James Suckling (93)

This is a very solid Pomerol with a nice balance of fine, dry tannins with well-judged ripeness. But the red-fruit character is a bit shy and a couple of years are probably needed for it to open up fully. Long and complex, dry finish. Drink or hold.

Vinous (94)

Single-vineyard from 120-year-old vines, aged nine months in concrete tank. Deep ruby. Savory and floral nose of violets, pepper and forest floor. There’s a charming earthiness throughout this wine. Flavors of blackberry and black cherry emerge at midpalate, along with a lovely fresh root vegetable note. Cool, stony finish. Fresh and precise.

Wine Advocate (90-92)

The 2015 Volnay 1er Cru les Taillepieds has a slightly deeper color than the Les Pitures, more Volnaysian in comparison perhaps. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well-judged acidity with plenty of cranberry and raspberry fruit, leading to a refreshingly structured finish that has just the right amount of salinity. There is astute winemaking on display here and it could well turn out to be the domaine's finest offering in the 2015 vintage.

Contains 1x75cl bottle of each:

Pétrus 2014 - 93 pts | Neal Martin (Wine Advocate)

Lafite 2014 - 95 pts | Neal Martin (Wine Advocate)

Mouton Rothschild 2014 - 97 pts | Antonio Galloni (Vinous)

Margaux 2014 - 95 pts | Neal Martin (Wine Advocate)

Haut-Brion 2014 - 97 pts | Antonio Galloni (Vinous)

La Mission Haut-Brion 2014 - 96 pts | Neal Martin (Vinous)

Cheval Blanc 2014 - 95 pts | Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate)

D'Yquem 2014 - 96-98 pts | Neal Martin (Wine Advocate)

The Wine Cellar Insider (98)

One of the recently released bottles from Ducru Beaucaillou, which you can tell, as it sports the modern design, was about as good a bottle of 82 Ducru as you are ever going to have. Full-bodied, elegant, rich, multi-layered, and multi-faceted, the tobacco, cedar, currant, and wet forest profile on the nose was great. But the layers of ripe, lush, rich fruits with their silky, refined tannins stole the show. Popped and poured, perhaps 30 minutes or so would have improved the experience, but as the wine developed in the glass, we were more than happy.

James Suckling (100)

The nose is phenomenal with perfect aromas of Cabernet Sauvignon with currant bush, blackberries and minerals. A pure expression of Cab. The palate is perfect with a full body, but has perfectly integrated tannins with a texture like the finest cashmere. It's strong but noble with perfect form and beauty. All in harmony. A fabulous wine that everyone who loves Bordeaux should have a bottle or case of. Better in 2020.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Looking at the 2018 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, I was stopped in my tracks at this beauty and continue to think 2018 is an incredible vintage for Bordeaux. Checking in as 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that was raised in new barrels, it has an essence of cassis character as well notes of tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, crushed stone, and cedar pencil. Cut from the same cloth as the 2009, although with slightly more polished tannins, it's full-bodied and massively concentrated and structured, yet flawlessly balanced, with incredible purity and no hard edges.

James Suckling (99-100)

A very powerful Ducru with intense tannins and backbone, showing blue fruit, black tea and tobacco. Full-bodied with impressive structure and so much tannin. It goes on for minutes. Very traditional. Owner Bruno Borie said it is a wine to last forever and I have to agree. 80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot.

James Suckling (98-99)

Really perfumed and complex with blackberries, blackcurrants and flowers. Gorgeous cabernet sauvignon character. Full-bodied with really fine, polished tannins. Superb length and intensity. Very compact and seamless. Ethereal. Just goes on and on.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2020 Morey-Saint-Denis Village, which was taken from tank, has a vivid blackberry and bilberry-scented bouquet with a light marine influence emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, a fine-boned Morey with an appealing strictness towards the finish. Enjoy this over the next decade.

Vinous (87-89)

The 2018 Morey-Saint-Denis Village features bold blackberry and bilberry aromas that convey an attractive sense of energy. The palate has a pastille-like purity on the entry, fine acidity and a nicely structured, slightly ferrous finish. Enjoy over the next four or five years.

