properties are actually located across the road from each other – separated by mere metres! Eglise Clinet is run by the extremely talented Denis Durantou and is capable of producing some of the finest wines of the appellation. Only 1,500 cases were made in 2007 sadly, but the price is dramatically reduced from last year at £740 a case.

Since being taken over by Helene Garcin in 1997, Clos L’Eglise has rebounded in quality, with Parker calling it a ‘benchmark Pomerol’. Production is about 1,250 cases a year. An excellent and very classy effort, and we can offer it at £625 a case.

9th june 2008 - Troplong Mondot (93-94 NM) & Grand Puy Lacoste

To kick the week off, we have a bevy of releases starting with Troplong Mondot – a superstar St Emilion that has reduced its price substantially from last year’s price of £635 a case. Parker gives this 90-93 this year, and we are delighted that they have read the market correctly and reduced their price by 30%. We can offer this at £450 a case.

Hot on its heels comes one of BI’s favourite Pauillac’s – Grand Puy Lacoste. Xavier Borie (cousin of Bruno at Ducru Beaucaillou) is doing wonderful things with this property. The 2007 is another excellent effort, and will drink well young, although it should age brilliantly as well. We can offer this at £315 a case.

6th june 2008 - Climens 07 - 98-100 pts from Neal Martin

We anticipate a very busy day with en primeur this morning, as we have had a whole host of releases, from Pape Clement to Margaux! However the most appealing wine of the day is Ch Climens. This is frequently compared to Ch d’Yquem, and rightly so – the bottle of 1990 we had the other day could have easily been mistaken blind for Yquem…

Climens undoubtedly has the finest terroir in Barsac, and unusually, it stretches all around the vineyard in a single continuous vineyard. Robert Parker is very keen on Climens, describing it as “complex and compelling to drink”. It is not as powerful as Yquem, but has extraordinary balance and finesse.



“…seems to combine a rich, luscious, exotic character of honeyed pineapple fruit with a remarkable inner core of lemony acidity – giving the wine zestiness, precision to its flavours, and a profound, hauntingly pleasurable bouquet. Consistently one of the most profound wines of Barsac/Sauternes, this wine, made from 100% Semillon, is one of the most ravishing examples of just how much elegance can be built into a powerful racehorse style of wine….” – Robert Parker


“The best Sauternes wines are so exquisitely balanced, come with such concentration and acidity, that they will undoubtedly outlive their dry red counterparts by years, probably decades. I sincerely hope that consumers recognize their intrinsic quality, the Herculean effort that goes into creating them, wines that will surely complement the greatest 2000 or 2005 red Bordeaux. Assuming you are in the frame of mind to forego your allocation of First Growth or cult Pomerol this year, just think what Sauternes you can buy instead.” – Neal Martin, erobertparker.com


Whilst this is not the cheapest Climens we have ever seen, this will be a fraction of the price of Yquem! The 100 point 2001 is about £2,500 and very difficult to find, as production is a meagre 2,000 cases. This is Neal Martin / Parker’s highest scoring wine of the vintage – Neal did all the Sauternes & Barsac’s for Parker’s Wine Advocate this year.



2007 Ch Climens, Barsac - £900 per case of 12 bts in bond /£910 per case of 24 halves in bond

“Multiple tastings of barrels and two micro-blends with Berenice Lurton at the chateau and each one more breath-taking than the last! An intensely minerally nose with astounding delineation and poise with hints of wild honey, orange-blossom and a little almond. The palate displays brilliant balance, so much so that the 150-160gms/L residual is barely noticeable. A sublime viscous, honeyed, peach-tinged finish that leaves the palate tingling with glee. To quote my own words: "it encapsulates everything you love about Sauternes." Bravo Berenice. Drink 2010-2050+ Tasted April 2008.” (98-100 POINTS) – Neal Martin, erobertparker.com

4th june 2008 - Conseillante breaks cover...

This morning we expect the releases from Bordeaux to come thick and fast, starting with one of our favourite 07 Pomerol’s at £630 a case in bond.

La Conseillante always turns out one of the more elegant, lush and delicious wines of the appellation – it has been described as the ‘Richebourg of Pomerol’ by Parker on more than one occasion - and the 2007 is no exception. There are no hard edges at all here, and the 80% new oak is beautifully integrated. A Conseillante that will drink well young and provide great amounts of pleasure.

We also have Rauzan Segla and Haut Bailly, both at £360...

