Ch. Lynch Bages, a Cinquième Cru Classé, is one of the best-known Médoc estates and has always had a particularly strong following on this side of the English Channel. The wine can be surprisingly soft and approachable when young; however, when fully mature, it develops a succulent richness and a heavenly bouquet of minty blackcurrants and cigar boxes. As Oz Clarke says, “Lynch Bages is impressive at five years, beautiful at 10 years and irresistible at 20.”

The 2003 Lynch Bages has re-emphasised just how good the Left Bank wines are. Huge wafts of muscular, minty, cassis-laden Cabernet Sauvignon on the nose introduce a powerful structured palate with savoury hints of liquorice. It displays even more elegance than other vintages and looks likely to prove absolutely stunning with a bit of patience. Cellar Potential 2012-2030

In 2016 Bolgheri was blessed by the second exceptional vintage on the trot, after the superb 2015. People are struggling to remember two such excellent consecutive vintages and it is fair to say that the release of the wines has been much anticipated. The critics have been lavish with their praise. 100/100 Wine Advocate, 98/100 Wine Enthusiast, 18.5/20 Jancis Robinson Monica Larner of the Wine Advocate scored the wine a perfect 100 points, and gave it this review, full of superlatives. “The 2016 Sassicaia is a wine of soaring achievement. I tasted this wine several times during the course of its creation in both barrel and bottle, and the highly deserved 100-point score you see here was enthusiastically assigned at the conclusion of a mini vertical in which I tasted and compared the 2016 vintage against 2015 (which I scored 97 points). It makes perfect sense to present these two excellent vintages in back-to-back comparison fashion because they are two of the best to emerge from Bolgheri, and indeed Tenuta San Guido, in recent memory. These are very similar vintages with long, hot summer months that fuelled a long growing season. There was a bit more rain in 2016, and in analytical terms this vintage has a tad more acidity. However, the results in the glass are extraordinarily different. The 2015 vintage is exuberant, round, succulent and immediate, whereas the 2016 vintage shows pinpoint sharpness and precision (with similar grit and texture at the back). That acidity will carry it long into the future as the wine completes its slow evolutionary course. This wine is chiselled and sharp with blackberry, ripe cherry, grilled herb and barbecue spice. The aromas flow from the glass in a continuous stream and are all marked by radiant intensity. The mouthfeel is long and powerful. The crisp linearity of the wine's tannic backbone is perfectly measured to the volume and depth of the fruit flavors. To my mind, the 2016 Sassicaia stands tall next to the epic 1985 vintage that set the ultimate benchmark for vino italiano.“ Bruce Sanderson of the Wine Spectator scored Sassicaia at 97 points, while Mick O’Connell MW scored it at 98 points and wrote this note. “Super-dense core of black fruit and cassis - wood spice still integrating. Dense and concentrated with fine grain tannin and superb length. Pure and very fine. A lot of complexity - spice and cedar with touch of cigar box. Really juicy acid too - almost mouth-watering which gives a fabulous freshness and purity alongside the intense fruit core. Fabulous. One of the best I have tasted from Sassicaia”. Sassicaia is today one of the most sought after fine wines in the world. This is larely because of the vision, enerf=gy and drive o proprietor Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. The name Sassicaia means place of many stones and the gravelly soil has been compared to those found in the Medoc. "Mid-deep ruby-garnet. A notable nose ragrance with tobacco scent lifts out of the glass. Acore or ripe, sweet cassis fruit is wrapped in subtle clove oak spice, some earthy tones and cigar box. Needs only a little coaxing from the glass, whish is surprising, given its youth. Focussed, precise and elegant cassis on the palate with crushed rock and tobacco. Very fine, fairly firm tannins, with a line of acidity helping to give structure. Very long, delicate, scented finish." Tim Jackson, MW, jancisrobinson.com

