Right, what are we/you drinking now .. tonight

[phillisc]

Wynns 2017 BL C/S
quick decant, black in colour, the nose gives little away other than a whiff of blue fruits, olive and a wisp of vanillan oak. Palate ultra cool and classy, there is some serious fruit here, medium to full bodied, more the latter, and just finishes so fine. Lovely wine drink now or forever. Feel that this will be a bit of a sleeper, power without being over the top. Bring on the deals

Rockford 2009 Moppa, GSM.
great colour deep red, hardly browning at all. Almost port like aroma, mild heat from the Grenache but really in the slot for drinking now. Very good wine, maybe peaking.

Cheers Craig

[Matt@5453]

A few mentions from the weekend's drinking:

2016 Mountadam Chardonnay High Eden, Eden Valley

Ripe fruits of nectarine, melons with toast and creaminess from the oak supporting the fruit. The more I try & taste it, I get a subtle caramel pop corn type of flavour coming through. Good texture and mouth feel to the wine with good balancing acidity. Rather enjoyable.

2019 Paulett Riesling Polish Hill River, Clare Valley

Young, bright and fresh. Lip smacking lemon/lime combination with minerals and slate. A long lingering finish with honey suckle just lingering. A very good concentrated wine with medium to high acidity. Young now, can't wait to try over the next 6-12 months to see how it settles down. Looks good now.

2015 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco Langhe DOC

Nice and light. Dark cherries, strawberries and florals with a savoury tone to the wine. Very slight hint of tannin on the finish (probably more the dryness of the wine showing). Not showing a great depth of flavour or complexity. Overall a light, good easy drinking & enjoyable wine.

[Craig(NZ)]

Some 1995 Chateau Latour for 25th wedding anniversary.

An impressive wine that is for sure. Intellectual,mouth filling and assured but in no way seductive. I was in two minds. It is a benchmark as it is a benchmark, but just didn't get the emotions flowing. It didn't seduce. Margaux for me please

[Ozzie W]

1983 Château Brane-Cantenac
A magnificent bottle of fully mature Bordeaux. Perfect cork and ullage (bottom of neck). Sweet red fruits, sour black cherry, roast red meat, coffee, dark chocolate, earth, tobacco, mushroom, cedar, cloves, thyme, liquorice, black truffle, leather. Dusty tannins and good acidity. Paired perfectly with eye fillet steak.

[phillisc]

Wynns 2016 Single Vineyard O'Dea's. A blend of Cabernet/Malbec/Merlot/Franc off a single vineyard
Big step up from the black label Cabernet
A muted nose blue fruits a little earthy smoky spice
A really solid core, tar, cool and slick...slippery tannins.

Great to taste this on release...will put the dozen away for a fair while.
Cheers
Craig.

[Scotty vino]

2013 Hewitson Old Garden Vineyard Mourvedre.
Pepper, dark cherry and tobacco notes with a bit of leather and earth thrown in.
Still showing tons of fruit and tannins are UBER fine. great balance of oak.
Overall just a really well made super balanced vino.

The oldest Mouvedre vines?... 'Planted in 1853 these are the original existing mouvedre vines on own roots'.
Great drop with miles in front of it but I wouldn't hesitate opening other in a year or 2.

[Mahmoud Ali]

It's the Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and we're having a relaxing evening before the televison. Afer some vermouth aperitif we opened, decanted, and chilled the 2006 Saint Cosme Saint-Joseph (13%). It is in a nice place now, perfumed, peppery, some ripe fruit and garrigue on the nose, while the palate has dry cherry fruit, leather, some spice and pepper, and a resolved dry, savoury finish. Lovely with the fatty blade steak.

CosmeSaint-Joseph.jpeg

Cheers ................... Mahmoud.

PS: I've no idea why the photograph appears sideways. On another forum the same upload is rightside up. I never had this problem before.

[Ozzie W]

PS: I've no idea why the photograph appears sideways. On another forum the same upload is rightside up. I never had this problem before.

There's a bug in the software used to host this forum which causes image orientation metadata to be ignored. If you use an external image hosting service such as [url]https://postimages.org/[/url] you won't have this issue.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Hi Ozzie,

I tried using your link but before using it I righted the original picture - because I had flipped it on its side to see if that would right the picture on the post - and in trying to delete and edit the post above I ended up with the picture right side up. I've no idea what happened but things came out right without using the hosting service. Wierd. Anyway, thanks for the link, I may well be useing it in future.