3rd june 2008 - Leoville Barton & Montrose

The campaign has clearly picked up pace now, and after Lynch Bages yesterday (selling well at £400 a case), we have two UK favourites – Montrose at £460 a case and Leoville Barton at £395 a case. Both are impressively concentrated wines for the vintage, and are amongst some of the few that will require a bit of cellaring before consumption. Unsurprisingly Anthony Barton has delivered the goods again, producing a stylish, fresh wine that will age well. Leoville Barton is always a wine that sells extraordinarily well en primeur and we advise customers to be quick. Since the change of ownership in 2006, the legendary Jean Delmas (winemaker at Haut Brion from 1961-2003) has been making Montrose, and quality hasn’t skipped a beat.

3rd june 2008 - Branaire Ducru, Calon Segur & Langoa Barton

Further this afternoon, we have a few new Bordeaux releases – Branaire Ducru (rated 90-92 by Parker) & Calon Segur, plus the vastly improved Langoa Barton.


Owned by the president of the Unions des Grands Cru, Patrick Maroteaux, this is always a good value estate and has seen big increases in quality recently.

2007 Ch Branaire Ducru, St Julien - £270 per case in bond
“63% CS, 30% M, 4% PV, 3% CF. This estate is run by the head of the Union des Grands Crus, Patrick Maroteaux, and he has turned it into one of the most consistent St Juliens. Patrick feels this is his best effort (after 2000, 2003 & 2005) in the last 15 years. The 2007 has excellent purity of fruit, a delicious acidity, and very good structure. There’s good concentration here, but it’s not as fleshy as the 2005 or 2003. That being said, there’s a lovely elegance and balance, and this is one of the few 2007’s that will repay some good cellaring.” (90-92+ POINTS) – Bordeaux Index


Following on from Leoville Barton, we also have its sister chateau, Langoa Barton, a property that Anthony has been paying much more attention to recently, with a subsequent increase in quality. Please note for that we have sold half of our Leoville Barton allocation (£395 cs) already.


2007 Ch Langoa Barton, St Julien - £280 per case in bond
“A blend of 77.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 7.5% Cabernet Franc. This has a ripe blackberry, violet tinged nose that is perhaps lacking the clarity and vigour that it often shows at this stage. A touch of seashells become apparent in the glass. The palate is full-bodied, quite sinewy comparative to other Saint Juliens with good concentration and purity of fruit with no signs of under-ripeness. The Langoa 2007 has a persistent finish with good depth and focus with blackberry and cedar to the fore. Very fine, as usual. Tasted April 2008” (90-91 POINTS) – Neal Martin



Finally, we have the always consistent Calon Segur – classic St Estephe from a property that is slightly overlooked compared to Montrose and Cos…


2007 Ch Calon Segur, St Estephe - £325 per case in bond
“76% CS, 24% M. This is always a very calming visit towards the end of a manic day – just the one wine to try, and the only worry is not to trip over the step on the way in! The wine has a good showing today – classic St Estephe structure, good crunchy freshness, with a touch of oak showing on the finish. It’s not as voluptuous as the 2006, but still a very good effort and will age well. Whilst this is a very masculine wine, it still has good elegance and will drink well young – for a Calon Segur that is!” (88-90 POINTS) – Bordeaux Index

2nd june 2008 - 2007 Lynch Bages 'could merit a higher score'

This afternoon we see the release of a wine we seem to sell out of every year – Lynch Bages. With vineyards located midway between Mouton Rothschild and Lafite to the north and Pichon Lalande and Pichon Baron to the south, Lynch Bages has the terroir to produce some of Pauillac’s finest wines. In addition to this fantastic position, recent modernisation and redevelopment has raised the game even higher and, in particular, has helped the estate produce excellent wines even in the weaker vintages. For the British market in particular Lynch Bages represents the democratic face of fine claret and is well worthy of its moniker as ‘poor man’s Mouton’. The popularity of the Chateau has pushed prices of back vintages significantly higher. Part of this growth is attributable to the popularity of Lynch-Bages on the Chinese market. The name Lynch Bages is now widely recognised and much appreciated in China, where it is often translated as "Lan Chi Pat" – which also happens to be the name of a famous 20th century Cantonese opera singer! The pronunciation is similar to the French and the meaning – very important for a brand name in China – and is both positively regarded and well-respected. This price impetus tends to bite in physical stock as the Asian market tends not to buy futures, giving en primeur purchasers a genuine advantage.