Revel in the opulent luxury of the Duval Leroy Femme de Champagne Grand Cru 1996, an exquisite vintage meticulously crafted to perfection. The heart of the Champagne region bares this exceptional Grand Cru, a testament to Duval Leroy's outstanding savoir-faire, widely acknowledged for their uncompromising dedication to quality. This vintage employs 100% Chardonnay grapes, harvested from the finest vineyards, encapsulating the terroir's quintessence. Duval Leroy's painstaking viticulture and traditional métodos champenoises see this cuvée age for more than twenty years in their cellar, imparting unparalleled complexity.

The Duval Leroy Femme de Champagne Grand Cru 1996 emanates elegance, offering a majestic bouquet of fresh orchard blossoms and honeyed brioche. This medium-to-full bodied Champagne boasts a rich, refined palate; fresh citrus notes adorned with hints of toast and truffle. Its shine doesn't fade with a lingering, mineral-laced finish. A coveted gem amongst aficionados, the Duval Leroy Femme de Champagne Grand Cru 1996 is a sublime testament to Champagne's grandeur.

Wine Advocate (98+)

A blend of the 2015 and 2014 vintages, Egly's emblematic NV Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayères was disgorged this year with only one gram per liter dosage. Bursting with aromas of mirabelle plum, Anjou pear and green apple mingled with notions of freshly baked bread, honeycomb and praline, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, its satiny attack segueing into a deep, layered mid-palate of striking texture and concentration. Concluding with a long, intensely saline finish, it's another brilliant wine from a great producer at the top of his form.

Jancis Robinson (17)

A bit of apple peel. Very ‘natural’. Very pure and unadorned. All top Montagne de Reims villages. Extreme champagne. Very dry finish. Lots of potential.

Vinous (96)

The NV Extra Brut V.P. Grand Cru (Vieillissement Prolongé) is a rich, textured Champagne that expresses all of the natural intensity gained after having spent eight years on its lees. Baked apple tart, pastry, spice, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes infuse the V.P. with tremendous flavor complexity to fill out its broad, expansive frame. It is a wine of remarkable depth and vinous intensity. In a word: superb. Disgorged: July, 2020.

Tim Atkin MW (95)

Made “like a flan”, according to Ale Vigil, this is a co-fermented blend of Cabernet Franc and 8% Malbec, with lots of whole bunches and aged in old wooden foudres. Zesty and fresh, with the low alcohol and focus that are a feature of El Enemigo style, it’s savoury and bright with salty minerality and graphite and green herb flavours.

Wine Advocate (93+)

The elegant, spicy, peppery and floral 2018 Cabernet Franc contains 10% Malbec, as these varietal bottling are rarely 100% varietal. It has intense and pungent flavors reminiscent of freshly cracked black peppercorns and wild herbs. The ripeness is contained, and the wine has a surprisingly low pH that provides very good freshness and a vibrant palate, more so given the very fine tannins and the tasty flavors that lift up the finish. Superb Cabernet Franc at an unbeatable price. 26,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2019 after 15 months in centenary oak foudres.

Vinous (93)

The 2020 Cabernet Franc incorporates a 10% touch of Malbec and originates from Gualtallary in the Uco Valley. It underwent a 15-month aging process in used foudres. It's a dark and intense purple color. The nose reveals notes of ashes and herbs, interwoven with a subtle hint of jalapeño, set against a backdrop of black fruit and cedar. Dry and delicately lean, the palate is tightly structured and juicy, thanks to its fine-grained tannins. The vibrant palate concludes with a lingering thyme finish.

James Suckling (98)

A tight and beautiful white with a dense palate of beautiful, ripe lemons and apples. Layered and refined with phenolic tension. Complex yeast and hints of oak and flor. Full body. Great length. 80 per cent flor-growth in barrel. Drink now.