Mahmoud.

[sjw_11]

October drinking so far...

• 2017 Luís Seabra Vinhos Douro Xisto Ilimitado - Portugal, Douro (10/24/2019)
  Apparently this is a blend of Rufete, Touriga Franca, Tinta Carvalha, Alicante Bouchet, Donzelinho, and Malvasia Negra. Natural yeasts. 70% fermented in vat, 30% in stone. Deep red colour. Spicy nose with bright red fruits, cinnamon, cherry liquer. A touch of raspberry lolly. Gentle and even in the mouth. A surprising bit of grip at the finishe. Nice freshness. Probably a drink early proposition but very pleasant. Excellent value. (91 pts.)
• 2018 Poullet Chablis Domaine des Chaumes - France, Burgundy, Chablis (10/21/2019)
  Good, clean, fresh Chablis for easy, early drinking. OK value. (87 pts.)
• 2012 Château Sociando-Mallet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (10/20/2019)
  Deep red. Intense, relatively youthful blackberry, cedar and lead pencil on the nose. Maybe a touch of green but for me nothing too detracting especially at this price point. Sometimes I wonder how much vintage preconceptions colour people’s notes. The palate is cool and even with gentle red toned fruit and grippy tannins. Drinking well now, not sure if it’s one for the long term but for me no rush to drink either. (92 pts.)
• 2018 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (10/19/2019)
  Good crisp Rhône fruit, white nectarine. Nice grip and linear finish. (91 pts.)
• 2018 Mas Amiel Côtes du Roussillon Promesse - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon (10/18/2019)
  Simple green fruit, honeysuckle, fruit salad. Crisp and pleasant. Unobjectionable. (86 pts.)
• 2015 Marziano Abbona Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (10/18/2019)
  Mid red. Nice candied roses and red berries on the nose. Just a touch corked I think so not rated. More on the palate- a touch of wet cardboard. Could be another fault. Nice potential underneath and if showing well good value. NR (flawed)
• 2016 Louis Latour Gamay Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (10/16/2019)
  Light red. Juicy red fruit and red lolly nose. Lovely sweet, simple red with great quaffibility. Good value easy drinking. (87 pts.)
• 2015 Château Gloria - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (10/14/2019)
  Deep blood red. Youthful dark fruit on the nose, cassis, red jubes and a touch of graphite. Juicy black currant fruit on the palate. Fleshy, gentle tannins. Fresh and fruit driven, a little one dimensional at this stage but I suspect this will be better in a few years time. (92 pts.)
• 2017 Hubert Bouzereau-Gruère et Filles Chassagne-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet (10/13/2019)
  Produced from relatively young vines (2003 planting), this estate also makes several other wines from older vines in this appellation. Pale yellow. Very fresh and pure on the nose. Crystalline white peach and just a hint of apricot. Touch of minerality as well. Richly flavored yet light on its feet in the mouth, complex but finishing with crisp acidity. Better on the second day or with plenty of air. Good now but I suspect even better in 2-3 years. (94 pts.)
• 2009 Marcel Cabelier Château-Chalon - France, Jura, Château-Chalon (10/13/2019)
  Deep yellow. Classic vin jaune nose reminiscent more of sherry than a typical wine. The palate opens crisp with a touch of citrus and closes with rich nutty complexity. Lingering finish. Delicious, if you like the style. Idea as an aperitif or to accompany firm cheese. (92 pts.)