In 2016 Bolgheri was blessed by the second exceptional vintage on the trot, after the superb 2015. People are struggling to remember two such excellent consecutive vintages and it is fair to say that the release of the wines has been much anticipated. The critics have been lavish with their praise. This fantastic wine has monumental depth with profound layers of black fruit, coffee, liquorice and baking chocolate. Glossy shine and a polished texture that segues to important richness, concentration and textural fibre. Wraps thickly over the palate, imparting waves of sweet dark fruit and dark spice that lingers for many long minutes. The Ornellaia vineyard totals 280 acres that are divided into more than 70 vineyard plots according to soil type, exposition and varietal. All the vineyards are about three miles from the Mediterranean shore. The mild maritime climate features sea breezes that keep the sky clear with low rainfall and long summers that favour the development of aromatic compounds. The clusters were hand-picked into 15 kg boxes and then selected by hand on a double sorting table, before and after destemming, and finally softly crushed. In 2016, optical sorting has been introduced in addition to manual selection, in order to further increase the quality of selection. Each grape variety and single vineyard block was vinified separately. Fermentation took place in stainless steel and concrete tanks at temperatures between 26-30°C for two weeks, followed by 10-15 days of maceration on the skins. The malolacticfermentation took place mainly in oak barrels, 70% new and 30% once-used. The wine then remained in barriques, in Ornellaia’s temperature- controlled cellars for about 20 months. After the first 12 months of maturation, the wine was assembled and then returned to the barriques for an additional 8 months. After bottling, the wine aged a further 12 months prior to release. Cellar Potential 2020-2040 “2016 represents another immensely successful vintage highlighting all the virtues of Bolgheri’s climate: abundant sunshine, without excessive heat, a dry summer to allow the grapes to achieve perfect ripeness and concentration, and just about enough rain to avoid stress. All these elements combine to yield a wine that shows lush ripeness and crisp firmness, opposing forces creating a sense of dense raciness we like to describe as “tension”.” Axel Heinz – Estate Director “A particularly dark and young colour is the prelude to a complex nose of black berries, spices and cedar. The palate is rich and dense, balanced by a refined and firm tannic structure, lifted by a juicy and bright acidity.” Olga Fusari – Winemaker – July 2018 Monica Larner scored the wine at 98 points and gave it this glowing review. “The 2016 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is a wine of extreme complexity and precision. It offers monumental depth with profound layers of black fruit, coffee, licorice and baking chocolate. I tasted this 2016 vintage beside the less-impactful 2015 vintage (which was reviewed last year). These two editions are very different when compared side to side, and this 2016 release is clearly superior in terms of the quality, clarity and intensity of its offerings. This Ornellaia delivers glossy shine and a polished texture that segues to important richness, concentration and textural fiber. It wraps thickly over the palate, imparting waves of sweet dark fruit and dark spice that linger for many long minutes. This beautiful wine is hitting the market now, but collectors will want to put it straight into their cellars for safekeeping.” Bruce Sanderson scored it at 96 points and Mick O’Connell MW scored it at 97 points, writing this note. “Plush nose, cedar and cigar box spice. Merlot showing with plum and currants. Super finesse here, long and fine but very dense and compact - opulence and vibrancy simultaneously - gives nice tension and contrast. Excellent stuff.”

Dominio de Pingus is a Spanish winery located in Quintanilla de Onésimo with vineyards in the La Horra area of the Ribera del Duero region. It was established in 1995 by Danish oenologist Peter Sisseck who believes in a system of never fertilising or treating the vineyard with pesticides.

“Explosively perfumed aromas of fresh boysenberry, floral oils and incense, with suave vanilla and woodsmoke nuances building in the glass. Sweet and plush on the palate, offering intense, smooth dark fruit liqueur and spicecake flavors. Really stains the palate, finishing with superb thrust and clarity; velvety tannins add gentle grip.”- Josh Raynolds

Established in 1811, Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque stands out visually amongst the other Grand Cuvee Champagne houses, thanks to the beautiful Japanese anemones on the bottle, designed by Emile Galle in 1902. Aromas of white fruits, lemons, white peach and pear gives way to hints of pineapple. This is followed by richer aromas of nuts, marzipan, and sweet spice. The palate is lively, with marked minerality. Sensual and silky, harmonious and beautifully balanced, the flavours mingle to leave a long, fine finish. An iconic vintage from Perrier Jouet. The last bottle that we know of left outside the Champagne House. Drink now to 2018.

The history of Chateau Latour dates back at least to the 14th century, even though the vineyards for which it is now world-renowned were not fully established until the 17th century. The estate is located at the southern edge of Pauillac, bordering the St. Julien vineyards of Chateau Leoville Las Cases and covers 78 hectares. A perfect bottle - fully mature and showing wonderful softness and complexity with notes of sweet earth, roasted nuts and dark fruits. Silky and smooth and very Latour with tell-tale flavours of tar and smoky gravel. Quite mature, Cellar potential: Now - 2020. Bottle label is aged.

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 Score: 90/91 Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2008

Pineapple, fig and honeysuckle on the nose. Rich, oily texture on the palate with strong flavours of apple and pears.full-bodied, crisp and intense

Bramble, raspberry, cassis, toasted oak and floral aromas. full-bodied, layered with black cherry and currant. Well coated tannins andnotes of liquorice

This iconic red is dark and leathery on the nose with hints of forest floor, blackberry, black cherry and brable fruits. Dark fruit on the palate accented by bright cherryspice and pepper. Decant for several hours to allow wine to integrate perfectly.