29th may 2008 - Evangile (93-95)

Completely by surprise, we have the release of one of the top Pomerol estates – L’Evangile. This is located next to Petrus and owned by Ch Lafite since 1990, it has undergone massive renovation since then. This is a 10.5% reduction from last year – we sold the 2006 at £950 a case…

22th may 2008 - Moulin St Georges & L'Arrosee

Two lovely St Emilion's are now out - Moulin St Georges (made by Ausone's Alain Vauthier) at £230, and the always delicious L'Arrosee at £260. Both have made excellent wines given the vintage, and certainly punch above their weight!

22th may 2008 - One of the wines of the vintage - Pontet Canet

This morning we can offer one of our favourite wines of the vintage – Pontet Canet at £445 a case. Parker rates this more highly than most of the First Growths, giving it a score of 91-94, and Neal Martin loved it, as we did – it is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Unfortunately, there is 20% less this year. Alfred Tesseron continues his great run of wines from 1994, and Pontet Canet further cements its position as arguably the best wine in Pauillac that isn’t a First Growth.

19th may 2008 - Gruaud Larose - "a delicious St Julien" & Talbot...

After the weekend break, we have the release of two of our St Julien favourites – Gruaud Larose & Talbot. Gruaud is a lovely wine this year – early drinking in the style of the vintage, but it’s a very charming wine indeed, with a lovely structure that means it should age pretty well too… We can offer it at £295 a case, or £290 for 3 cases or more. The Talbot is again in an early drinking style which could almost be consumed on release – an attractive effort here - we can offer at £250 or £245 for 3 cases or more.

15th may 2008 - Lagrange now released... and some others

The 3rd growth St Julien has now been released onto the market at a price of £255, with an 88-91 score from Robert Parker. This is however more expensive than we are currently listing the 2006 for at £245 a case ib, with a 91-94 point score from Parker. This afternoon we have the stalwart Pauillac Haut Bages Liberal, described as "traditional" and "decent early drinking claret" by Neal Martin, at £180 cs ib.

13th may 2008 - Lafon Rochet and others

After another extended French bank holiday we have seen a little action from various chateaux, including Lafon Rochet, Gazin, Kirwan and de Fargues. Sadly prices are all either above, or at the top end of our estimates, so we feel unable to recommend them to our clients.

7th may 2008 - Cantemerle

First out of the gate this morning we have Cantemerle at £150 a case ib - always a popular chateau here in the UK, and rated 89-91 by Parker.

6th may 2008 - Beychevelle and some excellent Sauternes

This morning we have a raft of releases from Bordeaux, starting off with a perennial UK favourite – Beychevelle at £270 a case. This year it’s an attractive, elegant effort which can be drunk whilst you wait for your 2005 & 2006, and garners 91-93 points from Neal Martin. We also have some of our favourite Sauternes – Doisy Daene and Doisy Vedrines. They are both excellent, with Daene being lighter and fresher, and Vedrines being richer and sweeter. A good value buy here is Ch de Myrat, which displayed excellent balance, lovely sweetness and excellent acidity. The Doisy Daene Extravgant is an Yquem-lookalike rated very highly by Neal Martin, who has done the Sauternes scoring for Robert Parker this year. We can also offer Sociando Mallet at £250 a case, a consistently popular Cru Bourgeouis that many feel should be upgraded to a Cru Classe.

30th april 2008 - Second release... Suduiraut...

Another major name of Sauternes has been released this morning at the same price as their 2005… Ch Suduiraut – although the sterling slippage has taken its toll here so the price in real terms is slightly higher. That being said, the 2007 vintage is very special for Sauternes, so this is definitely worth a look. We are able to offer this at a lower price than Rieussec yesterday. The Suduiraut is not quite as fat and unctuous as the Rieussec, but framed in a more elegant style, but with no lack of sweetness. Robert Parker is due to publish his reviews any day now, but has commented so far that “....the dry whites are superb...sweets promising as well.....”

29th april 2008 - First release of the campaign.. 07 Rieussec

Today we see the first release of our en primeur campaign, and one of the best wines we tasted in Sauternes – Rieussec. This is always one of the top wines of the appellation, and 2007 was exceptional for the sweet wines of Bordeaux – there is good concentration, sweetness, acidity and length… Are these as good as the amazing 2001s? The 2001 Rieussec currently trades for £800 a case, so there is a good discount offered here.