• NV Philipponnat Champagne Royale Réserve Rosé Brut - France, Champagne (10/12/2019)
  Pale salmon. Restrained nose with red berry and rose notes. Sweet strawberries and a vibrant mousse in the mouth. Good value. (92 pts.)
• 2011 La Fleur de Haut-Bages Libéral - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (10/11/2019)
  Mid to deep red. Muted, slightly sour nose. Red currant. Green notes. Not particularly arresting. The palate is similarly a bit thin and green. Gritty tannins. No extra depth even on day 2. Not sure if this is a bad bottle or perhaps just in a dumb phase, but on this showing I couldn’t recommend a purchase. (86 pts.)
• 2015 Château d'Arcins - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (10/10/2019)
  Deep red. Fresh nose of cherry, a touch of plum, hint of cedar. Juicy on the palate with gently drying tannin. Delicious. No rush to drink but excellent now. Exceptional value (€13 from Nicolas). (91 pts.)
• 2017 Malvira' Roero Arneis Trinità - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Roero (10/10/2019)
  Lovely and fresh. Pale yellow in the glass. Vibrant nose of citrus and bruised pear. Round but fresh in the mouth, with a touch of broad fruit salad and a gently lingering finish. Very pleasant easy drinking. (87 pts.)
• 2017 Vietti Barbera d'Alba Tre Vigne - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (10/9/2019)
  Mid to dark red. Exhuberant nose of vibrant red and dark fruit. Classic sweet brambly Barbera character. On the palate this has lashings of sweet red fruit but also a good acid balance at the finish. Almost a touch of cola. As always with this cuvée excellent drinking and great value. Now or over the next several years. (90 pts.)
• 2014 Schiavenza Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (10/8/2019)
  Mid red. Gentle but intense nose. Red berries, old forest, vanillin spice. Nice purity of expression. The palate carries the same but finishes just a touch thin. Tannins are quite stiff at first but the wine opens up over a day or two- I would give a good decant if drinking in one sitting. Maybe needs a few more years to show its best? If I had more I’d be tempted to leave it another two years to try again. (92 pts.)
• 2018 Vietti Roero Arneis - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Roero (10/8/2019)
  100% Arneis from 25 year old vines. All stainless steel treatment and no malo. Bright yellow in the glass. Subtle nose of citrus and a touch of stone fruit. Sharp and sweet palate entry with a lashing of lemon and a lingering after taste with a touch of salinity. Pleasant easy drinking white. (87 pts.)
• 2016 La Raia Gavi Riserva - Italy, Piedmont, Gavi (10/7/2019)
  Pale green yellow. Floral and citrus nose with good freshness and a touch of oily salinity. A bit of cut grass as well, or a slightly green character. Quite full on the palate with sweet stone fruit (no actual sweetness) and a medium length finish. Decent. (87 pts.)
• 2016 Château Clos St. Émilion Philippe - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (10/4/2019)
  Deep purple red. Dense and sweet nose of purple fruits, plums, blackberry. Juicy, fleshy palate carries through the same with lingering sweet fruit and gentle tannin. (90 pts.)

