Stocktake Sale 2024

Old dark copper. Evidence of spices, cinnamon, clove and liquorice.

Wine Advocate 95 points. Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The 2012 Vieux Château Certan has a potent, smoke, cooked meat, Cabernet Franc-scented bouquet that is beautifully defined—quintessentially Pomerol. You want typicité? Come right here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite gentle as it sashays across the mouth. The acidity is very well judged and leads to an elegant tobacco tinged finish. Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have produced one of the finest wines of the Right Bank in 2012, one that is up there with the greats. NM Oct 2016.

Wine Advocate 91 points. The entry-level red simply called 2019 Garnacha is what they define as their regional bottling, using grapes from the villages of de Corella, Cintruénigo and Fitero, produced in an approachable and easy-to-understand way. It had a gentle vinification, starting with grapes of moderate ripeness with a good pH, fermented with indigenous yeasts and using 20% full clusters. The difference in vintage is noticeable when tasted with a majority of 2018s; this is a clearly riper and more open vintage, with a more Mediterranean character, with sweet fruit and aromatic herbs. It reminds me of some of my favorite old-time...

Tempranillo 100%. From a selection of the Tempranillo harvested at optimal health and maturation in small 15 kg boxes. In the winery, a manual selection of bunches and destemming occurs and crushing without pressure. Produced by malolactic fermentation in the barrel and then an aging of 14 months in French and American oak barrels, 50% of which are 12 months old.   #NEWJULY

"94+ Points. Excellent intensity and the length to match. This release has Voyager Estate’s renowned chardonnay in fine form. Grilled stone fruits, pears, cedarwood and flashes of flint. A gingery, nougat-like, slightly confected note too, as a positive. Maybe some pineapple, green pineapple, but tucked well within. This came across as tight and ultra-composed when first opened, but with air it soared. Impressive. Tasted: Dec22 13.5% alc. $60 Screwcap Drink: 2024 - 2030+"- Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front.