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Focus on Champagne (Nov 2002)

Multidimensional nose offers baked apple, orange oil, acacia honey, white chocolate, toffee and earthy low tones. Expansive, superconcentrated and powerful but not aggressive, with wonderfully sweet flavors of orange, flowers and honey supported by strong underlying structure. An amazingly solid Champagne with the stuffing for extended development in bottle.

Champagne: The Summer Preview (Jul 2015)

As good as the 1995 Cristal (Late Disgorged) is, the 1996 may be even a touch better, as it has a bit more volume and also more layers of intensity. Taut yet wonderfully explosive, with fabulous energy, the 1996 captures all the best qualities of the vintage. In most 1996 retrospectives, Cristal makes a case…

New Wines from the Tuscan Coast (Jul 2003)

(60% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 15% cabernet franc) Very dark ruby with a purplish core. Red and black fruits mingle with spicy clove on the nose, followed by raspberry jam, chocolate and cinnamon on the palate. Even fresher and more delineated than the 1999 bottling, with superb focus and concentration. Very ripe tannins envelop…

Ornellaia: A Major Retrospective 1985-2006 (Dec 2009)

The 2000 Ornellaia (magnum) is a pretty, well-balanced offering with good concentration and complexity. The 2000 lacks some of the visceral thrill of top vintages, but it is an excellent choice for near-term drinking. In 2000 Ornellaia is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine spent 18 months in French oak…

Three Vertical Tastings (Sep 2004)

(14. 6% alcohol). Full red-ruby. Very ripe nose offers roasted meat, smoke, tobacco, underbrush and mint. Superripe, silky and lush, with a slightly roasted fruit character. Not a hugely complex or deep vintage for Ornellaia, and likely to evolve relatively quickly, but the wine’s uncommonly lush, velvety texture is more than worth the price of…

The 2010 Clarets: A Modern Classic (Jul 2013)

Bright red-ruby. Blackcurrant, smoke, tobacco and leather on the nose, with hints of game and earth. Round, lush and seamless in the mouth; shows an animal aspect yet comes across as civilized owing to well-judged extraction. Enticing sweetness to the flavors of dark and red berries and wild herbs, lifted by a note of candied…