Posted from [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/]CellarTracker[/url]

[mychurch]

004766A2-BF1D-4ACA-A4F7-9F374DB65150.jpeg

I managed to send a mixed bag of wines to a friend in Amsterdam and we tasted this and the ‘16 Handorf Hill Gru Gruner Veltliner via Skype. The Gruner is fine and makes a change from the standard Auz whites, but the vines can’t be that old and it’s a world away in quality from an aged Knoll or Pichler.

Ruggabelus though is a different matter and I’d put their 3 whites up against any European Orange wine. This ‘16 Quomodo is dominated by komquat and tangerine, but it’s a wine that evolves and asked questions. This is better tonight after 24 hours and it will be different, but just as good tomorrow. Lovely stuff, but not for everyone.

[phillisc]

My sentiment for Metala is well known, a wine which punches way above its price point.
Opened an 09 Shiraz/Cabernet/Malbec 50/45/5 blend, a sporadic release as the Malbec editions have only been made in 2-3 recent vintages.
Inky black, wonderful nose of sweet vs. savory, great balance and silky in the mouth with a hint of dark chocolate. Not sure how far this wine will go, but will drink the remaining bottles over the next decade...just wonderful for the price.


Some late notes from The Great Australian Red tasting last week.
This is the 6th one of these I have been to and Matthew Jukes and Tyson Stelzer do a wonderful job, and through corporate support its a free event.
17 Pepper Jack Certified excellent wine, plush core a bit of oak, very full bodied and balanced, this wine keeps winning everything, although I thought the 16 edition was a better wine. At $26 or whatever I paid for it a very good deal.
17 Wolf Blass Grey Label LC excellent wine, great follow up to the 16...this label is really the VFM and quality barometer of the range, the Black label is great, but four times the price.
17 Bleasdale Wellington Rd. Another winery which is coming on leaps and bounds, seems to have taken the mantle from Lake Breeze, very well made, again balanced, which is what so many of these wines were.
16 Tahbilk OV lovely mouth feel, nose of plums spice, dark fruits, medium weight, but very good.
17 Yalumba BV Signature, a wine which is really growing in stature delicate without being light, long finish, very good oak handling, impressive.
17 Majella Mallea, like the Yalumba and the Wolf Blass BL, multiple vintages on offer. Excellent wine, great mouth feel, needs decades, so much going on, fruit blueberry/blackberry very smart.
17 Wolf Blass BL, for me probably the wine of the tasting, so much power, but so much balance, restrained but complex, fruit in abundance, a bit overwhelming, could sit on a glass of this for half an hour, great wine.
16 Zema Estate Saluti, only the second release of this label after the 06, me thinks the quality of the 16 vintage will see a lot of top marques being released from many wineries, very good, cool climate, savoury nose, lovely hint of sweetness on the palate, great tannin profile with long finish.
16 Wolf Blass BL...fantastic wine, really balanced so much potential, will be long lived, would like some of these.
16 Majella Mallea, a good wine, but not in the same space as the 14, probably needs time.
16 Yalumba BV Signature, fabulous wine, needs decades, will certainly get some.
16 Hardys Anniversary ? Coonawarra/MV blend. Did remind me a little of Wirra's Angelus. Interesting wine, expecting more and not nearly worth the RRP of $250!
16 Henschke Apple Cart? new label and guess the Henschke's have plenty of blocks to play with, honestly...ordinary.
16 Woodstock Scott Collet MV...seems Scott is attempting to top up the super here, a wine on steroids but all over the place, a forest of oak, probably won't ever integrate and at $180...no
16 Wines by Geoff Hardy K1 Tzimmukin AH...a fair wine, nice but nothing really going on here a bit meh, at $295 you must be joking.
15 Yalumba Signature, in a bit of an awkward phase, not as nearly forward as the other signatures, a solid wine, 16 and 17 better.
15 Henschke Keyneton Euphonium, the old Keyneton Estate I believe, that could be had for $5 in the 80s, a good wine, much better than the Apple yard, but at $60??
14 Majella Mallea, picked up some of these at the CD last week, very very good wine, powerful but balanced, will be fabulous in a decade.
12 Wolf Blass BL, in a bit of a dumb phase, this wine has shown better in the past.
17 Majella Musician...has won everything, technically perfect a well made wine, good structure and weight
16 Lake Breeze LC Bernoota, like the Pepper Jack, this wine has been a multiple winner, needs time to settle now, tannins +++ purchased previously, very good.

So a good batch of reds and there were many more, but notes being very scratchy, a show dominated by Blass and Yalumba, but a great experience to look at this red blend from a multitude of regions , vintages and price points.
Cheers Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

My sentiment for Metala is well known, a wine which punches way above its price point.
Opened an 09 Shiraz/Cabernet/Malbec 50/45/5 blend, a sporadic release as the Malbec editions have only been made in 2-3 recent vintages.
Inky black, wonderful nose of sweet vs. savory, great balance and silky in the mouth with a hint of dark chocolate. Not sure how far this wine will go, but will drink the remaining bottles over the next decade...just wonderful for the price.

Which Metala, the regular white label or the Original Vines with a black label? I don't see it very often here in Canadas but do have an '02 original squirreled away somewhere.

[phillisc]

Mahmoud
It's the standard white label. There is also a grey label which sits between the white and the black (original plantings).
Cheers Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

A Grey Label! I've never even heard of it. Is it something they recently added to their portfolio?

[phillisc]

A Grey Label! I've never even heard of it. Is it something they recently added to their portfolio?

Yes a cheapie label, that I don't think TWE know what to do with and I don't know why they constantly mess with things.
The white label is the salt of the earth, cheap as chips always reliable, I just purchased some more at sub $9!!

The black label original plantings is a good wine too, if a little exxy, I brought plenty when it was in the $25 to $35 range...RPP is $60 something now.
The grey label can often be had for $10 down from $20 on BWS or Woolworths liquor promotions via supermarket shopper dockets....2 for 1 and all that.
They should can the grey and just make more white label...it always seems to sell well.

Cheers Craig

[Bytown Rick]

A Grey Label! I've never even heard of it. Is it something they recently added to their portfolio?

Mahmoud,

The Grey Label has been a regular listing here in Ontario for years. The current price is $37 CDN, which is a big reason why I haven't tried it.