James Suckling (97)

This is another rock-star chardonnay from here with dried-apple, pear-skin, crushed-stone and peach-pit character. Full body. Creamy texture. Phenolic form and a long, flavorful finish. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (96)

Cooked apple, lemon curd and light vanilla on the nose, together with stone, mineral and some dried flowers. Medium to full body with a creamy texture and beautiful fruit. Hints of vanilla and pie crust in the aftertaste. Always great quality for the price. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (97)

A hint of flint and gunpowder with waxed lemon, oyster shell, mango and salted green apples. Quite a textured, saline expression of chardonnay with tangy flavors and a mineral drive. Full-bodied and reductive with phenolic support. Savory, saline and mouthwatering finish. Love the austerity here. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (95)

Attractively briny nose with some cooked lemons, hot stone minerals, yeast, juniper and a hint of bread crust and almonds. Full-bodied yet bright and slightly phenolic on the palate with excellent freshness and power. Transparent, dry and saline in the finish. Delicious and super drinkable. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (97)

A refined, medium-to full-bodied red with aromas of blackberry, bitter chocolate, violets, tar and tobacco. Ultra fine tannins, interwoven with silky and seamless layers of dark berries. So elegant and fine. Long. Serious and focused with fantastic depth and structure. Drink or hold.

Each case contains one bottle of each:

El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Agrelo 2016 (1x75cl)
El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Chacayes 2016 (1x75cl)
El Enemigo Gran Enemigo El Cepillo 2016 (1x75cl)
El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Gualtallary 2016 (1x75cl)

James Suckling (99)

Such impressive, rich aromas of berries, cherries and plums with blackberries and violets, too. An enticing fusion of freshness and deep intensity. The palate has a super succulent and contained feel with immaculately smooth, plush tannins. So long, pure and full of life. Like a top St.-Emilion! Cabernet franc with 15% malbec. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The layered and complex 2019 Gran Enemigo El Cepillo Single Vineyard has an expressive nose with a mixture of curry, nutmeg, aromatic herbs and dried flowers, perfumed and expressive. The vineyard was planted in 2000 with Cabernet Franc and some 15% Malbec that fermented in concrete and a 2,000-liter oak vat with indigenous yeasts and with 50% full clusters. This bottling is always very distinct, with incredible aromatics, a medium to full-bodied palate, 13.5% alcohol and very good freshness. It's vibrant and finishes dry and with a salty twist. 7,200 bottles were filled in July 2020.

Wine Advocate - Robert Parker (100)

I was really looking forward to tasting the 2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard since all of the previous vintages have been truly exceptional, and I wanted to see what it would be in a cooler year. The bottled wine contains perhaps 15% Malbec in the blend, and they will soon stop mentioning Cabernet Franc on the label. It fermented in 500-liter oak barrels with 50% of the Cabernet Franc and all of the Malbec and then matured in used oak foudres. It's very intense and powerful, but at the same time, there is a kind of lightness on the palate that makes if feel light on its feet but with great inner power. There is citrus acidity that makes it effervescent and electric. It has some 7.5 grams of acidity and a pH of 3.45, very healthy parameters. The peppery character appears after some time, giving it a Chinon-like twist, and it also reminds me of my favorite Bordeaux, Pomerol's Lafleur. This is definitely world-class and worth lying down, as it should develop further complexity in bottle. This is one of those wines where the only improvement I can think of is having magnums rather than bottles. Bravo! Some 3,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2016.

Wine Advocate - Robert Parker (100)

I was really looking forward to tasting the 2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard since all of the previous vintages have been truly exceptional, and I wanted to see what it would be in a cooler year. The bottled wine contains perhaps 15% Malbec in the blend, and they will soon stop mentioning Cabernet Franc on the label. It fermented in 500-liter oak barrels with 50% of the Cabernet Franc and all of the Malbec and then matured in used oak foudres. It's very intense and powerful, but at the same time, there is a kind of lightness on the palate that makes if feel light on its feet but with great inner power. There is citrus acidity that makes it effervescent and electric. It has some 7.5 grams of acidity and a pH of 3.45, very healthy parameters. The peppery character appears after some time, giving it a Chinon-like twist, and it also reminds me of my favorite Bordeaux, Pomerol's Lafleur. This is definitely world-class and worth lying down, as it should develop further complexity in bottle. This is one of those wines where the only improvement I can think of is having magnums rather than bottles. Bravo! Some 3,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2016.