Rick

[Mahmoud Ali]

A Grey Label! I've never even heard of it. Is it something they recently added to their portfolio?

The Grey Label has been a regular listing here in Ontario for years. The current price is $37 CDN, which is a big reason why I haven't tried it.

Rick,

You're thinking of the Wolf Blass Grey Label, the one that's been on the market for some time now but Craig is talking about the Metala range. The standard wine has a white label and been around for a long time. It's a Shiraz/Cabernet and once won the Jimmy Watson Trophy. They also made an Original Plantings which was made from older shiraz vines and had a black label. But according to Craig there is now an entry level grey labeled wine as well.

I've not seen the Original Plantings Shiraz since I found the 2002 vintage, it was clearly older stock and I think it was already about 10 years old and cost me C$25. I don't think I've bought a Wolf Blass wine since I saw some ten plus year old gold label riesling for something like C$12 - that was fun.

Cheers ............... Mahmoud.

[phillisc]

A Grey Label! I've never even heard of it. Is it something they recently added to their portfolio?

The Grey Label has been a regular listing here in Ontario for years. The current price is $37 CDN, which is a big reason why I haven't tried it.

Rick,

You're thinking of the Wolf Blass Grey Label, the one that's been on the market for some time now but Craig is talking about the Metala range. The standard wine has a white label and been around for a long time. It's a Shiraz/Cabernet and once won the Jimmy Watson Trophy. They also made an Original Plantings which was made from older shiraz vines and had a black label. But according to Craig there is now an entry level grey labeled wine as well.

I've not seen the Original Plantings Shiraz since I found the 2002 vintage, it was clearly older stock and I think it was already about 10 years old and cost me C$25. I don't think I've bought a Wolf Blass wine since I saw some ten plus year old gold label riesling for something like C$12 - that was fun.

Cheers ............... Mahmoud.

It appears to be part of a large supermarket chain (as previously mentioned) and interestingly is a straight Cabernet from Langhorne Creek. My preference would certainly be the white label or the original plantings (black). There have been some recent but sporadic vintages of the original plantings, an 08, 12, 14, and 15 I think??
Cheers Craig

[mjs]

2016 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon
tasted this in Coonawarra last weekend, but had a bottle last night. Sloshed into a decanter then enjoyed over an hour or so. Absolute cracker of a wine

[Bytown Rick]

A Grey Label! I've never even heard of it. Is it something they recently added to their portfolio?

The Grey Label has been a regular listing here in Ontario for years. The current price is $37 CDN, which is a big reason why I haven't tried it.

Rick,

You're thinking of the Wolf Blass Grey Label, the one that's been on the market for some time now but Craig is talking about the Metala range.

My mistake.

[Mahmoud Ali]

No worries, I pretty much gave up on Wolf Blass a long time ago, when the standard Yellow and Black Label expanded to include Red, Green, Blue, and Brown labels. And that was before the GOld, Grey and Platinum made the scene. The only ones I've bought since was Gold Label Riesling and Botrytis Semillon since I presumed that at least they remained relatively unique.

[sjw_11]

No worries, I pretty much gave up on Wolf Blass a long time ago, when the standard Yellow and Black Label expanded to include Red, Green, Blue, and Brown labels. And that was before the GOld, Grey and Platinum made the scene. The only ones I've bought since was Gold Label Riesling and Botrytis Semillon since I presumed that at least they remained relatively unique.

I have had Grey Label from 1981 so you must have given up on WB pretty early on Mahmoud!

[Mahmoud Ali]

Really, Grey Label in 1981!! That means that we in Canada were way behind because when I first started out in wine, which was in the mid-80s, there was only the Yellow and Black, and sometime later I recall reading about the introduction of the Red Label. It was only after that that I started to see the othr colours. I recall someone recommending the 1996 Brown Label but I didn't follow through because I was already jaded.

I'm sure there is an '08 Grey Label in the in-laws place in Sydney, a gift of a family member but I probably will not be enjoying it because it is subject to heat in the back flat and i wil be offering it up to anyone who wants to drink it.

[Ozzie W]

Really, Grey Label in 1981!!

I believe the first vintage was a 1967 straight Cabernet Sauvignon.

[Scotty vino]

Posted in this thread about a year ago. 1974 WB grey label at the end of a St Henri vertical at the local.

"On the side fellow attendee rocked in with a 1974 WB Grey label for s#$ts and giggles which was opened and passed around.
2 corkscrews later we were giving it a crack. Cork was down to the last millimetre or 2 but had hung on. Stripped of just about everything but still had some great cigar notes and although a touch cloudy i was surprised by its quality. Right in the porty/fortified spectrum but was a fun exercise and a good way to finish"

[Ozzie W]

2005 Best's Great Western Shiraz Thomson Family

I'm not much of Shiraz drinker these days, but this bottle from my cellar was magnificent. Medium bodied, sweet blueberry and blackberry fruit, earth, spices, black pepper & liquorice. Fine grained tannins. Superb length. Immaculate structure and balance. No hurry to drink -- this bottle has 2 decades of stuffing left in it.

Outstanding old vine Shiraz from pre-phylloxera vines dating back to 1867. I couldn't ask for anything more from a wine. Paired perfectly with eye fillet steak.

[felixp21]

a few last night prior to my departure this morning, ahhh, nothing better than a hangover on a 10 hour flight

2010 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay
stunning wine just about entering it's drinking window. Lots of stonefruits, white flowers, river pebbles, and background tropical fruits. Great complexity, full of interest and wonderful length. Remains the pinnacle of Aus chardonnay IMO. 95pts

2011 d'Angerville Volnay
a producer I (thought) I had given up on long ago, but found a case of this under a stack of Burgundy cases. Third bottle of the trip, it is a beautiful, easy drinking Volnay with the typical rounded mouthfeel and lots of bright red fruits. Wonderful. 90pts

2005 Mount Mary Quintet
bleh, luckily I think this was my last bottle. Dreadful wine, I would guess this as a $8 Chilean Malbec if seen blind. MM went thru a horror 20 years, and this wine is, sadly, a child of that time. Green, sweet, no varietal characteristics whatsoever, no terroir. 84pts

1979 Mount Mary
hanging on by the end of a fingernail, but still a wondrous old thing with all the hallmarks of Jonnie Middelton's wizardry. Aged leafy wine that would be easy to mistake for a very decent, mature Bordeaux. High-quality fruit still peeps thru the tertiary characters. Lovely. 93pts

1976 Grange Hermitage
still motoring on, lots of furniture polish, ripe black fruits and even still a little coconut. Incredibly long with an irresistible mouth-feel, this is a wine that remains so vibrant. As always, does not possess the complexity of the great wines of the World, but still great fun to drink. 94pts.

1978 Grange Hermitage
marred by massive amounts of VA, not unusual for this vintage. Improved a little in the decanter over a few hours, but not really a pleasure to taste, let alone drink. NR

1976 Penfold's Bin 707
still had the "Balwyn Cellars $8" price tag on it.
leafy old Cabernet, quite nice, but not in the class of the 79 MM. Not particularly complex, and unexciting. 88pts

1999 Maison Leroy GC 1er Cru "Fontenys"
having attended an amazing 1999 Burgundy Big Guns dinner last week at Matilda's, I thought we might give this a run. My logic was that if the likes of DRC RC, La Tache and Rousseau's Chambertin and Beze were firing on all cylinders, this might be finally open for business. Alas, still needs a decade, maybe two, but all the material is there for a truly ethereal experience around 2030. 93+++pts.

[Mike Hawkins]

2006 Taittinger Comte’s BdB... in a good spot now and will hold for a while. Despite the hype on some American boards, this is not in the same postcode as 04,02,96,95. Enjoyable nonetheless.

2002 Perrier Jouet Belle Époque... a bit of a miss for the vintage. Decent enough, but not great. Just lacks complexity and length. The 08 and 12 releases are much better.

2015Opus One... I know I’m’meant’ to like it, but is just seems simple and confected and made to an inflexible formula. Others raved, not me.

1995 Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires... one of the later disgorgements and it didn’t disappoint. Superb length, lovely toasty and floral notes and I sighed with trademark minerality. Really really good with a long future.

2012 Pikes The Merle...fantastic wine for the price. Just entering it’s long drinking window.

[Andrew Jordan]

2015Opus One... I know I’m’meant’ to like it, but is just seems simple and confected and made to an inflexible formula. Others raved, not me.

Wasn't corked by chance